Reading list: Halloween Book Bingo - Locked Room Mystery Square

Created by: Murder by Death

The locked-room mystery is a subgenre of detective fiction in which a crime—almost always murder—is committed under circumstances under which it was seemingly impossible for the perpetrator to commit the crime and/or evade detection in the course of getting in and out of the crime scene.

Please add any suggestions to the comments and I'll get them on the list asap.

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Books: 77

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas

by Stephanie Barron

Note:

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

by Agatha Christie

Note:

The Hollow Man

by John Dickson Carr

Note:

Cover Her Face

by P.D. James

Note:

The Mystery of the Yellow Room

by Gaston Leroux

Note:

And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie

Note:

Murder in Mesopotamia

by Agatha Christie

Note:

The Moonstone

by Wilkie Collins

Note:

Killer's Wedge

by Ed McBain

Note:

10.

Vendetta

by Michael Dibdin

Note:

11.

The Dead Room

by Herbert Resnicow

Note:

12.

A Holiday for Murder

by Agatha Christie

Note:

13.

The Adventure Of The Speckled Band And Other Stori... - Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventure Of The Speckled Band And Other Stories Of Sherlock Holmes

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Note:

14.

The Adventure of the Resident Patient - Annotated

by Sidney Paget, George Cavendish, Arthur Conan Doyle

Note:

15.

The Nine Tailors

by Dorothy L. Sayers

Note:

16.

Three detective novels: Including The Arabian nigh... - John Dickson Carr

Three detective novels: Including The Arabian nights murder; The Burning court; The problem of the wire cage

by John Dickson Carr

Note:

17.

Death in the Tunnel

by Miles Burton

Note:

18.

Envious Casca

by Georgette Heyer

Note:

19.

Murder on the Orient Express

by Agatha Christie

Note:

20.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue: The Dupin Tales

by Edgar Allan Poe, Matthew Pearl

Note:

21.

Evil Under the Sun

by Agatha Christie

Note:

22.

Strong Poison

by Dorothy L. Sayers

Note:

23.

Have His Carcase

by Dorothy L. Sayers

Note:

24.

The Sign of Four

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Note:

25.

Uncle Silas

by Victor Sage, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Note: Can also be used for:
Gothic square
Dark and Stormy Night square
Classic Horror square
Genre: Horror square
Genre: Mystery square

26.

Miraculous Mysteries: Locked-Room Murders and Impo... - Various Authors, Martin Edwards

Miraculous Mysteries: Locked-Room Murders and Impossible Crimes

by Various Authors, Martin Edwards

Note:

27.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

by Agatha Christie

Note:

28.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Myste... - Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot's Christmas: A Hercule Poirot Mystery

by Agatha Christie

Note:

29.

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders

by Ross MacKenzie, Soji Shimada, Shika MacKenzie

Note:

30.

Greenthieves

by Alan Dean Foster

Note:

31.

The Decagon House Murders

by Yukito Ayatsuji, Ho-Ling Wong, Soji Shimada

Note:

32.

Secrets in Death

by J.D. Robb

Note:

33.

The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Note:

34.

The Naval Treaty (Sherlock Holmes Series)

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Note:

35.

The King Is Dead

by Ellery Queen

Note:

36.

A John Dickson Carr Trio, Including: The Three Cof... - John Dickson Carr

A John Dickson Carr Trio, Including: The Three Coffins; The Crooked Hinge; and The Case of the Constant Suicides

by John Dickson Carr

Note:

37.

The Moving Toyshop

by Edmund Crispin

Note:

38.

The Woman in Cabin 10

by Ruth Ware

Note:

39.

Firestorm

by Nevada Barr

Note:

40.

Winter Study

by Nevada Barr

Note:

41.

The Locked Room

by Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö

Note:

42.

The Law of The Four Just Men

by Edgar Wallace

Note:

43.

The Night Calls

by David Pirie

Note:

44.

The Red Pavillion: a Chinese Detective Story

by Robert Van Gulik

Note:

45.

The Chinese Gold Murders

by Robert van Gulik

Note:

46.

Payment In Blood

by Elizabeth George

Note:

47.

The Lighthouse (Adam Dalgliesh, #13)

by P.D. James

Note:

48.

Original Sin

by P.D. James

Note:

49.

Busman's Honeymoon

by Dorothy L. Sayers

Note:

50.

No Wind of Blame

by Georgette Heyer

Note:

51.

Detection Unlimited

by Georgette Heyer

Note:

52.

The Case of the Late Pig

by Margery Allingham

Note:

53.

Death of a Ghost

by Margery Allingham

Note:

54.

A Man Lay Dead

by Ngaio Marsh

Note:

55.

Final Curtain

by Ngaio Marsh

Note:

56.

Tied Up In Tinsel

by Ngaio Marsh

Note:

57.

Death and the Dancing Footman

by Ngaio Marsh

Note:

58.

Hand In Glove

by Ngaio Marsh

Note:

59.

Scales of Justice

by Ngaio Marsh

Note:

60.

Overture To Death

by Ngaio Marsh

Note:

61.

Night at the Vulcan

by Ngaio Marsh

Note:

62.

The Valley of Fear

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Note:

63.

The Norwood Builder / The Adventure of Silver Blaz... - John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Arthur Conan Doyle

The Norwood Builder / The Adventure of Silver Blaze / The Blackmailer / The Adventure of The Blue Carbuncle

by John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Arthur Conan Doyle

Note:

64.

They do it with Mirrors

by Agatha Christie

Note:

65.

The Seven Dials Mystery

by Agatha Christie

Note:

66.

Dead Man's Mirror (A Hercule Poirot Mystery)

by Christie Agatha

Note:

67.

Death in the Clouds

by Agatha Christie

Note:

68.

The Murder at the Vicarage

by Agatha Christie

Note:

69.

Sparkling Cyanide

by Agatha Christie

Note:

70.

The Hollow

by Agatha Christie

Note:

71.

Sad Cypress

by Agatha Christie

Note:

72.

Three Act Tragedy

by Agatha Christie

Note:

73.

Lord Edgware Dies

by Agatha Christie

Note:

74.

Towards Zero

by Agatha Christie

Note:

75.

Death on the Nile

by Agatha Christie

Note:

76.

Too Many Cooks

by Rex Stout

Note:

77.

Champagne for One

by Rex Stout, Lena Horne

Note:

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Comments

Comments:

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 8 years ago

Another Christie: "Evil Under the Sun" (ISBN 13: 9781579126285; ISBN 10: 1579126286).

Arguably, Dorothy L. Sayers's first two "Lord Peter and Harriet Vane" novels are locked room mysteries, too:
"Strong Poison" (ISBN 13: 9780061043505; ISBN 10: 0061043508) involves a meal jointly eaten down to the last crumb by two cousins, one of whom survives while the other ones dies;
and in "Have His Carcase" (ISBN 13: 9780061043529; ISBN 10: 0061043524) all the evidence points to the victim having died at a time when he can't possibly have died in reality.

Incidentally, for "Sign of Four" did you possibly add the book for the BBC adaptation starring Benedict Cumberbatch instead of Conan Doyle's actual novel? (Here's the Amazon page for the book you added: https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Sign-Four-BBC-Books/dp/1849904049)
A.C.D.'s original novel is (inter alia) here: ISBN 13: 9780140439076 (ISBN 10: 0140439072)

Murder by Death 8 years ago

Added all of them and changed Sign of Four. There is no doubt that I grabbed the wrong one; Doyle is another author that desperately needs to be battled into shape in the db, but I quail whenever I consider tackling it.

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 8 years ago

... the biggest problem with his books being that pretty much all the "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", "Complete Sherlock Holmes" and a plethora of collections pulling together stories from *several different* original story collections are all lumped together in one big combined mess. Yep. I recently tried to clean up the rest of his books, but emphatically drew the line at the 600-book-or-so Sherlock blob.

Murder by Death 8 years ago

I had the same problem with another prolific author...can't remember who it was but two of their books were combined and there were hundreds of them. I was actually willing to separate them out (b/c I'm impatient and I was bored) but the problem was every time I'd seperate out the editions, they'd recombine automatically because they were exact to another combined edition. I had to get BL to do it and it took forever and that was when they actually spent time on their own site. :(

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 8 years ago

Oh, brother. Speaks volumes as to their priorities ... and let's not get started on the fact that with decent librarian tools, we wouldn't even have to ask them to step in at all!

Murder by Death 8 years ago

No, no, no, don't get me started on that. It's a soapbox from which I'll never step down. (It would be SO damn easy to fix though... )

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 8 years ago

Yes!!!

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 8 years ago

Also, Sheridan Le Fanu: "Uncle Silas" (ISBN 13: 9780140437461; ISBN 10: 0140437460) -- which also qualifies for everything from "Gothic" to "Dark and Stormy Night" to "Classic Horror" to "Genre: Horror" to "Genre: Mystery" (they don't get any more Halloween'ish than this).

Murder by Death 8 years ago

Added.

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 8 years ago

Thank you!

SusannaG - Confessions of a Crazy Cat Lady 8 years ago

Gaudy Night, though a suberb book, is NOT a locked room mystery.

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 8 years ago

I puzzled over that one, too -- though there is one scene that might arguably qualify: the scene in the arts & crafts class room where the perpetrator is (seemingly) disturbed and "forced" to leave behind a box with cut out letters. Though the real puzzle is not how the perpetrator might have gotten out -- that is soon explained -- but how they can be in several places at once; allegedly being discovered through the keyhole inside the room and also being one of the discoverers / one of the "alert" party. (The scene becomes recognizable as a possible locked room scene only after you've reached the final reveal, though, I suppose.)

Murder by Death 8 years ago

I removed Gaudy Night. It was mentioned a couple of times in the comments of some of the threads and even though I read it years ago, I can't remember enough to argue locked room or not locked room. I defer to both of you and your expertise (expertises? - ha!).

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 7 years ago

Where's the mystery element in "The Yellow Wallpaper"? The protagonist is locked up in her room, but the book is concerned with her slow descent into madness, not with an impossible crime ...

Murder by Death 7 years ago

If you say so, I'll remove it. I've never read it, and likely it was suggested at some point last year or this year and I added it in good faith. :P

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 7 years ago

No reflection on you, of course not!! And thank you.

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 7 years ago

Genuine locked room mysteries / impossible crimes:

Ellery Queen: "The King Is Dead"
John Dickson Carr: " The Case of the Constant Suicides"
Edmund Crispin: "The Movin Toyshop"
Ruth Ware: "The Woman in Cabin 10"
Nevada Barr: "Firestorm", "Winter Study"
Maj Sjöwall, Per Wahlöö: "The Locked Room"
Edgar Wallace: "The Four Just Men"
David Pirie: "The Night Calls"
Robert van Gulik: "The Red Pavillion", "The Chinese Gold Murders"
Elizabeth George: "Payment in Blood"
P.D. James: "The Lighthouse", "Original Sin"
Dorothy L. Sayers: "Busman's Honeymoon"
Georgette Heyer: "No Wind of Blame", "Detection Unlimited"
Margery Allingham: "The Case of the Late Pig", "Death of a Ghost"
Ngaio Marsh: "A Man Lay Dead", "Final Curtain", "Tied Up in Tinsel", "Death and the Dancing Footman", "Hand in Glove", "Scales of Justice", "Overture to Death", "Night at the Vulcan"
Arthur Conan Doyle: "The Valley of Fear", "The Norwood Builder"
Agatha Christie: "They Do It With Mirrors", "The Seven Dials Mystery", "Dead Man's Mirror", "Death in the Clouds", "Murder at the Vicarage", "Sparkling Cyanide", "The Hollow", "Sad Cypress", "Three Act Tragedy", "Lord Edgware Dies", "Towards Zero", "Death on the Nile"

Murder by Death 7 years ago

Updated! Thanks!

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 7 years ago

Thanks in turn!

SusannaG - Confessions of a Crazy Cat Lady 7 years ago

Just struck me that there's a Rex Stout that qualifies - Too Many Cooks.

Themis-Athena's Garden of Books 7 years ago

True -- several, actually. "Champagne for One" as well (which is sort of Stout's take on Christie's "Sparkling Cyanide" ...)

Murder by Death 7 years ago

Added both. :)

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