Sir Henry Merrivale

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Sir Henry Merrivale is a fictional detective created by "Carter Dickson", a pen name of John Dickson Carr (1906–1977). Also known as "the Old Man," by his initials "H. M." (a pun on "His Majesty"), or "the Maestro", he appeared in twenty-two locked room mysteries and "impossible crime" novels of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s,[1] as well as in two short stories.

He began as a fairly serious character but became more and more comic, at times even grotesque, as the series went on. When first introduced as a character, he was already an older man nearing retirement, and in the novel "And So to Murder," set in late 1939, he referred to himself as being almost 70. But his age became more ambiguous in subsequent novels.

He is a baronet and a barrister – in The Judas Window he actually appears for the defence in court in a murder case – and holds a medical degree. Besides these qualifications, he has a number of other talents, including stage magic, disguise and a vast knowledge of the history of crime. Based on his comments in some of the mysteries, he is married and has daughters, but his family members are not featured as characters in any of the books or stories.

In Anthony Shaffer's play Sleuth, mystery writer Andrew Wyke's most famous character is an aristocratic detective named St. John, Lord Merridew. This character was inspired by Sir Henry Merrivale.


  1. ^ Sir Henry Merrivale

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