The Burning Court
Encyclopedia
The Burning Court is a famous locked room mystery
by John Dickson Carr
. However, it contains neither Gideon Fell
, or Henry Merrivale, Carr's two major detectives. It was published in the United States, and was highly controversial upon its first printing, due to its unorthodox ending. Today, it is hailed as Carr's best non-series novel.
, which had caused him to be bedridden for days. Although Miles' death was considered death by natural causes, two strange things were reported surrounding the death. A housemaid reported spying into Despard's room, through the shade of one of the glass doors leading in, and reported that a woman had left, through a door that had been bricked up for years. After Despard died, under his pillow was found a strange piece of string, tied in nine knots.
Stevens shrugs both events off as nothing. Instead, he opens the book he is bringing home to edit. The book is a book on true crime, by famous true crime writer Gauden Cross. Cross's book is on murder trials, and the book begins with the trial and execution of Marie D'Aubray, in 1861. There is a picture of Marie D'Aubray attached to the section, which causes Stevens to jump. The picture of Marie D'Aubray, is a picture of his wife, Marie Stevens.
Stevens gets home, and confronts his wife, who tries to convince him that the picture means nothing. Stevens goes up to wash his hands, and when he returns, the picture is gone. Before Stevens can figure it out, the doorbell rings. It is Mark Despard and a doctor named Partington. Mark Despard explains he believes his uncle was murdered, and that he, Partington, and Stevens, are going to dig up the body, and do an autopsy.
Miles Despard is buried in a crypt, sealed with cement. Mark, Partington, and Stevens begin the long process of breaking up the cement. After they do, they climb down the long steps, to retrieve the body. They find Miles' coffin, open it, and reveal nothing. A quick search confirms that the body has disappeared from the sealed crypt.
Cross explains that Myra took a mirror from Miles' room, and placed it, at an angle, in front of the bricked up door, to reflect on the wooden door that opens into the hallway. When Myra left, she left through the hall door, not the bricked up door.
In the crypt, were Miles' body was placed, there were two large urns in the entrance way. Mark, who was the last one in the crypt, placed Miles body in one of the urns, then sealed the entrance. When they opened the crypt, the body was in the urn. After not finding the body, Mark told Partington and Stevens to go find help. While they did, in the three or four minute time frame, Mark took the body, and hid it elsewhere in the cemetery.
Cross then took a glass of sherry, given to him by Myra, took a single sip, and died of cyanide poisoning. Myra is arrested, tried, and sentenced to die, but has the sentence reduced to life in prison.
At the end of the novel, it is revealed that Stevens' wife Marie is the ghost of a woman
who had been burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft in the 17th century. Marie had been put to death by the Despard family. She had been trying to get revenge for years, finally succeeding by killing Miles and Mark Despard.
Boucher
and McComas
praised the novel as the "finest of all fusions of deductive puzzle and supernatural horror."
on June 17, 1942 as part of the series Suspense
.
Locked room mystery
The locked room mystery is a sub-genre of detective fiction in which a crime—almost always murder—is committed under apparently impossible circumstances. The crime in question typically involves a crime scene that no intruder could have entered or left, e.g., a locked room...
by John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published under the pen names Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn....
. However, it contains neither Gideon Fell
Gideon Fell
Doctor Gideon Fell is a fictional character created by John Dickson Carr. He is the protagonist of 23 novels from 1933 through 1967 as well as a few short stories. Carr was an American who lived most of his adult life in England; Dr. Fell is an Englishman who lives in the London suburbs.Dr...
, or Henry Merrivale, Carr's two major detectives. It was published in the United States, and was highly controversial upon its first printing, due to its unorthodox ending. Today, it is hailed as Carr's best non-series novel.
Plot summary
Edward Stevens, an editor at Herald and Son's publishing house, is on the train home, recounting the story of the death of the uncle of his boss, Mark Despard. Mark's uncle, Miles, had died recently of gastroenteritisGastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is marked by severe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract involving both the stomach and small intestine resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting. It can be transferred by contact with contaminated food and water...
, which had caused him to be bedridden for days. Although Miles' death was considered death by natural causes, two strange things were reported surrounding the death. A housemaid reported spying into Despard's room, through the shade of one of the glass doors leading in, and reported that a woman had left, through a door that had been bricked up for years. After Despard died, under his pillow was found a strange piece of string, tied in nine knots.
Stevens shrugs both events off as nothing. Instead, he opens the book he is bringing home to edit. The book is a book on true crime, by famous true crime writer Gauden Cross. Cross's book is on murder trials, and the book begins with the trial and execution of Marie D'Aubray, in 1861. There is a picture of Marie D'Aubray attached to the section, which causes Stevens to jump. The picture of Marie D'Aubray, is a picture of his wife, Marie Stevens.
Stevens gets home, and confronts his wife, who tries to convince him that the picture means nothing. Stevens goes up to wash his hands, and when he returns, the picture is gone. Before Stevens can figure it out, the doorbell rings. It is Mark Despard and a doctor named Partington. Mark Despard explains he believes his uncle was murdered, and that he, Partington, and Stevens, are going to dig up the body, and do an autopsy.
Miles Despard is buried in a crypt, sealed with cement. Mark, Partington, and Stevens begin the long process of breaking up the cement. After they do, they climb down the long steps, to retrieve the body. They find Miles' coffin, open it, and reveal nothing. A quick search confirms that the body has disappeared from the sealed crypt.
Controversy
The ending of The Burning Court was highly controversial upon its release. Writer Gauden Cross explains that Mark Despard and his lover, Myra Corbett (who was his uncles nurse), killed his uncle and removed the body from the crypt.Cross explains that Myra took a mirror from Miles' room, and placed it, at an angle, in front of the bricked up door, to reflect on the wooden door that opens into the hallway. When Myra left, she left through the hall door, not the bricked up door.
In the crypt, were Miles' body was placed, there were two large urns in the entrance way. Mark, who was the last one in the crypt, placed Miles body in one of the urns, then sealed the entrance. When they opened the crypt, the body was in the urn. After not finding the body, Mark told Partington and Stevens to go find help. While they did, in the three or four minute time frame, Mark took the body, and hid it elsewhere in the cemetery.
Cross then took a glass of sherry, given to him by Myra, took a single sip, and died of cyanide poisoning. Myra is arrested, tried, and sentenced to die, but has the sentence reduced to life in prison.
At the end of the novel, it is revealed that Stevens' wife Marie is the ghost of a woman
Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite d'Aubray, Marquise de Brinvilliers
Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite d'Aubray, Marquise de Brinvilliers was a French serial killer.-Crimes:Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite d'Aubray conspired with her lover, army captain Godin de Sainte-Croix to poison her father Antonine Dreux d'Aubray in 1666 and two of her brothers, Antoine d'Aubray and...
who had been burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft in the 17th century. Marie had been put to death by the Despard family. She had been trying to get revenge for years, finally succeeding by killing Miles and Mark Despard.
Literary significance and criticism
"A stunning situation to start with, which leads to steadily more complicated problems -- all perfectly clear, thanks to the art of this master of plotting ... we are also given a rationally possible explanation of the events, but the odor of brimstone overcomes the factual sense and renders the story a hybrid."Boucher
Anthony Boucher
Anthony Boucher was an American science fiction editor and author of mystery novels and short stories. He was particularly influential as an editor. Between 1942 and 1947 he acted as reviewer of mostly mystery fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle...
and McComas
J. Francis McComas
Jesse Francis McComas was an American science fiction editor. McComas wrote several stories on his own in the 1950s using both his own name and the pseudonym Webb Marlowe....
praised the novel as the "finest of all fusions of deductive puzzle and supernatural horror."
Adaptations
A 30 minute radio dramatization of the novel was broadcast by CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
on June 17, 1942 as part of the series Suspense
Suspense (radio program)
-Production background:One of the premier drama programs of the Golden Age of Radio, was subtitled "radio's outstanding theater of thrills" and focused on suspense thriller-type scripts, usually featuring leading Hollywood actors of the era...
.