The Blind Barber seems to be a title that divides fans of John Dickson Carr. Some will list it as one of his all time best titles, while others dismiss it as a drunken farce worthy of a worst of list. Without question it’s an unusual novel for the author – leaning so heavily in the direction of comedy that it is probably only eclipsed by The Punch and Judy Murders.
Now, Carr and comedy itself is a bit of a divided topic for me. The Case of the Constant Suicides and The Arabian Nights Murder have some extremely funny moments built respectively on uncomfortable predicaments and over the top characters.. The aforementioned Punch and Judy Murders is an excellent read specifically for the situational comedy that never stops placing the main character in increasingly horrific jams. When Carr gets it wrong though, boy does he get it wrong. Post 1940s Merrivale books always have to feature some dreadful bit of slapstick that is anything but funny. It reaches an absolute low with The Cavalier’s Cup, a novel where Carr clearly went all in on the comedy and didn’t even draw a smirk.
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