What do you think?
Rate this book
Calamity Town / Dragon's teeth
This is said to be the best mystery profuced by Ellery Queen.
Paperback
First published May 1, 1980
83 people are currently reading
179 people want to read
About the author
Ellery Queen
1,805 books497 followersaka Barnaby Ross.
(Pseudonym of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee)
"Ellery Queen" was a pen name created and shared by two cousins, Frederic Dannay (1905-1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905-1971), as well as the name of their most famous detective. Born in Brooklyn, they spent forty two years writing, editing, and anthologizing under the name, gaining a reputation as the foremost American authors of the Golden Age "fair play" mystery.
Although eventually famous on television and radio, Queen's first appearance came in 1928 when the cousins won a mystery-writing contest with the book that would eventually be published as The Roman Hat Mystery. Their character was an amateur detective who used his spare time to assist his police inspector father in solving baffling crimes. Besides writing the Queen novels, Dannay and Lee cofounded Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, one of the most influential crime publications of all time. Although Dannay outlived his cousin by nine years, he retired Queen upon Lee's death.
Several of the later "Ellery Queen" books were written by other authors, including Jack Vance, Avram Davidson, and Theodore Sturgeon.
(Pseudonym of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee)
"Ellery Queen" was a pen name created and shared by two cousins, Frederic Dannay (1905-1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905-1971), as well as the name of their most famous detective. Born in Brooklyn, they spent forty two years writing, editing, and anthologizing under the name, gaining a reputation as the foremost American authors of the Golden Age "fair play" mystery.
Although eventually famous on television and radio, Queen's first appearance came in 1928 when the cousins won a mystery-writing contest with the book that would eventually be published as The Roman Hat Mystery. Their character was an amateur detective who used his spare time to assist his police inspector father in solving baffling crimes. Besides writing the Queen novels, Dannay and Lee cofounded Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, one of the most influential crime publications of all time. Although Dannay outlived his cousin by nine years, he retired Queen upon Lee's death.
Several of the later "Ellery Queen" books were written by other authors, including Jack Vance, Avram Davidson, and Theodore Sturgeon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
April 27, 2019
This is a typical contrived, unrealistic Ellery Queen mystery. The first Ellery Queen book I have read in several years, it reminded me of why I don't like Queen but do like Dorothy Sayers, Rex Stout, Josephine Tey and P. D. James. Here are just a couple of the silly things in this mystery:
Location 545, "And Frank Lloyd was a dangerous man.". Not established at this point in the book. How could Queen know this?
Location 1035, how does Queen know which is the real Rosemary Haight signature?
Location 1134 Jim Haight is obviously talking about his real, original wife, not Nora. Even the dullest reader must have figured out by now that Jim Haight was already married when he married Nora.
The Ellery Queen mysteries is one of the few book series which is generally not as good as the television programs and movies based upon the books and character.
Location 545, "And Frank Lloyd was a dangerous man.". Not established at this point in the book. How could Queen know this?
Location 1035, how does Queen know which is the real Rosemary Haight signature?
Location 1134 Jim Haight is obviously talking about his real, original wife, not Nora. Even the dullest reader must have figured out by now that Jim Haight was already married when he married Nora.
The Ellery Queen mysteries is one of the few book series which is generally not as good as the television programs and movies based upon the books and character.
November 11, 2010
This is not my favorite Ellery Queen story. I found the Beau Rummell name just a little too precious......in fact I just wasn't taken by his character. I needed more Ellery and less Beau. The story is typical Queen and I have to admit that until about 10 pages from the end, I picked the wrong character for the villain.
Ellery Queen mysteries are an acquired taste, one which I have, but I didn't feel that this was up to the usual standards of that series.
Ellery Queen mysteries are an acquired taste, one which I have, but I didn't feel that this was up to the usual standards of that series.
May 1, 2023
My new best author
What a joy to read a book written by a true author whose work has stood the test of time. From the well drawn characters to the mysterious plot that went on and to the stunning ending which was gratifyingly satisfying, I enjoyed it all and wouldn't allow myself to be interrupted at the end.
What a joy to read a book written by a true author whose work has stood the test of time. From the well drawn characters to the mysterious plot that went on and to the stunning ending which was gratifyingly satisfying, I enjoyed it all and wouldn't allow myself to be interrupted at the end.
January 4, 2025
A love story with a twist.
It started out with everybody happy. But everybody had their own hidden agenda. Everything went wrong. And it just got worse. And they all (well not all) lived happily ever after.
It started out with everybody happy. But everybody had their own hidden agenda. Everything went wrong. And it just got worse. And they all (well not all) lived happily ever after.
October 8, 2025
Fair play mystery
The reader, like this one, might figure out the mystery before the end. That said, this book is so sharply written that it held my attention to the last word. Highly recommended.
The reader, like this one, might figure out the mystery before the end. That said, this book is so sharply written that it held my attention to the last word. Highly recommended.
December 20, 2025
gripping mystery
There were a few points in this mystery that unfortunately were obvious early on but it was still an interesting well told story with interesting characters and would make a great movie or play.
There were a few points in this mystery that unfortunately were obvious early on but it was still an interesting well told story with interesting characters and would make a great movie or play.
April 8, 2026
Should be called Calamity House
An Ellery Queen mystery as only he can. When Ellery finds a perfect little town to write his next novel in, he falls in love with the town and its inhabitants. But murder finds him. Will he figure it out in time?
An Ellery Queen mystery as only he can. When Ellery finds a perfect little town to write his next novel in, he falls in love with the town and its inhabitants. But murder finds him. Will he figure it out in time?
June 11, 2019
This collection pairs two "Golden Age" mystery novels in the Ellery Queen series: the middling The Dragon's Teeth (from '39) with the far superior Calamity Town (from '41). In the Dragon's Teeth, Queen and his partner, the unlikely named Beau Rummels, search for the heirs of the fortune of Cadmus Cole: his nieces Margo and Kerrie. They are brought to live on his estate in Tarrytown, NY (from France and LA) where they can share a fortune only if they adhere to the details of Cole's will, including a codicil that they can never marry. Kerrie is imperiled by her greedy cousin, who stages a series of accidents intended to kill her. Beau Rummels, acting as her bodyguard (and impersonating Queen for reasons that I honestly can't even remember), and seeking to save her life, takes her to Bridgeport CT. where they elope, causing Kerrie to forfeit her fortune (and thereby eliminating Margo's motive to kill her). Margo, who has been lead to believe that "Queen" (i.e. Rummels) is planning a double-cross with her, intrudes on Kerrie on her honeymoon where she is shot dead. Kerrie is framed for her cousin's murder, and arrested by the police (including Ellery's dad, Inspector Queen). Behind the scenes, Queen investigates the crime, and discovers that Margo was actually an imposter and that the real Margo had been married to Cole's lawyer (a bigamist) and had died of natural causes, which leads to the unraveling of the case. (The Dragon's Teeth: 2 Stars) (Calamity Town: 4-5 Stars)
Read
June 5, 2010signed
August 3, 2011
Well, I think it was completely the style, and it may have been popular in the 40's but I really struggled to get through this. It was for book club, and it just wasn't interesting. Or mysterious.
May 19, 2014
A well written mystery that has a good twist at the end.
April 13, 2017
Good old days
I love Ellery Queen, the 40's were so simple yet full of the mysteries that only Ellery can solve. Small town like wasn't always full of peacefulness, and gossip ran wild. Values and pride were precious commodities for small town populations.
I love Ellery Queen, the 40's were so simple yet full of the mysteries that only Ellery can solve. Small town like wasn't always full of peacefulness, and gossip ran wild. Values and pride were precious commodities for small town populations.
April 24, 2017
A lot of how one rates a story is on expectations (a very flexible ruler). I had the single mystery, CALAMITY TOWN in hardcover . I expected a dated writing style and little to hold my attention. Instead I got a very readable, enjoyable plot. Thanx Ellery!
Want to Read
June 11, 2017I have not read this edition
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews