The Cavalier's Cup

infobox Book |
name = The Cavalier's Cup
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = First US edition dustjacket
author = John Dickson Carr writing as "Carter Dickson"
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series = Henry Merrivale
genre = Mystery
publisher = Morrow (US, 1953, first edition) Heinemann (UK, 1954)
release_date = 1953
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 263 (first US hardback ed)
isbn = NA
preceded_by = Behind the Crimson Blind
followed_by = Fear is the Same

"The Cavalier's Cup" is a mystery novel by the American writer John Dickson Carr (1906-1977), who published it under the name of Carter Dickson. It is a locked room mystery and the final appearance of the series detective Sir Henry Merrivale and his long-time associate, Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Humphrey Masters.

Plot summary

At Telford Old Hall, the past is a constant reminder in the present. Long-dead Cavalier Sir Byng Rawdon still haunts the house, and lately has been making his ghostly presence known, it seems. He also etched a poem into a leaded-glass window with a diamond that is the showpiece of the historic house. When Sir Henry Merrivale and Chief Inspector Masters arrive to debunk the ghost, Masters agrees to spend the night in the Oak Room with the doors locked and windows latched. Masters falls asleep and, when he wakes up, he finds that the bejeweled Cavalier's Cup has been moved from the locked safe and left standing on a nearby table. Also, Sir Byng's sword, which was hanging outside the Oak Room, has been placed at Masters' feet. Sir Henry and Masters must cope with Telford Old Hall's present-day inhabitants, a visiting American Congressman and Sir Henry's singing teacher in order to reveal who is behind the ghostly manifestations.

Publication history

* 1953, USA, William Morrow, Pub date 1953, Hardback, 263pp (first USA edition)
* 1954, UK, Heinemann, Pub date 1954, Hardback, 241pp (first UK edition)
* 1960, UK, Pan G412, Pub date 1960, Paperback, 199pp (first UK pb edition)
* 1987, USA, Zebra ISBN 0821721704, Pub date 1987, Paperback (first USA pb edition)