Dark and, at times, amusing fiction from award-winning author Dave Zeltserman

Monday, May 14, 2018

The Glass Floor by Carlos Orsi

The Glass Floor by Carlos Orsi in the current issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (May/June) is an intriguing locked-room mystery. Orsi is a Brazilian author who usually writes in his native Portuguese, but he wrote this story in English for EQMM, and with its grittiness and tone it reminded me of many of the Italian crime fiction I enjoy reading. While this story has the tone of a crime story, it's a locked-room mystery involving a man who is home for his father's funeral who finds himself being asked to solve a seemingly impossible murder--a man who'd been stabbed to death found alone in a room that was locked from the inside. Orsi for the most part plays fair with the reader--there's some stuff that's pulled out of midair, but the crucial elements to solve the mystery are all fair-play. As interesting as the mystery is, what makes this such a fun story to read is the writing and tone. Recommended.

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