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Michael Lord #1
Obelists at Sea
C. Daly King’s debut mystery is a tale of murder, travel, and psychiatry set aboard a luxury transatlantic liner The smoking room on a transatlantic cruise ship is bound to be a hotbed of activity ― but it’s less common for it to be the site of a murder. Yet, when the lights flicker aboard the luxury Meganaut, making its way from New York to Paris, this is precisely what happens; in the darkness, a gunshot rings out, and when the light is restored, a man is found dead. The situation becomes all the more curious when it’s discovered that the deceased had apparently ingested cyanide just seconds before being penetrated by the bullet. Luckily, for the other passengers, there are two detectives aboard the Meganaut, ready to leap into action. There are also four psychiatrists, and those psychiatrists convince the captain to let them take a stab at solving the crime, using their professional understanding of the human psyche to determine who could have been capable of such a crime ― and why. But will they be able to deduce the puzzle’s solution before the killer strikes again? The first of seven novels by psychologist C. Daly King, Obelists at Sea is intelligent and enjoyable Golden Age mystery fare, featuring an atmospheric setting, carefully placed clues, and a complex whodunnit plot explained with sharp-witted ratiocination.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1932
About the author
C. Daly King
28 books5 followersCharles Daly King (1895-1963) was an American psychologist. He was educated at Newark Academy, Yale and Columbia University. After Army service in WW1 he trained in psychology and wrote several textbooks. In the 1930s he wrote seven detective novels while working in psychology. His detective, Michael Lord, is attached to the New York police department. Lord's cases are recounted by a Watson figure, Dr L Rees Pons. King coined the word 'Obelists' to describe suspects, and used it in three of his titles. Another series character, Trevis Tarrant, appears in a book of short stories. After Bermuda Burial (1940) King wrote no further fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
June 16, 2023
I’m a sucker for whodunits on planes, trains, and ships and C. Daly King wrote three of these with his “Obelists” whodunits—one on a plane, one at sea, and one on a train. I’ve yet to track down the latter, Obelists en Route, although I found a copy, on Abe’s, at $8,514.95 plus $19.29 for shipping. I know what you’re thinking: that’s way too much to pay to ship a book. Hopefully, one day King will be republished because there’s a lot to like here and he doesn’t deserve to be forgotten.
This is one of those mystery books divided into parts with a different character in each part proposing a different solution. Anthony Berkeley’s The Poisoned Chocolates Case is my favorite of these. King isn’t able to keep things as fresh and interesting as Berkeley, unfortunately. Part of the problem is the proposed solutions are given by psychologists and King really dives deep into their pet subjects. It becomes very dry, very quickly. With about 30-50 pages cut, Obelists at Sea might be a classic. As it is, the psychology lectures overstay their welcome.
You may recall the old adage, “if you’re only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail?” Each of the four shrinks figure out a possible solution based on their own specialty. There’s a behaviorist, a psychoanalyst, etc. The same facts are logically analyzed, from different angles, with a Ted Talk attached. Things become pretty repetitive.
I did like how red-blooded our heroes are. Ever see those Star Trek TNG episodes when Captain Picard is so pacific he’s about to get his entire crew killed lest he sink to the villain’s level? Ever scream at the tv to FFS fire already or at least raise your GD shields? Here, the response to violence is pragmatic and effective. I appreciated that.
And as boring as I found the psychology lessons, King isn’t afraid to make his academics look foolish too. Especially when they trot out their “cutting-edge” tech, a primitive lie detector (although law enforcement agencies still shamefully use this unscientific instrument.) They’re kind of treated as gods at the dawning of a new age, where all man’s problems will be solved with Psychology, very Epcot Center, yet they aren’t infallible (very spot-on as the current replication crisis proves social sciences aren’t really science at all, N.B., implicit bias.) King’s men of science are so obsessed with their own corner of their discipline that they often can’t see the forest for the trees. Book smart, street stupid: another timeless observation. They aren’t arrogant about it, though. They may be chagrined when their hypotheses crumble but they aren’t dogmatic (as King sort of predicted in Fly High that scientists may one day become.)
In the end, I found Obelists at Sea suffers from the same problems as Obelists Fly High. The story comes to a screeching halt so that the detective can psychoanalyze the suspects. But it’s even worse here because so much more of the story is dedicated to the different psychology disciplines. The mystery is nicely set up, but the destination isn’t really worth the journey. For the ending, King uses a trick I’ve seen done in a few shipboard mysteries (namely, Cabin B13 and an episode of Murder, She Wrote.) He may have done it first, though, but I still saw it coming.
Nonetheless, it’s still a good read. Especially if you skip a few pages here and there. Students of the history of psychology may find it fascinating, though. And at the end of the day, I still do want to read Obelists en Route. If it weren’t for those shipping costs...
(Also like Obelists Fly High, here King has a field day with naming his characters. Dr. B. Hayvier, for instance, is a behavioral psychologist, Professor Mittle is a fence-sitter, etc. YMMV; I like it.)
(Eagle-eyed readers will notice the creator of the sensational Wonder Woman and the shitty lie detector is namechecked.)
(Goodreads lists this as Michael Lord #1. Was that Younghusband? Dr. Pons is the only character I recognize here from Obelists Fly High.)
(I read the Penguin 1938 edition which included five maps or diagrams but they really have no bearing on anything. It didn’t include a Clue Finders section.)
This is one of those mystery books divided into parts with a different character in each part proposing a different solution. Anthony Berkeley’s The Poisoned Chocolates Case is my favorite of these. King isn’t able to keep things as fresh and interesting as Berkeley, unfortunately. Part of the problem is the proposed solutions are given by psychologists and King really dives deep into their pet subjects. It becomes very dry, very quickly. With about 30-50 pages cut, Obelists at Sea might be a classic. As it is, the psychology lectures overstay their welcome.
You may recall the old adage, “if you’re only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail?” Each of the four shrinks figure out a possible solution based on their own specialty. There’s a behaviorist, a psychoanalyst, etc. The same facts are logically analyzed, from different angles, with a Ted Talk attached. Things become pretty repetitive.
I did like how red-blooded our heroes are. Ever see those Star Trek TNG episodes when Captain Picard is so pacific he’s about to get his entire crew killed lest he sink to the villain’s level? Ever scream at the tv to FFS fire already or at least raise your GD shields? Here, the response to violence is pragmatic and effective. I appreciated that.
And as boring as I found the psychology lessons, King isn’t afraid to make his academics look foolish too. Especially when they trot out their “cutting-edge” tech, a primitive lie detector (although law enforcement agencies still shamefully use this unscientific instrument.) They’re kind of treated as gods at the dawning of a new age, where all man’s problems will be solved with Psychology, very Epcot Center, yet they aren’t infallible (very spot-on as the current replication crisis proves social sciences aren’t really science at all, N.B., implicit bias.) King’s men of science are so obsessed with their own corner of their discipline that they often can’t see the forest for the trees. Book smart, street stupid: another timeless observation. They aren’t arrogant about it, though. They may be chagrined when their hypotheses crumble but they aren’t dogmatic (as King sort of predicted in Fly High that scientists may one day become.)
In the end, I found Obelists at Sea suffers from the same problems as Obelists Fly High. The story comes to a screeching halt so that the detective can psychoanalyze the suspects. But it’s even worse here because so much more of the story is dedicated to the different psychology disciplines. The mystery is nicely set up, but the destination isn’t really worth the journey. For the ending, King uses a trick I’ve seen done in a few shipboard mysteries (namely, Cabin B13 and an episode of Murder, She Wrote.) He may have done it first, though, but I still saw it coming.
Nonetheless, it’s still a good read. Especially if you skip a few pages here and there. Students of the history of psychology may find it fascinating, though. And at the end of the day, I still do want to read Obelists en Route. If it weren’t for those shipping costs...
(Also like Obelists Fly High, here King has a field day with naming his characters. Dr. B. Hayvier, for instance, is a behavioral psychologist, Professor Mittle is a fence-sitter, etc. YMMV; I like it.)
(Eagle-eyed readers will notice the creator of the sensational Wonder Woman and the shitty lie detector is namechecked.)
(Goodreads lists this as Michael Lord #1. Was that Younghusband? Dr. Pons is the only character I recognize here from Obelists Fly High.)
(I read the Penguin 1938 edition which included five maps or diagrams but they really have no bearing on anything. It didn’t include a Clue Finders section.)
July 11, 2023
I read an intriguing newspaper review about this new edition of an old crime classic and had to pick it up - the premise is that a murder happens during an ocean crossing on a big passenger ship in the early 1930s, and four psychologists are on board. They each subscribe to a different school of psychology, and each tries to use his particular brand of psychology to figure out who the murderer is. Okay, so the writing style and characterization felt a little perfunctory to me, as I think the author was mostly interested in having fun with his premise. But it was still an entertaining read, and the setting is great - I really felt transported back in time to the days of luxurious travel and solidly built things and a certain kind of innocence.
June 20, 2023
The Psychologists are on the case! 🧐
↓ Similar Reads ↓
1. The Curious Mr. Tarrant by C Daly King (on my TBR!)
2. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
3. Cat’s Paw by Roger Scarlett
A murderer strikes aboard the Meganaut, a luxury transatlantic liner making its way from New York City to London. The lights go out, a gunshot is heard, and two bodies are discovered when the lights come on again. The ship’s captain and his crew are baffled by what appears to be a rather strange sequence of events, so they elicit the help of four passengers. Four psychologists, each trained in a different expertise, take a shot at solving this impossible crime. Four solutions are offered. Only one can be correct…
I received this book in May as a part of my subscription with the Mysterious Bookshop. Even though I do own a beat-up copy of The Curious Mr. Tarrant, a collection of eight stories by C Daly King, Obelists at Sea was my first experience with the psychologist-cum-mystery writer. Trained as a psychologist himself, King clearly had a lot of fun while creating each of his four psychologist detectives. For instance, Dr. Frank B. Hayvier ("frank behavior") is a behaviorist, and Dr. Malcolm Plechs (“male complex”) supports theories of the Freudian variety. Mystery readers who like this kind of word puzzling will certainly enjoy King’s playful writing style.
There were many elements in this golden age American mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed: the double-meaning character names, the transatlantic liner setting, and the self-aware humor from an author who is clearly familiar with all of the detective fiction tropes that were popular during this era. However, you’ve been warned: this is a chunkier GADF title as far as narrative length goes, and the psychological monologues dragged more than once. With that said, it is worth the read for avid GADF fans. I’m glad to have read this novel and reached its conclusion (as to fully enjoy the “clue finder” King so kindly provides at the end of the book), and I will 100% be trying this author again in the future, even though the mystery plot itself was so-so for me.
A gorgeous edition nonetheless that I am so happy to add to my growing American GADF collection!
↓ Similar Reads ↓
1. The Curious Mr. Tarrant by C Daly King (on my TBR!)
2. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
3. Cat’s Paw by Roger Scarlett
A murderer strikes aboard the Meganaut, a luxury transatlantic liner making its way from New York City to London. The lights go out, a gunshot is heard, and two bodies are discovered when the lights come on again. The ship’s captain and his crew are baffled by what appears to be a rather strange sequence of events, so they elicit the help of four passengers. Four psychologists, each trained in a different expertise, take a shot at solving this impossible crime. Four solutions are offered. Only one can be correct…
I received this book in May as a part of my subscription with the Mysterious Bookshop. Even though I do own a beat-up copy of The Curious Mr. Tarrant, a collection of eight stories by C Daly King, Obelists at Sea was my first experience with the psychologist-cum-mystery writer. Trained as a psychologist himself, King clearly had a lot of fun while creating each of his four psychologist detectives. For instance, Dr. Frank B. Hayvier ("frank behavior") is a behaviorist, and Dr. Malcolm Plechs (“male complex”) supports theories of the Freudian variety. Mystery readers who like this kind of word puzzling will certainly enjoy King’s playful writing style.
There were many elements in this golden age American mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed: the double-meaning character names, the transatlantic liner setting, and the self-aware humor from an author who is clearly familiar with all of the detective fiction tropes that were popular during this era. However, you’ve been warned: this is a chunkier GADF title as far as narrative length goes, and the psychological monologues dragged more than once. With that said, it is worth the read for avid GADF fans. I’m glad to have read this novel and reached its conclusion (as to fully enjoy the “clue finder” King so kindly provides at the end of the book), and I will 100% be trying this author again in the future, even though the mystery plot itself was so-so for me.
A gorgeous edition nonetheless that I am so happy to add to my growing American GADF collection!
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July 21, 2022Hey, Jameson!
I shared your concern about the pricey nature of Obelists en Route and was able to get a hardcover edition from Oberlin College (OH) via Inter Library Loan using the folks at my local library. So you might try that. I also share your boredom with the psychology sections, but apparently the author can't help himself. Yes, Younghusband is Michael Lord. Dr. L is in all three of the trilogy series. One significant fault I find with his three novels is his utter lack of description of the characters - what the hell do they look like?! You should like Obelists en Route as I think it is an improvement over his sea journey book. En Route made me hanker for the days of train travel. And yes, he has five or six diagrams of the train compartments which are more relevant than those he showed us in Obelists at Sea. Good luck!
I shared your concern about the pricey nature of Obelists en Route and was able to get a hardcover edition from Oberlin College (OH) via Inter Library Loan using the folks at my local library. So you might try that. I also share your boredom with the psychology sections, but apparently the author can't help himself. Yes, Younghusband is Michael Lord. Dr. L is in all three of the trilogy series. One significant fault I find with his three novels is his utter lack of description of the characters - what the hell do they look like?! You should like Obelists en Route as I think it is an improvement over his sea journey book. En Route made me hanker for the days of train travel. And yes, he has five or six diagrams of the train compartments which are more relevant than those he showed us in Obelists at Sea. Good luck!
July 22, 2023
Clever but lacking fully realized characters, and with a slew of antisemitic stereotypes to boot.
August 28, 2023
Boring, boring, boring! Staggered through this as I kept getting bored after three or four pages. Not for me. Cannot recommend.
September 13, 2023
Not for me at this time, maybe try it again later.
Wordy and plot is slow moving.
Wordy and plot is slow moving.
February 3, 2024
A classic golden age mystery with a psychology twist: the author was a practicing psychologist when he wrote this mystery that includes four psychologists who “assist” an investigation on board a ship where multiple murders have taken place. While I liked the general concept — and the increased interest/novelty of psychiatry at the time this was written was likely very unique and “new” — it was just too long. I felt this could have been 150 pages less and been just as effective; again, could be a product of the time. I was able to guess the correct answer to a few twists, and I’m assuming this was directly influenced by Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie. Not bad, but I’d hoped to have uncovered a new classic mystery series to enjoy, but I think this will be a one and done.
January 21, 2024
Cleverly done. Not my usual choice of genre but I found it to be entertaining.
August 22, 2023
"But I tell you this, " Mansfield complained, I'm getting very tired of these technical discussions."
How true! That could be my entire review. Obelists at Sea by C. Day King is a closed room murder written in 1932. I was hoping for an Agatha Christie type but it was not to be.
A murder on the luxury ship, the S.S.Meganaut. Mr. Smith, an uber wealthy American, is murdered in the dining room just as the lights go out. Everyone hears the shot. The lights come on and Mr. deBrasto is standing with the smoking gun in his hand. This should be a good set up. But no - our author allows his fascination of the new field of psychology (remember, 1932) to get in the way. He puts 4 psychologists on the ship (all on their way to a conference) and has the captain give them control of the investigation. There are pages and pages of lecture, explanation, and downright pomposity from each man.
The characters are what you expect from murder mysteries of this era - flat, stereotypical, beautiful women in gowns that flow and hit all the right places, men in smoking jackets. Theories that this one can't be the murderer because he is a gentleman or that this one must be the murderer because he is of a certain ethnicity.
I admit I scanned or even skipped the pages of psychology. Just give me the details and let me figure it out. The result is so outlandish that I am not sure anyone could.
But - if you enjoy Agatha Christie or Ellery Queen, you might like this one. It has been republished with a forward explaining the author's love of psychology and also giving a heads up to some Easter eggs hidden which the modern reader might not see. I found this at my library in the new book section so I'm thinking it is making the rounds again and might show up in your library.
Forewarned is forearmed.
How true! That could be my entire review. Obelists at Sea by C. Day King is a closed room murder written in 1932. I was hoping for an Agatha Christie type but it was not to be.
A murder on the luxury ship, the S.S.Meganaut. Mr. Smith, an uber wealthy American, is murdered in the dining room just as the lights go out. Everyone hears the shot. The lights come on and Mr. deBrasto is standing with the smoking gun in his hand. This should be a good set up. But no - our author allows his fascination of the new field of psychology (remember, 1932) to get in the way. He puts 4 psychologists on the ship (all on their way to a conference) and has the captain give them control of the investigation. There are pages and pages of lecture, explanation, and downright pomposity from each man.
The characters are what you expect from murder mysteries of this era - flat, stereotypical, beautiful women in gowns that flow and hit all the right places, men in smoking jackets. Theories that this one can't be the murderer because he is a gentleman or that this one must be the murderer because he is of a certain ethnicity.
I admit I scanned or even skipped the pages of psychology. Just give me the details and let me figure it out. The result is so outlandish that I am not sure anyone could.
But - if you enjoy Agatha Christie or Ellery Queen, you might like this one. It has been republished with a forward explaining the author's love of psychology and also giving a heads up to some Easter eggs hidden which the modern reader might not see. I found this at my library in the new book section so I'm thinking it is making the rounds again and might show up in your library.
Forewarned is forearmed.
June 18, 2023
This is a recent American Mystery Classic re-issue of a 1932 novel.
In the 1920s and 30s 0cean liners were a great setting for murder mysteries. They were a variation on a locked room mystery. Everyone was on the ship. No one could escape and the mystery had to be confined to the ship. This is the second or third ocean liner mystery in this series.
King has a gimmick. Four expert psychologists are traveling on the S.S. Meganaut to Europe for a major conference. They each are advocates of a different psychological approach. There is a behaviorist, an analyst, an experimentalist and a generalist.
Predictably, a guest is murdered and the four psychologist each apply their individual theories, and each comes up with a different theory on who the murderer is. Captain Mansfield, who is desperate to solve the murder on his ship, tries to decide whether any of them are correct.
The murder plot is suitably complicated. The murderer seems obvious, and then is not. The manner of the murder seems obvious, and then is not. We have a full list of suspects, many of whom are not who thy seem. I did not guess the solution. It is clever.
King has fun with the experts following their theories into dead ends. He is good at expert double talk.
The dialog is awkward at times and some of the characters are hard to keep straight, but overall, this is a solid murder mystery in an interesting setting with an enjoyable gimmick.
In the 1920s and 30s 0cean liners were a great setting for murder mysteries. They were a variation on a locked room mystery. Everyone was on the ship. No one could escape and the mystery had to be confined to the ship. This is the second or third ocean liner mystery in this series.
King has a gimmick. Four expert psychologists are traveling on the S.S. Meganaut to Europe for a major conference. They each are advocates of a different psychological approach. There is a behaviorist, an analyst, an experimentalist and a generalist.
Predictably, a guest is murdered and the four psychologist each apply their individual theories, and each comes up with a different theory on who the murderer is. Captain Mansfield, who is desperate to solve the murder on his ship, tries to decide whether any of them are correct.
The murder plot is suitably complicated. The murderer seems obvious, and then is not. The manner of the murder seems obvious, and then is not. We have a full list of suspects, many of whom are not who thy seem. I did not guess the solution. It is clever.
King has fun with the experts following their theories into dead ends. He is good at expert double talk.
The dialog is awkward at times and some of the characters are hard to keep straight, but overall, this is a solid murder mystery in an interesting setting with an enjoyable gimmick.
August 31, 2023
Good murder, great setting. Classic formal elements are fun. The rest is overlong silliness, complete with over-the-top German and French accents. I wished there was a clear detective.
If I had a time machine, or talent, I’d adapt this into a 30’s screwball - Ball of Fire meets The Thin Man with some wacky A Night at the Opera style ship-board antics
If I had a time machine, or talent, I’d adapt this into a 30’s screwball - Ball of Fire meets The Thin Man with some wacky A Night at the Opera style ship-board antics
August 6, 2023
One for genre freaks and those with an interest in history of psychology. Setting and trappings(diagrams, clue index) are big fun, but the plot is pointless and the characterization thin, with some casual antisemitism. I had never heard of a “jelly omelet” before reading this.
October 27, 2023
It’s clear to see why this book helped shaped the mystery/whodunnit genre, but as a modern reader it could be a bit long and tedious. Still worth the read on a historical front but it could be a bit dry and you need to ignore characterizations that are now considered bigoted.
October 5, 2023
I enjoyed this quirky book which was written in 1932.
October 31, 2023
Ridiculously elaborate Golden Age "fair play" mystery with some abominably dated aspects.
November 22, 2023
An entertaining who-dun-it bogged down by lengthy discussions of 1930's psychology perspective. Still, an interesting take on the genre and a very fair mystery.
December 10, 2023
I wanted finish this book but I really hate it. It’s antisemitic, boring, full of inside jokes. I can’t make myself read it.
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February 21, 2024I saw this title on the "new books" shelf at the library. I was wrong on two counts. I thought it was a book about musicians "oboists" but the title "Obelists" actually means "those who harbor suspicions." And it's not a new book but rather a reprint of a mystery first published in 1932. Lately I've been rediscovering Agatha Christie and the author C. Daly King is one of that 'Golden Era" of British mystery writing. The plot is set on a luxury liner of the period, the Meganaut, crossing the Atlantic from New York. On its way the millionaire Victor Timothy Smith is shot in the Smokers'Lounge. The main character of the whodunit is the captain Horace Mansfield who is charged with solving the crime according to the laws of the sea. On board are four psychoanalysts on their way to a convention in London. They are invited to help solve the mystery using their favorite at the time philosophies. The author was known to write the "intelligent man's thriller." The title was not published in the U.S. at the time. There is a sardonic humor in how each of the psychologists trots out his hobby horse theory of human behavior to explain what might have happened. The style of the writing has much more description of narrative and longer dialogs than current popular fiction. The author clearly loves his detail. In comparison Agatha Christie's telling is more succinct and fast-paced. The Penzler Publishers are also reviving other authors of the period. They include E.C. Netlley, Dorothy Sayers, Anthony Boucher, and Julian Symons.
September 20, 2024
A golden age mystery set on a trans-Atlantic voyage sounds like you are in store for quite a classic whodunit. And more the most part, Mr. King delivers. A rich old passenger is accompanied by a much younger daughter, he has many enemies in the business world and has definitely made at least one on the ship. When the lights go out in the smoking room and a shot is fired, our rich passenger is dead with his shipboard enemy holding a gun. Pretty straightforward, no?
But the bullet from that gun was found in a table leg. And there were two bullet holes in the victim's chest. And the victim actually died by being poisoned. So maybe not as straightforward as you think!
And off we go, interviewing suspects, checking alibis, hidden identities and unknown motives. All of this is a lot of fun, except for one twist - the psychologists. As Mr. King himself was a psychologist, we have on board four psychologists who are allowed to "assist" with the murder investigation by the captain. Each one represents a different psychological viewpoint (along with a pun-ish name) and each one points the finger in a different direction. The part that really makes the story drag is that each psychologist gets plenty of opportunity to espouse their theories, which is not a lot of fun for the non-psychologist reader and makes the book much longer then it needs to be. But the mystery itself has all of the elements of a golden age ocean liner classic.
Overall, a good golden age mystery that's a bit too long.
But the bullet from that gun was found in a table leg. And there were two bullet holes in the victim's chest. And the victim actually died by being poisoned. So maybe not as straightforward as you think!
And off we go, interviewing suspects, checking alibis, hidden identities and unknown motives. All of this is a lot of fun, except for one twist - the psychologists. As Mr. King himself was a psychologist, we have on board four psychologists who are allowed to "assist" with the murder investigation by the captain. Each one represents a different psychological viewpoint (along with a pun-ish name) and each one points the finger in a different direction. The part that really makes the story drag is that each psychologist gets plenty of opportunity to espouse their theories, which is not a lot of fun for the non-psychologist reader and makes the book much longer then it needs to be. But the mystery itself has all of the elements of a golden age ocean liner classic.
Overall, a good golden age mystery that's a bit too long.
July 30, 2023
This is a profoundly silly book, but it is also an amusing period piece. The purpose is less to tell a mystery story than to satirize different schools of psychology, one of King's major interests. To start with, "obelist" appears to be a made-up word meaning one who harbors suspicion. It can be applied to most of the characters, especially the four "humorously" named psychologists, traveling from New York to London for a conference, who are asked by the ship's captain to solve the blatant murder of a millionaire. Each picks a different criminal; all the suggested criminals are cleared. While I am generally fairly understanding that different generations find different expressions offensive, I should mention that the early chapters of this book include vile anti-Semitic characterizations, and when the psychologists finally consider some women suspects, they are portrayed with ludicrous misogyny.
May 19, 2024
This was an interesting "Golden Age mystery" that got bogged down in far too much psychology and misdirection. King has an interesting conceit here of using four psychologists of different interests and disciplines aboard a ship to London to attempt to help solve the crime. Except... they don't do a whole lot in the end and only incidentally. The modern introduction speaks of the author commenting satirically on mysteries, but I have to admit I didn't really catch much of the satire. Also, even for a book from 1932, this had a surprising amount of antisemitism and sexism. (Using a Jewish character's desire to keep kosher in his eating habits against him is pretty low.) The book did have a "clue finder" at the end which pointed to all of the clues the author left to the true killer, which is pretty neat.
July 16, 2023
Another recommendation from the Washington Post and another disappointment. A murder takes place on board a luxury liner crossing the Atlantic from New York to Europe. The ship's detectives are at a loss as to what happened so the captain enlists four eminent psychologists to unravel the puzzle. There is a lot of mumbo jumbo and psychological theories from 1932, but in the end they are no help. Some of the hypotheses just drag on in a tedious manner. And while I appreciate reprints to stay true to the original without editing for modern sensibilities, I did find the attitude toward the Jewish man to be very disturbing. When the mystery is finally solved at the end, I realized that I didn't care. Not recommended.
August 15, 2023
can four psychiatrists solve a murder?
This begins as a classic closed room murder mystery, in this case in the smoking lounge of a 1930s ocean liner steaming to Europe full of dozens of drunk passengers one night—big storm, lightening bolt, lights flicker off and then soon come on, dead body. As it gets increasingly complicated, baffling the ship’s detective, the Captain calls on four shrinks on their way to a psychiatry conference to help solve the case. Using their various schools of study, each deduces a different culprit. Of course they are all wrong—theory dies on the harsh reality of facts as classic gumshoe work finally ferrets out the killer. Uniquely, the author offers a multi-page appendix listing all the embedded clues.
This begins as a classic closed room murder mystery, in this case in the smoking lounge of a 1930s ocean liner steaming to Europe full of dozens of drunk passengers one night—big storm, lightening bolt, lights flicker off and then soon come on, dead body. As it gets increasingly complicated, baffling the ship’s detective, the Captain calls on four shrinks on their way to a psychiatry conference to help solve the case. Using their various schools of study, each deduces a different culprit. Of course they are all wrong—theory dies on the harsh reality of facts as classic gumshoe work finally ferrets out the killer. Uniquely, the author offers a multi-page appendix listing all the embedded clues.
April 4, 2024
A bit of a doorstopper, clocking in at around 360 pages in my edition. You get the impression the author was more interested in expounding on various psychological theories rather than creating a mystery story. I think if he had shaved off around 100 pages it would have been closer to a top notch mystery. However, I did appreciate the clue finder at the back of the book, as well as the various ship diagrams and the character sheet aka "Of The Ship's Company". The last chapter of the book was particularly gripping and a page turner. It would have been nice had the rest of the book contained a similar level of intrigue and suspense. Overall, plan on devoting more time than you would normally invest in a mystery, but its not without its rewards.
July 17, 2023
The idea of this book was to present actual clues to the mystery hidden in the text and then, at the end of the book, the relevant clues and where they were found are listed. As you read the story, when you think you've guessed the identity of the murderer, write down the character name and the page number of your "murderer deduction". Once the book has (finally) finished, check and see 1. if you were right, and 2. at which point in the clues were you right. Unfortunately it wasn't as difficult as promised and I guessed it one third of the way through. This book structure was a fun idea but bogged down by mind-numbingly tedious dialogue and two-dimensional characters.
June 25, 2023
It's fun; it's a quick read. Originally published in the 1930s it reflects that era and style of mystery writing. It felt very theatrical. I could imagine it as a movie and played some dialogue in my mind at times with a "Thin Man" tone. The plot was good, but I found some of the psychology a bit tedious. I'd say it's something to try if you like mysteries in general and are interested in the history and evolution of the genre. I found the brief introduction to this reprint by Martin Edwards interesting as well for putting the novel in historical context
April 15, 2024
Hook - 4 stars: Cast List! Deck plans of a cruise ship! Opens with a storm, bullets, mayhem, and murder! What can go wrong?*
Pace - 1 star: *Grinds to an episodic mess. Hard to finish, really.
Cast - 2 stars: I remember no one except that there were 4 psychiatrists.
Atmosphere - 4 stars: Airplanes and airplane catapults on a cruise ship? Bets/auctions on number of miles the ship would go per day? A morgue! More!
Crime/Plot/Resolution - 1 star: Oh please.
Summary - 2.4. Hooked me in but oh it gets ridiculous and NO WAY anyone can figure it out. You might be able to guess, at best.)
Pace - 1 star: *Grinds to an episodic mess. Hard to finish, really.
Cast - 2 stars: I remember no one except that there were 4 psychiatrists.
Atmosphere - 4 stars: Airplanes and airplane catapults on a cruise ship? Bets/auctions on number of miles the ship would go per day? A morgue! More!
Crime/Plot/Resolution - 1 star: Oh please.
Summary - 2.4. Hooked me in but oh it gets ridiculous and NO WAY anyone can figure it out. You might be able to guess, at best.)
March 17, 2024
Four psychologists at sea on a trans-Atlantic crossing during the Golden Age of American Mystery writing (1930's). Dated but still a good example of the literary word crafting and intricate plotting and characters of the early whodunits. I love 'em. Some of the dialogue is a bit wordy and the psychology is dated but none the less an excellent concept and a good read.
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