"The Hollow Man" by John Dickson Carr (1935)

While browsing excellent crime fiction guide "Crime fiction: A Reader's Guide" by Barry Forshaw I noticed the name John Dickson Carr mentioned in the same breath as Agatha Christie and other authors of the golden age of detective fiction - to be honest, I don't really know much about anybody else except Christie from that period (I have read one single novel by Ngaio Marsh) so this name got stuck in my brain + he was unusual as being perhaps the only American celebrated amongst his British colleagues - enough for me to become really curious and to give his most famous novel a try.

"The Hollow Man" (titled The Three Coffins" in US) is today his best known work and often mentioned as example of who Dickson Carr was as an author. It is also an example of so called "locked-room mystery" where detectives are facing a seemingly unsolvable crime and what at the first glance appears impossible case (no traces, no fingerprints, etc). I guess both Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie used this form, though Dickson Carr is the one mentioned as a prime example today. At first, I was intrigued - there is a murder in a house full of witnesses (but no one really saw what happened) and the policemen helped by sharp investigator Dr Gideon Fell are trying to connect the dots. The writing was solid, mysteries piled on top of mysteries and Dr.Gideon is entertaining as someone who often pulls conclusions out of the thin air. 

However, at certain point I became a bit exhausted by Dr.Gideon - yes, he is sharp and yes he glances in the corners and suddenly realises how pieces of the puzzle fit in much bigger picture, but the plot is so ridiculously confusing that at certain point all these "red herrings" feel almost like a parody. Almost like Dickson Carr wanted to use every single locked room cliché there is. Tunnels! Chimneys! Masks! Ropes! In fact, at one point Dr.Gideon suddenly gives a lecture about locked room novels and usual possible solutions to mysteries. (Almost like turning to a reader and talking directly to us instead of his policemen friends) He notes that audience often gets upset when finding out how exactly they were cheated and I find this very interesting because it shows that Dickson Carr was very much aware of his public and what they expect. On one hand, they wanted to be entertained but they will get disappointed once they realise how it was done. And yes, correct, eventually I found myself thinking that the road to the mystery was actually more entertaining than the solution itself, which felt rushed up and clumsy. 

Another thing that bothered me was that (with exception of the victim and Dr.Gideon) I could simply not remember who is who. At first I found this embarrassing and blamed my own lack of attention, but later found out that many readers agree that characters and the names were simply there as props and there were absolutely no development that could help us remember or understand who is who and why are behaving the way they are. You know, servant comes in and out of the room, the end. Various characters are floating around without any real distinction between them and I had to even look up the list of characters online to check who is talking. 

"'I will now lecture,' said Dr Fell, inexorably, 'on the general mechanics and development of the situation which is known in detective fiction as the "hermetically sealed chamber. All those opposing can skip this chapter. To begin with, gentlemen! Having been improving my mind with sensational fiction for the last forty years, I can say -' 

'But, if you're going to analyse impossible situations,' interrupted Pettis, 'why discuss detective fiction?

'Because,' said the doctor, frankly, 'we're in a detective story, and we don't fool the reader by pretending we're not. Let's not invent elaborate excuses to drag in a discussion of detective stories. Let's candidly glory in the noblest pursuits possible to characters in a book."

"We Used to Live Here" by Marcus Kliewer (2024)

 

After satisfying but somewhat slow-burning double biography of Leonardo and Lisa Gherardini, I was ready for something lighter, shorter and more gripping. Something that would make me read passionately, with interest and excitement, not just enjoying historical trivia. Thanks to my ever-growing lists of "books to read" and the decision to focus on authors unknown to me, I picked up this debut novel by a Canadian writer Marcus Kliewer who was exactly what I needed.

"We Used to Live Here" is a spiritual descendant of Shirley Jackon's early 1960s horror novels (even its title refers to "We Have Always Lived in the Castle") - not by the story itself, as much as for the atmosphere of uneasiness and dread that slowly creeps into the pages and it grows stronger and stronger as we progress. It appears as a disturbing example of "house intruders" story with uninvited guests on one side and gay couple Eve and Charlie on the other. Eve is the paranoid one, always looking for (and expecting) troubles, while Charlie seems more solid and realistic. There are many things that go bump in the night, a horrifying basement that apparently goes on forever, spooky shed, weird neighbours, etc, etc, etc - one of those stories where couple who just moved in is totally unaware of what everybody in the neighbourhood knows. Even if the author decided to keep it all fairly unresolved and full of hints, I didn't mind - I don't need to have everything spelled to me and can easily appreciate psychological unraveling without neatly tied endings. It kept me very busy reading for a relatively short period of time and it was a joy to read during my lunch breaks at work & deep into the night. 

"Bugonia" by Yorgos Lanthimos (2025)

Now, this was something out of ordinary and a intriguing peace of film making that made my brain buzzing for several different reasons - not only that the story was interesting (updated revision of Korean black comedy "Save the Green Planet!"), but the acting and directing was excellent and I loved how the movie perfectly describes our current world with people getting lost in online conspiracy theories and internet echo chambers that feeds on their fears and paranoias. Considering that I didn't really care for Korean movies (too much clowning and mugging for my taste), I would say the director created his own, much darker twist on Korean original and it was one of the best movies I have seen this year so far.

"Bugonia"(and old folk ritual that has something to do with Bee keeping) has only three main characters, so you bet the acting is brilliant. Impoverished conspiracy theorist Teddy (Jesse Plemons) who is also a beekeeper, is convincing his autistic cousin Don (actual autistic actor Aidan Delbis) that they need to save the world from aliens who are secretly destroying our planet and the focus of their attention is CEO of a major pharmaceutical company Michelle (Emma Stone) whom they kidnap and keep chained in the basement, until she admits that she is actually alien from Andromeda Galaxy. What follows is a mind boggling duel between two strong personalities - no matter how hard Michelle tries to explain that she is in fact, not alien, Teddy has already made up his mind and nothing can convince him to the contrary. He has "done his research" you see, so God help you if you try to talk your way out of the chains and the basement. Michelle quickly realises that she is in hands of a dangerous psychopath but she can obviously not win by confronting him - subsequently we see match of two completely different personalities, one that holds a lifelong grudge (based on ignorance, poverty and childhood traumas) and another that uses her icy intelligence to find a way out of this. I won't say anything else about the plot but the movie is extremely gripping and I enjoyed everymoment of it. I wasn't really enjoying Emma Stone's Oscar winning role in 2023 "Poor Things" by the same director (I found it too vulgar for my taste) but this one was excellent - both Stone and Plemons are powerful and convincing, this is five stars from me.I was constantly on the edge, wondering what would I do if I found myself kidnapped by conspiracy theorist who is already convinced that I am alien from another galaxy.

Dog's Heaven II

 

Sadly, my dear friend who was the owner of Balder has passed away and his surviving partner is in no physical condition to walk him as much as needed, so we came to agreement that we will share the care of the dog. Not unlike the child of divorced parents, Balder now spends a week in my place and weekend with his old owner - I make sure he gets a lot of attention, plays, kisses and hugs. Thanks to Balder now I am forced to move my ass from the sofa and go for a walks - in fact, I have discovered that evening walks (when its a little bit cooler) might be my favourite part of the day: I take him for a hour-long walks around the neighbourhood and these walks are good for me. He is not always in the mood for long walks, in fact, very often right after he poops, he insist on walking back home but I insist and I want to make sure he walks properly and gets tired. 

My neighbour's little Zoe is also often here, since she lives literary next door and our doors are always open for her - whenever her owners need to go away for a weekend, we are delighted to have her here. She is tiny and very demanding, insist of being centre of attention all the time - she is not thrilled that Balder is here but must accept him, so its really funny how they eventually live side by side. The very first time, she was so upset that she turned to a wall and refused to look at him. Later they ended up sitting on the same sofa but not looking at each other. I still walk them separately, since they are both very difficult with pooping (it must be right temperature, right spot and I should not look at them) but I don't mind - one dog welcoming me home is already a joy but two dogs being thrilled with my return is wonderful. 

"Mona Lisa: A Life Discovered" by Dianne Hales (2014)

A slow-burning and quite beautiful double biography that discusses lives of both Leonardo da Vinci and Lisa Gherardini, along the way we are treated with a colourful tapestry of renaissance Florence with its cast of thousands and countless intriguing anecdotes of how life used to be back than. Reader must put aside any prejudices or opinions - its wrong to judge 16th century by modern standards and what nowadays we might consider wrong was totally accepted once. For example, like most of Florence ladies, Gherardini was constantly, perpetually pregnant and at the age of twenty four she was married eight years, with five children - high mortality of children meant that perhaps only half of them survived the childhood. Than there is this story about women often entering a covent if they didn't have a suitable dowry - without dowry, nobody would take them - two of her own sisters AND her oldest daughter entered a convent (at the age of twelve) and were basically buried alive for the rest of their lives, only because family could not get appropriate finances. (It seems dowry was only important for aristocrats who were carefully managing their lands and properties, a baker's daughter would marry for love.) Than there is Leonardo himself, who was never legitimately recognised by his father and as a "bastard" was not able to to attend university or to pursue professions such as medicine and law - he was forced to create himself and pursued a lifelong self education. 

At first, reader might wonder do we have any proper, documented informations about Gherardini but there are surprisingly many of them and Dianne Hales delightfully share her excitement in doing research in modern-day Italy, following the footsteps of both mysterious lady and her painter. We are introduced to the whole family clan and its many intricate branches, everything placed in its proper historical background, weddings, wars and all:

"Sometimes hours, sometimes days, weeks, or even months after the exchange of vows came the triumphal procession, the ductio ad domum or domumductio (leading [of a woman] home) from her parents’ to her husband’s residence, a bride’s moment of public glory. Since the marriage was not yet complete, Lisa did not have to wear a matron’s cloak (mantello) but could show off her wedding apparel to the entire town.

The festivities would have continued at the del Giocondo home, with a guest list extending beyond the immediate families to various kin groups. Everyone dressed as beautifully as possible as a way to “far onore” or contribute honor to the event. The wedding feast may have featured expensive treats, such as spiced veal, roast kid, peacocks’ tongues, and sweetmeats. Honeyed almonds were popular confections for the guests, with musicians, singers, and jugglers entertaining well into the evening.

The eating, dancing, toasting, and singing might have seemed to go on forever yet passed as quickly as a flash of summer lightning. As the bride, Lisa, imbued with the special authority of a queen for a day, could have invited young men and women to dance as couples. In the old Tuscan wedding ritual, her mother would have placed a baby boy in her arms as a harbinger of future sons and slipped a gold coin in her shoe for prosperity. Outside, a few young men may have lingered to shout and sing in a raucous mattinata, a tradition whenever an older man “stole” a young girl for his bride. Some coins tossed through the window for drinks would have persuaded them to leave." 

There is literary a cast of hundreds, including both notorious families of Borgia and Medici, Niccolò Machiavelli, various kings of France, young Raphael and Michelangelo who at thirty earned more money than Leonardo did in his lifetime. The rivalry between them was explained in a chapter dealing in their proposed (but never materialised) joined work, "The Battle of Anghiari" - in 2018 I have seen the exhibition about it in the Teylers Museum. 

Towards the end, I got a sudden epiphany about Leonardo's work - most of the things he created during his lifetime were celebrated but falling apart (for example, "The Last Supper" was peeling even during his lifetime). His motto was that art survives, where the real life beauty fades. It is very possible that the commissioned portrait of Gherardini (that he never ever even delivered) was something he kept on doing for years, out of his own pleasure and beautifying it with details and new ideas until it no longer resembled real life person. In the last chapters we learn about several copies around the world (none of them convinces me) and the fate of real painting that travelled far wider than either the artist or its subject ever did.