Golden Age of Detective Fiction

This week, I’ll be reviewing a selection of cat-themed short stories and books for #ReadingtheMeow2025. Most of my picks are from the Golden Age of Mystery fiction, which is set between the two world wars. You can learn more about how to participate or learn more about what I’ll be reviewing this week by checking out my introductory post here. Thank you to Literary Potpourri for hosting this event again!

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The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael

When one thinks of Agatha Christie, images of country house murders, meticulous Belgian detectives, and knitting spinsters with razor-sharp minds come to mind. But occasionally, Dame Agatha ventures into something stranger, eerier—almost supernatural. “The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael“, a short story originally published in 1933, is one such tale. It’s a deliciously chilling departure from Christie’s more conventional mysteries, a narrative that will surely intrigue and captivate her fans.

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The Plot

Unlike the strictly logical investigations of Poirot or the gentle deductions of Miss Marple, this story flirts openly with the paranormal. We meet Dr. Edward Durrant, a psychiatrist called to a country estate to examine Sir Arthur Carmichael, a young man who is acting… not quite himself. Sir Arthur Carmichael, who sits catatonic for hours, sunning himself, and only drinks milk from a bowl, is a far cry from the lively young man about to wed his lovely fiancée. The case seems simple at first—perhaps amnesia or trauma—but things quickly take a darker turn.

Christie uses the classic ‘house with secrets’ setting to full effect, creating a sense of suspense and unease: creaking hallways, a domineering stepmother with an affinity for the occult, and a lingering air of menace. There’s also the inclusion of a meowing of a cat, which pierces the night and punctuates the actions of the humans in the house.

When Dr. Durrant asks the inhabitants of the house about the silver Persian he saw walking in the meadow outside the home, everyone insists there is no cat on the first day he arrived. The mystery deepens as mysterious slashes tear up a chair, and then the lady of the manor is attacked, found in her room with long, deep red scratches on her neck.

As the hours pass Dr. Durrant is more and more convinced that Sir Arthur Carmichael is possessed by the soul of the elusive silver Persian cat he saw on his drive to the manor, but how is such a thing possible, and can the spell be reversed before the cat takes it’s revenge on the person who ripped it’s soul from its body

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The Review

What makes this story particularly compelling is how it veers from Christie’s usual playbook. Instead of a traditional whodunit, we get a story that’s part psychological horror, part Gothic suspense. Dr. Durrant must unravel whether Sir Arthur has mental illness, possession, or something more diabolical. The reader is kept off-balance, torn between rational explanations and eerie possibilities.

Though this story isn’t long, Christie makes each paragraph count. The suspense builds gradually, and the final reveal is both satisfying and unsettling. There’s a touch of moral retribution in the outcome, something Christie occasionally employed when dabbling in the uncanny.

The fate of Sir Arthur Carmichael and the spectral cat drives the story to a tragic and gripping conclusion.

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Final Thoughts

“The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael” is a gem for readers who enjoy a darker, more psychologically complex Christie. It’s an ideal read for a rainy afternoon or a candlelit evening—especially if you’re in the mood for a mystery tinged with the spectral. While it lacks the tidy logic of Poirot or the village charm of Miss Marple, it compensates with atmosphere, suspense, and a touch of the macabre.

Fans of Christie’s more conventional mysteries may find this one a bit unexpected, but that’s part of the thrill. Sometimes, the Queen of Crime reminds us that not all mysteries come with easy answers. Some come with shadows, whispers, and a cat’s howling in the night. Honestly, this story made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and I spent the rest of the day thinking about whether the cat did exact enough revenge before the story ended. “The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael” is a haunting tale, rivaling the great ghost stories of Gothic literature.