What’s a Locked-Room Mystery?

I’m a big fan of locked-room mysteries. I loved reading them long before I wrote them, and now I write both locked-room mystery short stories (more than a dozen published to date) and my Secret Staircase Mysteries all feature locked-room mysteries. This page feature evolving content on the subject—so far definitions, recommendations, links to relevant articles, plus my own work in the genre.

Definitions 

Locked-room mystery

A crime has been committed in a room or other sealed location where it appears impossible for the crime to have been committed. 

An example is a dead man found inside a windowless room that’s been sealed from the inside, dead from a gunshot wound that people outside the room heard fired, yet inside the room there’s no gun and no way for the culprit to have escaped. 

Thus, a locked room is only part of the equation; the key is that the situation appears impossible. It’s up to the detective—and the reader—to piece together the clues that have been presented, to solve the baffling crime. 

Impossible crime

A synonym for a locked-room mystery. Some argue that the two terms are different, and that an “impossible crime” is umbrella term under which locked-room mysteries fall. But in practice, most of us writing in the genre agree that the two can be used interchangeably. 

I prefer the term locked-room mystery, just as shorthand to explain the book to a reader, because the term “impossible crime” never caught on as broadly.

Impossible crimes include mysteries beyond murder as well. For example, thefts that appear impossible, when a valuable piece of art or jewels disappear in front of spectators’ eyes. 

Miracle problem

The term for impossible crime stories preferred by impossible crime mystery historian (and John Dickson Carr biographer) Douglas G. Greene. The idea of a miracle problem captures the spirit of why impossible crimes are so tantalizing—because it appears the crime could only have been committed through a miracle, because there’s no logical, earthly way for it to have occurred. 

Closed circle

A mystery that involves a limited number of suspects in an isolated location, such as together onto a secluded island, with no way for anyone to leave or be rescued. This plot device is often mistakenly referred to as a locked-room mystery. A story can be both, but a closed circle doesn’t mean it’s necessary a locked-room mystery. 

Golden Age of detective fiction

Loosely defined as the period between the two world wars, the 1920s and ’30s, but time isn’t the only necessary element. The unifying element of mysteries thought of as from the Golden Age was puzzle plots, where fairly presented clues were prominent and violence was not. Therefore American hardboiled detective novels from the same era aren’t considered Golden Age mysteries. 

Many Golden Age authors continued writing the same style of story for several more decades, but after the Second World War, the whydunnit became more popular than the whodunit, with the psychology of criminals explored in more depth. The Golden Age emphasis on fairly presented clues tended to focus more on the puzzle than the rich inner lives of characters. 

Shin-Honkaku

The Japanese “new orthodox” style of mystery translates as the “logic mystery” genre, with locked room mysteries featured prominently. While locked-room mysteries fell out of fashion in the English-speaking world for several decades, they’ve been going strong in Japan since the 1980s. 

Some of these mysteries have been translated into English, but those of us who love the genre are eager for more. Be warned: many of these books contain far more violence than Golden Age locked-room mysteries, but they’re every bit as brilliant. 

With a resurgence of interest in locked-room mysteries, more Japanese mysteries in this style are being translated into English each year. 

ELEMENTS OF A LOCKED-ROOM MySTERY

Fair play detective story

Readers should have all the clues they need to solve the crime, seeing the same information as the detective. Authors like Ellery Queen took this to an extreme, pausing from the narrative to directly address the reader, challenging us to solve the crime before the detective. After all, we’ve already been given all the clues we need. 

Supernatural explanations are not allowed

Even though it appears that nobody could have committed the crime, the solution has to be logically viable. No miracles allowed.  

Also frequently included: 

Gothic atmosphere

In style, many locked-room mysteries are similar to Gothic novels, with a ghostly atmosphere, because with no logical explanation, a supernatural explanation appears to be the only possible solution. Supposed hauntings are common, with ghost stories abounding. A ghost can be a helpful cover for a living murderer. 

This is the reason I love locked-room mysteries so much. It’s not only the clever puzzle, but the fact that a reader gets a spooky ghost story at the same time.

Stage magicians

Because of the seemingly impossible nature of the illusions created by stage magicians through misdirection, magicians are often used as detectives in locked-room mystery stories. Their skills at creating seemingly impossible tricks are called upon by the police to use their skills in the opposite direction, seeing through what’s essentially a trick created by a criminal to deceive, rather than illusion thought up by a performer to entertain. 

Magicians were more common in mystery fiction during the Golden Age of detective fiction, but I’m happy to see more current authors writing magicians as well. 

I love this idea of playing with misdirection in mystery fiction, so I write two stage magician characters. Sanjay, who performs as The Hindi Houdini, is the leading character in several of my locked-room mystery short stories, and Tempest Raj is the main character of my Secret Staircase Mysteries. 

Some Key Players in Locked-Room Mystery Fiction

The authors and shows listed below are only the tip of a puzzle-filled iceberg. I’ve covered the key terms of the genre, but there are far too many important figures in this beloved genre to list them all here. Authors from both the Golden Age and the present have written ingenious locked-room novels, stories, and television programs. If you go down this rabbit hole with me and seek them out, you’re in for a treat.

John Dickson Carr, also writing as Carter Dickson (1906-1977)

The undisputed king of the locked-room mystery. He was a prolific writer of both novels and short stories, many with the recurring characters Dr. Gideon Fell and Sir Henry Merrivale. 

John Dickson Carr took the form seriously. In The Hollow Man (published in the UK as The Three Coffins), Dr. Fell gives his famous “Locked Room Lecture,” in which he describes eight types of methods that can be used to commit a locked room murder. Within those eight general types are endless variations, which is why the puzzles continue to be such fun. 

One of Carr’s greatest contributions to the subgenre was that he elevated it beyond the puzzle of the impossible crime. Carr loved to create the Gothic atmospheres mentioned above. For example, The Burning Court features witchcraft, a crypt, and a woman presently alive who was supposedly put to death in the previous century—yet concludes with an ingenious and perfectly logical explanation. 

Clayton Rawson (1906-1971)

A friend of John Dickson Carr, the two were known to challenge each other to create mysteries out of seemingly impossible situations. Rawson, a magician himself, created stage magician The Great Merlini, introduced in the novel Death From a Top Hat. The novel features a whole cast of magicians, leading to one ingenious piece of misdirection after another. 

Agatha Christie (1890-1976)

Everyone knows the queen of the Golden Age of detective fiction. She wrote far more closed circle mysteries than locked-room mysteries, but she also wrote her fair share of them, including Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, and one of her most famous books, And Then There Were None, is both a closed circle and an impossible crime. 

Paul Halter (born 1956)

Widely regarded as the new John Dickson Carr, French author Halter is one of the writers currently writing in the genre. Many of his novels have been translated into English. Though based in France, Halter pays homage to the Golden Age of detective fiction by setting his books in England. 

Like Carr, Halter uses supernatural overtones effectively. Like Rawson, he also incorporates magicians into his stories. The Fourth Door: The Houdini Murders was his first bestseller, and in the impossible crime presented in the novel it looks as if a reincarnated Harry Houdini himself is the culprit. 

Soji Shimada (born 1948)

The Japanese author is thought of as the Godfather of the Shin-Honkaku sub-genre. His brilliant novel The Tokyo Zodiac Murderswas originally published in Japan in 1981, and has been translated into English. The book was a finalist for the prestigious Edogawa Rampo award in Japan (think about the pronunciation and Edgar Allan Poe). 

Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)

The famous writer is credited as having written the first locked room mystery story, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” introducing character C. August Dupin. The story’s solution might not be especially believable to modern audiences, but at the time it was groundbreaking.

Jonathan Creek (TV show)

The BBC television series written by David Renwick ran from 1997-2016, and is the most famous television program centered around solving impossible crimes. Titular character Jonathan Creek works for a stage magician, creating illusions behind the scenes. Creek teams up with a reporter to solve crimes that look as if they must have a supernatural explanation. 

Detective Conan / Case Closed (manga and anime)

These Japanese graphic novels and cartoon show feature clever mysteries that are often impossible crimes.

Articles about Locked-room Mysteries

If you want to read more about locked-room mysteries, here are a few of my articles on the subject:

• Locked-Room Mysteries: A Beginners Guide on Crimereads

• Locked-Room Mysteries: Modern Interest in the Classic Mystery Subgenre on Criminal Element

• John Dickson Carr: The Master of the Locked Room-Mystery on CrimeReads

• Locked Room Mysteries vs. Closed Circle Mysteries on the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Blog

• The Role of Magicians in Mystery Fiction on Novel Suspects

• The best locked-room mysteries with solutions you’ll never see coming on Shepherd.com

Gigi’s Locked-Room Stories and Novels

“The Locked Room Library”

An impossible crime short story, originally published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July/August 2021. Short-listed for Edgar, Agatha, Macavity, and Anthony awards.

The owner of San Francisco’s Locked Room Library—a new private library established to celebrate classic mysteries—has discovered a secret about John Dickson Carr’s controversial novel The Burning Court. When a newly discovered letter Carr wrote to Frederic Dannay disappears under circumstances identical to one of the eerie impossible crimes in The Burning Court, it’s up to librarian Tamarind Ortega and stage magician Sanjay Rai (The Hindi Houdini) to prove the letter wasn’t stolen by a ghost who vanished through a bricked-up door.

The Locked Room Library setting appears in my Secret Staircase Mysteries, impossible crime novels now available from Minotaur Books.

More Locked-Room Mystery Short Stories

My locked-room mystery stories have been also published in a variety of collections. Many of these stories are included in The Cambodian Curse & Other Stories.

A Locked-Room Mystery for Young Readers

Locked-Room Mystery Novels

In addition to short stories, some of my novels also feature a locked-room mystery, particularly the Secret Staircase Mystery series. The second Secret Staircase Mystery, The Raven Thief, is out now, and I’m currently at work on Book 3 now!