# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/261 "2026-02-13T02:37:58Z")
You could well be right–I don’t remember! As I said, I remember liking most of the puzzles, even if some of the solutions were a little far-fetched. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/262 "2026-02-13T02:52:17Z")
You want far fetched mystery solutions? The Detective Conan / Case Closed manga is a must. My personal favorite is, I think, the killer who temporarily turned a hot spring into basically pudding so they could run across its surface and commit the murder in a seemingly impossible amount of time without getting wet. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/263 "2026-02-13T03:13:38Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Gideon Fell Now that name’s familiar; so I suppose I must’ve read something by Carr. Did he write short stories or novellas for magazines? Because I think I’m remembering something from reading my mother’s Ellery Queens (the magazines, not the author; though I’ve definitely read the author.). I don’t think I liked him much, though; I’ve got a negative reaction to the name Gideon Fell, though I can’t remember why. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/264 "2026-02-13T03:29:24Z")
My answer for having read John Dickson Carr is “maybe” or “possibly”, which isn’t a poll option. I think I read a story of his in an anthology, 20+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/265 "2026-02-13T05:45:12Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I’m not sure I get what you propose to do. If you’re not going to lie for him, you tell the GF “yeah, he’s upstairs,” just like in the poll? You used the term “hatch a plan” like I’m plotting to get him caught. Just the opposite. I am telling him up front I won’t cover or lie for him. If he brings the girl over to where I live where I would have to lie for him then the outcome is on him. I didn’t hatch a plan, I told him what would happen if he put me in the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/266 "2026-02-13T05:47:19Z")
I didn’t recognize the name John Dickson Carr and I haven’t read him. After seeing the discussion I realized he was used as a plot point in the latest Knives Out movie. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/267 "2026-02-13T12:25:36Z")
I have been reading through the John Dickson Carr library this winter, perhaps inspired by the latest Knives Out. The puzzles are great fun. I recommend the short story The Third Bullet. If that works for you, the full length books should too. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/268 "2026-02-13T13:31:47Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I dunno, maybe the neutral thing is to yell up the stairs, “hey, Steve, Susan is at the door”. > > I don’t want to get involved in this, That’s what I would do. I’m not covering for him, but I have to live with him so I’m not going out of my way to rat him out either. I read a few of John Dickson Carr’s Sir Henry Merrivale stories eons ago and remember liking them. Just a few years ago I went through a period of reading every Erle Stanley Gardner book, then Rex Stout, etc. Carr was on my “to read” list, but my local library doesn’t have any of his stuff, and yes, I checked for listings under his pseudonyms. I was able to answer the “all code” poll only because I remember _SOS_ in Morse code, which gives enough info to suss out what the responses are. But that’s all I know, probably from TV and movies. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/269 "2026-02-13T13:44:05Z")
I counted letters ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/270 "2026-02-13T13:50:05Z")
Indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/271 "2026-02-13T13:51:15Z")
When I was in Basic Training to become an aerial scout I was pulled out of training and giving a couple of tests. They grabbed everyone over a certain ASVAB score. One was the DLAB (Defense Language Aptitude Battery). The other I don’t remember the name of but it tested your ability to learn Morse and other codes. Apparently I did just ok on the DLAB. The other test I scored very high. I was offered to change my MOS on the spot. I don’t remember the exact name but it was something like signal interceptor. I currently had no signing bonus. They offered me $20,000. Pretty much the highest they gave at the time. They must have been desperate to fill those slots. I thought it over. It would mean going to Fort Huachuca for about double the amount of time I was currently scheduled for training. It would also mean listening to dots and dashes until my head exploded. I said no thanks. I think I made the right choice. TLDR: I never learned Morse code. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/272 "2026-02-13T13:58:49Z")
I’m watching a miniseries called _A Murder at the End of the World_ where everyone and their grandmother apparently knows Morse code. Ditto for _Stranger Things_ if I recall. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/273 "2026-02-13T14:34:25Z")
I think it was just Dustin who knew Morse Code, which fits with his character. They were also in the HAM club, which in the '80s used a lot more Morse Code than now. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/274 "2026-02-13T16:51:21Z")
Back in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, the Wally Phillips radio show on WGN used to run “Ellery Queen’s Minute Mysteries,” which is where I first heard the name. They were little one-minute mystery plays, then a commercial, then they’d tell you who done it. I was just a tyke, but my mom and I would talk about the clues during the commercial and come up with a guess together. Fun memories! ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/275 "2026-02-13T17:11:02Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > You want far fetched mystery solutions? The Detective Conan / Case Closed manga is a must. I haven’t read the story, but I don’t think turning water into something that is still a fluid but you can walk across just requires making it into a non-newtonian fluid. It does require a very exotic chemical moisture of (water and cornstarch) 😉 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RIUEZ3AhrVE/maxresdefault.jpg "Fun with Non-Newtonian Fluid - Lamar University") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIUEZ3AhrVE) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/276 "2026-02-13T19:56:14Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > Just a few years ago I went through a period of reading every Erle Stanley Gardner book, then Rex Stout, etc. I have to say there is a great range- maybe the greatest Mystery writer (Stout) vs an entertaining hack. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/277 "2026-02-13T20:51:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > …maybe the greatest Mystery writer (Stout) Interesting. Can you recommend a Rex Stout book or two to an RS newbie? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/278 "2026-02-13T22:59:50Z")
You didn’t ask for my recommendation but I always suggest _The Golden Spiders_ as the best entry point to Stout’s Nero Wolfe series. The first novel, _Fer-da-lance_ is good but it is not indispensable as far as back story. You can pretty much ignore chronology or publication dates with Stout’s books. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/279 "2026-02-13T23:08:24Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I have to say there is a great range- maybe the greatest Mystery writer (Stout) vs an entertaining hack. I’ve never read any non-Perry Mason Erle Stanley Gardner, nor any non-Nero Wolfe Rex Stout. But comparing Nero Wolfe books to Perry Mason books, I find both to be reliable entertainment. The former are superior, but I wouldn’t have placed them as widely apart as you did. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/280 "2026-02-13T23:17:40Z")
Story-wise, I would put the Wolfe and Perry Mason books on equal footing, however Stout’s have the benefit of one of the best narrators in 20th Century fiction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=15)