The Cage for the Simpleton

9 hrs. 7 min.

Language Russian

Author John Carr

Narrator Anton Makarov

Description

The heyday of classic detective fiction gave readers a whole galaxy of outstanding authors. Agatha Christie, Gilbert Chesterton, Earl Stanley Gardner, Rex Stout, and others didn’t merely expand the possibilities of the genre—they brought it to perfection: their books, long established as recognized classics, remain beloved today and serve as a guide for new generations of creators of detective plots. Among this group, a special place is held by John Dixon Carr (1906–1977)—the unsurpassed master of carefully constructed stories about “impossible crimes” in a locked room.

“The Pitfall for a Simpleton” is another novel from the series about Dr. Gideon Fell, an amateur sleuth. Many believe the character’s appearance was partly inspired by Chesterton himself, and, according to many of Carr’s fans, his significance for the detective tradition is hard to overestimate. No wonder the writer Kingsley Amis included Dr. Fell in his essay “My Favorite Sleuths” as one of the “three great heirs to Sherlock Holmes.”