O Mistério da Cruz Egípcia

Ellery Queen Detective #5

by Ellery Queen

A new series of classic facsimile reprints selected and introduced by the internationally renowned editor and mystery expert Otto Penzler. - The Egyptian Cross Mystery has justly been called Ellery Queens weirdest adventure. On Christmas Eve, an eccentric schoolmaster in the little town of Arroyo, West Virginia was brutally murdered. Over the next year, three other men were found with their heads cut off, crucified likewise in the form of a T. Ellery Queen had the feeling that there was only one clue he didnt possess and that clue came to him with the fourth murder.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Classics, Mystery Thriller, Golden Age Mystery

412 pages

First published June 7, 1932

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

[Jokoloyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first novel where the author challenge readers explicitly to guess the culprit. And coincidentally this novel is my first Ellery Queen's novel that I've ever read.

After finish the book, I noticed the first publishing year was 1932! The trick was so fresh for me, this is one of mystery whodunnit novel that highly influence my taste.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The most pitiful Christmas story of the year was revealed today when the beheaded body of Andrew Van, 46-year-old schoolmaster of the little West Virginia hamlet of Arroyo, was discovered crucified to the signpost on a lonely crossroads near the village early Christmas morning.

Four-inch iron spikes had been driven into the upturned palms of the victim, impaling them to the tips of the signpost's weatherbeaten arms. Two other spikes transfixed the dead man's ankles, which were set close together at the foot of the upright. Under the armpits two more spikes had been driven, supporting the weight of the dead man in such a way that, his head having been hacked off, the corpse resembled nothing so much as a great letter T.

The signpost formed a T. The crossroads formed a T. On the door of Van's house, not far from the crossroads, the murdered had scrawled a T in his victim's blood. And on the signpost the maniac's conception of a human T...”

(Excerpt from newspaper article on what would come to be known as the first of “The Egyptian Cross Murders.”)

No one has ever seen anything like this. Van was eccentric, but inoffensive. He had no enemies or friends. His only close associate was his servant/handyman, Kling, who has also vanished without a trace. The district attorney, coroner, and law enforcement of Arroyo and Hancock County have no idea how to deal with this.

Ellery Queen hears about the bizarre murder and promptly goes to Arroyo. However, his investigation, though it turns up some interesting facts, doesn't really solve the crime. Ellery returns home to New York, thinking he has heard the last of the odd murder...Then six months later he receives a telegram from an old professor that ends:

“MY NEIGHBOR FOUND CRUCIFIED TO HIS TOTEM POST WITH HEAD MISSING STOP I SHALL EXPECT YOU TODAY.
YARDLEY”

It has started again.

This is probably the most bloody of the Ellery Queen novels, but it's pretty tame by today's standards. The plot is complicated and twisted. This is one mystery that had me completely stumped until the end. The plot reminded me somewhat of The Three Coffins (a/k/a “The Hollow Man”) by John Dickson Carr – someone flees a dark, violent past, only to be hunted down. “Egyptian Cross” is a wonderfully dark tale with a strong paranoid streak running through it. You literally do not know whom to trust. The terror is palpable. The only weak spots are the two romances involving secondary characters, which really just get in the way. Those characters could have been left out and the story would not have suffered.

Of all the Ellery Queens, this is probably my favorite. Very recommended.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of one of Ellery Queen's weirdest and most brutal cases takes place on Christmas Eve in the small town of Arroyo, West Virginia. an eccentric schoolmaster by the name of Andrew Van is found crucified on a T-shaped sign post at the crossroads near his house. His head has been cut off--turning the body into a T and a T has been marked in blood on the door of his small house. Ellery is fascinated by the details of the case and initially thinks there is an esoteric connection to the tau or Egyptian cross (as he believes it to be). But when a second murder takes place, this time of a wealthy man near New York, and the body is found crucified on an American Indian totem post, it looks like the T imagery must stand for something else. Ellery's former professor (who lives near the home of the second murder victim, invites him to come and stay and show him how this detective business works. But after examining the available evidence everyone, including Ellery, is completely baffled.

After the second murder, it becomes apparent that the recent murders have roots in a Central European past. The men in the case--both victims and a third missing man--all have ties to Central Europe. But what do they all have in common. When a third man is targeted, the case is just as baffling as before and it isn't until a fourth murder occurs that Ellery finds the clues that will allow him to discover the true identity of the killer. But he, Professor Yardley, and the police will have to track the villain half-way across the country by means of planes, trains, and automobiles before they can bring him to justice.


It's kind of mind-boggling to watch Professor Yardley (in the lead), followed by Ellery, followed by the New York DA & Inspector Vaughn of the police be able to hop on trains and chartered planes one right after the other in their mad-dash across country in pursuit of the villain. It's difficult to imagine just one of them doing it, let alone three separate groups. Imagine trying that trick today...Of course, in today's world, there's also the advantage of technology to get messages where they need to go and for travel tracking purposes. So, perhaps it all evens out.

This is a pretty gory book considering that it was written in the 1930s. Four headless bodies, crucified. Blood dripping all over the place--especially in the last two murders. Not exactly what one expects from the Golden Age of Crime. And the esoteric bits--with Egyptian sun gods and nudist colony of sun worshippers of a different sort--serve a real purpose in addition to providing a distraction from other important bits. It's weird--but Queen had a method behind the madness.

I'll just fess up right now and tell you that when Queen gave his Challenge to the Reader--you have all the clues now. Do you know who did it?--I did not. The solution didn't occur to me at all. I had a sortof close idea--but with the wrong person in mind. An enjoyable read even though the murders were a bit more brutal than one might like in a classic crime novel.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.

[Luffy Sempai · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the hell! How can I never find the murderer in Ellery Queen books?

A breathtaking book. Wonderful. This book deserves more readership. It is a very clever and exotic plot and all of it works. The first crime is glossed over, but its significance overshadows the buildup to the next, more sinister crime. There are bland passages when the hippies show up. But harakht is a funny character, albeit a tragic one too. Ellery Queen's deductions are flawless and I wish I had deduced from THAT clue(the bottle) the murderer's identity.

[Jan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really weird. Even for Ellery Queen.

And I was stumped.

Ellery asks the reader do we know who it is because he does. Clue staring me right in the face and I missed it.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellery Queen is one of the most enduring detective writing duos of the 20th century. Thus far I have read 3 books in the EQ series, and this has been my favorite of the bunch. While the murders are pretty ghoulish (can you ever describe decapitation and crucifixion as cozy, even if it isn't graphic?), it is a rather straightforward, and I think, solvable mystery. The final chase sequence is most definitely over the top, but I do not believe this detracts too much from an overall enjoyable mystery. I would have preferred that the threads of the other storylines had been given closure, but they were almost discarded once they were revealed as red herrings. So not perfect, but still a good read.

[Two Envelopes And A Phone · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s an old movie - from 1958 - called Fiend Without A Face. It’s kind of a cult Horror/SF flick; I’m a Marshall Thompson fan - I think he’s a pretty good actor, call him underrated, whatever - but overall this film is not particularly well-acted, the whole premise of the film’s monsters is complete nonsense, it’s in black & white and therefore instantly less appealing to the modern sensibility....but: if you watch Fiend Without A Face, and come away feeling “that was fun, but nothing spectacular”, then you missed something. I would likely have missed something, except I had read an analysis of the film in a book called Them Or Us, and so was aware of why the film is an important breakthrough...

For a 1958 monster movie, Fiend Without A Face’s action-fest finale features an incredible amount of gore. I don’t know how they got away with it; in fact, there must have been some outcry. The late 1950s...no, you do not find this kind of blood splatter in any other movie, certainly within the ‘creature’ genre. It’s ‘creature gore’, I grant you, but the creatures in question are flying human brains, and when they got shot, over and over again, it’s endless images of blood shooting out of these brains as they die, with appropriately disgusting gurgling noises. Blood hitting the walls, on the floor, a brain hacked by an axe...it’s like the scene from Aliens, when the Marines are just shooting aliens like mad, and their yellow blood is spraying everywhere. But in 1958. You wonder where they got the nerve - no one was showing this in 1958. Except.

As I was reading The Egyptian Cross Mystery, the whole Fiend Without A Face situation came racing back to me. It’s not long ago that I read A Killing Winter, by Tom Callaghan. Now that’s a gory book -gory and disgusting. Terrific book...but nauseating, at times. And it’s from - what? what was that book, 2015? 2016? Something like that - from a recent year. But here we have an Ellery Queen novel, from the Golden Age of Mystery, during which many many of the whodunits made a point of not being gory so that the average reader could enjoy a good puzzle without too much blood - roll out the poisons, people! -and the whole thing is just soaked in blood, mostly from decapitated corpses. This book is from 1932. I could easily see a publisher being afraid to inflict this bloodbath on a 1932 audience. Even if this had been edited to cut down on the corpse gore (was it?! that’s a staggering though, even, I bet, for a flying brain!), I still could see it failing to find a queasy yet enthusiastic publisher.

It’s true that this book reminds a lot of the best John Dickson Carr books from around the same time - The Mad Hatter Mystery, or one of the Bencolin entries - in terms of the quality of the trickery, and the shockery of the revealery...um, the reveal. But, to my recollection, Carr didn’t hose down even The Corpse in the Waxworks with this much blood. This book is Something Else, when it comes to 1930s mysteries - American, British, Maigret, anything.

I can’t decide whether I’m bumping this from 4 stars to 5 stars because of the crazy amount of splatter described (plus headless crucifixions) because I love ahead-of-its-time daring achievement well before it becomes the norm, or would this book still get 5 stars from me for being super-clever...because I think it is that too. I think it’s even more clever than it is bloody, but I became too engrossed, by about halfway through, to keep my Gore Verus Brains graph accurate all the way through.

I cannot end this review by saying something like “oh, what I really mean is that the book is gory by 1932 standards - but, y’know, it means that by today’s standards you’ll find it tame and not very gory at all.”. No. No. That’s not what I’ve been saying. It’s the opposite of that. That’s the ahead-of-its-time that I have been trying to make clear. There’s a lot of...it’s...it’s not a Cozy. You don’t go to this after The Silence Of the Lambs because you want a break. No.

[Shabbeer Hassan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started off quite boldly to say the least and by the end of it, I was just listening to it so that I don't have to mark it DNF. Tepid plot!

My Rating - 2/5

[Deb Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellery Queen is an American writer who pursues detective work as a side interest, often helping his father, a police detective in New York City.

In many ways, Queen is the American version of Sherlock Holmes. He prides himself on his intellect and logic; he is often brash and abrasive and enjoys pointing out his own superiority.

[Margaret Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this book the writers Ellery Queen (as opposed to the fictional author Ellery Queen) can be seen to be working toward as less Philo Vancish lead character while still in the thralls of concocting overly ornate murders. Queen (the fictional character) still talks far too much and says far too little. The book would be a good third shorter if only he said what he meant, the first time, and without circumlocution. The entire books/story/plot would fall apart were not Queen, the other characters and apparently the readers as well, ignorant of that part of the world that the genesis of the tale is supposedly set in. In order to captivate the reader Queen and Professor Yardley must react (not much more than a decade after the end of the Great War) as if parts of Europe were separated from America by centuries as well as distance and as if a blood soaked crime scene and a decapitation bespoke brutality beyond any of the pograms of recent history.

Perhaps the irritation of this reviewer is increased by the fact she found the solution to the crime obvious a good forty pages before it was unveiled and suspected it long before that--consequently found much of the book transparently an exercise in biding time and haring off after irrelevancies.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1932, this classic novel is from the Golden Age of the "fair play" mystery.

All of the suspects, alibis,and clues are there for the reader to solve the mystery with no short cuts or cheating by the author.

Ellery Queen was the pen name of two cousins, Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, and their first book, The Roman Hat Mystery was published in 1928. The famous mystery magazine still bears Ellery Queen's name.

This is wonderful old-school fare that Agatha Christie fans should love.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

These early Queen's just aren't as good as the later ones. Not to say they are unreadable, they just don't have that crisp clarity that the later ones have.

[The Frahorus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi sono imbattuto in questo giallo per caso, perché di tanto in tanto vado a cercare qualche titolo di annata, diciamo così, un po' datato. Ellery Queen intanto non è una persona reale, ma lo pseudonimo di due scrittori: Frederic Dannay (1905-1982) e Manfred B. Lee (1905-1971). Erano due cugini newyorkesi, figli di ebrei polacchi e cresciuti a Brooklyn, che nel corso della loro carriera letteraria scrissero anche con lo pseudonimo di Barnaby Ross; a partire dagli anni sessanta il nome "Ellery Queen" divenne una sorta di franchise per romanzi apocrifi autorizzati da Dannay e Lee. La produzione di tali apocrifi terminò tuttavia con la morte di Lee nel 1971, in quanto Dannay, che morì 11 anni più tardi, non era più interessato a portare avanti il nome.

"Il mistero delle croci egizie" venne pubblicato nel 1932 ed è il quinto della serie. In questa storia viene ritrovato il cadavere di un maestro di scuola, Andrew Van, la mattina di Natale, crocefisso a un cartello stradale a forma di T nei dintorni di Arroyo, un paesino della Virginia occidentale. Questo è il genere di delitto che si rivela una calamita irresistibile per lo scrittore-detective Ellery Queen. Ma dall'inchiesta, malgrado il dotto contributo dello stesso Ellery, non scaturisce alcun risultato conclusivo se non qualche vago sospetto su un misterioso straniero di nome Krosac. Sei mesi più tardi, però, un altro omicidio, commesso in circostanze quasi identiche a Long Island, risveglia l'interesse di Ellery, che si lancia sulla pista di un feroce criminale che lascia a mo' di firma delle T tracciate con il sangue delle vittime.

Diciamo che si lascia leggere, e sinceramente un paio di stratagemmi utilizzati dagli autori mi sono sembrati un po' folli o esagerati. Peccato per la spiegazione del movente, non molto realistica e frettolosa. Risulta evidente che non mi ha colpito molto, ma proverò a recuperare, prima o poi, "Il gatto dalle molte code" che mi consigliano alcuni amici di leggere.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 5 out of 5]

De ankh op de cover is zoals professor Yadley in het boek uitlegt geen Egyptisch kruis, wat op zich zelfs niet bestaat. Hier maakt Ellery een fout die hij desondanks tot op het einde vol houdt (ook al geeft hij Yardley als eminent geleerd geleerde gelijk over het onderwerp). In de laatste lijnen haalt hij op humoristische wijze toch zijn gelijk, op een manier die typisch en uniek Queen is.
4 moorden die wel gezamelijke en vooral gruwelijke kenmerken hebben maar toch ogenschijnlijk verschillende oplossingen en omstandigheden vertegenwoordigen.
Ellery heeft in de professor (zijn oude leraar) een sidekick die wetenschap en intellect vertegenwoordigt waar Queen zelf zich vaak verliest in redeneringen die haast dromerijen zijn.
Kenmerkend voor het boek is niet alleen de enorme afstand en grote snelheid waarmee de detective door het land kruist, maar ook de hoeveelheid taxi's, vliegtuigen, trein- en bootreizen die er aan te pas komen.
Dus enorm veel aktie en variatie, psychologische en wetenschappelijke analyses (waarvan de meeste dwaalsporen blijken te zijn).
Het speelt zich bijna 100 jaar geleden af en is door de tijd getekend, maar dat maakt het niet verouder. Het geeft veeleer een nostalgisch, gezellg gevoel.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Egyptian Cross Mystery by Ellery Queen is the 5th book in the Ellery Queen Detectice series. Ellery Queen investigates a series of killings where the victims are beheaded and crucified in the shape of a T. A fascinating and complex classic style mystery. I did find the American slang a bit difficult to follow and I felt it was a bit overdone. The mystery was quite complicated with plenty of twists but I liked that Ellery explained his conclusions along the way and I like the challenge to readers. Rather dated now but still an interesting American classic mystery.

[Tannaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

نمی‌دانم چرا جز شرلوک هلمز، هیچ داستان پلیسی اوایل قرن بیستمی، به من نمی‌چسبد.

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well the first book I read in this series I rated two stars. Next time Mr Queen came up via the random book selector I use in order not to save a thirty minute debate with myself over which book to read next. I sighed when I saw Mr Queen's name. But like 'Mikey' I liked it and now four books later I have found all of the later reads enjoyable and Mr Queen is becoming one of my favorite old timey authors.

So briefly this started out with one of least favorite scenarios: Cult like murder with you guessed it a mystic cult in the neighborhood. But then it evolved into something else, a good puzzle. Overly convoluted to be sure, but we are talking 'Golden Age', so suspend your logical thinking for a while and just enjoy another amusing 'who done it' puzzle. Oh yeah, and the last laugh was the best.

I like this Queen guy(s).

[Yibbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

An overly complex, improbable mystery that wasn’t really that hard to figure out. The opening was really good. It had a slightly spooky feel, with hints at archeology and cults. That just petered out though and all we were left with is vague foreign vendettas and weird characters acting in the most improbable manner. Then there was the completely unnecessary nudist colony that intruded for no apparent reason for a couple of chapters and then just as strangely disappears from the story. It all just didn’t pull together.
There was a lot of “mild” swearing.
Not one that I would recommend.

[ReadsandThings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a fun read, but the overbearingly superior attitude of the male characters towards the women got a little grating at times - surprisingly so, because Elley Queen has written some feisty girls who can definitely stand up for themselves. But not in this book.
This was also the first Queen where I guessed the murderer correctly, which took a bit of the fun out of it; and some of the deductions and leaps of logic were a little too drastic and incredible. All in all a solid mystery and I did enjoy it, but not the best Ellery Queen I've read.

[Phoebes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarà per gli omicidi truculenti, sarà per la storia che ha radici nel passato dei protagonisti, sarà perché ho indovinato l’assassino (ieeeeeee!!!!!), sarà perché effettivamente questo romanzo è migliore degli altri della serie che ho letto, fatto sta che mi è piaciuto molto di più, e sono stata per un po’ indecisa se dargli o no 5 stelline. Alla fine ho optato per le quattro, ma comunque veramente un bel romanzo giallo.

http://www.naufragio.it/iltempodilegg...

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

My favorite parts of this one have nothing to do with the detection, the solution, the gory crimes, or, gawd, the romantic/“humorous” subplots. I like the fact that it mentions West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania cities that I grew up near. I like Ellery driving his Deusenberg in the storm. And I like Professor Yardley and his house. But really, that’s it. Try the Dutch, Greek, or Siamese instead.

[Rick Lohmeyer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some of the early Ellery Queen books are fun, even though the main character often comes across as pompous as pretentious. But this particular addition to the series is BORING! In fact, there are several chapters in which the characters themselves go on at great length about how little is happening! Stay away from this one!

[Mariana Anaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y lo terminé. Estuvo genial.
Me encantó que Ellery Queen además de ser el escritor, fuese también un personaje (y qué buen personaje!) y que hasta dijera que escribiría luego una novela sobre el caso.
Y qué decir del profesor Yardley, me cayó súper bien desde el principio. Esta dupla Queen-Yardley no tiene mucho que envidiar a Sherlock y a Watson.
Una novela policiaca única, exquisita.

[Sungjew Chou · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t bother picking up this book. During reading this one I have to pick up some other authors’ novellas or short stories just because I don’t like unfinish a book even a bad one.

[Nerea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not going to lie, it took me a bit to get into the book, I wasn’t familiar with the writing style and even though the book starts in a very macabre and shocking way, it took some time for the plot to really take off for me; but when it did I really enjoyed the story. The crime is complicated and obscure but it makes sense even if till the end you can’t tie all the loose ends, there are no plot holes and everything it’s explained well. I’ve liked the main character, Ellery Queen, his intelligence and how he isn’t your conventional detective. The rest of the characters were also intriguing and the background schemes didn’t turn the plot messy, they actually added to it making it more entertaining. I’ve liked how since the first moment we know the name of the murderer but how, regardless, the suspense it’s maintained till the end. Also as a curiosity I’ve liked how the author asks the readers about their theories when we are getting to the resolution of the story, and also the last paragraph in the book that was a bit Meta but also a funny gesture toward the reader.

[Raquel Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais um policial com o Detective Ellery Queen a salvar o dia.
Um dos mais completos e intrigados escritos pela dupla de primos autora.

[João Fialho · Rating 2 out of 5]

Demasiado longo, um pouco aborrecido, com um desenlace razoável.
Claramente, não foi um dos meus preferidos de Ellery Queen .

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Primeiro livro do Ellery Queen que leio e acho que não podia ter começado melhor.
A história (típica "who done it") é realmente das que a gente não consegue parar de ler. Acompanhamos todos os fatos sem a canalhice de revelações de última hora e mesmo assim consegue manter um final surpreendente.
Também achei surpreendente a violência gráfica na descrição dos assassinatos (as vítimas têm a cabeça decepada e são crucificadas) e gostei da mistura no enredo envolvendo assassinatos sangrentos, ladrões de joias, seitas, traição conjugal, máfia, um velho pirado e campo de nudismo (!). Essas, digamos, "tramas paralelas" no entanto têm resolução satisfatória, sem bagunçar a narrativa principal.
O detetive Ellery Queen é meio pé no saco, mas acabei gostando dele e de seu jeito pernóstico mas que não se leva muito a sério e não tenta esconder as próprias falhas.
Espero que os próximos livros estejam à altura deste.

[Gabriele Crescenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

RILETTURA
Uno dei migliori romanzi della ditta americana di gialli "Ellery Queen". La storia s'impernia su delle uccisioni barbare, quasi triviali, di uomini trovati decapitati e appesi a simulare una sorta di croce tau o egizia. I motivi di questi macabri delitti risalirebbero ad un passato torbido delle varie vittime. Qual è il legame che le lega? E chi si cela dietro la maschera di Velja Krosac, individuo sfuggente, non a caso paragonato all'uomo invisibile di Wells?
Sarà Ellery con la sua ferrea logica ad incastrare un omicida astuto e diabolicamente perverso.
La logica, come sempre in questa saga, è la regina dell'opera. Ottimo l'apparato indiziario e notevole abilità degli autori nel tenere desta l'attenzione con molteplici false piste, indizi fasulli e segreti celati.
Un Queen da leggere assolutamente.

[Darius Ostrowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was another early Ellery Queen book, where our intrepid detective can be a bit of a pompous fool. And it always amazes me how much the police and DAs are willing to put up with and bend over backwards for Mr. Queen.

This story starts with a gruesome murder out in West Virginia which catches Queen's interest. He has little to contribute, and it falls off the radar until a similar murder takes place a bit closer to home. Central European vendettas, tortured love affairs, hidden identities, missing people, mysterious foreigners, a nudist colony, mystic hippies - all combine for an interesting, although somewhat dated, story.