I was saddened to learn of the recent death of John Pugmire who, for the best part of the last 20 years, has been instrumental in bringing the works of foreign authors to Anglophone fans, latterly through his Locked Room International imprint.
I had the pleasure of meeting John to discuss impossible crimes several times, and am honestly still a little in shock at the news even though his health had been declining in recent years. I don’t want to let his death go unmentioned on here, however, and thought one way to honour his tireless and selfless work would be to pick my favourite ten of the books he made so readily available to fans of the impossible crime through LRI.
And so, in order of original publication, I give you…
1. The Howling Beast (1934) by Noël Vindry [trans. John Pugmire 2016]
A tiny cast, an isolated castle, a mysterious nightly howling…you’re made to wait a long time for the impossibility, but The Howling Beast does wonderful, atmospheric work as its various questions circle each other while that tiny cast tries to make some sense of proceedings. The French school doesn’t lend itself to rigorous clewing, but there’s a fascinating pattern to be wrought from the events herein which more than makes up for that shortcoming. I thoroughly enjoyed all four Vindry books that LRI put out, but if you want to try the man at his (English-language) best then start here. [My review]
2. Death Out of Nowhere (1945) by Gensoul & Grenier [trans. John Pugmire 2019]
Another isolated French château, this time one besieged by a series of impossible shootings which seem to follow in the wake of a nonsense phrase (“And the Emperor of China be damned!”). There’s more in the way of detection towards the end of this, but again the reader isn’t brought in on the key revelations…and, again, given the bravura nature of the reveal I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I understand this to be a somewhat divisive tale, but for sheer giddy enjoyment it’s difficult to top — only the French mind could have conceived of this, and my impossible crime reading would have been poorer without it. [My review]
3. The Ginza Ghost [ss] (1932-47) by Keikichi Osaka [trans. Ho-Ling Wong 2017]
A set of short stories which again highlight the ingenuity brought to bear on this most demanding of subgenres by non-English writers, highlighting the superb work done away from where we typically think of the Golden Age taking place. ‘The Monster of the Lighthouse’ (1935), ‘The Cold Night’s Clearing’ (1936), ‘The Ginza Ghost’ (1936), ‘The Guardian of the Lighthouse’ (1936), and ‘The Hungry Letterbox’ (1939) are all utter delights, and plenty of atmospheric and moving stories exist between them. It’s for work like this that John deserves to be remembered, widening the appreciation of those of us who were convinced we’d seen it all already. [My review]
4. Whistle Up the Devil (1953) by Derek Smith
Smith is one of only two English-language novelists published by LRI, and his debut — all but impossible to track down prior to this — is one of those books that lives up to the hopes built around its unavailability. Two impossible deaths in watched, locked rooms are explained away with the chutzpah of a master practitioner, and the clewing on the way to those reveals is liberal and superbly obscured. His follow-up, Come to Paddington Fair (c. 1954), unpublished in English until the LRI edition, almost made it on to this list, too, so be sure to check them both out if you’ve yet to lock horns with Smith’s devious ingenuity.
5. The Moai Island Puzzle (1989) by Alice Arisugawa [trans. Ho-Ling Wong 2016]
The second-ever shin honkaku work put out by LRI, long before most of us knew that shin honkaku was something to get excited about, this laid the groundwork for the influx of Eastern authors now being published in English — Akimitsu Takagi, Futaro Yamada, Seishi Yokomizo, Yukito Ayatsuji — by showing puzzling and logic at near peak efficacy. Character isn’t high on the agenda, but those of us who delight in the sturm und drang of a baffling series of events that cannot possibly have a connected explanation, only for the clouds to clear in the final chapters and all to become devastatingly, wonderfully connected by an ingenious series of connections that was there on the page before us the whole time found much to get excited about here.
6. The Madman’s Room (1990) by Paul Halter [trans. John Pugmire 2017]
I owe John a personal debt for introducing me to the works of Paul Halter, the French maestro of the impossible who — sure — has his off days, but who at his best conjures up magnificent new additions to the impossible crime. The Madman’s Room might be light on true impossibility, but when a book whose plot essentially revolves around a wet patch appearing on a carpet on four different occasions turns out to be so diabolically well-constructed and so infernally imaginative then you know there’s something special at work. Halter at his best is probably the finest modern exponent of the puzzle plot, and this shows why. [My review]
7. The Tiger’s Head (1991) by Paul Halter [trans. John Pugmire 2013]
Perhaps the best Halter novel thus far translated, The Tiger’s Head is a magnificent construction built on dismembered bodies found in suitcases at train stations, the beating to death of a man by a genie, and far stronger character work than one might ordinarily expect from such a novel. One thing modern attempts at the puzzle plot tend to overlook is how much the details really matter, often opting for meaningless sensation just to catch the reader’s eye, but Halter truly understands the need for the small events to line up intelligently, and he produced one of the very finest GAD pastiches ever written here in adhering to that realisation so religiously. [My review]
8. The Night of the Wolf [ss] (2000) by Paul Halter [trans. John Pugmire and Robert Adey 2004]
If you’re not fortunate to find the joy that I do in Halter’s longer works, perhaps his short fiction, equally bristling with ingenious ideas, will be more to your liking. A murderous snowman, sirens calling a drunken man to his death in a local pond, a girl being pursued by a golden ghost, the existence of Santa Claus, a homicidal dream coming literally true, and the no-footprints murder that closes things off…each is a perfect little bottle episode of inspiration and innovation, often with more than a good few clues sprinkled around — not always a strength of the French school — for good measure. Fans of the impossible crime are sure to find something in here they’ll clutch to their heart for years to come; the rest of you will surely be equally blown away at some point. [My review]
9. Death in the House of Rain (2006) by Szu-Yen Lin [trans. Szu-Yen Lin 2017]
A puzzle fiend’s delight, Death in the House of Rain shows its cards from the off by unveiling a three-storey map of the eponymous dwelling where a series of impossible stranglings are about to take place, and then throws you into the melee with a group of Bright Young Things keen to investigate some historical murders before they start to get wiped out themselves. This does superb things with creepy atmosphere and wonderfully inventive murders that would have fit perfectly into anything written in the 1930s but still feel fresh and inventive in the 21st century. It’s to be hoped that more of Lin’s work makes it into English, because we’ve certainly not seen enough of him. [My review]
10. The Gold Watch (2019) by Paul Halter [trans. John Pugmire 2019]
A late career triumph from M. Halter, this, a delightfully, rebelliously French novel of multi-generational murder seemingly invoked by the eponymous timepiece. It also contains what some people are calling the best no-footprints impossibility ever written and, while not conforming fully to the expectations of the Anglo-centric trappings of the puzzle novel, serves as a reminder that there’s more to do with the genre than just isolate people and kill them ingeniously (not that there’s anything wrong with that…). Later-career Halter has produced some wonderful work, and it’s to be hoped that we’ve not seen the last of him on this side of the language barrier. [My review]
~
This has been a bittersweet experience, recalling many hours of reading pleasure, yet doing so against the background of the loss of the man who made it all possible. John’s contribution to the world of classic mysteries and impossible crimes was inestimable, and we can consider ourselves very fortunate indeed to have been able to benefit from his generosity of spirit and his expertise in making these books — and all the other LRI put out — available. We owe him a huge debt, and he will be sorely missed.
The Invisible Event 
R.I.P. I don’t know if there are any publishers would keep introducing non-English impossible crime fictions or classical GAD in the future, not only those full-length novels, but also short stories. Many of them are forgotten today. I know Kazabo Publishing and Pushkin Vertigo are doing this, and Crippen&Landru just published a French short stories collection translated by Tom Mead. But who is the next？
LikeLike
I know, right? Who else will bring such carefully selected, newly translated gems to the ravening GAD fandom? Makes you realise how lucky we were to have LRI for as long as we did.
LikeLike
Such a shame to hear of John Pugmire’s passing. But it’s a great print legacy and hopefully the company will be able to continue. For my taste a few roo many “Halter tops” (had to be done 😆) but I’ll definitely be sharing this list. Thank you Jim.
LikeLike
Man, you really need to get on the Halter train — you’re missing out, I tell you 🙂
LikeLike
I read 3 or 4, including MADMAN, and just not for me
LikeLike
Yeah, I know you’ve read some, I just mean that you need to lower your standards more so that you start enjoying them 😄😄
LikeLike
Crazy kid …
LikeLike
I am saddened to learn of John Pugmire’s passing. His contributions to keep GAD and neo-GAD flourishing have been invaluable. He leaves a wonderful legacy for readers to enjoy. In fact … what occurred to me reading your post … this almost could be a best of impossible crime fiction full stop and not just from LRI. Many of these are that good.
LikeLike
Every new release was a cause for celebration; even if the book turned out to be a little disappointing — which, in fairness, was the experience a minority of the time — you knew there was going to be something arresting about whatever he put out, and, crucially, that it would be something previously untranslated and therefore of even greater interest.
It’s to be hoped the work can be carried on in some way, but John’s set of skills seems to have made him uniquely suited to what he did.
LikeLike
It’s hard to go wrong picking 10 LRI titles. Even the worst of the bunch are not boring. You recommended The Howling Beast to me when I was seeking something atmospheric. It’s a superb example of the supernatural tease within detective fiction. Halter’s books still delight me just as much as they did when I started reading him. I must say I prefer his longer works, overstuffed though they may be, to his short fiction. I haven’t gotten to The Ginza Ghost yet. Who knows how many readers will turn to the dark side (impossible crime) due to John’s legacy?
LikeLike
Man, I want more Vindry in English. The Howling Beast still gives me chills just thinking about it.
LikeLike
John Pugmire’s passing is both saddening and a tremendous loss to the genre. Nobody has done more in recent years for the locked room mystery, but not to be overlooked is his contribution to make translation more popular. Something that has helped to reshape and push the Western impossible crime story on an entirely new course. Yes, that’s quite a legacy to leave behind for something you loved. Great tribute!
I also compiled a top 10 LRI titles, different from yours, of course, but since I’m still ahead of schedule, it won’t appear for another two months.
LikeLike
It’s difficult to believe that Pushkin would be putting out as much honkaku as they have been in recent years without John’s work introducing the likes of Alice Arisugawa, Yukito Ayatsuji, and Keikichi Osaka to western audiences — we can be very grateful to him and Ho-Ling for that.
And for bringing Halter into English and providing the opportunity to experience the defenestration in The Demon of Dartmoor, the puzzles of The Madman’s Room, or the giddy playfulness of our favourite The Invisible Circle I owe him a huge debt.
Looking forward to your list in due course.
LikeLike
I’m certain they would not have done it to this extent without LRI and especially Ayatsuji’s The Decagon House Murders paving the way.
“…or the giddy playfulness of our favourite The Invisible Circle…”
If you only knew how tempting it was to include The Invisible Circle instead of The Gold Watch. 😀
LikeLike
Very sad to hear this. Does this mean the end of LRI or will it still continue in some form?
LikeLike
We’re all a little uncertain about what may happen going forward. John mentioned to me that he — or was planning on getting — the rights to Masahiro Immaura’s third novel, for one, so it’s to be wondered what happens with that…if anything.
Part of the difficulty is that LRI was very much John’s baby, and since he was able to do the French translations himself it cut down on costs, etc. Does anyone else have the know-how and time to continue it in the same spirit? Right now, we don’t know, but I for one sincerely hope we’ve not seen the last of the imprint, even thought it seems likely it’ll now wrap up.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I still haven’t read any of the Halter novels you picked, though I’ll get to them eventually. I only found out about LRI a little over a year ago. There’s so many more untranslated Halters I want to read too…
Hearing about Pugmire’s passing honestly gutted me, and I’m still feeling a bit depressed. I’m glad you and others are talking about everything he did accomplish though.
LikeLike
Thats terrible news.
And I had wondered and complained how there had been no new translations the last year. Now I feel really bad.
I do wonder why there had been no official notification about his death on the official LRI website; but probably that is no priority right now. It does not look well for the future of it though if noone is even bothering with it anymore.
At least I’m not one of those for whom learning another language is completely out of question. As a non-native english speaker without learning English something like 95% of all mystery novels would not be available and I guess its not too hard a task with learning French well enough to read novels. And a lot of interesting french authors had been introduced by LRI, so thats another legacy of John Pugmire.
Its a shame about those japanese authors, but at least some of those are also translated into French, so thats that,
LikeLike
I can tell you that there’s been no announcement on the LRI website because I’m the guy who designed and moderates that website and I’m not about to trouble John’s family with what is at best a fringe concern at this time. When there’s news about LRI, something will be put up there, but for now the people in his life have bigger and more important things to deal with.
You’re very well-placed if you have more than one language to utilise, and I commend your industry. It’s a source of borderline embarrassment for me that I’m so ignorant when it comes to the useful deployment of a foreign tongue. Every so often I start, and then I realise how little I know and how little practice I’m going to realistically get and so I put it down and repeat the cycle in another six months. If I could stick with it I’d probably be quite good in a couple of years, but — like writing a second novel — there’s so much else filling my time that I don’t have the opportunity to throw myself into it as fully as I’d like. Until that changes — I’ll retire in about 40 years, I hope — I guess I’m stuck where I am 🙂
LikeLike
I believe my list would look significantly different from yours (Death Among the Undead would be the highlighting title), but nonetheless enjoyed reading your write-up here! I still need to find the time to read an actually good Halter instead of reading all of the more inconsistent, middle-of-the-lane titles I’ve been lucking into, so thanks for the heads-up! I’ll get to Demon of Dartmoor or The Tiger’s Head after The Threefold Cord and Death in the Dentist’s Chair, two novels favorably compared to Christie… by people from whom a comparison to Christie actually means something!
LikeLike
I am heartbroken by the news. Since 2008, I’ve been in regular contact with John and have collected almost every title from Locked Room International which he would sign and dedicate to my initial ‘F’. It is moments like these that remind us of how swiftly time passes. Every so often, I would excitedly inform him about a newly discovered impossible crime title not listed in Bob Adey, and he would genuinely share in the excitement. I will deeply miss receiving his emails that began with “Dear Aficionado.” While ChatGPT helps me read those French titles more easily these days without needing a direct translation, no AI can ever take John’s place.
LikeLike
It’s great that these positive memories of John are here to bear testament to what a force for good he was in mystery fandom. He was always very generous with him time and expertise whenever he and I were in contact, and there are no doubt plenty of people who can tell similar stories of the consideration he showed down the years. He really will be sorely missed for a long, long time.
LikeLike