Israel Zangwill

The Big Bow Mystery illustrated Israel Zangwill

Regarded as the first full-length locked room mystery, the novel focuses on a murder that has occurred inside a locked room, with no clear indication as to the weapon used, the perpetrator of the horrendous crime, or a possible escape route. Needless to say, The Big Bow Mystery has all the elements necessary to engage its audience and encourage them to look between the lines in an attempt to unravel the complex murder. Set in Bow, east London, the novel opens when Mrs. Drab dump, a widow who rents out rooms, panics when one of her lodgers does not respond to her fervent attempts to wake him. In a moment of distress, she seeks the help of her neighbor George Goodman, incidentally a former detective, who eventually forces his way inside the room. Consequently, they witness a gruesome sight, as they find Arthur Constant dead, his throat slashed. Astounded by the strange circumstances under which the murder has occurred, bearing in mind that the door and windows were locked and secured from the inside with no apparent way of leaving the crime scene, the case is truly baffling.