John Dickson Carr's Gideon Fell, "The Hollow Man"

Classic Old Time Radio: Vintage radio shows, the Golden Age of radio, murder, mystery, drama, comedy, variety shows, and Westerns.

In the cold, foggy streets of London, two baffling murders occur under seemingly impossible circumstances.

The first victim is Professor Charles Grimaud, a reclusive scholar interested in the occult. He is shot in his locked study by a mysterious visitor—who then vanishes without a trace, even though the only exit was under observation. The door was locked from the inside, and no footprints are found in the snow outside the window.

Shortly afterward, a second man is killed in a similarly impossible manner—this time on a snow-covered street, again leaving no footprints or clues as to how the killer arrived or escaped.

Dr. Gideon Fell, a corpulent and brilliant detective known for his encyclopedic knowledge of crime and locked-room puzzles, is called in to unravel the mystery. As he investigates, he untangles a web of deception, impersonation, secret identities, and psychological misdirection.

In the course of the novel, Fell famously gives a lecture—now legendary among mystery fans—on the various types of locked-room murders, known as "Dr. Fell's Locked Room Lecture." This meta moment is a highlight of the book and is often quoted as a definitive breakdown of the genre’s tricks.

Ultimately, Dr. Fell reveals the truth behind the two "impossible" crimes with logical (if elaborate) explanations, showing how illusion, timing, and sleight of hand can make the mundane appear miraculous.