The Big Bow Mystery

I previously talked about The Mystery of the Yellow Room on this blog, and today’s topic is a similar story I came across just after finishing that one. Both books have a lot in common—both feature a locked room murder, involve a rivalry between two central detectives, and were published before my grandparents were born. However, I feel The Big Bow Mystery may be the stronger of the two stories, despite having even less name recognition (and a much worse title).

The Big Bow Mystery was written by British writer Israel Zangwill in 1891, was serialized in a newspaper, and seems to be the author’s only foray into the mystery genre. I don’t know much about the author, other than that he wrote on Zionism a lot before changing his mind completely, but I can tell from the included author’s note that he had quite a wit. He even describes receiving letters from people trying to predict the solution, poking fun at some of the strangest ideas and noting that no one ever completely figured it out.

I’ll admit I was also stumped my The Big Bow Mystery despite it’s painfully simple execution. The victim, Arthur Constant, is killed in his locked bedroom with no escape routes available, yet the absence of a murder weapon rules out suicide. Truly the most basic form of an impossible crime, yet no easier to solve, especially due to the lack of a clear motive with Constant being such a comically nice, beloved person.

I’ve seen the story compared to the work of Charles Dickens, and I’m inclined to agree. This goes beyond it merely sharing a setting of working-class London. The story is filled with an eccentric cast of characters who bumble through the mystery in a ridiculous manner, and it’s funny from the first paragraph, where we’re introduced to the victim’s impeccably named landlady, Mrs. Drabdump. Another constant source of amusement is the rivalry between retired detective Grodman and Scotland Yard investigator Mr. Wimp, which ends up being a driving force of the plot.

Several other characters crop up repeatedly, but honestly most of them are somewhat forgettable. There’s a heavy political theme behind the book, with the victim and one of the main suspects being revered champions of the working class, but it never seemed to make any political statement at all—at least not one that I could glean. I suppose it’s more accurate to say the story satirizes nearly everyone without having much of an opinion of its own. That’s not a huge issue, as the main focus is the mystery—so how is the mystery?

The book gets off to an interesting start by describing how Constant’s puzzling murder becomes a matter of public speculation. Rather than focusing on a specific protagonist, The Big Bow Mystery is more a tableau of how a specific place responds to a strange event—a place named in the title itself. Possible solutions are considered and thrown out through theories in the paper, over the coffee table, and in the thoughts of both of the detectives.

From there though, the mystery grinds to a halt. Occasionally either detective will start theorizing, but a lot of time is spent following along with random characters as they discuss rent and politics. Very few clues are uncovered during these sections, so I often found myself waiting for anything important to happen. There is some discussion of potential motives to the crime, but I often ended up lost in the details—and it’s not like anything of note is ever revealed.

But eventually, Mr. Wimp makes an arrest and the plot picks up again. Just like in The Mystery of the Yellow Room, he outlines a possible way one suspect could have committed the crime—one we suspect is innocent—leaving it to Grodman to find an alternate solution. From here, the story moves into an interesting trial scene, which further whips Big Bow into a frenzy.

And then, the story reaches its conclusion, and the whole truth is revealed. The best part of the story is its ending, both that of the mystery and the characters’ storylines. It’s so clever that despite the book’s age, I don’t want to spoil it. The solution is nothing crazy, using a fairly common trope I’ve seen before, but the way it’s used in the context of the plot is nothing short of brilliant. The ending perfectly ties together all of the plot threads with the same humor and satire that embodies the rest of the book, almost like the punchline to the longest joke ever told.

The Big Bow Mystery’s quality jumps around a bit, from a gripping intro to a plodding middle to an excellent conclusion, but it’s well worth the read despite its low parts. I wish I could talk more about the ending, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise. I recommend you give the book a read yourself. It’s available for free online, not too dense or long despite its age, and is delightful throughout thanks to its whimsical style. I wish Zangwill had written more mysteries, but I’m glad I at least found this one before it became lost to the fog of time.

Next time, I’ll be posting something a little bigger, covering a multitude of books by my favorite mystery author that you’ve never heard of.