The Tiger’s Head

The murderer known as the "Suitcase Killer," who has been causing panic by leaving dismembered bodies in London's railway stations, vanishes into thin air when cornered cutting up his latest victim. The detective team of Dr. Twist and Inspector Hurst receive a tip that he resides in Leadenham, a sleepy village twenty miles from the capital. Another resident, a retired major of the Indian Army, claims he can summon an evil genie by rubbing an artifact known as "The Head of the Tiger." He and a doubter stay in a room where not only is every door and window locked from the inside, but each is guarded by a witness. Nevertheless, the major is found dead, and the doubter unconscious from wounds which could not have been self-inflicted, and there is nobody else in the room. Could the serial killer be an evil genie? Or is it possible that two murderers, each with the apparent ability to vanish at will, inhabit the same small village? 'The Head of the Tiger' is the sixth Paul Halter novel to be published in English. The author, a best-selling novelist in his native France, has written over thirty novels, almost all 'locked room' or 'impossible crime, ' and is widely regarded as the successor to John Dickson Carr. He appeared on BBC Radio 4's program 'Miles Jupp in a Locked Room, ' broadcast on May 21, 2012. His prize-winning novel 'The Fourth Door, ' 'The Demon of Dartmoor, ' and 'The Seventh Hypothesis, ' all featuring Dr. Twist, have been published by Locked Room International on Amazon and Kindle, as have two novels featuring the dilettante Owen Burns: 'The Lord of Misrule' and 'The Seven Wonders of Crime.' A seventh novel 'The Riddle of Monte Verita' by Jean-Paul Torok ("wonderfully captures and evokes the glory days of the detective story") was published in 2012. For information about signed and lettered editions of all seven novels, limited edition hardcover editions of Paul Halter's award-winning short story collection 'The Night of the Wolf, ' and future publication plans, please contact pugmire1@yahoo.com or go to www.lockedroominternational

Paul Halter was born in Hagenau, Alsace, in 1956. He pursued technical studies before joining the French Marines, later selling life insurance. He augmented his income playing guitar in the local dance orchestra. Upon discovering the works of John Dickson Carr, he gave up the guitar for the pen. Later, he gave up life insurance for a job in the state-owned telecommunications company France Telecom. With his second book La Quatrieme Porte (The Fourth Door), he won the coveted Prix du Roman Policier at the 1987 Festival de Cognac, awarded for the best work of detective fiction. In 1988 he won possibly the most prestigious prize in French mystery fiction: Le Prix du Roman d’Aventures for Le Brouillard Rouge (The Crimson Fog). He has written more than thirty novels and ten short stories, all in Golden Age style and almost all ’locked room.’ He is a frequent contributor to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and a collection of his short stories The Night of the Wolf, was published in 2006 to critical acclaim. One of the stories in that collection, The Flower Girl, was nominated in 2007 for the Barry Award for Best Short Story. Like Carr, the prolific Monsieur Halter has created two series detectives: Dr. Alan Twist, whose cases are set in England in the 1930’s through 1950’s; and Owen Burns, who solves mysteries set in early 20th century London. Both make their considerable talents available to Scotland Yard: Twist advises the irascible Inspector Hurst and Burns is frequently called in by the stoical Inspector Wedekind. Burns benefits from the added assistance of his biographer Achilles Stock. Halter is a staunch defender of the Golden Age school of detective fiction, with emphasis on development of ingenious plots (as opposed to the exploration of the detective’s psyche); fair clues; red herrings; and a denouement which brings about a satisfying conclusion. Not to mention breathtakingly clever ways of killing people in seemingly impossible circumstances. Make no mistake about it, he is not trying to pluck at your heartstrings, play on your social conscience, ram his political opinions down your throat, or give you a guided cultural and gastronomical tour of some quaint European city; he is out to challenge your reason. He wants to baffle, bamboozle, bemuse and bewilder you. The reader is warned.