The Flying Boat Mystery

How can a man disappear from a locked bathroom on a plane in mid-flight? That’s the mind-bending puzzle at the heart of Italian author Vailati’s stellar mystery, originally published in 1935 and translated into English for the first time. After a flying boat departs Rome for Palermo, a passenger, banker Francesco Agliati, enters the small restroom and locks the door. A half hour later, when another person tries to use the facilities, the door is still locked; upon landing, the police break the door in, only to find no one inside. The investigation falls to Assistant Commissioner Luigi Renzi, who enlists the help of an old journalist friend who was also onboard the flight. Every alternative seems impossible, given that the bathroom’s only openings are the door and a skylight too small for Agliati to have fitted through. An afterword by the translator provides a concise survey of the history of the impossible crime story in Italy. Golden age fans will be delighted by the baffling crime and the logical and plausible solution. (Nov.)