Why So Dead?

Tim Corrigan

by Ellery Queen, Richard Deming (Ghost Writer)

Tom Corrigan, the eye-patched detective with the knack for murderous situations plunges into the wildest, farthest-out caper of his career. His assignment leads him to a splendid but terrified harem of veiled beauties, a millionaire sultan with a roving eye, a gang of turbaned mystery men with a lust for violence. Corrigan's job: protect a priceless ruby as red as the color of murder.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

First published January 1, 1966

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

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good novel by Queen. Love these novels. Fun to try and figure out what everyone is really doing.

[Juan Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual in Corrigan stories a fair intrigue and murder mystery.

[Valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kristin R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always good to read a classic mystery. I don't think I've read any Ellery Queen before. This was published in 1966, so a few references were dated (lack of cell phones and computers, a few phrases) - but overall it stood the test of time as a classic mystery.

[John Uzzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good audio while walking.

[Bella Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Υπέροχη αστυνομική νουβέλα, αν και το τέλος είναι λίγο προβλέψιμο .