The Boarding House Horror

Reads 724
Votes 118
Parts 20
Time 1h 42m

Reads 724
Votes 118
Parts 20
Time 1h 42m

A much-hated man is found dead, his face twisted into a rictus of horror. Young Inspector Visser can't stand the sight of blood or death, so this case was destined to be a struggle, even before a storm hits.
    
    The death occurred in an isolated boarding house on Pluvierstraat, The Hague. Fighting nausea as he examines the body, Visser grudgingly concludes that the death is murder by poison.  Which of the motley group of suspects is the killer? The blind woman? The practical jokester? The Italian ex-convict? The English bookie? The scarred railroad engineer? Or could it be the pretty piano teacher?
    
    Visser orders them all to stay inside the house as he completes his time-consuming police work. The confinement becomes real when a storm strikes, cutting electricity and telephone. Clues mount and tensions rise, and the murderer among them could kill again. 
    
    The more clues Visser unravels, the closer he comes to becoming the next victim.
    
    ----
    
     I tried to channel Agatha Christie a bit.  Okay, more than a bit. 
    
    This story was longlisted in the 2020 "Open Novella Contest," and won 2nd place in the 2022 Punk Rock Awards, Mystery & Suspense category. 
    
    Comments welcome!All Rights Reserved

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Table of contents

A much-hated man is found dead, his face twisted into a rictus of horror. Young Inspector Visser can't stand the sight of blood or death, so this case was destined to be a struggle, even before a storm hits.
    
    The death occurred in an isolated boarding house on Pluvierstraat, The Hague. Fighting nausea as he examines the body, Visser grudgingly concludes that the death is murder by poison.  Which of the motley group of suspects is the killer? The blind woman? The practical jokester? The Italian ex-convict? The English bookie? The scarred railroad engineer? Or could it be the pretty piano teacher?
    
    Visser orders them all to stay inside the house as he completes his time-consuming police work. The confinement becomes real when a storm strikes, cutting electricity and telephone. Clues mount and tensions rise, and the murderer among them could kill again. 
    
    The more clues Visser unravels, the closer he comes to becoming the next victim.
    
    ----
    
     I tried to channel Agatha Christie a bit.  Okay, more than a bit. 
    
    This story was longlisted in the 2020 "Open Novella Contest," and won 2nd place in the 2022 Punk Rock Awards, Mystery & Suspense category. 
    
    Comments welcome!

20 parts