The Reader is Warned

by Carter Dickson

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558820191
• ISBN13: 9781558820197
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: International Polygonics
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.33 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Very Good Sir Henry Merrivale Mystery

John Dickson Carr excelled at creating "impossible" crimes and then explaining how they occurred. To enjoy Carr's mysteries, you must like puzzles that have intricate solutions, and not mind that a few aspects may be difficult to follow. While Carr's solutions are clever, these mysteries were written in the 1930s to 1950s, so there may be an occasional clue that doesn't hold up in today's CSI era. Though some will disagree, Carr's most entertaining mysteries are those that feature Sir Henry Merrivale (written under the name Carter Dickson). THE READER IS WARNED is the 9th Sir Henry Merrivale mystery, and a very good one. Herman Pennik claims that he can kill people by using only mental force (thoughts). Then, a mysterious death occurs that appears to support this claim. The story is entertaining, the characters are interesting (one has a name very similar to one of Carr's mystery-writing competitors; coincidence or deliberate?), and the motives for murder are unusual and challenging. Several footnotes try to help the reader find the correct solution, which is clear, logical, but in one sense somewhat of a stretch. (You have to be a bit forgiving with a Carr mystery.) And the final three paragraphs have considerable impact because they relate the theme of the mystery, in a surprising but effective way, to important events occurring at the time this book was written (1939).