Reviews

The Case of the Constant Suicides by John Dickson Carr

meganh123's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

richardmcartney's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A nice atmosphere, good characters established before Dr Fell appears and a great intricate plot.

sophiemanhol's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I really enjoyed some pages of this book. The big reveal was good as was the medium one!

bmip666's review

adventurous dark emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

robinwalter's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Mildly entertaining and more light-hearted than the other Carrs I've read

seaspark's review against another edition

4.0

The mystery is clever enough, the romance sweet and predictable, but the very very best part is the description of a wicked hangover in Chapter 9. I've read it aloud to several people and am thinking of having it framed.

"Alan Campbell opened one eye.

"From somewhere in remote distances, muffled beyond sight or sound, his soul crawled back painfully, through subterranean corridors, up into his body again. Toward the last it moved to a cacophony of hammers and lights."

avanders's review

3.0

This is a fun classic murder mystery. What I really liked about this one is that it was FUN! It was funny, light, and moved quickly. There weren't long and involved explanations of the scenery or drawn-out descriptions of the personalities... it was just a story that quickly moved from one scene to the next, creating, complicating, and then resolving the mystery.

In the book, several people have been called to a castle in Scotland for a "family meeting" to discuss the death and after-affect of a certain family member. There is a dispute about whether the man committed suicide or was murdered and the various characters are quickly drawn into the activity, the mystery, and the frivolity.

Recommended for people looking for a quick and fun classic murder mystery.

daphne2000's review

4.0

Not the best mystery book I have ever read, but very enjoyable. I thought the mystery was clever and I really liked the characters and writing. The structure was kind of weird though. The detective didn't show up until halfway through the book and a huge portion of this was devoted to a romance between two of the characters instead of the mystery. I still liked this though!

Sidenote: I think this is physically the oldest book I've ever read. I have a first edition that was published in 1941!

muggsyspaniel's review

4.0

This is a fun murder mystery set in Scotland during WWII. The lead characters have a "meet cute" to set things up and when Gideon Fell arrives the fun kicks up to another level.
It's more locked room mystery stuff so you have to accept that it's all going to be a little far fetched but there's a breezy quality about this one that is quite pleasing.

patthebook's review against another edition

4.0

Highly enjoyable! The funniest of his works I’ve read so far, despite the deaths and whatnot.