The Devil's Cook

by Ellery Queen, Fletcher Flora (Ghost Writer)

A killer stalks a college campus, sending the co-eds scurryingTerry Miles goes across the hallway expecting an orgy. When her neighbor opens his door, she finds that the promised erotic party is nothing more than a few brainy academics balancing beers on their bellies and arguing about philosophy. She’s disappointed, but not surprised. Nothing ever happens at Handclasp, the most wholesome university in the most commonplace city in the United States. Nothing, that is, but murder. When Miles disappears, Police Captain Bartholdi isn’t sure if she was kidnapped, murdered—or both. As the local cops mount a frantic search for the missing beauty, Bartholdi tries to unravel a case that hinges on a husband who doesn’t miss his vanished wife, a university full of suspects, and a ragout that’s overflowing with onions.

Genres: Mystery, Detective, Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1931

About the author

aka 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.

Reviews

[Angel Guerrero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entretenido, no pasa de ahí. No es precisamente una mala lectura, simplemente su problema es apegarse demasiado al estándar y el cliché de novelas de misterio, llega a ser predecible de más y peca de crear y forzar un aura de misterio que se siente antinatural en sus personajes y en sus situaciones.

No soy fan acérrimo del genero pero he leído productos que me han gustado del mismo, no destacaría este como uno. Le reconozco el entramado que genera y su expectativa pero es una historia que se va construyendo y muchas veces a como desemboca se siente decepcionante constantemente.

[Cristina Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

La portada y el título te hacen pensar que estás delante de un bolsilibro de terror, pero no es así, tiene casi el doble de páginas que uno y además se queda en thriller. Casi todo está contado a través de diálogos y el tono socarrón hace que sea un pasa páginas. El final, un poco a lo Ágatha Christie, con todos los protagonistas en la habitación, me ha hecho mucha gracia. Se que la semana que viene ya no me acordaré de lo que iba, pero me lo he pasado bien leyendo.

[Juan Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Good mystery !!! The end is difficult to believe and there are some loose ends but the overall story is more than OK.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good read.

Logical police procedural. I liked it very much. One murder, off stage, no gore, no suspense. Not everyone’s cup of tea but it is mine.

[Max Folsom · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Ellery Queen mystery, but not an Ellery Queen mystery featuring Ellery and his father.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding mystery!But first to know is that this book does not feature Ellery Quenn himself. This is one of a few books produced in the later 1960s that was ghost written. I wish i knew who the ghost writer was because I'd get more of their books, if they exist. One item that is distinctive in this book is that each character clearly has their own way to look at life. The writer does an expert job of getting that across by each having distinct dialogue. Then the individual character's living areas and other aspects are spelled out in the narrative. With so many different characters all entwined in the murder within such a well written story adds up to a compelling, interesting and a mystery that will keep anyone guessing.

[Dorer002 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Lots of bs about a ragout and lots of outdated stereotypes about men and women, but otherwise okay. The story wasn't interesting, but it wasn't terrible. Wasn't sure who done it, which I guess is the point of a mystery, so that was good.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Ellery, but not bad. Not all that good, either.

[Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting characters and a decent mystery. There were some loose ends and too much ragout. Very 1960's. We've come a long way, baby!

[Lady Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and half*:
Simple plot, but interesantly twisted.