Clayton Rawson (August 15, 1906 – March 1, 1971) was an American mystery writer, editor, and amateur magician. His four novels frequently invoke his great knowledge of stage magic and feature as their fictional detective The Great Merlini, a...
Surgat (Latin: Surgat, lit. 'Rise') is a minor demon mentioned in The Grimoire of Pope Honorius, The Secrets of Solomon and the Grimorium Verum. He is listed as "Surgat who opens all locks." His angel opposite is Aquiel.
The Headless Lady (1940) is a whodunnit mystery novel written by American writer Clayton Rawson. A character in the novel, a detective story writer named Stuart Towne, has the same name as a pen name of Rawson. This is the third of four mysteries...
The Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is a professional organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the...
The Footprints on the Ceiling (1939) is a locked-room mystery novel written by Clayton Rawson. It is the second of four mysteries featuring The Great Merlini, a stage magician and Rawson's favorite protagonist.
No Coffin for the Corpse (1942) is a whodunnit mystery novel written by Clayton Rawson. It is the last of four mysteries featuring The Great Merlini, a stage magician and Rawson's favorite protagonist. Merlini would however, continue to appear in...
Death from a Top Hat (1938) is a locked-room mystery novel written by Clayton Rawson. It is the first of four mysteries featuring The Great Merlini, a stage magician and Rawson's favorite protagonist. In a poll of 17 detective story writers and...
Miracles for Sale is a 1939 American mystery film directed by Tod Browning, and starring Robert Young and Florence Rice. It was Browning's final film as a director. The film is based on a locked-room mystery novel by well-known mystery writer...
A whodunit (less commonly spelled as whodunnit; a colloquial elision of "Who [has] done it?") is a complex plot-driven variety of detective fiction in which the puzzle regarding who committed the crime is the main focus. The reader or viewer is...
The Man Who Wouldn't Die is a 1942 American comedy horror mystery film directed by Herbert I. Leeds, starring Lloyd Nolan and Marjorie Weaver. This movie was the fifth of a series of seven of the Michael Shayne movies produced by Twentieth Century...