The Curved Loop

The golden age of the detective novel gifted us many star names. A prominent place in this pantheon rightfully belongs to John Dickson Carr (1906–1977) — a virtuoso master of perfectly constructed "impossible crimes in a locked room." In 1933, John Dickson Carr first introduced the public to the amateur sleuth, the eccentric Dr. Gideon Fell, whom English writer Kingsley Amis described in his essay "My Favorite Detectives" as "one of the three great heirs to Sherlock Holmes."
"The Curved Loop" (1938) tells the tale of yet another mysterious case, the investigation of which proves to be the domain of the ingenious Dr. Fell. In the quiet village of Mallingford, life flows slowly and methodically, and each incident stirs the rural community for a long time. But the strange events at Farnley Manor, home of Sir Mallingford and Soone, would truly do honor to a more lively locale. It all began when an unfamiliar stranger appeared before John Farnley and his wife, claiming to be... John Farnley, Sir of Mallingford and Soone...