Best 'Thinking Machine' Detective Stories by Jacques Futrelle

 

About the author: Jacques Heath Futrelle (1875 – 1912) was an American journalist and mystery writer. He is best known for writing short detective stories featuring Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, also known as "The Thinking Machine" for his use of logic. Returning from Europe aboard the RMS Titanic, Futrelle, a first-class passenger, refused to board a lifeboat, insisting his wife Lily do so instead, to the point of forcing her in. She remembered the last she saw of him: he was smoking a cigarette on deck with John Jacob Astor IV. He perished in the Atlantic and his body was never found. (wikipedia) 

Series character: Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen, The Thinking Machine; and sidekick newspaper reporter Hutchinson Hatch.

The Problem of Cell 13: The Thinking Machine claims he can escape from a prison cell in one week's time, and his friends put him up to it. He is locked in Cell 13 of death row and treated just as any other prisoner, and proceeds to "think" his way out.

The Crystal Gazer: Howard Varick is interested in the occult, and especially his friend,  Adhem Singh. Singh spends his time in a dark closet, gazing into his crystal ball. One day he sees a vision of Varick being murdered, and shows the vision to a terrified Varick. Varick consults The Thinking Machine to see if there is a way his murder can be prevented.

The Scarlet Thread: Weldon Henley has an apartment in Boston's Back Bay. He likes the old-fashioned gas lighting, but lately his night light has been going out while he is asleep, allowing unburned gas to permeate the apartment, a definite health risk. He is worried someone is trying to kill him this way, when another tenant dies from the same cause.

The Flaming Phantom: Ernest Weston starts to rehab the old family mansion, but he and others are scared away by an appartition of a "flaming phantom" that appears at night. Hutchinson Hatch and The Thinking Machine investigate.

The Problem of the Stolen Rubens: Art Collector Matthew Kale allows his friend Jules de Lesseps to paint a copy of his Whistler. In the process, Kale's priceless Rubens painting disappears. The authorities locate it, but cannot explain how it was done. The Thinking Machine provides the explanation.

The Missing Necklace: A known thief has made off with a precious necklace, but an exhaustive search cannot locate it. The Thinking Machine reasons how it was done, and where it went.

The Phantom Motor: A speeding car enters a stretch of road observed by a policeman at either end, yet never emerges. 

(Mar 11 2023 - reading now, please check back)

Mini-review: 

The good: Cell 13 is always a good read. I thought I figured how the Stolen Rubens switcheroo was done, but I was wrong. The solution was surprising, although it requires some specialized knowledge about art. The Phantom Motor is a fun episode and a quick read.

The not-so-good: The Scarlet Thread was lacking both in motive and execution. The Flaming Phantom was an obvious setup from the start, the description of the home's interior gave it away.

See also this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.

The Case of the Spurious Spinster by Erle Stanley Gardner, 1961

 

Major characters:

• Amelia Corning, wheelchair-bound primary stockholder of Corning Mining
• Endicott Campbell, manager of Corning Mining
• Carleton Campbell, his 7-year old son
• Elizabeth Dow, Carleton's governess
• Sue Fisher, his secretary
• Ken Lowry, manager of the Mojave Monarch mine
• Sophia Elliott, Amelia's sister
• Alfredo Gomez, South American agent for Corning Mining
• Cindy Hastings, a nurse

Locale: Los Angeles and the nearby desert region

Synopsis: Secretary Sue Fisher is working on a Saturday to prepare for the visit of the Corning Mining's principal stockholder, Amelia Corning. She is typing reports for her boss, manager Endicott Campbell; some of which deal with the frenzied activities at their Mojave Monarch mine.  Endicott has a 7-year old son, Carleton Campbell, who drops in with his governess, Elizabeth Dow. Carleton is holding a tied-up shoebox he took from his father. Sue peeks inside to find it full of 100-dollar bills. Shocked at this discovery, she locks the box in the office safe for safekeeping.

Sue takes a ride out to look at the Mojave Monarch mine, and is shocked to find it abandoned with no sign of activity, just being cared for by local manager Ken Lowry.

Amelia Corning arrives from South America - in her wheelchair - sooner than expected. Endicott cannot be located, and she has Sue provide her records from the office which she removes to her hotel. Everything looks fishy, and Sue hires Perry Mason to protect her interests. 

Amelia Corning checks herself out of the hotel and disappears with the records. Then a second Amelia - apparently the real one - arrives. Endicott is enraged that Sue let a fake Amelia run off with the records, and now the box of cash is missing too.

Mason goes looking for Sue Fisher - to find her returning home, wearing men's clothing. She had been out in a rented car, and when Mason follows her trail, finds a dead body instead.

Review: This is, as usual, a fast moving Mason story. It was easy to follow, as the cast of characters is small. Gardner is writing of his favorite environment - mining activities in the desert. We don't spend a lot of time in the desert - just a quick look-see. The victim (there is only one) was a surprise to me. 

Gardner sets us up with a couple of easy suspects - but the joke is on the reader. They disappear as soon as they appear, and the real murderer doesn't appear in the book until near the end - unfair to the reader.

A discontinuity: Everyone thinks Amelia Corning has made off with the shoebox full of cash when no one was looking - but how could she? It was locked in the safe before she even arrived. 

Pro tip: Gardner never makes a woman in nylons and high heels the murderer - but a woman wearing flats? Danger!  

The Fourth Side of the Triangle by Ellery Queen, 1965

 

About the author: Avram Davidson ghost-wrote this title, from an outline by  

Frederic Dannay.

Major characters:

• Dane McKell, aspiring writer
• Ashton McKell, his father; a.k.a. Dr. Stone
• Lutetia McKell, his mother
• Judy Walsh, Ashton's secretary
• Sheila Grey, the other woman
• "Aunt" Sarah Vernier, Dane's godmother
• Ramon Alvarez, chauffeur

Locale: New York City

Synopsis:  Wealthy Ashton and Lutetia McKell live in a palatial New York apartment. Their son, Dane McKell, is more interested in being a writer than following in his father's business footsteps, but has yet to be successful at it. 

There is a sudden upset when Lutetia, sensing Ashton is becoming distant, asks what is wrong; and Ashton reveals there is "another woman". Lutetia takes this in stride, and focuses on being the obedient wife and avoiding any sniff of scandal in society, and in their church.

Dane feels it is his duty to break up this illicit romance, but doesn't know the identity of the other woman. He follows his father to an assignation to learn the woman is fashion designer Sheila Grey, and she lives in the penthouse of the same apartment building. She is young - about the same age as Dane. Since Ashton does not want to be recognized visiting her, he assumes a disguise as "Dr. Stone", even to carrying a physician's bag.

Dane sees Sheila in the guise of researching her industry for his book. He gradually falls in love with her, and when she rejects his marriage proposal, he attempts to strangle her. He leaves, and in the interval before Ashton arrives, Sheila is shot by a person unknown.

SOME SPOILERS BELOW!

Review: This book is written in four chapters, each named for a "side of the triangle".

Chapter 1, "Sheila", moves right along as we follow Dave discovering his father's elaborate disguise and the other woman's identity. It opens with some historical McKell family background which fleshes out the family characters nicely and helps the reader understand their Victorian background, and ends with Sheila's murder.

Chapter 2, "Ashton" covers the arrest of Ashton for the murder.

Chapter 3, "Lutetia" covers her arrest for the murder, following Ashton's acquital.

Chapter 4, "Dane" leads us to the murderer, with a nice red herring episode, following Lutetia's acquital. Not too many possibilities left!

This book follows a typical Queen methodical formula of chapters, and also includes a solution which involves solving a formula left behind by the deceased. I had the murderer all picked out but on the last pages I found I was wrong. 

A nice aspect of this story is the limited cast of characters. It is never difficult to keep track of who is who. Another unique aspect is that Ellery solves the case from his hospital bed (following breaking both legs skiing).

I was a bit skeptical that this ghost-written title could stand up to the Queen reputation, but it does easily. 

The Camera Clue by George Harmon Coxe, 1937

 

This is Kent Murdock #3.

About the author: George Harmon Coxe (1902-1984) began writing in the nickel and dime pulps for pennies a word. He was a particularly prolific author, writing a total of 63 novels, his last published in 1975. The Mystery Writers of America named him a Grand Master in 1964. (condensed from fantastic fiction)

Major characters:

• Kent Murdock, news photographer
• Joyce Murdock, his wife
• Nora Pendleton, Joyce's friend
• Dana Pendleton, Nora's father
• Jerry Carter, gossip columnist and blackmailer
• Johnny Gowen, Kent's associate photographer
• Lew Novak, cheating private detective
• Gordon Thorndike, cheating socialite
• Wilfred Witherbee, an embezzler
• Robert Ostrum, a.k.a. George Brown

Locale: Boston

Synopsis: Newspaper photographer Kent Murdock comes home to find his wife's friend, Nora Pendleton. She is upset and reveals she has just shot a man, columnist Jerry Carter, who has been blackmailing her. Kent's wife, Joyce, urges Kent to help her out. Kent goes for a look-see. In front of Carter's office building, Kent first sees a man on stilts wearing an advertising sandwich board followed by a troop of kids. Sensing a human interest photo, Kent takes a photo of the scene, with several other passers-by in the background.

Kent enters the building and  finds the body as advertised, but Nora's gun is nowhere to be found. He takes photos of the body and scene. Nora finds the gun - in her father (Dana Pendleton)'s drawer, in his attempt to cover the murder up.

Kent returns to his office to have the photos developed. Soon a number of people show up wanting to get the photo of the sandwich-board man. It seems they were in the background of the photo and don't want it published. Things get pushy and someone slugs Kent's associate, Johnny Gowan, who dies.

Kent now has two goals: exonerate Nora, and avenge the death of Johnny Gowan.

Review: This one takes a great deal of suspension-of-disbelief. There is Kent's rush into a murder scene without notifying the police, there is the buddy-buddy relationship between them, and there is the crowd of cheaters, crooks, gamblers and embezzlers who just happen to wind up in the background of an innocuous photo. 

That said, this is a nonstop not-quite-hardboiled action book with lots of action, a cast straight out of Guys and Dolls, and provocative descriptions of the dames involved. Repeated recitations of the list of possible suspects should give the reader a clue that the murderer is "none of the above".

I enjoyed the specific descriptions of the streets of Boston (being familiar with them first-hand), and was surprised how little has changed from 1937 to today.

Please also see this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block. 

Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie, 1940

 

dustjackets.com

This is Hercule Poirot #19.

Major characters:

• Elinor Carlisle, sophisticate of London
• Mary Gerrard, daughter of the Hunterbury lodgekeeper
• Ted Bigland, Mary's sort-of boyfriend
• Old Gerrard - Mary's father, the lodgekeeper
• Roderick "Roddy" Welman, Elinor's short-term fiancé
• Laura Welman, aunt to Elinor and Roderick
• Dr. Peter Lord, young and eligible
• Mrs. Emma Bishop, housekeeper
• Nurse Jessie Hopkins
• Nurse Eileen O'Brien

Locale: Hunterbury estate, England

Synopsis: We open with Elinor Carlisle on trial for murder of life-long friend Mary Gerrard in a brief unfinished courtroom scene, then we flashback to the story to see how we got here. Laura Welman is matriarch of Hunterbury, and is near her end. She has two favorites: Niece Elinor Carlisle of London (engaged to Roderick Welman, a sort-of cousin by marriage), and Mary Gerrard (no relation, but daughter of long time lodgekeeper "Old" Gerrard).

Under the direction of young, eligible Dr. Peter Lord, Nurses Jessie Hopkins and Eileen O'Brien care for Laura. While visiting, Elinor realizes that her fiancé "Roddy" has fallen in love with Mary, and so she breaks the engagement and urges him to go abroad and get it out of his system.

Soon Aunt Laura passes away - intestate - leaving her only blood relation Elinor to figure out the estate. Both she and Mary had been hoping for a windfall, but Elinor winds up with it all. Elinor passes out legacies as she thinks Laura would have wished, including a generous £2000 to Mary. This activity makes both realize the value of a will, so Elinor and Mary each make one out. Reluctantly, Elinor puts Hunterbury on the market and sells it. While cleaning the place out, Elinor serves sandwiches, and Mary dies from poison within it. Elinor is suspect #1.

Dr. Peter Lord, now realizing his love for Elinor (now that Roddy is out of the way) engages Hercule Poirot to find evidence to clear Elinor. His first stop is to interview Mary's sort-of boyfriend, local Ted Bigland. Between Ted and the nurses, Poirot finds the killings have long-ago ties.

Review: My, is Roddy a fair weather friend, stringing Elinor along until something better comes along. Here is a diagram of who-loves-who:

Dr. Peter Lord > Elinor > Roddy > (Mary) < Ted

I enjoyed the episodes of the two nurses conversing and exchanging letters, and filling in the reader on the back story of the characters. This was well done and effective, and planted plenty of clues along the way. 

It became obvious quickly that something in Mary's past led to all this. The various clues are all there. I had a theory but it wasn't quite right. The solution is a bit convoluted by believable and satisfying. 

Please also see this review by Bev Hankins on My Reader's Block.