The Nine Wrong Answers [Paperback]

John Dickson Carr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1986

Carr's forte is the rational crime problem costumed as an eerie tale of the seemingly supernatural. This tale set in London is an elaborate puzzle that concerns a large inheritance and contains a wonderful scene at Sherlock Holmes' rooms on Baker Street.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub (July 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881842206
• ISBN-13: 978-0931773921
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,063,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful tone of fear and impending doom . . ., March 17, 2000

By 

Patrick J. Callahan (La Crosse, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nine Wrong Answers (Carr, John Dickson) (Paperback)

This book, like many by John Dickson Carr, has a powerful gothic element-- a sense of fear, dread, and doom that draws the reader into the book. I was impelled to read this entire novel in little more than 24 hours.

The book gets off to a rapid, fast-paced start and does not slow down. In some ways, the first half of the book was more gripping than the conclusion. While the crimes are ingeniously solved, they are almost too contrived. Carr almost goes too far in forcing us to see how every tiny detail thoughout the book was "in line" with the denoument.

The characters were well developed, and the evil characters seem to be Carr's forte. There's also a love interest in the book, and the sense of a loner protagonist going up against enormous odds.

Generally speaking, I liked the book and feel I got my money's worth. A caution for older readers such as me-- the print size on the page is uncomfortably small.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Page Turner of a Book, June 16, 2005

By 

Sheryl Mason (Auckland, - New Zealand) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nine Wrong Answers (Carr, John Dickson) (Paperback)

I finished this book in one sitting. I could not put it down. It starts off fast and doesn't slow down until the final page. I've read a lot of Carr's books and got to know his style somewhat so I was almost right about some of the answers but all the twists are guaranteed to outsmart practically any reader.

The little footnotes at strategic points (The Nine Wrong Answers) keep you on track to some degree and true to Carr fashion, the real clues are there to spot if you're observant enough. I have to admit I took this one as a challenge and spent ages thinking about what I'd read, going back over sections and re-reading bits to glean more information.

Readers of Carr who enjoy his detectives will perhaps be disappointed in this one as the "detective" in this case is the reader him/herself. However, I had no hesitation in giving this five stars, it was a stunner of a book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clever, unconventional mystery, August 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Nine Wrong Answers (Carr, John Dickson) (Paperback)

One of John Dickson Carr's most original works. Unlike his previous novels, there's no locked-room puzzle here, and very little criminal investigation. The solution to the mystery lies in the characters' actions. As always, Carr mesmerizes with an absolutely stunning twist at the conclusion, and deftly shows the reader the numerous clues and inconsistencies, all pointing toward the truth. THE NINE WRONG ANSWERS is an ingenious mystery, and certainly superior to most of its kind, but as a Carr novel it's a bit unsatisfying. The writing is a bit choppy and doesn't pull the reader along as well as it should. Plus, there's no Dr. Fell or Merrivale to ground the story or act as a source of humor. An intriguing, suspenseful, but flawed novel.