The golden age of detective fiction gave us many star names. The works of writers such as Agatha Christie, Gilbert Chesterton, Earl Stanley Gardner, and Rex Stout developed and refined the detective genre; their novels, universally recognized as classics, remain beloved by readers to this day and serve as a standard of quality for subsequent generations of mystery authors. A prestigious place in this constellation rightfully belongs to John Dickson Carr (1906–1977) — a virtuoso master of perfectly constructed ‘impossible crimes in a locked room.’
In 1933, in the novel ‘The Witch’s Kitchen,’ John Dickson Carr first introduced the public to the amateur detective Dr. Gideon Fell. ‘The Blind Barber’ (1934) is the fourth novel in the adventures of this clever detective.
On board the transatlantic liner ‘Victoria,’ an amateur film reel has been stolen, which threatens to turn into a grand political scandal of worldwide proportions. The tranquility of the passengers is also disrupted by the mysterious disappearances of a precious emerald elephant, as well as the presence of a severely wounded girl…
