Curse of the Bronze Lamp (Re, Mass)

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. Though some will disagree, Carr's most entertaining mysteries are those that feature Sir Henry Merrivale (written under the name Carter Dickson). THE CURSE OF THE BRONZE LAMP is the 16th Sir Henry Merrivale mystery. It is suspenseful, creative, and surprising, with interesting characters and a solution that is clear and logical. (Some may argue that it wouldn't work in real life, but you have to be a bit forgiving with a Carr mystery.) Helen Loring is warned that she will fall under a curse if she removes a bronze lamp from Egypt. She does so, walks into the doorway of the British castle that is her home, and vanishes. TCOTBL is one of H.M.'s best; I couldn't put it down.

John Dickson Carr wrote this book in the 1940s, but set the story in the halcyon days before World War II, perhaps 1935, for no apparent reason--then once I finished the book I realized that the whole plot depends on an extraordinary number of servants at Severn Hall, both indoor and outdoor. I mean really extraordinary, whole crews of extra maids and gardeners and groundskeepers and even plumbers. Carr must have realized such huge staffs were only rarely to be found in the postwar penury of Great Britain. THE CURSE OF THE BRONZE LAMP still doesn't make a lot of sense, but it mystified me from beginning to end when I picked it up this summer. So odd because I read it as a child and I remember working it out very early on in the book, but this time around I was baffled! Lady Helen Loring, determined to break the curse of the bronze lamp, fastens on a daring plan which is not fully revealed till the end, but even a child, and not especially a bright child, for I was no prodigy, even a child could figure out she was up to something and when she disappeared from the lobby of her building (Severn Hall, a charming and atmospheric country estate one hour from London) a certain amount of complicity was implicit. But after that I got stumped. The odd romantic quintangle had me wondering who was going to be the odd man out. For Helen had two men on her string, Sandy Robertson, sort of a Mel Gibson type in looks and manner, and the shy, dorky, and yet once you take off his glasses he's a hunk other boyfriend, Kit Farrell. Helen's best girlfriend, Audrey Vane, takes center stage once Helen disappears under the curse of the bronze lamp, and through most of the book Dickson Carr treats her as the heroine and we hope she and Kit will hit it off. There's also a slutty antique dealer called Judy Mansfield. Sir Henry Merrivale keeps crying out, "J. Mansfield! J. Mansfield!" for reasons that aren't clear to me but which, as a little boy, I thought had something to do with the late glamour star Jayne Mansfield. The solution was totally improbable and I can't see how H.M. ever figured it out, plus it was totally unnecessary for any detective to have been there, once the "victim" comes back to make his accusations, it's all up for our soulless, heartless killer anyway, so why even have that detective element? And yet it's wonderful fun and it certainly makes me want to hunt down a bronze lamp I could have for my own and curse people with it, the ones I dislike, they would "blow to dust as though they never existed"!

This is about the third mystery I have read by Carr and again was not disappointed. Not only do you need to figure out whodunnit but who's dead. Most of Carr's tales seem to deal with an impossible happening that is later plausibly explained. This mystery falls into that category. In addition, the characters are wonderfully developed although somewhat dated (I can't imagine "My wench" would go over to well in addressing ladies), and, there is, of course, undercurrents of relationships among the characters that become important as the story progresses. My only complaint is that there are not a whole lot of characters, and, as in one of the Carr books I read previously, one of the most undeveloped (or ignored characters) has too much to do with the finale. Definitely a fun read.

The brooding, somber gothic atmosphere dominates this great mystery, which is filled with the mystery of Egyptian archaeology and mysterious "curses." The brooding, ancient English manor where much of this story takes place also adds to the flavor. Carr wrote during a classic time of American mysteries, and it's reflected in his well-tuned plot and ample clues. You CAN solve this one if you read carefully. There are some wonderful innovative "turns" such as the dead who are NOT dead, and the kidnapped who are NOT kidnapped . . . I will say no more lest I spoil it for anyone. If you love "spooky" mysteries, you will love this one. It's a real pleasure to see these classics still in print.