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Diagnosis: Impossible--The Problems of Dr. Sam Hawthorne

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Fans of impossible crimes and locked room mysteries will love this book. How can a horse and carriage vanish from inside a covered bridge? How can a master criminal escape from a locked cell? How can a man be stabbed while alone in a voting booth? Get this book and find out the answers to these and nine other ingenious puzzlers from the great Edward D. Hoch, the reigning king of impossible crimes.

The undoubted king of the classical detective/mystery short story must be Edward D. Hoch. This book collects the first stories of one of his greatest sleuths, Dr. Sam Hawthorne. Mostly about all type of impossible crimes (locked rooms, vanishings, invisibility, etc.), these stories are set in New England in the 1920s - the 30s and 40s will follow in future collections. Do not miss this one - and be watchful for collection #2 from the incomparable editors of this one, Crippen and Landru. The new one should appear in 2005.

HOCH is one of the last great short story tellers. His formula is great imagination and a good mystery. This is one of the better introductions to his work, specially since the good Doctor is my favorite caracther of all his input. READ IT!!!!!!

Locked room murder mysteries written in the Depression Era. Ellery Queen Mystery Mag Lovers will truly appreciate this.

These are 12 story's, very original, and creative.

1. The Problem of the Covered Brige - Dr. Sam Hawthorn is new to the town of Northmont, but is quickly excepted by the towns people. Soon winter force's Dr. Sam to do to things. To put his Pierce-Arrow on wheeles, and to figure out how a horse and buggy went into a covered brige, and never came out.

2. The Problem of the Old Gristmill - Henry Cordwainer is the celebrety of Northmont. Intelligent, Charming, and well liked, why would some one murder him, and then set the old grits mill where he lived on fire? And how did his thirty journals dissapear from the strong boxes where they were kept?

3. The Problem of the Lobster Shack - Its 1923, and escapist magicians are populer. When Dr. Sam is invited to see the amazing Julian Chabert escape from a locked lobster shack, he excitedly takes the invitation. But when the magician is locked up, and his five muinets are up, Chabert has been murdered, alone, in a locked room.

4. The Problem of the Haunted Bandstand - Its Fourth of July in Northmont, and the people are headed out to see the celebration. But, the mayor is murdered during the celebration, by a killer whereing a black hood, who then dissapears in a puff of smoke.

5. The Problem of the Locked Caboose - When Dr. Sam is headed up north on a train, he doesn't expect any murder. Even when he learn's their are valuable jewls on board, Hawthorn doesn't expect to find a man killed alone, in a locked caboose. Why though, is the word elf written in blood on the wall?

6. The Problem of the Little Red School House - Small towns are suposed to be safe, a good place to raise children. So, how can Tommy Belmount dissapear on the swings at school, with his teacher watching? Whjat does one of his classmates know, that could help Dr. Sam solve the case.

7. The Problem of the Christmas Steeple - Few people are quit as nice as Parson Wigger. He let the gypsy camp come to the servace, and treated them with respect, when no one else would. So why would the gypsy king murder him, and lock him self in the Christmas Steeple?

8. The Problem of Cell 16 - Northmont is not where you would expect a famous criminal, like the Eel, so named for his escapes, to show up. But the town's got a new jail, so Sheriff Lens is feeling confident. When the Eel escapes though, Dr. Sam will have to explane not the why, but the how.

9. The Problem of the Country Inn - When a highway man robbs the local inn, every one assumes Benny, the helper did it, because the robber would have run through a locked door to escape. But then, it happened again, and Dr. Sam will have to solve it.

10. The Problem of the Voting Booth - In one of the most famous Hawthorn story's, its election day in Northmont, and murder is on the ballot. When Sherif Lens rival, Henery Oatis, is murdered, every one should think Lens did it. The problem, Oatis is alone, in a voteing booth, with no one elsae there.

11. The Problem of the County Fair - The County fair is a big deal in Northmount. With a time capsul going in, every body wants to put something into it. But when the capsul has to be dug up, a body is inside, and put in and murderd while every one watched, and no one saw.

12. The Problem of the Old Oak Tree - Movies are big, movies are new, and movies are coming to Northmont. When a movie is produced in Northmont, every one warns the producers to stay away from the haunted oak tree. The producers learn this the hard way, when the star is strangled, by the old oak tree.

12 problems, with Dr. Sam doging bullets and ghosts. You will enjoy this.

THis is a collection of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine short stories. Set in a 1920s small New England town, the author struggles to keep one interested...the format is too restrictive. Small selection of rather uninteresting characters to draw from. Fans of this book should definitely get the early 70s TV series DVDs of "Banacek", which also features impossible crimes presented in a talky, low key style.