How to Enjoy the Adventures of a Blind Detective: A Guide to Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah

“Four Max Carrados Detective Stories” by Ernest Bramah

Introduction

Do you love detective stories? Do you enjoy solving puzzles and finding clues? Do you like to be surprised by unexpected twists and turns? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be interested in reading Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah.

Four Max Carrados Detective Stories is a collection of four short stories featuring Max Carrados, a blind detective who uses his other senses and his brilliant mind to solve crimes. The stories are:

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• The Coin of Dionysius: A private investigator asks Carrados for his opinion on a rare coin that may be a forgery.
• The Knight’s Cross Signal Problem: A railway accident leads Carrados to uncover a sinister plot involving a mysterious signalman.
• The Tragedy at Brookbend Cottage: Carrados investigates the death of a wealthy gentleman who was apparently killed by his own dog.
• The Last Exploit of Harry the Actor: Carrados faces off against a master of disguise who is planning a daring robbery.

These stories are not only entertaining and suspenseful, but also clever and original. They showcase the skills and personality of Max Carrados, one of the most unusual and fascinating detectives in literature. In this article, I will tell you more about why you should read Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah, what to expect from the stories, and some fun facts about the author and the detective. Let’s get started!

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Why You Should Read Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah

There are many reasons why you should read Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah, but here are some of the main ones:

• You will discover a hidden gem of detective fiction. Ernest Bramah was a contemporary of Arthur Conan Doyle and R. Austin Freeman, but he is not as well-known as them today. However, his stories are just as good, if not better, than theirs. George Orwell wrote that “Max Carrados and The Eyes of Max Carrados are the only detective stories since Poe that are worth re-reading.”
• You will meet an amazing detective. Max Carrados is not your typical detective. He is blind, but he does not let that stop him from solving mysteries. He has trained his other senses to such a degree that he can read print by touch, identify people by their voices, and notice things that others miss. He is also rich, cultured, and witty. He has a loyal servant named Parkinson, who helps him with his investigations, and a friend named Carlyle, who is a private investigator himself. Together, they make a formidable team.
• You will enjoy four different types of mysteries. The four stories in this collection are diverse and varied. They range from a simple case of forgery to a complex scheme involving murder and sabotage. They also have different settings and atmospheres. You will travel from London to the countryside, from a coin collector’s house to a railway station, from a cozy cottage to a theater. You will encounter coins, trains, dogs, actors, and more.
• You will be challenged and entertained. The stories in this collection are not easy to solve. They have clever plots and surprising twists that will keep you guessing until the end. They also have humor and charm that will make you smile and laugh. They are written in simple English, but they have some idiomatic expressions and transitional phrases that will enrich your vocabulary. They are short enough to read in one sitting, but long enough to satisfy your appetite for mystery.

What to Expect from Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah

If you decide to read Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah, here is what you can expect from each story:

• The Coin of Dionysius: This is the first story in the collection and the first appearance of Max Carrados. It introduces us to his background, his abilities, and his relationship with Carlyle. It also shows us how he uses his knowledge of numismatics (the study of coins) to solve a case involving a rare coin that may be a forgery.
• The Knight’s Cross Signal Problem: This is the longest story in the collection and the most complex one. It involves a railway accident that kills two people and injures several others. Carrados suspects that there is more to it than meets the eye, and he follows a trail of clues that leads him to a mysterious signalman who has a hidden agenda.
• The Tragedy at Brookbend Cottage: This is the shortest story in the collection and the most tragic one. It deals with the death of a wealthy gentleman who was apparently killed by his own dog. Carrados is hired by the man’s widow to find out what really happened, and he uncovers a dark secret that shocks everyone.
• The Last Exploit of Harry the Actor: This is the last story in the collection and the most fun one. It features a master of disguise who is planning to rob a theater during a performance. Carrados is aware of his plan and tries to stop him, but he has to deal with his own blindness and the actor’s cunning.

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Fun Facts about Ernest Bramah and Max Carrados

To make your reading experience more enjoyable, here are some fun facts about Ernest Bramah and Max Carrados that you might not know:

• Ernest Bramah was born in 1868 in Manchester, England. His real name was Ernest Brammah Smith, but he changed it to Ernest Bramah to avoid confusion with another writer named Ernest Smith.
• Ernest Bramah was not only a writer, but also a journalist, a publisher, and a political commentator. He wrote for several newspapers and magazines, and he founded his own publishing company called The Kai Lung Series.
• Ernest Bramah was mainly known for his Kai Lung books, which are fantasy stories set in ancient China. They feature a storyteller named Kai Lung, who uses his wit and wisdom to escape from various dangers and enemies. Dorothy L. Sayers often used quotes from these books for her chapter headings.
• Ernest Bramah wrote 25 stories featuring Max Carrados, which were published between 1914 and 1934. They were collected in four books: Max Carrados (1914), The Eyes of Max Carrados (1923), Max Carrados Mysteries (1927), and The Bravo of London (1934).
• Max Carrados was inspired by a real-life blind man named Nicholas Saunderson, who was a mathematician and a professor at Cambridge University in the 18th century. He lost his sight at the age of one due to smallpox, but he learned to read by touch and became an expert in algebra and geometry.
• Max Carrados was also influenced by Sherlock Holmes, who was created by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887. Both detectives are brilliant, eccentric, and wealthy. Both have loyal sidekicks who assist them with their cases. Both use logic and deduction to solve mysteries. However, there are also some differences between them. For example, Carrados is more friendly and humorous than Holmes, who is often cold and arrogant.
• Max Carrados was one of the first blind detectives in literature, but not the last. Other examples include Thornley Colton, who was created by Clinton H. Stagg in 1914; Duncan Maclain, who was created by Baynard Kendrick in 1937; and Helen Keller, who was portrayed as a detective by Dorothy Herrmann in 1998.

FAQs

Q: Who is Max Carrados? A: Max Carrados is a fictional blind detective who appears in 25 stories written by Ernest Bramah between 1914 and 1934.

Q: How did Max Carrados become blind? A: Max Carrados became blind when he was 18 years old, as a result of a minor incident while out horse-riding with a friend. His friend brushed past a twig that flicked back and caught Max in the eye. From this he was blinded by an illness called amaurosis.

Q: How does Max Carrados solve mysteries? A: Max Carrados solves mysteries by using his other senses and his brilliant mind. He can read print by touch, identify people by their voices, and notice things that others miss.

Conclusion

Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah is a book that you should not miss if you are a fan of detective fiction. It offers you four different types of mysteries that will challenge and entertain you. It introduces you to an amazing detective who is blind but not helpless. It also gives you some fun facts about the author and the detective that will enrich your knowledge.

If you are interested in reading this book, you can find it online for free at this link. You can also listen to an audio version of it at this link. You can also check out other books by Ernest Bramah at this link.

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it inspired you to read Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah. If you have any questions or comments about this book or this article, feel free to leave them below. I would love to hear from you!

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