He Who Whispers by John Dickson Carr
First published in 1946, He Who Whispers by John Dickson Carr is a crime and mystery masterpiece from an era gone by.
It’s set in the aftermath of the Second World War, London. Miles Hammond has been recently discharged from the Army. He’s a guest invited to the prestigious Murder Club and he’s running late. Thirteen esteemed members of science, law and literature all meet to discuss “classic” crime cases.
But when he arrives, none of the members are there! Only the guest speaker, a university Professor Rigaud, and another guest, Barbara Morell. It turns out to be a bizarre evening with the 13 members nowhere to be found.
The three of them are very perplexed, but decide to make the best of it. Professor Rigaud had an interesting crime to present to the Murder Club – one that took place in an old tower. His very meager audience (of two) convinces him to still share his story.
After the club fiasco is behind him, Miles and his sister, Marion, settle into their recent inheritance – their late uncle’s grand estate. Their uncle was a renowned historian and part of the house contains a huge library. Books of all shapes and sizes, new, old, ancient. Subjects: unlimited. The problem: The books were never cataloged. All these rare and valuable books are in utter chaos.
Miles hires a librarian to stay at the house for a few months to catalog the books and put them in proper order. And there’s something about her. The librarian is young, attractive and has a hypnotic effect on Miles. He may be falling in love. Love is in the air, not just for Miles, but for his sister, Marion, who is also staying at the house with her fiance, Steve.
But no one in the household realizes that a crime that happened six years ago is about to land on their doorstep: The suspicious tower death previously discussed among the three of them that fateful night at the Murder Club! And little do they suspect, all their lives are about to be changed forever.
He Who Whispers is a most intricately woven tale of crime, mystery – and the supernatural. When a murder occurred that was blamed on a vampire, “rubbish” I said! But John Dickson Carr gives us an atmosphere that is so authentic, readers will pause to consider the possibility that this crime, perhaps, was not committed by a mere mortal.
The author, John Dickson Carr, was well known for his locked room mysteries. The original crime in this story took place 6 years ago in an old tower. It was finally put to rest as a suicide only because there was absolutely no sign of foul play. On the other hand, suicide was impossible!
But crimes of the past eventually rise to the surface and Miles Hammond finds himself in the center of it all. Carr’s re-occurring detective, Dr. Gideon Fell, eventually is brought in to help unravel the strange goings on at the estate and solve a truly diabolical crime of the past.
He Who Whispers is a haunting mystery filled with quiet suspicions, and a sense of foreboding meticulously crafted by mystery-crime master, John Dickson Carr.
Hats off to Poison Pen/Sourcebooks and the British Library of Crime Classics for bringing this back for us to enjoy decades later. Mystery buffs will NOT want to miss this one! As they say: “They just don’t make ‘em like they used to!”
A copy of this book and cover photo were provided by Poisoned Pen/Sourcebooks.