''The Mystery of the Open Window'' is a 1929

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

by Anthony Gilbert, the pen name of British writer Lucy Beatrice Malleson. It is the fourth novel in a series featuring her amateur detective, the politician Scott Egerton. Unlike the rest of the series it was published by Gollancz rather than

Collins Collins may refer to: People Surname Given name * Collins O. Bright (1917–?), Sierra Leonean diplomat * Collins Chabane (1960–2015), South African Minister of Public Service and Administration * Collins Cheboi (born 1987), Kenyan middle- ...

.Reilly p.659 It takes the form of a

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, a popular branch of the genre during the

Golden Age of Detective Fiction The Golden Age of Detective Fiction was an era of classic murder mystery novels of similar patterns and styles, predominantly in the 1920s and 1930s. The Golden Age proper is, in practice, usually taken to refer to a type of fiction which was pre ...

Synopsis

By coincidence, Egerton is at a disreputable

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

when the proprietor is visited by the wealthy Sir Henry Archer, owner of the famous Archer Library, carrying several valuable books with him. Obviously in a state of terror, he demands that his room be locked and his window barred. Nonetheless the following morning he is found in bed, stabbed to death.

References

Bibliography

* Magill, Frank Northen . ''Critical Survey of Mystery and Detective Fiction: Authors, Volume 2''. Salem Press, 1988. *Murphy, Bruce F. ''The Encyclopedia of Murder and Mystery''. Springer, 1999. * Reilly, John M. ''Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers''. Springer, 2015. 1929 British novels British mystery novels British thriller novels Novels by Anthony Gilbert Novels set in Paris British detective novels Victor Gollancz Ltd books {{1920s-mystery-novel-stub