"Too Clever by Half"

THE LOST GALLOWS.
By John Dickson Carr.
Harper & Brothers.
1931. 344 pages.

In Mike's opinion, JDC had a few faults:

Carr overdoes it plotting and on atmospherics, even as he leaves the story itself somewhat underdone . . . A tendency to mistake antic confusion for dramatic mystification was a besetting flaw . . . . — ONLY DETECT (July 26, 2010)

However, Nick Fuller doesn't think they were fatal:

Even though lurid in parts, the prose is generally excellent, and gives the impression of moving through a nightmare, at once theatrical and melodramatic, but thoroughly entertaining. — GAD Wiki

Resource:
- A GUIDE TO CLASSIC MYSTERY AND DETECTION ("John Dickson Carr").

Category: Detective fiction