{"title":"Edward D. Hoch the Grand Master of the Locked Room Mystery","description":"\u003ch2\u003eThe Impossible Author of the Impossible Crimes\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn 2001, Edward D. Hoch was named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America, the first time a Grand Master was known primarily for short fiction rather than novels and known most for his locked room mystery and impossible crimes. A skilled exponent of the classic detective story, he emphasizes ystery and deduction rather than suspense and fast action. Hoch (pronounced hoke) began writing in the 1950s. In 1962 he kicked off his most successful collaboration, with the appearance of his first story in \u003cem\u003eEllery Queen's Mystery Magazine\u003c\/em\u003e; in the years since \u003cem\u003eEQMM \u003c\/em\u003ehas published over 450 of Hoch's stories, roughly half of his total output.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCrippen \u0026amp; Landru is now publishing its 15 collection of Hoch's works. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Origins of Locked Room Mystery in Hoch's Work\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdward D. Hoch is celebrated for his remarkable contributions to the Locked Room Mystery, a subgenre that fascinates readers with seemingly impossible crimes. Hoch's flair for intricate plots and clever resolutions helped popularize these baffling puzzles. His stories often featured crimes that took place within sealed environments, leaving no clear explanation for the perpetrator's escape. By blending clever clues with atmospheric suspense, Hoch set a benchmark for Locked Room Mystery writers and captivated audiences for decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSignature Techniques and Storytelling Style\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHoch’s storytelling style combined sharp logic with engaging characters and atmosphere, making each Locked Room Mystery memorable. He masterfully employed misdirection and red herrings to keep readers guessing until the final reveal. His protagonists often used deductive reasoning and detailed observation to unravel the puzzles. This technique not only challenged readers but also brought a sense of satisfaction when the plot neatly tied together. Hoch’s consistent ability to innovate within the classic boundaries of the Locked Room Mystery helped him maintain his status as a genre leader.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLegacy and Influence on Modern Mystery Writers\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdward D. Hoch’s influence extends beyond his own works, inspiring countless contemporary mystery authors. His dedication to the Locked Room Mystery trope demonstrated how traditional puzzle-solving narratives could evolve while maintaining their core appeal. Modern writers still draw on his methods of crafting airtight alibis and inventive escape routes. Hoch's legacy lives on as new generations discover the intellectual challenge and entertainment his stories offer, ensuring the Locked Room Mystery continues to thrive in literary circles worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"all-but-impossible","title":"All But Impossible by Edward D. Hoch","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eEdward D. 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This volume includes a tribute to Edward Hoch by Crippen \u0026amp; Landru publisher (and friend of Mr. Hoch,) Douglas Greene. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crippen And Landru","offers":[{"title":"Clothbound","offer_id":41961412362434,"sku":"SKU-150","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Trade Softcover","offer_id":41966873968834,"sku":"SKU-150-01","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":42032365043906,"sku":"SKU-150-99","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/9797\/4722\/products\/allbutimpossible.webp?v=1772379659"},{"product_id":"challenge-the-impossible","title":"Challenge The Impossible: Ed Hoch's mystery short stories","description":"\u003ch2\u003eWe’ve saved the best mystery books for last!\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollow Dr. Sam Hawthorne through the war years, a time that he called “the beginning of two of the most eventful years of my life.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe final collection of Dr. Sam Hawthorne stories covers 1940-1944 and includes 15 stories of impossible crimes. From the death of a Siamese cat in a locked veterinary clinic to the death of a Nazi spy, Dr. Sam explains the mysteries that confront the town of Northmont, Connecticut. His cases include:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ean impossible crime where the wife disappears from the attic where she is confined\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ea murder charge against Sheriff Lens on the cusp of his last campaign for office\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ea case where a man claims to have killed a man using invisibility\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ea cottage where suicides take place too frequently, told to a special visitor to Dr. Sam.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e While the Dr. Sam stories have come to an end, Crippen \u0026amp; Landru will proudly be presenting \u003cem\u003eHoch’s Ladies\u003c\/em\u003e next year, featuring the distaff characters from the master of the short story form. That collection will be followed by collections of both Simon Ark and Alexander Swift. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crippen And Landru","offers":[{"title":"Clothbound Signed With Extra Story in Pamphlet","offer_id":41961412985026,"sku":"SKU-789-01","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Trade Softcover","offer_id":41961413017794,"sku":"","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Unsigned, overrun with pamphlet","offer_id":41961413050562,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":42048085950658,"sku":"SKU-789-99","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/9797\/4722\/products\/ChallengeTheIMpossibleCover.jpg?v=1772379670"},{"product_id":"constant-hearses-and-other-revolutionary-mysteries","title":"Constant Hearses and Other Revolutionary Mysteries by Edward D. Hoch","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAnother Blockbuster by Edward D. 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All five of the stories are included in this collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crippen And Landru","offers":[{"title":"Clothbound Numbered and signed by the author with additional story","offer_id":41961413312706,"sku":"","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Trade Softcover","offer_id":41961413345474,"sku":"","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/9797\/4722\/products\/ConstantHearses.jpg?v=1772379672"},{"product_id":"diagnosis-impossible","title":"Diagnosis: Impossible","description":"\u003cp\u003eSatan himself would be proud of his ingenuity,\" John Dickson Carr said of Edward D. Hoch, today's major exponent of the Challenge-to-the-Reader detective story. The former President of the Mystery Writers of America and an Edgar-Award winner, Hoch is author of many classics featuring New England country doctor Sam Hawthorne, who in the 1920s and 1930s specialized in locked rooms and other impossible crimes.  Diagnosis: Impossible begins with the tale of a horse-and-buggy that vanishes inside a covered bridge and continues with eleven other ingenious and atmospheric stories.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crippen And Landru","offers":[{"title":"Clothbound","offer_id":41961413738690,"sku":"SKU-792-01","price":45.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":41961413771458,"sku":"SKU-792-02","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":42048089981122,"sku":"SKU-792-99","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/9797\/4722\/products\/DiagnosisImpossible.jpg?v=1772379675"},{"product_id":"funeral-in-the-fog","title":"Funeral in the Fog by Edward D. Hoch","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAnother Edward D. 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She is the Agatha Award-winning author of ten mystery novels and more than a dozen locked-room mystery short stories.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crippen And Landru","offers":[{"title":"Clothbound Signed with extra story in pamphlet","offer_id":41961414328514,"sku":"SKU-166","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Trade Paperback","offer_id":41961414361282,"sku":"SKU-166-01","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":42048093552834,"sku":"SKU-166-99","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/9797\/4722\/products\/FuneralInTheFogCover.jpg?v=1772379682"},{"product_id":"hochs-ladies","title":"Hoch's Ladies short stories","description":"\u003ch2\u003eHoch's short stories\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHoch created many series characters, Among them were Dr. Sam Hawthorne, Jeffery Rand, Nick Velvet, Simon Ark, and Alexander Swift. Several series feature women sleuths. Hoch’s ladies were often faced with seemingly impossible crimes – throat cutting in a locked room, shooting of giant cacti, murder in a giant hot air balloon, stabbing in a shower with no one present, poisoning of Chinese food as a last meal of a murderer, and more ingenious methods that will keep the reader guessing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e As John Dickson Carr remarked, “Satan himself would be proud of his ingenuity.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e The introduction is by Michael Dirda, a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic for \u003cem\u003eThe Washington Post \u003c\/em\u003eand the author of several books about books, including \u003cem\u003eOn Conan Doyle, \u003c\/em\u003ewhich received a 2012 Edgar Award from The Mystery Writers of America.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Crippen And Landru","offers":[{"title":"Clothbound","offer_id":41961414688962,"sku":"SKU-796","price":47.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Trade Softcover","offer_id":41961414721730,"sku":"SKU-796-01","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"eBook","offer_id":42048094601410,"sku":"SKU-796-99","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0615\/9797\/4722\/products\/HochsLadies.png?v=1772379690"},{"product_id":"more-things-impossible","title":"More Things Impossible","description":"\u003ch2 id=\"tinymce_scroll_sign\"\u003eDiscover the Charm of Cozy Mystery Books in More Things Impossible\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! Dr. Sam Hawthorne, a New England country doctor in the first half of the twentieth century, was constantly faced by murders in locked rooms, impossible disappearances, and other so-called \"miracle crimes.\" More Things Impossible contains fifteen of Dr. Sam's extraordinary cases solved between 1927 and 1931, including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e* Impossible murder in a house that whispers\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e* Poisoning by a gargoyle on the courthouse roof\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e* The case of the Devil in the windmill\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e* The houseboat that resembles the Mary Celeste\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e* The affair of the vanishing Gypsies\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e* Stabbing in the locked cockpit of a plane in midair\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e* A ghostly pirate in a lighthouse\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003e* And eight other ingenious riddles\u003c\/dt\u003e\n\u003c\/dl\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdward D. 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