A friend and I are trying to find the name of a story concerning a series of murders in a small town. My friend thinks the story is by Poe. The jist of the whole thing is that no clues are found until it snows--then footprints are revealed in the snow and in the end--the mailman did it! Any clues about the name of this story--or if Poe wrote it--or another author. This is important! Please advise. THANKS!

-- Anonymous, March 14, 2001

Answers

Dear Darlene,

As far as I'm aware, and I am pretty well-versed in Poe's writings, I don't think that Poe was the author of that particular tale (although it isn't inconceivable that I could be wrong... it has been known to happen on occasion, hehe).

It just sounds a bit too modern for Poe (mailmen murdering people). I don't know which it could be, unless perhaps it's one called "The Postman always rings twice" (but please, don't put too much credence in this... I'm only going by the title, as in postman= mailman that killed the people... I have no real idea what this story is about... they made a film with Jack Nicholson which I have only watched in bits and pieces and so... yeah... could just be about a postman who likes ringing doorbells more than once or something... but somehow I get the feeling that this could be it).

Anyway, check out the title and see if it leads you to the correct story, and, if not, then sorry (if it is the one, please let me know).

Hope this helps you out:

Yours sincerely,

Pragmatic_Poe

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

Hi:

I am just putting up a short note to say that "The Postman Always Rings Twice" is most likely not it. I've got the video and I cannot figure out why it has that title, since no postman really appears.

Meanwhile, for some reason I vaguely remember having read the story in question, in which the idea of the postman as the murderer doesn't occur to anyone until the end. Also, for some reason I think I read the story when I was very young - then it could be one of Sherlock Holmes stories.

Like Pragmatic_poe, I am not sure about my answer.

Best luck.

Wenjia You

-- Anonymous, March 15, 2001

The story in question is "The Invisible Man" by C.K. Chesterton. I just read it again in Crime Classics (Ed. Rex Burns and Mary Rose Sullivan, New York: Penguin, 1990) 139-154.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001