The Master of Mysteries; Being an Account of the Problems Solved by Astro, Seer of Secrets, and His Love Affair with Valeska Wynne, His Assistant

by Gelett Burgess

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Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Master of Mysteries is a mystery featuring a magician with incredible cold reading and observational skills written by Gelett Burgess. Originally released in 1912, this reformat and re-release as part of the Library of Congress Crime Classics series from publisher Poisoned Pen Press is 496 pages in this edition and is available in paperback and ebook formats. 

The original release of this book has the distinction of being the very first book published on Richard Lupoff's Surinam Turtle imprint, back in 1912 without an author credit. Additionally, the clever (if dated) volume included three ciphers for real life sleuths to solve, one of which was the name of the author. Burgess will be better known to most readers as the author of the children's "Goops" books and also has the dubious distinction of writing the "Purple Cow" poem, to the perennial delight of youngsters for more than a century: "I never saw a purple cow. I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow, I'd rather see than be one!".

Nevertheless, this is a collection of cases solved by main character Astro, the seer of secrets (and master of mysteries). There's a distinct Sherlock Holmes vibe to the way he notices details, seemingly pulls the solution to the mystery out of thin air, and then has to explain his process to his assistant, the lovely Valeska Wynne. 

The 24 short stories are more or less written to the same formula: a mystery, the drama, resolution with a seemingly impossible solution, and an explanation to Valeska pointing out the obscure details noted by Astro which synthesized into the correct answer. Although not derivative, it reminded me in some ways of a period version of "Psych", a TV series with a similar methodology. 

The author gets kudos for apparently being a very intelligent and humorous individual despite being born in Boston and raised as a Boston Elite. He soon ran away to California, getting a job as a professor at Berkeley and knocking over the Cogswell temperance statue. According to Wikipedia, we also have him to thank for coining the word "blurb". 

Four stars. This would be a superlative choice for fans of period mystery. The entire LoC Crime Classics series are worthwhile and this is a good addition. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.