Diagnosis Impossible: The Problems of Dr. Sam Hawthorne Book

This was a fun collection of stories that each feature an impossible crime. Told in a series of flashbacks, Dr. Sam Hawthorne begins his recollections as a country doctor in rural Connecticut in the 1920s.

The contents include (my favorites marked with a *):
1. The Problem of the Covered Bridge*
2. The Problem of the Old Gristmill
3. The Problem of the Lobster Shack*
4. The Problem of the Haunted Bandstand
5. The Problem of the Locked Caboose*
6. The Problem of the Little Red Schoolhouse*
7. The Problem of the Christmas Steeple
8. The Problem of Cell 16
9. The Problem of the Country Inn*
10. The Problem of the Voting Booth
11. The Problem of the County Fair
12. The Problem of the Old Oak Tree

There is also, at the end of the book, a chronology of Sam Hawthorne stories.

The stories were fun, but by the end, picking up on Hawthorne's methods, I was pretty much able to figure out the last few. However, it is a joy to read -- the author tells his stories in a folksy tone and doesn't take himself too seriously as a mystery writer.

I think people who like locked-room mysteries or impossible crimes will really enjoy this one; even cozy readers will probably like this one because it is easy to read, uninvolved and uncomplicated. This book is a welcome addition to my mystery shelves, and I can definitely recommend it.