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Book Review: THE CASE OF THE SEVEN OF CALVARY (1937) by Anthony Boucher

3/18/2017

7 Comments

 
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Part of the allure of the mystery genre is the game played between author and reader. One person tries to present a compelling and perplexing chain of events in a fair and surprising way, while the other actively tries to separate false clues from genuine ones and arrive at the solution before the fictional detective does. There is a lot of charm to this literary pas de deux, and it can be even more appealing when the writer takes up the challenge with a mischievous twinkle and chooses to consistently draw attention to the game being played. With The Case of the Seven of Calvary, Anthony Boucher presents a high-spirited story that manages to provide both a gentle parody of the genre and a satisfying fair-play puzzle.

Due to the amused self-awareness of Martin Lamb, the story’s Watson and the person with whom the reader is most aligned, Boucher’s winking tone could have overcorrected and turned the puzzle into a trifle or an insignificance, but he manages to avoid this problem. Frequent references are made to the traditional structure of mystery literature – and how the current plotline adheres to or veers from the familiar beats of detection – as well as the luminaries (authors and creations) of the time: Arthur Conan Doyle, Ellery Queen, and John Dickson Carr are mentioned, as well as Dr. Thorndyke, Roger Sheringham, Reggie Fortune and Philo Vance. For most mystery fans, the allusions will be more welcome than intrusive.

Boucher was a linguist and, later, a celebrated critic of crime fiction, and he manages to balance the academic setting of UC-Berkeley and a pontificating professor as detective (and expert in Sanskrit!) with an accessible murder mystery that, once the red herrings have been swept away, is not cluttered with clues involving specialized knowledge. I am not a fan of the mystery sub-genre where esoteric facts provide the critical link: “In classical Greek, the word for ‘radish’ is the same as your surname, ‘Rodotheos’, and by clutching the relish tray the victim was naming his murderer!” Boucher does not attempt such a stunt here, thankfully.

The Seven of Calvary moves swiftly and presents its clues and plot twists in scrupulously fair-play style. The visiting Swiss scholar Dr. Schaedel is fatally attacked immediately after asking one of the college students, the attractive Cynthia Wood, for directions at her off-campus apartment. The killer stabs the luckless man in the back with an ice pick, and a piece of paper is discovered near the body; on it is drawn a number 7 atop a series of steps, which could also be interpreted as a cross on the hill of Calvary.

The murder is baffling, both because of the clue and due to the fact that the victim had no enemies or controversies to his name. But could the symbol on the paper be a sign of international intrigue? History professor Paul Lennox recounts the strange history of the Vignards, a shadowy (and largely undocumented) syndicate with roots in Switzerland whose calling card is the Seven of Calvary. Martin Lamb discusses this development with his Holmes, the sedentary but intellectually nimble Professor Ashwin, and soon the symbol makes another appearance. This time it is Paul Lennox who, in the title role of Martin’s translation of Don Juan Returns, downs a strychnine-laced glass of stage wine and promptly dies; another paper is found near the props table. As Professor Ashwin sees the light, one more shadowy murder attempt takes place, this time with a gun and an intended target.

This was my first book by this author – I have since discovered mixed reviews of his Fergus O’Breen stories and later works – and this one is a success on nearly every level. (There remain several troubling misogynist details in Calvary, difficult to dismiss even as a product of its time. Every woman character seems to have pert, noteworthy breasts and a siren-like influence on the male faculty and students. The decision to comment on feminine curves may have been a marketing choice for Boucher, an American author who was competing with the burgeoning femmes fatales of the pulps. Still, the attitude adds an uneasy element, at its worst when our Watson lightly suggests that rape would make a good detail for a detective story.)

But the strengths far outweigh the tonal missteps. Boucher provides a great Queen-like Challenge to the Reader, and guides them prior to the conclusion with a list of eight points (The Point of the Father’s Religion; The Point of the Superfluous Alibi; etc.) that, properly decoded, can untangle the chain of events and define motives and methods. Above all, it’s a puzzle that has been devised especially with mystery fans in mind, and in that respect Boucher arranges his enigmatic pieces of paper very cleverly.

John at Pretty Sinister Books also provided a positive review when he traversed Calvary five years ago; follow the link above to view it. This is the first review I’m submitting to Past Offences for the year 1937, which is in the Crimes of the Century spotlight for the month of March.

7 Comments
Brad Friedman link
3/18/2017 11:11:04 pm

Nice to see a positive review of Boucher, Jason! It has been a long time, but I read and enjoyed the O'Breen mysteries, especially The Case of the Baker Street Irregulars. I don't think I've read this one due to my fear of what you said is lacking - that esoteric "Philo Vance" stuff that nobody knows anything about! I should give this one a try!

I like your portrait, too! :)

Reply
Jason Half link
3/19/2017 11:07:06 am

Hello Brad -- Lovely to hear from you. Yes, I think you'd find Calvary an enjoyable climb. I had this on my bookshelves for years and only dusted it off now because it fit the 1937 round-up, but I'm glad I read it. The solution was also admirably linear, which was nice. I'm also not an aficionado of those plots that are so layered with details and split-second timing that the whole thing seems farcically unbelievable. Boucher avoids that too.

I'm glad you recommend the O'Breen stories; I trust your judgment. Boucher may be another acquired taste, like Gladys Mitchell. Some seem to enjoy his writing and others seem allergic to it. All best -- Jason

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JJ @ The Invisible Event link
3/19/2017 04:26:59 pm

Having read this a few years ago, I was a little confused as to why absolutely none of this sounded familiar -- surely I'm not losing my memry already? The it turned out that I've actually not read this and was thinking of The Case of the Crumpled Knave. And am definitely not concerned that I got those two mixed up. No, sir.

Anyway, this sounds a far more positive write up of this than I've previously read (I think, I can't cite sources -- certainly I've got the impression that it was one to avoid from somewhere) and you've encouarged me to track it down, for which many thanks.

Crumpled Knave, incidentally, is a nicely poised little puzzle and worth a look; no masterpiece, but O'Breen is a diverting enoufh sleuth, and Boucher's pretty good with his deployment of conventions and expectations. And of course Nine Times Nine, though notfeaturing O'Breen and some people disdain it, is a locked room classic.

Reply
Jason Half link
3/19/2017 05:09:20 pm

Hello JJ --- I really appreciate the comments, and the Boucher recommendation. It was primarily Barzun & Taylor's lukewarm reaction to some of Boucher's stories (and detectives) in their Catalogue of Crime that made me think the author's later mysteries might have declined in quality, but both you and John have pleasant memories of other titles. (And any time you're dealing with "The Case Of..." prefixes, it must be a challenge to keep them straight. I don't envy Erle Stanley Gardner or Christopher Bush completists!)

I'm a big fan of your site The Invisible Event, and love to stop by and read your reviews and GAD criticism. So glad that I found the Past Offences site, which in turn has led me to a whole network of readers and scholars like you! Best wishes --- Jason

Reply
JJ @ The Invisible Event link
3/20/2017 04:35:46 am

I'm wondering now if the reaction of Barzun & Taylor became a sort of received wisdom which has just been quoted by others and that's what I picked up on...perhaps. Jacques Barzun is usually worth paying attention to, he was a very interesting man, but we all get something wrong at some point in our lives!

Thanks for the kind words about TIE -- I'm just sorry it's taken me so long to find you here; I shall doubtless lurk and make a nuisnace of myself like I do elsewhere, so looking forward to some good conversations. Keep up the great work!

John link
4/3/2017 03:25:36 pm

So glad you found this one rewarding. This is probably my favorite of all of Boucher's mystery novels. And I include the two he wrote as "H. H. Holmes" which tend to be raved over but which I find rely too heavily on absurd gimmickry. Wish he had stuck with Prof. Ashwin instead of creating Fergus O'Breen who is less original than his academic sleuth. <I>...Seven of Calvary</I> includes a detective novel motif that I think is underutilized by many writers of the Golden Age and hardly ever used by contemporary writers. I can't mention it without giving away the surprise solution. I later discovered this plot motif a lot in the work of Vernon Loder (utterly forgotten and unread, but I love his books) who made it sort of his own specialty with numerous variations on the theme. His books can be a lot of fun because of his ingenuity in employing that motif..

Reply
Jason Half link
4/3/2017 10:39:20 pm

You interest me strangely with both your reference to Vernon Loder, an author whom I have never heard of but whose writing you enjoy, and a motif that Must Not Be Named. I *think* I know the gambit you're referring to in Calvary, but there are actually two that were fairly novel in my estimation. (One involves the reveal of the motive and the other involves the actor ('s / s' ) identity.) If you want to have a spoiler-infused conversation about motifs and Mr. Loder, feel free to email me through my address provided on the site's home page.

Best wishes, John, and thanks for the comment --- Jason

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