“An impossible crime sends the common policeman into a tailspin. Here we have a man found murdered in a locked room, the key placed inside the door, the time set by two aural witnesses, no method of escape for the killer. It is a paradox, a puzzle, a damned fine headache for the uninitiated.” He allowed the words to settle, adjusting the cigarette between his fingers, then pacing a few steps forward.
“But for me—” he gestured loosely with his free hand, “—this is familiar territory. I’ve made my reputation unraveling these sorts of mystery. I’ve seen it all. A man stabbed in a room dusted with flour, no footprints to be found. A woman shot in a bath, no gun and no murderer in sight. I once worked a case where a fellow was found strangled inside a closet that had been nailed shut from the inside.” He smirked, shaking his head as if in admiration of past ingenuity.
“This one, though,” he continued, letting the smoke drift from his lips, “this one was almost disappointingly simple. Too simple. Which was precisely why I knew there had to be more to it.”
He turned, his dark eyes sweeping over the assembled suspects. “I say to you, this was a killer pretending to be stupid in a foolish attempt to keep me on the wrong track.” He took a long, heavy drag off of his cigarette. “Gentlemen, the whodunnit part is over.”
The lineup is looking like this.
- Silent Steps of Murder
- Where There’s Smoke, There’s Pazuzu
- Instrument of Death
- The Preminger Curse
- Cutting-Room Floor
I’m still working primarily on Cutting-Room Floor, about which I can’t say much without ruining some surprises. Two men hear a murder and the way one of them interprets the conversation points to the killer. Once it’s finished, I’ll throw everything into the Preminger Curse which involves a plot I’ve been wanting to do for a while now. That one’s a bit more complicated and the story is still being planned. Obviously, I have no release date to point to yet, but I can see the finish line. For any of you concerned about the small (five) number of stories, I’m fairly certain this will be my longest book. You’ll get your money’s worth.
Soon, I’ll have to decide on a title and a cover. It’s About Impossible Crime might be the title. At least some of this was inspired by the style of It’s About Crime (MacKinlay Kantor), so I thought something brief and descriptive would do. Not all the stories feature impossible crimes, but the spirit of impossible-crime fiction runs through the whole thing.
As for the cover:
I’m looking for something a bit more naturalistic. I haven’t even had a meeting with my cover designer yet, so these are just unformed thoughts now.
James Scott Byrnside 