阿拉伯之夜谋杀案
内容简介
阒静无人的伦敦午夜街头，展示神秘东方文物的博物馆外，先后出现了两名不速之客。一名白须飘逸的老头盘踞在围墙上袭击巡逻警察，在遭到警察反击后昏倒地面，然而他却在警察离开求援的转瞬间消失无踪；五分钟后另一名年轻绅士大力拍击博物馆的青铜大门，当另一名到此巡视的警察出面劝阻时他却高举手杖朝警察砍击……
苏格兰警场的卡鲁瑟巡官接获报告决定前来一探究竟。巡官悄悄来到博物馆，不动声色的进到大厅，不意出现在眼前的却是管理员绕着一方棺椁跳舞的鬼魅景况，随即又惊悚地发现一具东方男尸蜷伏在古代马车里。这是神秘的东方信仰？还是残酷的献祭仪式？
卡鲁瑟巡官拖着疲惫身躯展开大半夜的侦讯活动。谁杀了这名东方人？暴躁易怒的馆长老韦德、冷静尽责的助理何姆斯、魅力四射的韦德小姐、外貌苍老的小韦德，还是行为诡谲的管理员普恩……而卡鲁瑟巡官能独力解决这件奇案吗？
......(更多)
作者简介
约翰·狄克森·卡尔 John Dickson Carr（1906-1977），美国宾州联合镇人，父亲是位律师。从高中时代起卡尔就为当地报纸写些运动故事，也尝试创作侦探小说和历史冒险小说。1920年代末卡尔远赴法国巴黎求学，他的第一本小说《夜行者》（It Walks By Night）在1929年出版。他曾经表示：「他们把我送去学校，希望将我教育成像我父亲一样的律师，但我只想写侦探小说。我指的不是那种旷世巨作之类的无聊东西，我的意思是我就是要写侦探小说。」
1931年他与一位英国女子结婚定居英国。在英国期间，卡尔除了创作推理小说外也活跃于广播界。他为BBC编写的推理广播剧“Appointment with Fear”是二次大战期间BBC非常受欢迎的招牌节目。美国军方因而破例让他免赴战场，留在BBC服务盟国人民。1965年卡尔离开英国，移居南卡罗来纳州格里维尔，在那里定居直到1977年过世。
卡尔曾获得美国推理小说界的最高荣耀──终身大师奖，并成为英国极具权威却也极端封闭的「推理俱乐部」成员（只有两名美国作家得以进入，另一位是派翠西亚．海史密斯Patricia Highsmith）。卡尔擅长设计复杂的密谋，生动营造出超自然的诡异氛围，让人有置身其中之感。他书中的人物常在不可思议的情况下消失无踪，或是在密室身亡，而他总能揭开各种诡计，提出合理的解答。他毕生写了约80本小说，创造出各种「不可能的犯罪」，为他赢得「密室之王」的美誉。著名的推理小说家兼评论家埃德蒙．克里斯宾（Edmund Crispin）就推崇他：「论手法之精微高妙和气氛的营造技巧，他确可跻身英语系国家继爱伦坡之后三、四位最伟大的推理小说作家之列。」
......(更多)
目录
序言··········································································································································1
第一部 阿拉伯之夜的爱尔兰人 巡官约翰·卡鲁瑟陈述
第一章 消失的髯须·················································································································9
第二章 哈伦·拉希德的妻子··································································································20
第三章 博物馆内的尸体·······································································································33
第四章 非有一具尸体不可···································································································47
第五章 匕首玻璃柜之钥·······································································································60
第六章 同舟共济的朋友·······································································································71
第七章 踢头盔的警察···········································································································84
第八章 苏贝蒂灵柩是空棺···································································································98
第二部 阿拉伯之夜的英格兰人 助理警务暑长赫伯·阿姆斯特朗爵士陈述
第九章 伊林渥斯博士扮演阿里巴巴·················································································117
第十章 魔法开演·················································································································129
第十一章 狰狞的盖博先生·································································································141
第十二章 从电梯内部向外窥视·························································································153
第十三章 十一项要点·········································································································167
第十四章 食谱的秘密·········································································································182
第十五章 来自伊拉克的秘密·····························································································196
第十六章 首度登场亮相·····································································································213
第十七章 十一项疑点，十一位嫌犯·················································································229
第三部 阿拉伯之夜的苏格兰人 总探长大卫·海德雷陈述
第十八章 夜幕已去，但凶手的面纱仍在·········································································249
第十九章 窃取匕首的人····································································································260
第二十章 箭头状的钥匙·····································································································274
第二十一章 镜子上的印痕································································································290
第二十二章 蜜丽安·韦德到访地窖的原因········································································302
第二十三章 破案之胜利荣冠····························································································317
第二十四章 不在场证明····································································································335
结语······································································································································344
......(更多)
读书文摘
在这段时间里，无论是警方或任何人，都不能从我家里取走属于雷蒙的任何一样东西；这就叫做法律……
一个普普通通的案情或难题，没准儿就可以有十来种解释，所以侦探也有可能会选择错误的解释，一开始就不得要领，把整个案子都办砸了。不过，非常离奇的案情往往却只有一种说得通的解释；案情越离奇，则越可以缩小作案动机的范围。
......(更多)
