Deadly Hall by John Dickson Carr

Deadly Hall

by John Dickson Carr

It's 1927 and New Orleans-born novelist Jeff Caldwell is called back to that most colourful of American cities by a frantic letter from Dave Hobart, a boyhood friend.

Dave owns a fabulous and foreboding 16th-century English manor house moved from England to New Orleans at the whim of his eccentric grandfather. But Delys Hall has been nicknamed Deadly Hall. Some terrible things have happened there - including murder - and there are rumours of hidden treasure and a ghost.

'The plot's the thing ... it is a sort of gleeful game' New York Times Book Review

Reviewed by Aidan Brack (Mysteries Ahoy) on

2.5 of 5 stars

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Deadly Hall is not a great Carr by any means but I don’t want to suggest that it is without merit. There are some good ideas here which is remarkable given the author had been active for about forty years by this point and I think with a little reorganization and change of emphasis the story could have been tightened and improved.

Read my full review at Mysteries Ahoy!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 May, 2018: Finished reading
  • 8 September, 2020: Reviewed