With Libby at Solving Mystery of Murder continuing to struggle with the work of French maestro of the impossible crime Paul Halter, and with no new Halter titles on the horizon for a little while at least, I got to reflecting on the titles that John Pugmire so selflessly translated under his Locked Room International banner for two decades before his death last year.
And so, having previously listed my favourite 15 LRI titles and then an updated favourite ten of their output, here’s an ordered list devoted to M. Halter himself. Because, see, I don’t deny that Halter has his off days — find me an author who doesn’t — but when he’s on form I really do love the guy’s work, and harbour fervent hopes for new translations in the years ahead.
For now, however, I’d go with…
10. The Picture from the Past (1995; tr. 2014)
I reviewed this back in 2015 and said that I’d have to read it again to work out if it’s a work of genius or simply something a little unexpected and merely average, so I acknowledge that its place on this list is somewhat up for grabs, but this dual narrative of one impossible death and one highly shady individual is so brazenly entertaining that as I write this I’m already eager to revisit it. The impossibility in the past is the stronger, but Halter really is more than just canny insight brought to the impossible crime, and if you can’t get on board with the sheer inventive fun of this (that’s going to be a recurring theme on this list, I feel) then I’m inclined to believe that he’s not the author for you. [My review]
9. Death Invites You (1998; tr. 2015)
I enjoy a good meta-narrative as much as all sane people, and this story of an author of impossible crime tales found murdered in a way that matches his most recent ingenious murder is loads of fun — not least because the author didn’t get round to writing the solution, so no-one has any idea how it was achieved. In echoing short story ‘The 51st Sealed Room’ (1951) by Robert Arthur, Halter shows the way a core idea can be finessed up to novel length without ever becoming tedious in stretching out the core concept, and while many would point out that the solution is far from original…I dunno, that bothers me far, far less when the journey to that destination is written with such obvious love of the trappings, tropes, and playfulness of the best of the genre. [My review]
8. The Lord of Misrule (1994; tr. 2006)
Nothing will convince me that The Lord of Misrule (1994) isn’t Halter’s attempt to revisit The Hollow Man (1935) by John Dickson Carr, and for the sheer chutzpah of that — never mind achieving a no footprints stabbing that, to my mind, eclipses Carr’s own attempt — he deserves huge kudos. The stirring in of rural myth echoes the less successful attempt with a headless horseman in The Demon of Dartmoor (1993), and a strong sense of creepy oddness pervades this, belying the idea that Halter can’t do much beyond set up the impossible and then show it to be fairly ordinary all along. That this was perhaps mis-pitched before its translation did the book no favours, but come to it with no preconceptions and there’s a huge amount to enjoy here. [My review]
7. The Phantom Passage (2005; tr. 2015)
A complaint often levelled at the complexities of detective fiction from the Golden Age is that sometimes murderers are a little, well, ornate in their schemes. Well, if ornateness bothers you, stay the hell away from The Phantom Passage (2005), which might personify the largest degree of overkill in a homicidal scheme since Murder in the Crooked House (1982) by Soji Shimada. But, again, if you can tap in to the sheer over-the-top nature of this, complete with vanishing street and mysterious tunnel that tells the future then, hey, you might just be a Paul Halter fan. Remember, the impossible crime increasingly became about doing what hadn’t been done before, and Halter absolutely achieves that here, with a grin on his face the whole time. [My review]
6. The Seventh Hypothesis (1991; tr. 2012)
Plague doctors in 1940s London; bodies miraculously appearing, balanced by bodies miraculous disappearing elsewhere — an eerie, fog-shrouded setup that barrels along, aided in no small part by the impossibilities here being a footnote in the potentially murderous rivalry between a celebrated playwright and the actor who stars in his ingenious constructions. There’s a passage in this which, for sheer sturm und drang of back and forth reversals, remains unequalled in my reading in this genre, and the book around it is complex, beautifully motivated, and cannily constructed with a wry humour to best bring about the various explanations it requires. If I was translating Halter afresh, this would be among the first titles I would choose. [My review]
5. The Invisible Circle (1996; tr. 2014)
Look, you knew this was coming, and I’ve fought myself to a stalemate of exactly how far up the list The Invisible Circle (1996) should go. I bloody love this island-set cavalcade of Arthurian nonsense, complete with a stabbing in a locked room at the top of an inaccessible tower that might be among my favourite explanations for the pure lunacy of what it entails. Others disagree, and we’re all welcome to our opinions, but, again, those unable to get involved in the sheer fun of this are really missing out. Sure, there’s one underwhelming impossible disappearance, but this is another book I’d be translating early if I was bringing Halter to the masses anew — let the people know that they’re not supposed to furrow their brow over it like an undiscovered Carr manuscript, and just enjoy that someone put the effort into writing this for your unadulterated entertainment. [My review]
4. The Night of the Wolf [ss] (2006; tr. 2004 w’ Robert Adey)
There’s an argument that Halter’s short stories might be the best place to start with him, because in concentrated form you’ll see the craft of his merry-making more cleanly, and perhaps be able to scale it up to the full-length novels more easily. Whatever the dominant perspective, ‘The Night of the Wolf’ (1990), ‘The Golden Ghost’ (2000), and ‘The Cleaver’ (2000) are arguably masterpieces, and most of what remains isn’t far behind. Only dying message story ‘Murder in Cognac’ (1999) doesn’t work for me, and I’m sure that’s down to such conceits rarely crossing the language barrier well. It’s to be hoped that more of Halter’s short fiction finds its way into English, because I have enjoyed almost all of them, and at his best he puts almost everyone to shame. [My review]
3. The Gold Watch (2019; tr. 2019)
Much excitement was experienced in my house when it was announced that a new Halter novel was going to see simultaneous release in French and English, and it’s perhaps unsurprising that The Gold Watch (2019) is, above all, a very French novel. Unconcerned with the typical Anglo-centric concerns of tight plotting and fully linking everything together, this was very much not the book I was expecting, and yet it’s delightful to see the confidence with which Halter brings all his experience to bear on the dual narratives herein. Some people, like that guy who writes that blog The Invisible Event, think that the no footprints murder in this book is one of the best examples of its kind ever put to paper, but that guy’s also a complete Halter simp, so take it with a pinch of salt. [My review]
2. The Tiger’s Head (1991; tr. 2013)
This would probably be the Halter novel I’d bring to the masses first, with its problem of a genie bashing a man to death in a locked, watched room and leaving a witness to swear to its presence so keenly tied into the repeated appearance at train stations of dismembered bodies packed into suitcases that it almost defies explanation how well Halter mixes his brew here. The telling, too, is notably different, with the timeline fractured and intersecting in a way that — unlike with similar attempts such as The Red Right Hand (1945) — actually enhances the chronology, making everything even more clear and thus increasingly baffling. No doubt Halter has written other, as-yet-untranslated books this good, now I want to read them! [My review]
1. The Madman’s Room (1990; tr. 2017)
Given that I was first drawn to Halter because of the promise of fresh impossibilities, it’s interesting to me that the translated book of his I continue to rate the highest is one in which the impossibility is so minor that you could remove it and it would make practically no difference to the narrative. All you really should know about The Madman’s Room (1990) is that the plot concerns a wet patch repeatedly appearing on a carpet…and, well, that’s it. Go in as ignorant as you probably are now, and I sincerely hope that you can find even half of the giddy lunacy that I loved so fervently when reading this. If published during the Golden Age, I maintain that this would be a hugely celebrated title these days, and it’s to be hoped, once more, that more people get the chance to experience and love this. [My review]
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That’s my list, and I offer it to you for your delectation. And, for the unaware, let me spread the news that fresh Halter translations are on their way — with Tom Mead offering a new take on three books which didn’t make the above list: Halter’s debut The Fourth Door (1987) coming in November 2025, and impossible defenestration The Demon of Dartmoor (1993) and Victorian murder spree The Crimson Fog (1988) due next year.
Since the sad death of John Pugmire, the Locked Room International editions above have become increasingly difficult to track down, but hopefully anyone curious to read any of these can find them from a secondary seller who isn’t asking stupid money. Do feel free to get in touch if you’re looking for any of these, because I’ll keep an eye out myself and will be happy to pass on any listings I find to anyone who is interested.
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My Ten Favourite…
The Invisible Event 
Look, I’m sure one Halter will eventually click with me…! I’m not sure it’ll be The Gold Watch, since I have a recorded bias against footprints problems. I hear that “if it doesn’t change my mind, nothing will”, but truthfully I’ve heard that about a lot of the genre and I’m yet to be a signed-on lover of this genre of impossibility. One day I’ll write my own footprints problem so I can show everyone how I’d like it done and I can be a real trend-setter… in my dreams.
I’m glad The Tiger’s Head is high on your ranking, because it’s the one I’ve been dancing around for a while. Based on everything I’ve read, it’s the one I’m most confident will finally convince me why everyone’s raving about this silly Frenchman so much… I’ll probably make it my next, and therefore sixth visit to Halterville, so look out for that!
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Lord. I’d hate for you to feel any obligation to enjoy Halter — sometimes authors just don’t work for us, which is why I can’t get any joy out of the collected works of Ellery Queen, Michael Innes, Nicholas Blake, Gladys Mitchell, and Cyril; Hare.
And, crikey, if you’re coming to him for anything besides the creativity he brings to impossible crimes, I think you’re in for an even harder time 🙂 But, hey, maybe there’s one that’ll work for you, and I’d be delighted to hear of it when you get there.
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That’s the thing! I absolutely am coming for the impossible crimes, I just haven’t found one that really fits my tastes yet! I’ll keep trying, of course. I’m not doing much else!
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Maybe The Night of the Wolf, then? There are like ten in there…!
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I consider The Invisible Circle to be Halter’s Murder in Mesopotamia; I would replace it with the overstuffed but hugely enjoyable Demon of Dartmoor. Otherwise, I like your list. There are many many Halter titles in need of translation. Copyright issues aside, I’m baffled at the choice of three such recently issued titles that are being translated yet again. I can find no reason to own two mildly different translations of the same titles. I hope some new stuff comes out after these books; meanwhile, eternal gratitude to the late John Pugmire for all the books – the Halters and so much more – that he made it possible for us to read.
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There must be some copyright reason behind the choice for these new translations, I imagine — or maybe the fact that The Fourth Door won a prize, IIRC, upon publication. I love the defenestration of TDoD, but I’m not sure I — perhaps the internet’s biggest Halterphile — would pick either of those books as opening gambits on this new move to get him into bookshops and the homes of the English reading world…but, well, it’s not up to me, and anything that puts more Halter in people’s hands has to be a good thing.
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I have read several untranslated works by Paul Halter and in my opinion the two excellent books La corde d’argent and Le tigre borgne need to be translated . (I hope Tom Mead is reading this !)
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Good to know quality titles remain to be carried to we non-Francophone dullards. Now we wait…
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Really enjoyed your list. It does make me want to try Halter yet again because so many love his work … but I tend to find the effects and tone synthetic (as with so many GAD pastiches). I should add, I’ve read translations in English and Italian – in the case of MADMAN’S ROOM it was in Italian and, sad to say, despite it getting your top spot, I found it all a bit uninvolving despite the ingenuity of it sll. Sorry about that… Mind you, I forgot what a hatchet you took to THE RED RIGHT HAND. Really disagree there J.J. I remain a huge fan of that amazing one-off 🤣
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What’s life without a little disagreement to make things interesting, eh?
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Superb list – though I’d support pushing The Invisible Circle up a spot or three. It is one of the most enjoyable Halters I have read. Nice to see that there are a few here that you really rate that I have yet to read too!
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Delighted to find more love for The Invisible Circle, it’s a charming, insane little book that it perhaps the Halter I’ve most gifted to other people. Here’s hoping another translation of that is forthcoming.
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Our ranks are growing, Jim!
Anyway, I largely agree with your selection. I would swap The Lord of Misrule and Death Invites You for The Man Who Loved Clouds and Penelope’s Web. Maybe the short story collection for The Mask of the Vampire, because it’s not even half as appreciated as it should be.
I hope the new translations will eventually include new translations and not just re-translations of the LRI editions. So, hopefully, those three titles were just picked to introduce Halter to a newer, larger audience and translations of The One-Eyed Tiger, The Traveler from the Past and The Twelve Crimes of Hercules are being planned. Fingers crossed!
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Yes, those titles you mention are among the ones I’ve heard good things about, and it’s to be hoped that they’re on their way into English by one door or another. I’m chipping away slowly at French, but I reckon someone who already understands the language will be able to get this translated first 🙂 I believe it’s No Exit Press who are doing these new translations, so I’m intrigued to see what their strategy turns out to be. Exciting times, either way.
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Quite good choices for new translations ! The One-Eyed Tiger is excellent. The Traveler from the Past is also quite good; however, the main trick here is repeated in a translated book, hence I was able to guess it easily. In The Twelve Crimes of Hercules, Owen solves 12 distinct crimes just as he solves 7 distinct crimes in The Seven Wonders of Crime; one of the crimes was adapted as a short story Jacob’s Ladder, which I think you would have read.
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There’s several of these I haven’t read yet, but I’d probably add Death Behind the Curtains to my own list. Good luck reading that one though womp womp
Honestly, that one might have been a better pick for a new translation than the ones we’re getting…
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Good to know there’s at least one more out there worthy of translation — I’ve heard good things about certain other Halters, but never this one, so that’s great to know.
At this rate, I might finally have to improve my schoolboy French and read the damn things in their original language five years from now.
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I can’t read any French, but knowing Japanese helps. There’s four Halter books that were translated into Japanese but not English, including Death Behind the Curtains, so it will take me a little longer to run out completely.
But I’d imagine French is easier to learn…
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Yes, I reckon I stand a better chance learning French than I do Japanese; kudos to you for picking it up, though, that’s really no mean feat.
And you get to read some honkaku, too, and determine whether it’s any good, where the rest of us are simply awaiting the next Pushkin Vertigo release…
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I read GAD and neo-GAD first and foremost for the puzzles (impossible crimes move to the front of the queue please) so I enjoy Halter’s books. I think you’re right though … for those who are new to or skeptical about Halter should start with his short stories.
As such, I am glad that you included “The Night of the Wolf” in your list. Short stories like “The Night of the Wolf”, “The Cleaver”, “The Tunnel of Death”, “The Wendigo’s Spell”, “The Dead Dance at Night”, etc. are rather wonderful without needing to be full blown novels.
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Some of Halter’s later short stories — ‘The Yellow Book’ and, yes, ‘The Wendigo’s Spell’ in particular — really are up there with among the best stuff he’s written. I wonder if he’s still writing them and we’re just not getting them in English. Not, now I think of it, that I have any idea what’s in EQMM these days.
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The Seven Wonders of Crime would likely make my top 5, and it hasn’t even been mentioned in the comments! It’s a fun audacious book that reads like a novel despite tucking in a series of murders that could each be a short story. Not all of them hit, but several solutions are quite good.
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I wish I liked The Seven Wonders of Crime more. Setting up seven impossibilities in a single book is a big ask, however, and for me Halter fumbles it more than he succeeds. Plus, there are some great details in that novel — the paintings, say — which get completely swept aside because there’s so much to churn through with the crimes themselves.
But, well, I’ll reread it at some point, I have no doubt, so a reappraisal might find more to commend it now I know what to expect.
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