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Ellery Queen Detective #12

by Ellery Queen

This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection

Genres: Mystery, Detective, Fiction, Crime, Suspense, Golden Age Mystery, Audiobook

227 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1937

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

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Door Between is one of the more outstanding Ellery Queen mysteries.

When a famed novelist (who is soon to be married) was found dead in her traditional-Japanese-art-inspired household, her fiancé's daughter became the prime suspect since the young woman had been in the room next to the crime scene and no one else but her could get into the victim's room without anyone noticing. Ellery Queen, the famous crime novelist (and quite conveniently, son of the police officer who led the investigation), must step in to clean the young woman's name. Unimaginable betrayal, madness, dark family secrets, romance and adventure ensured.

I like how Japan and its cultures are mixed into this murder mystery, at first this book is only a 3 stars read at best, with the story weighted down by the outdated racist and sexist remarks against Japanese, Chinese and women annoyingly disguised as sense of humor---but it's understandable to an extend since the book first came out at 1930s to 1940s, and the story takes place at the eve of WWII.

There are a few Japanese and Chinese characters who play minor to supporting roles in the story (with a loyal Japanese old maid servant who plays a bigger role) and.......unsurprisingly, they play the stereotyped role of silent, keep-to-themselves, mysterious Asians...you know...the wise saga and loyal servant types of characters. At least I'm delighted to see when there are a group of aged Chinese in a Chinese restaurant in NY, these Chinese are speaking Cantonese. LOL

Like I'd mentioned before, this book is merely a 3 stars read at most part but when the ending arrives and the truth is revealed.........it is rather shocking and clever, therefore my rating is boosted up to five stars.

[gufo_bufo · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, non è uno dei migliori Ellery Queen. Viola le regole del gioco perché gli investigatori hanno delle informazioni che ai lettori non sono state fornite e si lanciano in ipotesi fantasiose basate sul nulla.
Ma è il primo giallo che ho letto da ragazzina (quanti anni avrò avuto? dodici, tredici?) e da qui mi viene l'imprinting per i gialli all'inglese. E poi la mia edizione è quella dell'agosto 1946, con i nomi di battesimo tradotti (adoravo quell'improbabile Terenzio Ring), e una domestica negra politicamente scorrettissima che parla all'infinito, e tanta meravigliosa paccottglia orientale.
D'accordo, le cinque stelline sono di affezione. Ma gliele lascio tutte.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een buitenbeentje in de reeks boeken van schrijver Ellery Queen (schrijversnaam van 2 neven) met als hoofdpersonage Ellery Queen, detective, schrijver van detectives en zoon van de New Yorkse politiecommisaris Richard Queen.
Zoals gewoonlijk is Ellery de belangrijkste persoon in het verhaal zonder wie de moordzaak geen oplossing zou vinden, maar toch speelt hij niet de hoofdrol. Die is weggelegd voor een jonge vrouw die vals beschuldigd wordt en een hard-boiled detective die op haar verliefd wordt. Terwijl ze al wel verloofd is met een bekende dokter en haar vader ook een beroemde dokter die op punt van trouwen stond met de vermoorde vrouw. Daarmee is dan ook meteen de scène gezet van een whodunit met het klassieke them (Arène Lupin denk ik) van de afgesloten kamer waarin een moord gebeurt.
Langzaam ontrafelt Queen de zaak waarbij hij in conflict komt met het officiële onderzoek dat geleid wordt door zijn vader. Allerlei feiten over de achtergrond van de spelers in het drama worden blootgelegd maar tot op het einde blijft de zaak overeind: buiten Eva kan er niemand de moord gepleegd hebben.
Uiteraard zou het geen Ellery Queen zijn als juist deze figuur niet met de oplossing zou komen, een oplossing die erg verrassend is (hoe kan het ook anders) en dan nog een staartje krijgt.
Zoals gewoonlijk gebouwd op het doorprikken van schone schijn en een ingenieuze verklaring van de schier onmogelijke feiten.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back when I first read this, I disliked it because I thought it broke a cardinal rule of mysteries: thou shalt not have a suspect hide evidence from the detective but tell the reader. Reading it today, I’d put it another way: the Romance plot sucks. Terry Ring is a failed attempt to create a two-fisted private eye foil for Ellery, and Eva MacClure is one of the silliest, most tear-soaked, useless heroines in Ellery Queen’s oeuvre, which is saying a lot. Drink every time she bursts into tears or passes out.

However, overlooking all of that—and the occasional racism—this book is the first glimmer of the deeper, conflicted Ellery of the Wrightsville books. The final chapter comes out of nowhere but works perfectly, given the tensions in the plot. There’s a tighter, more wrenching book with fewer characters in here, and that’s what makes it worth while.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful vintage mystery story! Now I remember why I loved Ellery Queen and was such a mystery buff when I was a teenager.

[JDL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellery, Ellery, Ellery... Perhaps one day I will again read one of your novels which is of the same caliber as The Greek Coffin Mystery or The Siamese Twin Mystery, or Halfway House. Perhaps it will be Calamity Town, or Cat of Many Tails, or Ten Days' Wonder. But it's not this. Oh, the plotting is clever in places - a really seemingly impossible locked room situation, a damsel-in-distress, a set of supporting characters to round out the cast, and finally an Ellery who isn't quoting Tacitus or Pliny or who knows what every two seconds. But did you have to make your solution so unfair, with such a lack of cluing as to not let the reader be able to solve it properly? Is that why I don't see your Challenge to the Reader anymore, Ellery? Was it just too hard to make a really fair-play mystery while still racking in the dollars? Did you have to switch to a swifter, cooler style to appeal to women, which I don't mind at all - except that the aforementioned damsel-in-distress is the biggest snot ever soaked in a writer's sense of misogyny? And were the Japanese stereotypes really necessary? Oh, you tried, Ellery, and I really appreciated some parts of it - the Pearl S. Buck-esque victim, the private investigator character of Terry Ring, and the pulling back of the long, boring procedural passages - it's in parts like those and from a sense of sentiment that I give this 3 whole stars... but, oh, Messrs. Dannay and Lee, how I miss our old excursions.

[Erik Deckers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, this book is horribly sexist and racist in light of today’s sensibilities. In the time it was written (1936), no one would have batted an eye at the terminology. Still, it was an interesting read as long as you can get past the troubling terms and see it as more of a time capsule or a lesson in literary history.

The story was a good one and I liked thensolution that saved Eva McClure, although it seemed a bit far-fetched. Some of the storyline was far-fetched as well — the victim had been hiding her sister up in the attic for years and no one knew? — and sounded more like an Emily Brontë novel.

I was also pleased to see Terry Ring had once pitched for my favorite baseball team, The Cincinnati Reds.

[Paul Lima · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've heard so much about Ellery Queen but had never read an EQ book ... what a sexist, racists load of crap, with petty, small-minded, mean-spirited, idiotic characters, and a totally unbelievable plot. I kept on reading to see if it was going to be consistently bad from beginning to end. It was. So bad it was worth reading as a comedy. Oh, it was awful, awful, awful. Any EQ fans out there? Are they all incredibly bad books?

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is so much that’s awful about this, but other negative reviews have covered it, with one exception. It is appalling that the upshot is that a character gaslights someone into committing suicide, with cause, but the “moral” outcome is that Ellery gaslights him into committing suicide! I cannot see a difference between the two. I was gobsmacked.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a bunch of Ellery Queen novels. I've enjoyed them all. I've found them intelligent and challenging in terms of solving the mystery. However, The Door Between is not like the other ones I've read. Oftentimes I'd read a section so badly written I'd wonder if this was written by someone pretending to be Ellery Queen.

Two things particularly bothered me about the writing. This book was written in the thirties so derogatory racial terms was not a surprise. The awfulness of the terms used in this book is so terrible it disgusted me. In the books I've previously read by Ellery Queen I do not remember language as demeaning as this being used. The other thing that bothered me was the awkward attempt at slang. I've heard these phrases before. But, in this book it seemed the slang was used in order to make the book appeal to a different type of reader. I say this because in the past Ellery Queen books I've read the writing was intelligent. I often had to look up words to learn their meaning.

I found the mystery in this book to be rather a bumpy ride. The thread of solving who did what and how they did it went down a lot of dead end roads. That is not a bad thing but these detours seemed excessive. When the solution was finally given (I thought) and I was relieved the book was close to ending, a final solution was given, one that seemed tacked on for no other reason than to shock the reader. Sadly, it came as no shock or surprise to me.

Can I recommend this Ellery Queen novel to other readers? No. I fear that if this were their first encounter with this author it would turn them against reading anything else by them and that would be a shame. Of all the Ellery Queen books I've read, this was the most disappointing and at this point in my experience reading the series is the exception and not the norm.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

În ziua când i se decernă, lui Karen Leith, marele premiu de literatură, fericitul ei editor fu încântat de a-şi fi putut decide eroina să apară în public. D-ra Leith, merse chiar până acolo, încât consimţi ca minunata sa grădină japoneză, situată în spatele cochetei case din Washington Square, să servească de cadru acestei manifestări în acelaşi timp mondenă şi literară.
Laureată a marelui premiu de literatură!
Această distincţie izbutise să producă o oarecare impresie asupra timidei femei, frumoasă încă în pragul celor patruzeci de ani, venită fără vâlvă din Japonia; şi de atunci ducea o viaţă izolată în dosul pereţilor opaci ai casei din Washington Square, unde scria romane minunate, pigmentate cu străluciri bogate.
Puţinele persoane admise lângă domnişoara Karen, erau de acord în această zi memorabilă, că celebra romancieră nu le păruse niciodată atât de însufleţită şi surâzătoare; alţii, mult mai numeroşi, o vedeau pentru prima dată.Karen îşi primea musafirii mai de vază într-un mic pavilion situat în mijlocul grădinii exotice, în timp ce prepara ceaiul după un ceremonial cunoscut în Japonia sub numele Cha-noyu. Auzind-o fredonând cântecul ritual cu o uşurinţa surprinzătoare, s-ar fi crezut că fusese scris în limba sa maternă, vorbită înainte de engleză. Învârtea un bastonaş într-un vas de ceramică veche umplut cu praf de ceai verde; o femeie foarte bătrână, în kimono, stătea tăcută în spatele ei, ca o zeitate protectoare.
Răspunzând unei întrebări cu privire la bătrâna femeie, Karen Leith, spuse:
— Se numeşte Kinumé. Este un înger al blândeţii şi devotamentului. O am lângă mine de… oh! de secole.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I really struggled between 3 and 4 stars on this one Queen. It's definitely got a slooow start, though I read the last 140 pages over a couple of evenings and was pretty well-engage from therein.

But Queens come down, ultimately, to the puzzle. On that count, this was better than the other entry packaged in the same volume (The Devil to Pay), but I still didn't quite feel that it satisfied. First of all, many of Ellery's deductions seemed quite tenuous- and honestly, that typically isn't the case for Queen. Then, some of the motivations were easy to predict, and those that weren't seemed quite outlandish. And lastly, the solution features an element that is probably my least favorite in mystery solutions. YMMV there, but the mechanism didn't do much for me.

And then there's no challenge to the reader and instead, we get a trite love story baked in.

So far, early Queen is definitely where it's at: Dutch Shoe, French Powder...good good stuff.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving the plot of this book a 3-star rating. However, there were some problems with this book that I had to make an effort to overcome.

I had to keep in mind that this book was written in 1936, when socially acceptable standards were different. However I did cringe frequently when the ugly and derogatory words were used towards people of various ethnicity and women. It has made me grateful that such usage isn't tolerated today. So, this book serves as a historical snapshot about how such treatment and derogatory language was commonplace.

Meanwhile, the plot had a very interesting twist at the end. Also, the revelation of how the death actually happened was also a surprise. I like it when the detective can catch me unexpectedly. If you can stomach the offensive language, it is a nice detective story.

[Ron Kerrigan · Rating 2 out of 5]

First published in 1936 when characters using terms like "Jap" and "Chink" was probably no-big-deal, I gave this a low rating because some of the dialogue is so stereotypical of, well, 1930's melodramatic detective novels. It just doesn't age well, or sound believable (the "brown" private detective -- not Ellery Queen -- spouts off gems like "Talk fast, sweetheart," and "you dumb cluck.") The solution to the locked room is way too complicated to be believed but by that time the plot has already become unbelievable. Oh, and the heroine acts like a complete ninny most of the time. Not the best Ellery Queen novel by a long shot, I gave it two stars because I finished it and it has a certain "they don't write them like this anymore" charm (thankfully.)

[Mark Isaak · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the positive side, the mystery was excellent--a variation of the locked room mystery where a woman becomes the suspect because she was sitting outside the only possible exit when the homicide occurred. The solution was (to me) wholly unexpected but simple and, in hindsight, almost obvious. And if that wasn't enough, Queen then solves another mystery which we didn't even know was a mystery. On the negative side, the characters were stereotyped and sexist, even allowing for the mores of the 1930s when it was written. The private investigator in particular came off cartoonish much of the time. The plot, except for the cliched love triangle, was interesting and added depth to the story, but it could have been written better.

[Klaus Mattes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es war der zehnte Kriminalroman von Ellery Queen (also: Frederic Dannay und Manfred Lee) und auch ein erster Film mit ihrem gleich benannten Detektivhelden war gedreht worden. Sie waren etabliert, bundesweit bekannt, merkten aber auch, dass ihr Krimikonzept mit dem unglaublich scharfsinnigen Gentleman-Detektiv, letztlich auf Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes und zu einen guten Teil aufs unmittelbare New Yorker Vorbild des Philo Vance aus der Feder von S.S. Van Dine beruhend, nicht mehr auf der Höhe der veränderten Zeiten war. Es begann die Phase der Experimente, des Ausprobierens. Und damit der allmähliche, aber unaufhaltsame Qualitätsverlust des Kriminalautors Ellery Queen.

Die, zumindest für altmodische Leser, auch weiterhin Klassiker bleibenden Bücher würden die mit dem Wort „Mystery“ am Titelende bleiben, in denen Ellery Queen den Leser direkt anspricht und auffordert, seine eigene Theorie zu bilden, bevor er, Ellery, den Fall demnächst klärt. Er und auch der Leser hätten jetzt die nötigen Hinweise. Man erkennt, dass es das Wort „Mystery“ hier nicht gibt und auch keine „Challenge“, was aber bedeutet: Es ist nicht mehr ganz so, es ist nur noch in etwa so, eben nicht mehr so gut.

Eine Sache hatte Ellery Queen nun begriffen: Ein großer Teil des Publikums waren Frauen. Er musste seinen eigenen Frauen-Appeal entwickeln. Vor allem: Dieses Mal arbeiteten sie für das viele Geld, das ihnen „Cosmopolitan“ für einen Vorabdruck in ihrer Modezeitschrift versprochen hatten. Es beginnt hier die Serie der Bücher, in denen Ellery eine junge, verliebte Frau vor Gewalt, Entehrung oder Mordanschlägen bewahrt. Hier ist es Eva MacClure, die im Haus der prominenten Unterhaltungsschriftstellerin Karen Leith lebt und ihrer Ermordung verdächtigt wird. Derlei Plots sollten dann nur stets den Hinkefuß mit sich schleppen, dass Ellery Queen keine überzeugenden Frauenfiguren erschaffen kann und seine Geschichten von junger Liebe jedes Mal unbeholfen und verlogen wirken.

Was er dieses Mal noch nicht machte, zum Glück, möchte man sagen: New York und seine guten Verbindungen zur Polizei hinter sich lassen, in die Provinz verreisen, eine Mordserie mit diversen Schauplätzen in Außenbereichen planen, halbwegs satirisches Farcentheater aufführen lassen, Ellery Queen als einen von Honoraren abhängigen Auftragsschnüffler. Nein, nein, es ist noch altmodisch, wenn auch nicht mehr so voller liebevoll installierter Kleinigkeiten und falscher Spuren.

Nirgendwo kam Ellery Queen dem Closed-Room-Mystery so nahe wie hier. Was schon auch ein Untergenre des klassischen Lehnstuhlkrimis ist, allerdings eins, das dem nach England verzogenen Kollegen John Dickson Carr mehr entsprach, der wahre Orgien des Selbstzweckhaften daraus machte. Innerhalb ihrer Wohnung ist der Autorin Karen Leith, die für Romane aus Japan bekannt ist, damit durchaus gewollt an die China-Erzählerin Pearl S. Buck erinnernd, die Kehle durchgeschnitten worden. (Mit der Hälfte einer Schere, woran sich die Frage schließen wird, wo die andere Hälfte geblieben ist.) Eva MacClure war aber die ganze Zeit gleich nebenan, hörte noch den Entsetzensruf, sah das warme Blut sprudeln, aber keinen Mörder. Eva ist die Tochter eines alten Freundes von Karen Leith, des Krebsspezialisten Dr. John MacClure. Sie ist verlobt und wird dann auch noch vom zweiten Detektiv im Buch, der uns ansonsten eher nervt, umworben.

Wesentliche Teile des Romans werden von Nachforschungen und Überlegungen eingenommen, wie man eine Person ermordet, die allein in einem Zimmer ist, zu dem es nur einen Zugang gibt, den eine Zeugin ständig im Blick hatte. Wie soll er hinein gekommen sein? Nun gut, es gibt eine Zwischentür zu einem Nebenraum und einen Aufstieg zu einem leeren Dachraum. Er mag sich auf die Lauer gelegt haben. Aber wie kam er hinterher wieder raus? Die Polizei war schnell da, unter dem Dach war keiner, auf dem Dach lag eine Schicht Schnee, in ihr nirgendwo Spuren. Und wäre dort oben einer, müsste er erst mal mehrere Stockwerke zu einem Hinterhof hinab, wo ebenfalls weder Spuren noch Ausgänge zu finden sind. Es müsste wirklich das Mädchen Eva getan haben, sie war nebenan in einem Durchgangsraum zum Arbeitszimmer der Leith.

Wir befinden uns hier in einer Ecke des Genres, wo jederzeit damit zu rechnen ist, jemand warte mit einer Theorie so ähnlich wie „Da wurde ein großer Spiegel aufgestellt, der ein menschenleeres Standbild zeigte, das die Zeugin für wahr hielt.“ auf, wie es das bei Van Dine in etwa schon mal gegeben hatte, wie es uns allerdings eher Bachschmerzen als Wonne schenkt. Oder es gab da einen kleinen Flugapparat mit einer ferngesteuerten Armbrust, eine Drohne, damals schon? Eine Weile wird ein Angehöriger der Dienstboten-Klasse verdächtigt. Aber wäre das nicht eine zu radikale Neuerung für Ellery Queen? Mit der Zeit läuft es immer mehr auf John MacClure zu. Aber wie das? Die verfolgte Unschuld herausholen, um ihren Vater in die Todeszelle zu bringen?

Relativ spät und ziemlich zu meinem Missvergnügen werden Enthüllungen über das frühere Leben der Leith und MacClures in Ostasien ausgepackt, die wohl doch einige dunkle Flecken auf der reinen Weste und eine mysteriöse Schwester hatten. Ein Motiv muss ja irgendwie her, wenn man sich auch lieber um die Closed-Room-Rätselei sorgt.

Halbwegs gut, nur halbwegs. Ein wenig zum Missvergnügen mag der Umstand beigetragen haben, dass bis heute alle deutschen Ausgaben eine aus dem Jahr 1961 stammende Übersetzung des damaligen Scherz Verlags Bern verwenden, des seinerzeitigen deutschsprachigen Agatha-Christie-Verlags; mittlerweile Teil des Fischer Verlags. Diese Version umfasst verdächtig weniger Seiten als die gängigen englischsprachigen Editionen.

[Justin Lo · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's been a while since my last Ellery Queen, but I dare say I've read better ones. Even keeping in mind that this was written in the 30s, the misogyny and exoticism in this book still constantly straddle tiring and grating. (Chapter 2 is, for want of a better way to put it, gross.) No enjoyment could be derived from the mystery itself either, as the denouement felt so thin and unsatisfying.

[Mgb · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something quite enjoyable about the way the words flow in the early Ellery Queen books, and in easily recognizing the sexism and stereotyping in books of this era. We have made progress! Oh, and the mystery? This is my kind—set out a seemingly impossible puzzle and then solve it with thinking.

[James Farner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one’s a really strong locked-room mystery. It’s top of the game, as far as mysteries go, and fairly short and sweet, to its overall benefit. The handling of Asian characters and culture (mostly, but not exclusively, Japanese) might have been okay by 1936 standards, but it really stands out as bad today (particularly how Asian characters are referred to and described).

[Conni Wayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The amount of racism and sexism is beyond even my ken. Poor Eva. Both love interests were horribly overbearing and infantilized her to the point of it being actually revolting to hear/read. Poor, poor Eva. I want to mention the mystery wasn't awful, I'd even say it was good but I could barely focus on the murder, I spent so much time disgusted by everything Terry and Dr Scott were saying. Ick.

[Lindsey DeLost · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it a lot, but it was jarring the sexism and racism splashed so openly throughout. The plot itself was interesting and keeps the reader guessing through to the end. I liked the Dutch shoe mystery better(the only other ellery queen book I’ve read to date) but I’m anxious to try others.

[Candace Park · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the private eye character and the other characters were well fleshed out and act per character. I could have done without the entire last chapter. Characters are totally out of character for Both Dr and Ellerly.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing and interesting

[David Megginson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Indulging in a bit of Orientalism.

[Mindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading. It isn't riveting. It isn't trash.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the ending.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Formulaic and dated, but I did finish it, just to find out the surprise at the end, which was pretty good (but not worth recommending the whole book for).

[M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Door Between is an example of one of the staples of murder puzzles: the locked room mystery. Eva MacClure goes to meet with Karen Leith. She hears the voice of the reclusive author as she is told by a servant to wait in the sitting room. Time passes and she becomes concerned...she enters the bedroom and finds Karen Leith dead. Almost immediately, suspicion quite logically falls on Eva.

Enter Inspector Queen and Ellery Queen. The father and son work toward the same goal (the truth) but with different methods and often in conflict. Will either of them discover what really happened in Karen Leith's bedroom?

The Door Between is an enjoyable mystery, veering a bit into the outlandish with some of the revelations about the characters (routine for daytime soaps, but a bit out of place for Ellery Queen). The strength and likeability of the characters carry the story over all of that, though, and the ending is satisfying if again somewhat fantastic.

My view of this novel is somewhat tarnished by what must be the most poorly written book jacket ever. If you pick up this edition (1946), avoid reading the inner flap. It will puzzle you as you read the story until you get to the end, and realize that the summary reaches much too far into the saga!

[Marylène Girard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first book by Ellery Queen. Although I liked the story, I needed time to adapt to the writing style. Despite all this is a good plot, which once solved hides another one that is not expected at all. I will read the other four books of this author that I have in my possession but not more.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good mystery, with a locked-room twist (not really locked, but with a witness who saw that nobody went in or out). I found it a bit noir in style. Once Ellery seems to solve the mystery, hang on - he's not quite done yet! There's still another final twist.