Is the perfect
murder ever possible? That is a question that every writer of murder mysteries
has asked to themselves? Each time the great authors of these stories have
started one of their complicated, intricately plotted novels or short stories,
we guess this is what they have tried to achieve.
People have
always been a great admirer of such stories. From Conan Doyle to Agatha
Christie, almost every type of murder weapon and motive has been explored in
their novels. Christie, in particular, was a great one for the locked room
mystery. The victim retires to his room, the door is locked from within, nothing
has been forced open and yet the person has been shot or stabbed or clubbed to
death. How did this happen? The question has been answered in various ingenious
ways, usually involving a brilliant detective who can pick out clues the way
normal people can never pick up.
And then there
are mysteries where the motive becomes more important. You know Mr. X is the
murderer right from the start, but how and why are the questions that need to
be solved. Of course when the final unraveling of the plot is done, it all
seems fairly logical. But then that’s why not all of us are ace detectives!
In this collection,
a few intriguing stories of mystery have been brought together. The title story
is an amusing one of how the perfect murder is plotted, but when the plan is
executed, does it work out exactly the way it was supposed to happen? You will
also find here what many say is their favourite story featuring the immortal
Sherlock Holmes – The Red-Headed League. It has been put on top of the list of
intriguing problems presented to a detective. A man has been employed simply
because he has red hair. He has to go to office and copy out the encyclopedia,
till one day, he is told that the firm where he was going has simply vanished. Who
were these people? What was the Red-Headed League? What was their motive behind
this elaborate scheme? Holmes, of course, solves it going on the slimmest of
clues.
This book also
brings together stories by some other well-known writers of this genre – Wilkie
Collins, Edgar Allan, Jack Bilbo and others. Not all the stories involve murder,
but there is some bloodshed for sure that comes about by chance. In all of them,
the writer is so skilled with words that the reader remains riveted till the
end.
Mysterious and
suspenseful, The Perfect Murder is
just the book for those who like their mystery stories short yet compelling. This
is a book that can be read over a day or two or on a long journey – all the
while keeping a watchful eye out for any signs of odd behavior from the
co-passengers.
Nice
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