Checkmate

by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Walter Longcluse is clever, cunning and rich. Having insinuated himself into the affections of the Arden family, he becomes devoted to the beautiful young Alice, although she cannot bring herself to like this strange and mysterious friend of her brother's. Then Longcluse visits a gambling club with Alice's brother, Richard, and finds himself confronting the indiscreet Monsieur Lebas, with whom he had been mixed up in the past. Later the same evening Lebas is found stabbed. What is the secret of Longcluse's disfigurement and the 'dark' past which he reveals to no one? Why did Mrs Tansey, the Ardens' housekeeper, react so strongly when she recognized Longcluse's voice? What is it that Longcluse so fears?

Genres: Classics, Gothic, Victorian, Fiction, Horror, Novels

345 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1871

About the author

Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the nineteenth century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era. M.R. James described Le Fanu as "absolutely in the first rank as a writer of ghost stories". Three of his best-known works are Uncle Silas, Carmilla and The House by the Churchyard.

Reviews

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The match is over, and you may rise now and say Checkmate."

Do not, under any circumstances, read anything about this book that gives away the ending. There is a major plot twist, the likes of which just might possibly be the first of its kind in mystery/crime/detective novels up to this point (1871) and it would be a shame to ruin it by knowing it even before getting started.

In a rare occurrence, I won't give away even an iota about the plot, because thinking back on it now, I realize that Le Fanu had scattered a huge number of clues across this book's 339 pages from the very beginning, and it wasn't really until the end that their significance became obvious, so I don't want to wreck anyone's experience. I will say that it's a story that kept me reading, especially because of the bad guy in this book whose villainy, in my humble opinion, surpasses that of any of the characters encountered in the British novels I've read so far during this project. By the last quarter of Checkmate, I was actually hating him, and to his credit, Le Fanu managed to take this story right down to the wire so that I had no clue as to whether or not things were going to turn out all right. It was yet another book where my tension level was so high over the last few chapters that I may have forgotten to breathe until the last word. The back cover calls it a "chilling mystery," and I have to concur.

While I'm in love with these old, forgotten crime novels, with Le Fanu, and with sensation fiction in general, I know that not everyone shares my zeal. My guess is that it will appeal mainly to fans of this author and to people who are seriously into Victorian sensation novels and Victorian crime, so once again I'll call it a niche read that I can highly recommend.

for much, much more about this book and about the author,

http://www.crimesegments.com/2017/11/...

[Alexis Chateau · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, Sheridan pulls off a plot twist at the end that I was not expecting. This book is not one of my favourites from his collection of works, but it was good all the same.

The story does start off slow and didn't grab my attention at first. However, the character Longcluse kept me reading, because of all the hints suggesting that there was some great mystery to his character.

The language in this book was also more heavily Victorian than most books I've read from this era, so if you're not prepared for long, overly punctuated run-on sentences with colloquial expressions long before our times, this book is probably not for you!

PS:- I had zero appreciation for how Jewish characters were treated in this book. Shame on you Le Fanu! I had no idea you were anti-Semitic!

[Franky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read and enjoyed a couple of Joseph Sheridan De Fanu’s works in the past, two of them being his creepy Gothic novel Uncle Silas as well as his chillingly atmospheric collection of short stories within In a Glass Darkly (which was five stars all the way for me). I preface this because his rather unknown and obscure novel Checkmate jut didn’t have as much going for it, as it lacked that subtle unnerving quality and factor that makes the other works so much more Gothic and suspenseful.

Checkmate concerns a certain named by the name of Longcluse, who is an acquaintance of Richard Arden. Longcluse comes into the circle of the Arden family. At the beginning of the novel, members of the family and friends are chatting it up about a terrible family incident that took place. This event will play a significant role later on, as well as a murder that takes place in a billiard room.

It's difficult to reveal too much without giving away spoilers, but I think that two of the prominent themes or focuses that come into play are revenge and secrets from the past. As the title signifies, we are trying to figure out who is playing who.

Checkmate has some moments, but overall felt lackluster in long stretches. It feels like the beginning parts were engaging where we are given a little exposition and get a feel for things as well as the concluding section where we are hit with a preponderance of clues and moments. However, there is a long stretch in the middle section where it feels like a whole lot of nothing happens. To be more precise, too much melodrama, characters speaking in circles, and a good deal of long-winded fluff that consumes an extensive portion of the plot. It felt like it took me a long time to get through this. (It could have been trimmed down significantly).

Not to say that there aren’t moments when De Fanu doesn’t churn up the atmosphere:

“Over the melancholy precincts of Mortlake the voiceless darkness of night descends with unmitigated gloom. The centre- the brain of this dark place—is the house: and in a large dim room, near the smoldering fire, sits the image that haunts rather than inhibits it.”

There is a nice little twist near the end that I thought was highly ahead of its time and inventive.

Overall, though, while this book is classified as a horror, I would not say that genre readily applies here. Some intrigue and suspense here and there, but If you are looking for a solid De Fanu read I would go with the aforementioned Uncle Silas or In a Glass Darkly, where the Gothic style and creepy factor are in high gear.

[Tarquin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le Fanu has a gift for portraying malevolent villains whose behaviour, while almost demonically evil, has its source in recognizable psychological traits. Checkmate is no exception, documenting the subjugation of an aristocratic family at the hands of a determined and coercive strategist.
The novel suffers from a lull about a third of the way through as the pieces are moved into position before the nature of the game is apparent to the reader, but then takes off, making for a compelling read as move and countermove develop.
Sadly the ending feels a little rushed, including an unfortunate exposition dump that glosses over a skipped episode, but is otherwise satisfying.