The Great Hotel Murder

by Vincent Starrett

Other authorsLyndsay Faye (Introduction)
Paperback, 2020

Publication

American Mystery Classics (2020), 210 p.

Original publication date

1934

Description

When a New York banker is discovered dead from an apparent morphine overdose in a Chicago hotel, the circumstances surrounding his untimely end are suspicious to say the least. The dead man had switched rooms the night before with a stranger he met and drank with in the hotel bar. And before that, he'd registered under a fake name at the hotel, told his drinking companion a fake story about his visit to the Windy City, and seemingly made no effort to contact the actress, performing in a local show, to whom he was married. All of which is more than enough to raise eyebrows among those who discovered the body. Enter theatre critic and amateur sleuth Riley Blackwood, a friend of the hotel's owner, who endeavors to untangle this puzzling tale as discreetly as possible. But when another detective working the case, whose patron is unknown, is thrown from a yacht deck during a party by an equally unknown assailant, the investigation makes a splash among Chicago society. And then several of the possible suspects skip town, leaving Blackwood struggling to determine their guilt or innocence?and their whereabouts. Reissued for the first time in over eighty years, The Great Hotel Murder is a devilishly complex whodunnit with a classical aristocratic setting, sure to please Golden Age mystery fans of all stripes. In 1935, the story was adapted for a film of the same name.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member EricCostello
Mayhem in 1930s Chicago as a mysterious body turns up in a great hotel, and a critic for a local newspaper moonlights as a detective to solve the crime. Frankly, I don't think this quite comes off, either as entertainment (the hero is almost as annoying as Philo Vance) or mystery (I didn't think
Show More
the mystery gelled very well). This particular edition has some bizarre questions addressed to the reader at the end. Give this one, alas, a pass. (But don't give Penzler's bookstore in NYC a pass!)
Show Less
LibraryThing member bookappeal
Not a great mystery or particularly compelling other than the iconic writing style of the 1930s and a nice setting - Chicago. Riley Blackwood is an untrained amateur sleuth who spends too much time hatching theories and is not terribly skilled at getting information. The premise is fun - a
Show More
woman’s breakfast date at a grand hotel is late. When hotel staff are finally convinced to open the man’s room, they find a dead body in the bed. But it’s not the man who rented the room! Plausible red herrings are sprinkled throughout but most of the characters are thin and the dialogue is often awkward.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BooksForDinner
A little autobiographical, this main character. A literary critic, but instead of writing mysteries, he’s solving them. A lot of fun. So many of the stories have this wisecracking Ellery queen type character. Very good though.
LibraryThing member BrianEWilliams
This is a classic whodunnit murder mystery set in Chicago circa 1935. It's written in the Golden Age style with a (relatively large) closed circle of suspects and a mostly unsolvable puzzle for readers to deal with. The puzzle's solution, when finally presented, seems randomly chosen. There's
Show More
plenty of action, some is near farcical, with a suspenseful and exciting denouement. The characters are plentiful, although only one will likely stick in anyone's memory for long: the amateur sleuth, Riley Blackwood. There is enough local colour to recognize Chicago as the story's locale and a quasi-character. Atmosphere is in short supply. The Introduction by Lyndsay Faye is informative about the author and the story. It merits reading.
Show Less

Language

Original language

English

ISBN

9781613161883

Physical description

8.1 inches

Rating

(13 ratings; 3.3)
Page: 0.2987 seconds