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Paul Halter and the Golden Age of Detective Fiction
Paul
Halter, one of the greatest living writers of classic detective fiction, is the
contemporary master of the impossible crime (also known as 'locked room') mystery.
As such, he is the natural successor to John Dickson Carr. Here are some
comments about his work:
- EQMM Jury Box December 2006 ****:
"The first collection in English by a contemporary French master will delight those who long for the impossible crimes of John Dickson Carr, Clayton Rawson or G.K.Chesterton."
- Mystery Scene November 2006:
"The most important collection of locked room stories in years, and fans of brilliant puzzles ... will love it."
- Publisher's Weekly October 22, 2007 (starred review*):
"Most of the 10 outstanding stories in this collection from French author Halter, the first English-language edition of his work, center on an impossible crime, a still potent subgenre that was once a fixture of last century's golden age of detective fiction.
- Janet Hutchings, editor of EQMM: "... Paul Halter's stories have a special combination of atmospheric setting and brilliant classical plotting that make them irresistible."
Halter
is a staunch defender of the Golden Age school of detective fiction, with
emphasis on development of ingenious plots (as opposed to the exploration of
the detective's psyche); fair clues; red herrings; and a denouement which
brings about a satisfying conclusion.
Not to
mention breathtakingly clever ways of killing people in seemingly impossible circumstances.
Make
no mistake about it, he is not trying to pluck at your heartstrings, play on
your social conscience, ram his political opinions down your throat, or give
you a guided cultural and gastronomical tour of some quaint European city; he
is out to challenge your reason. He wants to baffle, bamboozle, bemuse and
bewilder you. The reader is warned.
He is
the author of over thirty mystery novels, of which all but a few are locked room: a list of all his works can be
found under 'Bibliography.' Monsieur Halter, being French himself, naturally
has a tendency to write in that language and unfortunately, at the time of
writing, no English translation of any of the novels has yet made its way into
print. All is not lost, however, because a collection of ten of his short
stories has been published under the title: The
Night of the Wolf. You can find out more about this collection and
reviewers' reactions to it the section of the same name.
It is
our mission to translate Paul Halter's works into English and to find
publishers willing to have their readers rediscover the pleasures of the Golden
Age 'locked room.' This web site will keep you appraised of any progress.
*for more comprehensive essays on 'locked room mysteries', please go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locked_room_mystery
http://www.mysteryfile.com/Locked_Rooms/Library.html
