Castle Skull by John Dickson Carr

Castle Skull by John Dickson Carr ISBN-13: 9781464212819 Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press Released: May 5th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
A dark shadow looms over the Rhineland where Inspector Henri Bencolin and his accomplice Jeff Marle have arrived from Paris. Entreated by the Belgian financier DAunay to investigate the gruesome and grimly theatrical death of actor Myron Alison, the pair find themselves at the imposing hilltop fortress in which a small group of suspects are still assembled. As thunder rolls in the distance, Bencolin and Marle enter a world steeped in macabre legends of murder and magic to catch the killer still walking the maze-like passages and towers of the keep. This new edition of John Dickson Carrs spirited and deeply atmospheric early novel also features the rare Inspector Bencolin short story 'The Fourth Suspect'.


My Review:
Castle Skull is a mystery that was originally published in 1931 and is set along the Rhine River. The author apparently intended to create an atmospheric, Gothic horror feel to the story through descriptions of the dark weather and odd furnishings. Modern readers probably won't find it very creepy. There were two competing detectives trying to solve the mystery. They asked questions and snooped about without being terribly clear about what they had discovered because they're trying to hide it from others. I strongly suspected whodunit (and some of the reason why) due to the known clues. Of course, there's the dramatic reveal at the end about what had happened and who the murderer was.

In the included short story, we're quickly told the setup and then the solution. Bencolin had a very different personality than the competent, clever, assured detective that he's portrayed as in the main story. In both stories, Bencolin is the only one who correctly identifies whodunit and yet that person is not brought to justice. Someone else dies in their place. There were no sex scenes. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.