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Drury Lane #2 #2
The Tragedy of Y
Drury Lane, a retired Shakespearean actor and amateur detective, investigates the poisonings of two members of the eccentric Hatter family
344 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1932
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359 people want to read
About the author
Barnaby Ross
13 books15 followersHouse pseudonym.
The Drury Lane mystery series was writen by Ellery Queen (Daniel Nathan and Manford Lepofsky).
The historical novels were ghosted by Don Tracy.
The Drury Lane mystery series was writen by Ellery Queen (Daniel Nathan and Manford Lepofsky).
The historical novels were ghosted by Don Tracy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
January 20, 2018
The second of the Drury Lane series and arguably the more well-known title by the Ellery Queen duo (aka Barnaby Ross), this one was more enjoyable than its predecessor, albeit equally long-winded, which I’ve come to accept as the authors’ style.
Just like The Tragedy of X , the culprit came out of the left and while this artistic license seemed to be taken to give the intended shock effect, it did not work as well for me because there’s hardly any character buildup involving the reader’s attention span when it comes to the murderer, and it makes for a very emotionally detached reading when the analysis was being laid out.
The underlying allegory painted by the story though is a grim one and not altogether implausible. I’m just a little trifled about the tendency to refer to this particular ‘evil virus in the family’, ‘crazy disease’, ‘afflicted blood’ etc as the source of all problems without the story ever pinpointing a more precise description of the so-called affliction safe for a Wassermann indicator in the presented doctor’s records. Stop waffling!
What does set this apart from the usual golden age detective fiction is its more realistic take on the psychology of murder - oftentimes there just isn’t any grand motive behind it. Like the simple pleasures in life, so can murder arise from inconsequential triggers. This setup is totally opposite from The Tragedy of X, whereby the murderer was fuelled by immense personal tragedy and revenge. And because of this distinction, and the meta-swipe at detective fiction in itself, this was, albeit not entirely satisfying, a worthy read with a much more interesting aftertaste.
Just like The Tragedy of X , the culprit came out of the left and while this artistic license seemed to be taken to give the intended shock effect, it did not work as well for me because there’s hardly any character buildup involving the reader’s attention span when it comes to the murderer, and it makes for a very emotionally detached reading when the analysis was being laid out.
The underlying allegory painted by the story though is a grim one and not altogether implausible. I’m just a little trifled about the tendency to refer to this particular ‘evil virus in the family’, ‘crazy disease’, ‘afflicted blood’ etc as the source of all problems without the story ever pinpointing a more precise description of the so-called affliction safe for a Wassermann indicator in the presented doctor’s records. Stop waffling!
What does set this apart from the usual golden age detective fiction is its more realistic take on the psychology of murder - oftentimes there just isn’t any grand motive behind it. Like the simple pleasures in life, so can murder arise from inconsequential triggers. This setup is totally opposite from The Tragedy of X, whereby the murderer was fuelled by immense personal tragedy and revenge. And because of this distinction, and the meta-swipe at detective fiction in itself, this was, albeit not entirely satisfying, a worthy read with a much more interesting aftertaste.
September 3, 2013
The other day I read this book's predecessor, The Tragedy of X, and, while I found it far from dreadful, it did seem to represent not so much a larval form of the great Ellery Queen partnership as a member of a previous generation. I'm not just talking about some of the appallingly insensitive stereotyping (of the physically impaired) it contains -- that was, after all, fairly typical of the era -- but of the entirely pedestrian nature of the plot, the hackneyed characterization, and the lackluster dragging out of a deus ex machina as the main prop of the mystery's solution. This second volume in the series has problems of its own, but at last Dannay and Lee (the duo comprising "Ellery Queen") seem to be finding their own voice. The plot's as far-flung and artificial as we could hope for; the solution comes right out of left field (at least so far as this reader's concerned) yet has been foreshadowed with complete fairness, all the clues being in plain view; the quips are by and large witty (although there's a ghastly moment when a buxom woman's bosom is oh so hilariously likened to a cow's udder); and the central character, deaf retired actor Drury Lane, has become so much a template for the waiting-in-the-wings sleuth Ellery Queen that at one point you can see where Dannay/Lee forgot that he was deaf and had to insert a hasty patch to explain what alerted him to a sound from behind.
York Hatter, downtrodden paterfamilias of a wealthy Manhattan brood, commits suicide by poisoning himself then jumping into the river. His survivors are as odd a lot, and as oftentimes vicious, as you could hope for; there are heavy but non-explicit hints that this is because York's unspeakably vile widow Emily naughtily contracted syphillis in her youth and has "tainted" everyone with it. The only family member not to be bonkers is Barbara; on the other hand, she's an acclaimed poet so maybe the pox got her too.
A few months after York's death, it seems someone attempts to poison his deaf, dumb and blind stepdaughter Louisa; only the fact that York's grandson Jackie stole a gulp of the laced eggnog, enough to make himself sick but no more, saved Louisa from downing the full, lethal dose. Weeks go by and it seems there'll be no solution emerging to the attempted murder, but then one night Louisa's mother, the ghastly Emily, is murdered by being hit over the head with a mandolin while, it seems, seeking to avert another attempt to poison Louisa. It's a case for blustering Inspector Thumm of the NYPD and his histrionic comrade Drury. There's a locked-room puzzle, a hidden manuscript, a case of arson -- all kinds of good stuff -- before Drury works out the solution, engineers matters so that there can be absolutely no doubt as to the murderer's guilt, and then breaks all laws to bring the tragedy to the best conclusion for all concerned.
There are two very silly digressions. In one, we spend pages with Drury and Barbara's swain Perry as Drury plans to use his own thespian skills and the genius of his makeup artist to disguise himself as Perry and thereby infiltrate the Hatter family; at the end of those pages Drury decides not to use this stratagem after all. (Perhaps one of the Queens pointed out to the other that this whole idea was nitwitted -- it'd take Barbara just one kiss to spot the impersonation -- but didn't have the gumption just to discard the section.) The other concerns another digression in response to Louisa's recollection that her mother's killer had an odd smell about him, which she can't quite identify . . . could it be cakes, ice cream, a rare orchid she sniffed years ago . . .? In fact, the odor proves to be vanilla, as Drury spends many pages ascertaining. Since much has been made of Louisa's amazingly sophisticated sense of smell, is it at all possible that vanilla wouldn't be the first scent she identified, be hanged with the orchids and stuff?
The other problem I had with the novel came at the end. As mentioned, the Queens are scrupulously fair in making sure the clues are presented openly in the narrative. In the book's latter chapters, Drury explains to Thumm and DA Bruno how those clues led him to the unequivocal identification of the killer; de rigueur for a detection of this type, of course. Yet Drury's explanations seem absolutely interminable. The clue to the killer's height, for example, requires a mere few words to become obvious; yet Drury goes through it in excruciating detail, spelling out each of the arithmetical steps involved in what's actually an unnecessarily precise calculation. Then, not satisfied with that, he uses a different arithmetical approach and goes through the whole blasted process again! (His math, alas, isn't good enough for him to realize that the two arithmetical approaches are in fact equivalent; the second calculation doesn't validate the first, just repeats it.)
But here I am, concentrating on the things I didn't like about this extremely early EQ novel when really I came away from it delighted by all its EQish aspects. Whereas, after The Tragedy of X, I turned to The Tragedy of Y with a sort of dutiful resignation, I'm now looking forward to the third and last of the Barnaby Ross novels, The Tragedy of Z, with some eagerness.
York Hatter, downtrodden paterfamilias of a wealthy Manhattan brood, commits suicide by poisoning himself then jumping into the river. His survivors are as odd a lot, and as oftentimes vicious, as you could hope for; there are heavy but non-explicit hints that this is because York's unspeakably vile widow Emily naughtily contracted syphillis in her youth and has "tainted" everyone with it. The only family member not to be bonkers is Barbara; on the other hand, she's an acclaimed poet so maybe the pox got her too.
A few months after York's death, it seems someone attempts to poison his deaf, dumb and blind stepdaughter Louisa; only the fact that York's grandson Jackie stole a gulp of the laced eggnog, enough to make himself sick but no more, saved Louisa from downing the full, lethal dose. Weeks go by and it seems there'll be no solution emerging to the attempted murder, but then one night Louisa's mother, the ghastly Emily, is murdered by being hit over the head with a mandolin while, it seems, seeking to avert another attempt to poison Louisa. It's a case for blustering Inspector Thumm of the NYPD and his histrionic comrade Drury. There's a locked-room puzzle, a hidden manuscript, a case of arson -- all kinds of good stuff -- before Drury works out the solution, engineers matters so that there can be absolutely no doubt as to the murderer's guilt, and then breaks all laws to bring the tragedy to the best conclusion for all concerned.
There are two very silly digressions. In one, we spend pages with Drury and Barbara's swain Perry as Drury plans to use his own thespian skills and the genius of his makeup artist to disguise himself as Perry and thereby infiltrate the Hatter family; at the end of those pages Drury decides not to use this stratagem after all. (Perhaps one of the Queens pointed out to the other that this whole idea was nitwitted -- it'd take Barbara just one kiss to spot the impersonation -- but didn't have the gumption just to discard the section.) The other concerns another digression in response to Louisa's recollection that her mother's killer had an odd smell about him, which she can't quite identify . . . could it be cakes, ice cream, a rare orchid she sniffed years ago . . .? In fact, the odor proves to be vanilla, as Drury spends many pages ascertaining. Since much has been made of Louisa's amazingly sophisticated sense of smell, is it at all possible that vanilla wouldn't be the first scent she identified, be hanged with the orchids and stuff?
The other problem I had with the novel came at the end. As mentioned, the Queens are scrupulously fair in making sure the clues are presented openly in the narrative. In the book's latter chapters, Drury explains to Thumm and DA Bruno how those clues led him to the unequivocal identification of the killer; de rigueur for a detection of this type, of course. Yet Drury's explanations seem absolutely interminable. The clue to the killer's height, for example, requires a mere few words to become obvious; yet Drury goes through it in excruciating detail, spelling out each of the arithmetical steps involved in what's actually an unnecessarily precise calculation. Then, not satisfied with that, he uses a different arithmetical approach and goes through the whole blasted process again! (His math, alas, isn't good enough for him to realize that the two arithmetical approaches are in fact equivalent; the second calculation doesn't validate the first, just repeats it.)
But here I am, concentrating on the things I didn't like about this extremely early EQ novel when really I came away from it delighted by all its EQish aspects. Whereas, after The Tragedy of X, I turned to The Tragedy of Y with a sort of dutiful resignation, I'm now looking forward to the third and last of the Barnaby Ross novels, The Tragedy of Z, with some eagerness.
April 4, 2024
Cuốn này đỡ dài dòng hơn bi kịch X nhưng những thanh tra vẫn bị "ngơ" thì không có gì thay đổi
Vẫn thích cái logic phá án như giải toán của tác giả về một gia đình " điên loạn" cũng như cách thức và hung thủ đều "điên " đến nỗi không ngờ được
Vẫn thích cái logic phá án như giải toán của tác giả về một gia đình " điên loạn" cũng như cách thức và hung thủ đều "điên " đến nỗi không ngờ được
December 2, 2018
Though the story is written under the pseudonym of ''Barnaby Ross," and the detective involved is one "Drury Lane," for all intents and purposes this is an "Ellery Queen" mystery (speaking of pseudonyms!) If one can overlook Mr. Lane's somewhat bland persona, the story of the doomed Hatter family is fascinating and action-packed. Following the discovery of York Hatter's poisoned body in the ocean, disturbing and homicidal activities start cropping up, back at the Hatter family's Greenwich Village mansion. Mr. Lane is called in by the police to help investigate, and soon discovers that the Hatter family puts the "D" in "dysfunctional." The solution to the crimes is as surprising as it is malevolent and disturbing. The story is a long read, at 344 pages (in my paperback edition), and drags a bit toward the end, but it's still an absorbing tale rich in description, suspense, and occasional dark humor. The Drury Lane series only consisted of four novels, but if this one is representative, I'll be checking out the other three.
March 25, 2016
Ellery Queen, who is, of course, Barnaby Ross, is so much a better writer than was the creator of Philo Vance, but this book is definitely in Vance's territory. And Queen, the perfect logician, doesn't manage the frisson of horror that is a feature of so many of Van Dine's books. York Hatter is a suicide, but his wealthy and tyrannical wife Emily and their children still live in their Greenwich Village mansion. His deaf-mute, blind stepdaughter Louisa is almost poisoned. A second attempt on Louisa's life ends in Emily's death. Only retired actor Drury Lane can come close to solving the puzzles around this murder, and Lane doesn't want to reveal the solution.
December 5, 2016
Điểm 5.5/10
Không có gì đặc sắc
Ellery Queen được rất nhiều người tôn vinh là ông vua logic nên tôi khá háo hức trước khi đọc quyển này.
Nhưng khách quan mà nói mức độ logic của cuốn này cũng chỉ ở mức bình thường, chưa kể hung thủ có phần khá gượng ép.
Là một tác phẩm trinh thám cổ điển nhưng lại không có những điểm đặc sắc riêng. Cuốn này vay mượn motif từ 2 tác phẩm hàng đầu đã xuất bản trước đó của các tác giả khác (dù chỉ một phần ở mỗi cuốn nhưng khá quan trọng).
Nếu bạn muốn tìm đọc một tác phẩm trinh thám cổ điển có những nét đặc sắc riêng mà sau đó nhiều tác giả khác "xào nấu" lại thì có lẽ đây không phải là cuốn sách như vậy.
Không có gì đặc sắc
Ellery Queen được rất nhiều người tôn vinh là ông vua logic nên tôi khá háo hức trước khi đọc quyển này.
Nhưng khách quan mà nói mức độ logic của cuốn này cũng chỉ ở mức bình thường, chưa kể hung thủ có phần khá gượng ép.
Là một tác phẩm trinh thám cổ điển nhưng lại không có những điểm đặc sắc riêng. Cuốn này vay mượn motif từ 2 tác phẩm hàng đầu đã xuất bản trước đó của các tác giả khác (dù chỉ một phần ở mỗi cuốn nhưng khá quan trọng).
Nếu bạn muốn tìm đọc một tác phẩm trinh thám cổ điển có những nét đặc sắc riêng mà sau đó nhiều tác giả khác "xào nấu" lại thì có lẽ đây không phải là cuốn sách như vậy.
July 8, 2019
Bi kịch Y được viết mượt mà hơn X, đọc dễ dàng hơn rất nhiều. Vụ án vẫn thu hút, nhưng thay vì một loạt các vụ án như X thì ở Y là một loạt các bí ẩn, tưởng như liên quan nhưng lại không tìm thấy đường dây kết nối nào cả. Cuốn sách đã có thể rất shock, rất choáng ngợp nếu như tác giả không fairplay quá mức, tung ra một gợi ý quá quan trọng khiến ai cũng đoán ra được hung thủ. Một điểm trừ cho trải nghiệm đọc trinh thám nhưng lại là một điểm cộng ở mặt nào đó. Vậy nên vẫn dành tặng 5 sao cho cuốn này.
June 19, 2017
thật là một vụ án không tưởng. tác giả khai thác motif "con nít quỷ" với "gia đình điên loạn" như the crooked house, cơ nhưng mà quyển này khó đọc hơn :(((
June 25, 2018
Only tepid. Too much angst and repetitive verbiage, and far too easy to guess whodunit.
October 2, 2025
Well, that was certainly dated! Wow. There is a reason this book is not talked about when discussing Golden Era mysteries. I recently read my first Queen, a Perry Mason mystery set in the 1950s and it was pleasingly quaint and retro. I thought reading a Queen written in the 1930s would be even better. I was wrong.
Where to even begin? The turgid overblown writing style? The pacing that moved like the sloth in that cartoon Zootopia? The repeated slurs against middle-aged/older women and against disabled people? The 'modern' psychology?
What are you looking at, Miss Smith? That's all!" Miss Smith gasped and beat a hasty retreat, wabbling her jelly breasts like a fat old cow.
You yourself know what the evil strain in this family was caused by. Although he was only thirteen, Jackie had in his veins the diseased blood of his father and grandmother. Probably at birth he was potentially a murderer —which is to say, he had the hereditary weakness of the Hatter strain. At birth a potential murderer! Aren't we all lol
Actually, I enjoyed the over the top psychology veneer. Very modern for 1932, I am sure. Reminded me of the old Katherine Hepburn/Liz Taylor/Montgomery Cliff movie Suddenly Last Summer. Liz covering her mouth and screaming in the mental ward! Also was reminded of the brother in the excellent screwball comedy My Man Godfrey. Or Gregory Peck the psychoanalyst having trippy dreams In Hitchcock's Spellbound. I kept reading because I was amused by these parts of the story.
The ending of the book is nuts. I had correctly guessed the killer and yet I still was amazed by the 70(!) page explanation of the crimes. I'd say at least ten pages were devoted to the killer's height. I wish I was joking. Ten pages! And the private detective's reason for not telling the cops is so wacko. Blood will tell!
"From every sociological standpoint that boy could not be considered morally responsible for his crime. He was a victim of his grandmother's sins. What was I to do? Reveal his guilt?
Why Louisa Campion was born blind and dumb, with a disposition toward deafness....Why Barbara Hatter is a genius.... Why Conrad Hatter is subject to maniacal rages, why he drinks and wastes his life away... Why Jill Hatter is reckless and beautiful, but innately vicious, a harpy.... THE BLOOD!
Where to even begin? The turgid overblown writing style? The pacing that moved like the sloth in that cartoon Zootopia? The repeated slurs against middle-aged/older women and against disabled people? The 'modern' psychology?
What are you looking at, Miss Smith? That's all!" Miss Smith gasped and beat a hasty retreat, wabbling her jelly breasts like a fat old cow.
You yourself know what the evil strain in this family was caused by. Although he was only thirteen, Jackie had in his veins the diseased blood of his father and grandmother. Probably at birth he was potentially a murderer —which is to say, he had the hereditary weakness of the Hatter strain. At birth a potential murderer! Aren't we all lol
Actually, I enjoyed the over the top psychology veneer. Very modern for 1932, I am sure. Reminded me of the old Katherine Hepburn/Liz Taylor/Montgomery Cliff movie Suddenly Last Summer. Liz covering her mouth and screaming in the mental ward! Also was reminded of the brother in the excellent screwball comedy My Man Godfrey. Or Gregory Peck the psychoanalyst having trippy dreams In Hitchcock's Spellbound. I kept reading because I was amused by these parts of the story.
The ending of the book is nuts. I had correctly guessed the killer and yet I still was amazed by the 70(!) page explanation of the crimes. I'd say at least ten pages were devoted to the killer's height. I wish I was joking. Ten pages! And the private detective's reason for not telling the cops is so wacko. Blood will tell!
"From every sociological standpoint that boy could not be considered morally responsible for his crime. He was a victim of his grandmother's sins. What was I to do? Reveal his guilt?
Why Louisa Campion was born blind and dumb, with a disposition toward deafness....Why Barbara Hatter is a genius.... Why Conrad Hatter is subject to maniacal rages, why he drinks and wastes his life away... Why Jill Hatter is reckless and beautiful, but innately vicious, a harpy.... THE BLOOD!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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May 10, 2025Hard not to compare this one with a certain Christie novel - one that came out after this one, to my surprise. Both of these books are good, in any case, I can't decide whose approach to this idea I like better.
Ellery Queen loves lengthy discussions and explanations of all his clues. I can respect that, but judging by other reviews, many people find it rather tiring.
Ellery Queen loves lengthy discussions and explanations of all his clues. I can respect that, but judging by other reviews, many people find it rather tiring.
April 13, 2025
Not bad but I definitely disliked the way EVERYTHING is explained at the end, for a vast number of pages. Some of it also doesn’t make much sense and I’m not a fan of having a singular character showcasing everything to others of equal importance
September 1, 2025
第一次觉得书中主人公有病有表演性人格，这个主人公还恰好是个演员，绝了
January 1, 2025
This was a dark book, on several levels, albeit a product of its time. There is the condescending treatment of Louisa due to her disability (although she does contribute vital clues). There is the episode near the end as the writer explains an unnamed "shameful disease" has spread through the family, and is part of the motive of the crimes. While off-limits in 1932 to discuss sexually transmitted diseases., the symptoms and presentation certainly indicate syphilis, given to Emily by her first husband, resulting in Louisa's disabilities, and further infecting her second husband and their children. Finally, there is the cringy discussion on the last page of what to do with the murderer. The result is not explicity stated, but my interpretation is that Drury Lane arranges his own justice to be served, resulting in the murderer's own death.
Those aspects aside, Drury Lane turns in a good performance, and realistic in that he tries various approaches, not all successful; yet he plugs on. The use of his theatrical skills are minimal, and even rejected at one point.
There is a lot of precision involved in the solution - various measurements (all carefully documented) of heights, footsteps, shelf spacing, etc. and elaborate descriptions of arrangement of bottles on shelves, and so on.
The solution - the identity of murderer and what drove the murderer to act - is pretty clever and an approach I had not seen before.
Those aspects aside, Drury Lane turns in a good performance, and realistic in that he tries various approaches, not all successful; yet he plugs on. The use of his theatrical skills are minimal, and even rejected at one point.
There is a lot of precision involved in the solution - various measurements (all carefully documented) of heights, footsteps, shelf spacing, etc. and elaborate descriptions of arrangement of bottles on shelves, and so on.
The solution - the identity of murderer and what drove the murderer to act - is pretty clever and an approach I had not seen before.
May 29, 2015
he Tragedy of Y is Drury Lane's second outing as recorded in print and it brings him in contact with the Hatter family--the Mad Hatters as they are known. The Hatters are not just mad...but they are thoroughly nasty people. The family is ruled by the imperious Emily Hatter--a woman who sowed plenty of wild oats before marrying poor York Hatter. York had been a brilliant scientist before Emily got him in her clutches--sucking the life out of him and making him bend to her every whim. She rules the rest of the household--three grown children, one daughter-in-law, two grandsons, a cook, a maid, and nurse--with an iron fist. The only one she seems to have any feeling for is her fourth child--a young woman born with certain disabilities and who has acquired more. Louisa is deaf, blind, and mute.
The old lady's preference for Louisa only ensures that the woman will be hated by the rest of the family. And it isn't long before the family's madness and vicious streak takes hold. York is the first to go--drowned at sea and an apparent suicide. What follows is a rash of poisonings...all attempts to get rid of Louisa...and then, finally, murder when Emily is killed with the oddest of weapons--York's mandolin. The police are baffled and call in Drury Lane to help them get to the bottom of the mystery. There are clues and false clues and the first thing that must be determined is who was the real target? Were the attempts on Louisa genuine and the old lady killed to prevent the murderer from being caught too soon? Or will someone be wiping out as many of the Hatters as they can? Lane discovers that there is a detailed plan being followed...but whose plan is it? And why are there references to York Hatter when the man was the first to die?
I am enjoying these mysteries featuring Drury Lane very much. The plots are nice and intricate and there are plenty of clues to be had. For a fair amount of the book it looks like a dead man may be responsible and the explanation of the plot is very pretty indeed (in the short form). My one complaint has to do with Lane's methods--he plays that brilliant amateur keeping clues from the police role just a little too well. There are real dangers in his secrecy. The other problem with Lane is his tendency to drag out his wrap-up. An explanation that should take--at most--four or five pages goes on for almost twenty. Another three and 3/4 star adventure.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
The old lady's preference for Louisa only ensures that the woman will be hated by the rest of the family. And it isn't long before the family's madness and vicious streak takes hold. York is the first to go--drowned at sea and an apparent suicide. What follows is a rash of poisonings...all attempts to get rid of Louisa...and then, finally, murder when Emily is killed with the oddest of weapons--York's mandolin. The police are baffled and call in Drury Lane to help them get to the bottom of the mystery. There are clues and false clues and the first thing that must be determined is who was the real target? Were the attempts on Louisa genuine and the old lady killed to prevent the murderer from being caught too soon? Or will someone be wiping out as many of the Hatters as they can? Lane discovers that there is a detailed plan being followed...but whose plan is it? And why are there references to York Hatter when the man was the first to die?
I am enjoying these mysteries featuring Drury Lane very much. The plots are nice and intricate and there are plenty of clues to be had. For a fair amount of the book it looks like a dead man may be responsible and the explanation of the plot is very pretty indeed (in the short form). My one complaint has to do with Lane's methods--he plays that brilliant amateur keeping clues from the police role just a little too well. There are real dangers in his secrecy. The other problem with Lane is his tendency to drag out his wrap-up. An explanation that should take--at most--four or five pages goes on for almost twenty. Another three and 3/4 star adventure.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
January 8, 2021
Superbo
Questa volta il nostro Drury Lane viene interpellato dalla polizia per una situazione particolare, che ricorda quel bel dramma familiare che era La fine dei Green (o alcune opere della Christie di tema simile)
La famiglia Hatter (si, proprio come il Mad Hatter, il cappellaio matto, di Alice) è molto particolare. La matriarca Emily, ricchissima, ha avuto una prima figlia, Alice, cieca e sorda ma molto indipendente. Ha poi sposato York Hatter, chimico di professione con un laboratorio che riveste un ruolo importante nel romanzo, dal quale ha avuto figli e nipoti uno più mentalmente instabile e bizzarro dell’altro: un alcolizzato, un personaggio da gossip, una poetessa, un ragazzino indisciplinato e ribelle… Il romanzo si apre con il suicidio per avvelenamento di York, che viene rinvenuto però con il cadavere quasi irriconoscibile, corroso dall’acqua di mare. Poco dopo, qualcuno tenta di avvelenare Louise. E’ qui che entra in scena Drury Lane, che (a differenza della tragedia di X, dove come un oracolo disse di aver capito, pur senza poterlo provare, chi fosse l’assassino fin dalla sua prima entrata in scena) ammette di brancolare nel buio, tanto che un omicidio poco dopo avviene effettivamente, con un bizzarro mezzo di morte, un mandolino. A poco a poco Drury inizierà a comprendere, fino al sorprendente finale, davvero inaspettato anche per i lettori più esperti ed esigenti, con tanto di dilemma morale che Drury risolve a modo suo, non senza una sofferta lotta interiore.
Un romanzo superbo, con grandissima lealtà e al tempo stesso sufficiente abbondanza di false piste e di falsi indizi da rendere difficile la scoperta della soluzione per il lettore, e con un’atmosfera di famiglia moralmente e psichicamente in decadenza che affascina senza distrarre dalla tensione di scoprire chi e perché sta decimando i membri della famiglia Hatter. Uno dei più bei romanzi gialli che mi sia mai capitato di leggere.
Questa volta il nostro Drury Lane viene interpellato dalla polizia per una situazione particolare, che ricorda quel bel dramma familiare che era La fine dei Green (o alcune opere della Christie di tema simile)
La famiglia Hatter (si, proprio come il Mad Hatter, il cappellaio matto, di Alice) è molto particolare. La matriarca Emily, ricchissima, ha avuto una prima figlia, Alice, cieca e sorda ma molto indipendente. Ha poi sposato York Hatter, chimico di professione con un laboratorio che riveste un ruolo importante nel romanzo, dal quale ha avuto figli e nipoti uno più mentalmente instabile e bizzarro dell’altro: un alcolizzato, un personaggio da gossip, una poetessa, un ragazzino indisciplinato e ribelle… Il romanzo si apre con il suicidio per avvelenamento di York, che viene rinvenuto però con il cadavere quasi irriconoscibile, corroso dall’acqua di mare. Poco dopo, qualcuno tenta di avvelenare Louise. E’ qui che entra in scena Drury Lane, che (a differenza della tragedia di X, dove come un oracolo disse di aver capito, pur senza poterlo provare, chi fosse l’assassino fin dalla sua prima entrata in scena) ammette di brancolare nel buio, tanto che un omicidio poco dopo avviene effettivamente, con un bizzarro mezzo di morte, un mandolino. A poco a poco Drury inizierà a comprendere, fino al sorprendente finale, davvero inaspettato anche per i lettori più esperti ed esigenti, con tanto di dilemma morale che Drury risolve a modo suo, non senza una sofferta lotta interiore.
Un romanzo superbo, con grandissima lealtà e al tempo stesso sufficiente abbondanza di false piste e di falsi indizi da rendere difficile la scoperta della soluzione per il lettore, e con un’atmosfera di famiglia moralmente e psichicamente in decadenza che affascina senza distrarre dalla tensione di scoprire chi e perché sta decimando i membri della famiglia Hatter. Uno dei più bei romanzi gialli che mi sia mai capitato di leggere.
December 24, 2018
"Cái ác ư? Làm gì có cái ác nào thuần túy; ngay cả quỷ Satan còn từng là một thiên thần. Hay đó chỉ là những kẻ vô tri sa ngã, nạn nhân của một định mệnh ngang trái"
- Thể loại: Trinh thám cổ điển, suy luận logic
- Chấm điểm: 9/10
- Nội dung: Sự ra đi của York Hatter- thành viên của gia đình nổi tiếng với toàn thành viên "điên loạn" - là mở màn cho hàng loạt vụ đầu độc diễn ra tại biệt thử của nhà Hatter tại Greenwich. Do yếu tố kì quặc của các vụ đầu độc, nghệ sĩ già về hưu Drury Lane phối hợp cùng thanh trả Thumm và công tố viên Bruno giải quyết bí mật. Manh mối duy nhất chỉ tìm được qua lời khai của người con gái vừa câm, điếc, mù của gia đình Hatter. Liệu chỉ với 2 giác quan còn lại, lời khai của cô có chính xác, và những vụ đầu độc không thành công có phải mục đích của thủ phạm hay không?
- Nhận xét:
+ Về mặt nội dung: Truyện khá dễ đoán so với Tấn bi kịch X, thủ phạm hay cách thức cũng được sử dụng trong nhiều tác phẩm trinh thám khác. Cái hay ở Tấn bi kịch Y có lẽ lại nằm ở phần miêu tả tâm lý từng nhân vật. Đặc biệt tâm lý của Drury Lane trong Y khác hẳn hình ảnh tò mò, tọc mạch tự tin ở X. Trong Y hiện lên là Drury Lane có chút ủy khuất. Chính điều này khiến cá nhân khi đọc Y thấy gần gũi hơn so với X.
+ Về bìa: Y có màu đỏ, hình ảnh trên bìa thì vẫn là hình cũ. Nhưng màu đỏ có vẻ không hợp nổi chi tiết các hình trên bìa.
+ Về mặt dịch thuật: có lẽ do đã đọc X trước nên đã quen với lối hành văn của dịch giả nên cuốn Tấn bi kịch Y dễ đọc hơn. Đồng thời một phần cũng do trong Tấn bi kịch Y không còn sự đối đầu, nghi ngờ giữa Thumm và Drury Lane nên truyện không bị quá căng.
Đánh giá chung: Đáng ra thì quyển Tấn bị kịch Y phải được điểm cao hơn X, nhưng do truyện không gây được bất ngờ về các mặt cần thiết của một cuốn truyện trinh thám nên đành cho thấp hơn X 0.5 điểm vậy.
- Thể loại: Trinh thám cổ điển, suy luận logic
- Chấm điểm: 9/10
- Nội dung: Sự ra đi của York Hatter- thành viên của gia đình nổi tiếng với toàn thành viên "điên loạn" - là mở màn cho hàng loạt vụ đầu độc diễn ra tại biệt thử của nhà Hatter tại Greenwich. Do yếu tố kì quặc của các vụ đầu độc, nghệ sĩ già về hưu Drury Lane phối hợp cùng thanh trả Thumm và công tố viên Bruno giải quyết bí mật. Manh mối duy nhất chỉ tìm được qua lời khai của người con gái vừa câm, điếc, mù của gia đình Hatter. Liệu chỉ với 2 giác quan còn lại, lời khai của cô có chính xác, và những vụ đầu độc không thành công có phải mục đích của thủ phạm hay không?
- Nhận xét:
+ Về mặt nội dung: Truyện khá dễ đoán so với Tấn bi kịch X, thủ phạm hay cách thức cũng được sử dụng trong nhiều tác phẩm trinh thám khác. Cái hay ở Tấn bi kịch Y có lẽ lại nằm ở phần miêu tả tâm lý từng nhân vật. Đặc biệt tâm lý của Drury Lane trong Y khác hẳn hình ảnh tò mò, tọc mạch tự tin ở X. Trong Y hiện lên là Drury Lane có chút ủy khuất. Chính điều này khiến cá nhân khi đọc Y thấy gần gũi hơn so với X.
+ Về bìa: Y có màu đỏ, hình ảnh trên bìa thì vẫn là hình cũ. Nhưng màu đỏ có vẻ không hợp nổi chi tiết các hình trên bìa.
+ Về mặt dịch thuật: có lẽ do đã đọc X trước nên đã quen với lối hành văn của dịch giả nên cuốn Tấn bi kịch Y dễ đọc hơn. Đồng thời một phần cũng do trong Tấn bi kịch Y không còn sự đối đầu, nghi ngờ giữa Thumm và Drury Lane nên truyện không bị quá căng.
Đánh giá chung: Đáng ra thì quyển Tấn bị kịch Y phải được điểm cao hơn X, nhưng do truyện không gây được bất ngờ về các mặt cần thiết của một cuốn truyện trinh thám nên đành cho thấp hơn X 0.5 điểm vậy.
January 22, 2023
Không nói đến phong chữ bé như cái lỗ mũi, chỉ tập trung vào mản trinh thám, hình sự thì Tấn bi kịch Y có những hạt sạn vô cùng ngớ ngẩn và phi lý.
Để tránh spoile thì mình chỉ nói 1 vài sơ sót hiển nhiên trong tác phẩm thôi.
Khi có án mạng xảy ra, ai cũng biết là phải giữ nguyên hiện trường, đặc biệt là cảnh sát, ấy thế mà khi có vài viên thanh tra cảnh sát ở trong căn phòng vừa xảy ra án mạng, 1 người giúp việc lại thản nhiên đi vào mang đĩa trái cây ra, các thanh tra đứng đó dòm mà chẳng nói gì cả. Bởi vì phong chữ quá nhỏ khiến mình rất ức chế khi đọc, cộng thêm cái sai sót ngớ ngẩn như thế làm mình muốn nghỉ đọc cuốn này ngay tại lúc đó luôn. Nhưng đã mua rồi thì ráng đọc cho hết.
Một điểm tào lao nữa cũng liên quan đến cảnh sát. Họ khám nghiệm hiện trường kiểu quái gì ấy. Lò sưởi thông 2 căn phòng với nhau mà họ chẳng biết, trong ống khói có giấu đồ họ cũng chẳng biết luôn, toàn để thám tử chỉ ra.
Còn một điểm kì cục nữa. Hung khí là 1 cây đàn, nạn nhân tử vong là do bị cây đàn này cho MỘT cú, cộng với bị bệnh tim. Đến cuối cùng khi thám tử chỉ ra hung thủ, mình tự đặt câu hỏi: Ủa, hung thủ như thế, hung khí như thế, vậy nếu cú đánh không khiến nạn nhân chết thì sao, đâu phải cứ bị đánh là bệnh tim tái phát rồi chết đâu, trùng hợp đến thế á??? Quá mức miễn cưỡng!
Bởi hung thủ và nguyên nhân gây án trong tác phẩm này khá là quái lạ cho nên khi đọc xong mình cứ cảm thấy nó kì cục mà quái quái thế nào ấy.
Đoạn cuối khiến mình hơi bị sốc, không phải vì hung thủ là ai, mà là vì hành động của tay thám tử.
Tóm lại, truyện trinh thám mà có nhiều sạn thế này thì không hay, tuy nhiên, mình khá ấn tượng với hung thủ và cách sử lý của thám tử nên mình vẫn khuyên các fan trinh thám nên đọc tác phẩm này để tận hưởng cảm giác mới mẻ mà nó mang lại.
Để tránh spoile thì mình chỉ nói 1 vài sơ sót hiển nhiên trong tác phẩm thôi.
Khi có án mạng xảy ra, ai cũng biết là phải giữ nguyên hiện trường, đặc biệt là cảnh sát, ấy thế mà khi có vài viên thanh tra cảnh sát ở trong căn phòng vừa xảy ra án mạng, 1 người giúp việc lại thản nhiên đi vào mang đĩa trái cây ra, các thanh tra đứng đó dòm mà chẳng nói gì cả. Bởi vì phong chữ quá nhỏ khiến mình rất ức chế khi đọc, cộng thêm cái sai sót ngớ ngẩn như thế làm mình muốn nghỉ đọc cuốn này ngay tại lúc đó luôn. Nhưng đã mua rồi thì ráng đọc cho hết.
Một điểm tào lao nữa cũng liên quan đến cảnh sát. Họ khám nghiệm hiện trường kiểu quái gì ấy. Lò sưởi thông 2 căn phòng với nhau mà họ chẳng biết, trong ống khói có giấu đồ họ cũng chẳng biết luôn, toàn để thám tử chỉ ra.
Còn một điểm kì cục nữa. Hung khí là 1 cây đàn, nạn nhân tử vong là do bị cây đàn này cho MỘT cú, cộng với bị bệnh tim. Đến cuối cùng khi thám tử chỉ ra hung thủ, mình tự đặt câu hỏi: Ủa, hung thủ như thế, hung khí như thế, vậy nếu cú đánh không khiến nạn nhân chết thì sao, đâu phải cứ bị đánh là bệnh tim tái phát rồi chết đâu, trùng hợp đến thế á??? Quá mức miễn cưỡng!
Bởi hung thủ và nguyên nhân gây án trong tác phẩm này khá là quái lạ cho nên khi đọc xong mình cứ cảm thấy nó kì cục mà quái quái thế nào ấy.
Đoạn cuối khiến mình hơi bị sốc, không phải vì hung thủ là ai, mà là vì hành động của tay thám tử.
Tóm lại, truyện trinh thám mà có nhiều sạn thế này thì không hay, tuy nhiên, mình khá ấn tượng với hung thủ và cách sử lý của thám tử nên mình vẫn khuyên các fan trinh thám nên đọc tác phẩm này để tận hưởng cảm giác mới mẻ mà nó mang lại.
October 13, 2022
After really enjoying The Tragedy of X, I was enormously disappointed in the second Drury Lane novel, The Tragedy of Y. There are three main reasons:
1. The characters are almost universally unappealing. The murder(s) take place among a wealthy family whose members, with one notable exception, are grasping, nasty, selfish people. The exception is the eldest daughter of the family matriarch, a woman who is described in the parlance of the 1930s as deaf and dumb. The authors treat her in an offhandedly semi-offensive manner, but nevertheless provide interesting depth to her character and discuss how she accomplishes everyday tasks with objectivity and respect. But she's the exception; apart from Lane himself, she's the only character I liked.
2. The solution is unbelievably, boringly detailed. There are seemingly endless pages about the calculation of a character's height, for example, that are pretty much unnecessary since we're totally with Lane on his conclusion.
3. Finally, there is a good deal of "playing God" by Lane and the police here, something I never find particularly effective. There's also a lot of misogynistic judging by the authors of a disease that hopefully today would inspire only empathy; a product of the times, perhaps, but unfortunate.
1. The characters are almost universally unappealing. The murder(s) take place among a wealthy family whose members, with one notable exception, are grasping, nasty, selfish people. The exception is the eldest daughter of the family matriarch, a woman who is described in the parlance of the 1930s as deaf and dumb. The authors treat her in an offhandedly semi-offensive manner, but nevertheless provide interesting depth to her character and discuss how she accomplishes everyday tasks with objectivity and respect. But she's the exception; apart from Lane himself, she's the only character I liked.
2. The solution is unbelievably, boringly detailed. There are seemingly endless pages about the calculation of a character's height, for example, that are pretty much unnecessary since we're totally with Lane on his conclusion.
3. Finally, there is a good deal of "playing God" by Lane and the police here, something I never find particularly effective. There's also a lot of misogynistic judging by the authors of a disease that hopefully today would inspire only empathy; a product of the times, perhaps, but unfortunate.
May 7, 2020
Bellissimo romanzo queeniano della saga di Drury Lane. Un mistero affascinante che ruota intorno alla famiglia Hatter. Da una parte il romanzo è una critica spietata alla società moderna, ai valori canonici e anche allo stesso romanzo giallo. Una soluzione amara, che ricalca un famoso romanzo della Christie, ma che lascia sbalorditi. Un romanzo psicologico oltre che deduttivo, che scardina le stesse basi su cui si fonda il genere stesso.
RILETTURA
Un grandioso e tetro romanzo con protagonista l'attore shakespeariano Drury Lane. A chiunque afferma che il giallo sia un genere da svago, un mero divertissement, farei leggere romanzi come questo per fargli capire quanto sia lontano dall'effettiva realtà. Perché questo romanzo è più nero di ogni romanzo gotico che si possa leggere: è la rappresentazione di un'umanità non umana, di una famiglia, gli Hatter, in cui domina l'odio fraterno, le rivalità. È la dimostrazione di come sia illusoria l'idea della famiglia come nido sicuro dai ripari del mondo. E la soluzione, sebbene sia ad un certo punto indovinabile, è particolarmente cruda. Un romanzo amaro che, attraverso una serie di efferati delitti, trova lo spunto per corrodere tutti gli idealismo sentimentali su cui gli uomini si cullano:la famiglia e la società stessa come garanti dell'ordine. Grandioso.
RILETTURA
Un grandioso e tetro romanzo con protagonista l'attore shakespeariano Drury Lane. A chiunque afferma che il giallo sia un genere da svago, un mero divertissement, farei leggere romanzi come questo per fargli capire quanto sia lontano dall'effettiva realtà. Perché questo romanzo è più nero di ogni romanzo gotico che si possa leggere: è la rappresentazione di un'umanità non umana, di una famiglia, gli Hatter, in cui domina l'odio fraterno, le rivalità. È la dimostrazione di come sia illusoria l'idea della famiglia come nido sicuro dai ripari del mondo. E la soluzione, sebbene sia ad un certo punto indovinabile, è particolarmente cruda. Un romanzo amaro che, attraverso una serie di efferati delitti, trova lo spunto per corrodere tutti gli idealismo sentimentali su cui gli uomini si cullano:la famiglia e la società stessa come garanti dell'ordine. Grandioso.
May 25, 2020
One sentence. That one sentence. That one sentence was able to explain the complicated mystery that has happened. There are very few mystery novels that are able to explain its mystery only by one simple sentence. The Tragedy of Y managed to pull it off. Perfectly IMO.
Having read E.Q. novels (the first nationality titles), there are some similarities I found here. Rigorous deduction. The search of some object(s). And over-explanations of things that could be explained in a much more simple way. It is necessary I guess to accomplished the author's style of proofing-that-the-solution-of-the-mystery-only-points-to-one-and-only-one-person. What I'm saying is, It needed not to be that long. JDC could probably explain the points in a much simpler way.
Nevertheless, the writing style and the plot is very much an improvement than the previous title, and much better than the E.Q. novels. Much more dynamic and the casts of characters is more unique as well as interesting. A rich and dysfunctional family. An attempted poisoning, later followed by the death of the tyrannical matriarch. And of course, there's a will involved. And in the center of it all, a deaf-blind and dumb member of the family. What a tragedy indeed!
Having read E.Q. novels (the first nationality titles), there are some similarities I found here. Rigorous deduction. The search of some object(s). And over-explanations of things that could be explained in a much more simple way. It is necessary I guess to accomplished the author's style of proofing-that-the-solution-of-the-mystery-only-points-to-one-and-only-one-person. What I'm saying is, It needed not to be that long. JDC could probably explain the points in a much simpler way.
Nevertheless, the writing style and the plot is very much an improvement than the previous title, and much better than the E.Q. novels. Much more dynamic and the casts of characters is more unique as well as interesting. A rich and dysfunctional family. An attempted poisoning, later followed by the death of the tyrannical matriarch. And of course, there's a will involved. And in the center of it all, a deaf-blind and dumb member of the family. What a tragedy indeed!
June 30, 2015
Enjoyed this mystery featuring a rich family trapped under one roof at the mercy of a nasty matriarch and her purse strings. The story begins with an attempted poisoning of a blind and deaf adult child of the (mad) Hatter family. As mystery readers know- nothing sets up a murder like hate and a group of people unable to make ends meet on their own.
The interesting flip on this story is the motive and the killer--- one of the root causes is not mentioned specifically (won't give it away) but at the time it was not as understood as it is today so you must keep that in mind when you hear the answer. It is a real conundrum, where the events don't make sense but in the end make perfect sense when told. It's the ultimate when you remove all other answers that don't fit the remaining one that fits- must be the answer.
Also, we get to see Lane in a more emotionally involved light here. Would have been fun to have had a few more of these stories but the Ellery Queen team (who wrote this) wanted to match of the tragedy with x y and then z.
If you like to figure stuff out and need a challenge- this is one of those stories.
The interesting flip on this story is the motive and the killer--- one of the root causes is not mentioned specifically (won't give it away) but at the time it was not as understood as it is today so you must keep that in mind when you hear the answer. It is a real conundrum, where the events don't make sense but in the end make perfect sense when told. It's the ultimate when you remove all other answers that don't fit the remaining one that fits- must be the answer.
Also, we get to see Lane in a more emotionally involved light here. Would have been fun to have had a few more of these stories but the Ellery Queen team (who wrote this) wanted to match of the tragedy with x y and then z.
If you like to figure stuff out and need a challenge- this is one of those stories.
October 25, 2019
Chúng ta trông chờ điều gì vào gia đình Hatter điên rồ ngoài những bi kịch?
Chúng ta mong ngóng điều gì vào cái cấu trúc gia đình lỏng lẻo tập hợp của vô số những con người vừa điển hình của thời đại, vừa cá biệt của thời đại ngoài bi kịch?
Từng tấm phông màn được kéo lên, cả bộ truyện như những lát cắt của vở kịch với những không gian bó hẹp nhưng đầy đủ. Các tình tiết logic, các dữ liệu logic, và người đọc bị cuốn theo những dữ liệu ấy để tự tìm câu trả lời cho riêng mình thật logic, không chút nào đoán mò. Và để đến khi kết thúc, "thầy giáo" Lane đưa ra câu trả lời chi tiết và thuyết phục, mỗi người chúng ta đều vỡ òa như được điểm 10 cho bài kiểm tra trinh thám 🤣
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Thật khó khăn để thú nhận: mình chưa hề đọc Tấn bi kịch X trước tấn bi kịch Y, mình còn chẳng hề có cuốn sách ấy. Nhưng may mắn thay, ngoài một vài chi tiết có nhắc đến, mình vẫn có thêt đọc Tấn bi kịch Y hoàn toàn độc lập.
Điểm nội dung 8
Điểm hình thức 8
TB: Ai cũng biết căn bệnh bà mẹ mắc phải nhưng tác giả cứ úp mở là sao?
Chúng ta mong ngóng điều gì vào cái cấu trúc gia đình lỏng lẻo tập hợp của vô số những con người vừa điển hình của thời đại, vừa cá biệt của thời đại ngoài bi kịch?
Từng tấm phông màn được kéo lên, cả bộ truyện như những lát cắt của vở kịch với những không gian bó hẹp nhưng đầy đủ. Các tình tiết logic, các dữ liệu logic, và người đọc bị cuốn theo những dữ liệu ấy để tự tìm câu trả lời cho riêng mình thật logic, không chút nào đoán mò. Và để đến khi kết thúc, "thầy giáo" Lane đưa ra câu trả lời chi tiết và thuyết phục, mỗi người chúng ta đều vỡ òa như được điểm 10 cho bài kiểm tra trinh thám 🤣
***
Thật khó khăn để thú nhận: mình chưa hề đọc Tấn bi kịch X trước tấn bi kịch Y, mình còn chẳng hề có cuốn sách ấy. Nhưng may mắn thay, ngoài một vài chi tiết có nhắc đến, mình vẫn có thêt đọc Tấn bi kịch Y hoàn toàn độc lập.
Điểm nội dung 8
Điểm hình thức 8
TB: Ai cũng biết căn bệnh bà mẹ mắc phải nhưng tác giả cứ úp mở là sao?
February 24, 2021
Wonderful addition to a great series. Ellery Queen is totally the best. I figured out who did it fairly early on and then in true Queen fashion I wandered off track thinking it couldn't be. But then it was exactly who I thought it was....just not the reason why I thought it was. Ellery Queen aka Barnaby Ross, takes their readers into the story with a feeling that you are there with Drury Lane, the protagonist. He's a marvelous character and if movies were made of this series I would have cast Peter O'Toole in the lead role before he died.
I enjoyed the first of this series, Tragedy of X -- and have to say this one was even better. I love the vintage or golden age mysteries because they told the story that needed to be told. The sleuths had to solve crimes with their intelligence and wits, not with surveillance cameras, smart phones and computers spewing information with the click of a mouse. The stories weren't written to a word or page count, but to tell the story that needed to be told.
I enjoyed the first of this series, Tragedy of X -- and have to say this one was even better. I love the vintage or golden age mysteries because they told the story that needed to be told. The sleuths had to solve crimes with their intelligence and wits, not with surveillance cameras, smart phones and computers spewing information with the click of a mouse. The stories weren't written to a word or page count, but to tell the story that needed to be told.
October 25, 2013
Classic 'consulting detective' murder mystery: in 2012, #2 on the Tozai Mystery Best 100 list. Though the story is marred by several serious issues (whodunnit seemed fairly obvious from the start, the main character's deafness is poorly handled, and there's some serious misogyny directed at the victim as folks leap to a conclusion about how something unfortunate originated), there's a plot element I enjoyed so much that I have to rate it highly. Without giving too much away, what I liked was the literary 'doubling' of the narrative that allegorically puts the main character in the position of the reader, calling attention to the fact that he's already allegorically in the position of the reader. I can attribute most of the problems of the book to very limited knowledge of biology and still appreciate its construction quite a bit. I guess I wouldn't be surprised if the clever part of the mystery were by now a cliché, but since I don't read a lot of mysteries, it was a treat for me.
July 5, 2017
Highly recommend! It a long book---300+ pages, and at times the detail is overwhelming...After reading the first book in the series I had a specific idea in my mind of how the "hero" Drury Lane should/would act...almost from the beginning of this book I wasn't liking him very much at all...he was being of no help to the detectives...he was aging and acting old.....he was gloomy and defeated, nothing like he had been presented in the first book of the series (Tragedy of X). When the book ended he had quit and there didn't seem to be any resolution to the mystery--only an end to the murders. Even the Epilogue didn't explain anything. Only the final chapter---called "Behind the Scenes"--finally brought the story full circle and explained Drury Lane's actions, reasons, and ultimately the answers to "whodunnit?" ...and the very last page leaves you shocked and saddened by Mr. Drury Lane himself......can't wait to start the next one!!!!!!!!!
October 14, 2017
A mystery by Ellery Queen writing as Barnaby Ross featuring wealthy retired Shakespearean actor Drury Lane who consults with the New York Police Department helping them solve difficult cases using his powers of reasoning and observation. Set in New York City around 1930. Some bizarre things have been happening to members of the very eccentric Hatter family: the father's body is recovered in the ocean having died of poison; an attempt to poison another member of the family in the family’s Greenwich Village home; and then a murder and the only witness is a blind, deaf mute. The baffled police call on Drury Lane for help.
This is very much in the vein of S.S. Van Dime's Philo Vance mystery series.
This is very much in the vein of S.S. Van Dime's Philo Vance mystery series.
July 21, 2019
This would make a great book for a book club. There are so many things one could discuss including the ending and "whodunit." Among the questions someone could talk about includes, how the time period of this book differs from today, and how the ending would be treated today.
This is a book by the authors of Ellery Queen mysteries using a different detective, Barnaby Ross, a retired stage actor. The history of this character and the authors are interesting in themselves. This is the second of a quartet of books featuring Barnaby Ross, and this story makes me want to continue straight to the next title (you guessed it Z).
This is a book by the authors of Ellery Queen mysteries using a different detective, Barnaby Ross, a retired stage actor. The history of this character and the authors are interesting in themselves. This is the second of a quartet of books featuring Barnaby Ross, and this story makes me want to continue straight to the next title (you guessed it Z).
October 7, 2024
The narrative is somewhat wordy, but the ending is quite unexpected. The killer's reckless ruthlessness stands in stark contrast to Lane's continual vulnerability... leading to a sorrowful conclusion.
January 1, 2013
The Hatter family is nuts: vicious and bizarre. The father appears to commit suicide, then someone tries to poison the deaf, dumb, and blind oldest sister. The police are stumped and call in Drury Lane, a retired actor turned detective. And what happens next is vintage murder mystery.
I love mysteries. Have since I started on the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew. I thought this was a great story, and no, I really didn't have it all solved until the very end. (But I should have.) My only complaint was that Lane belabored the telling of the solution.
I love mysteries. Have since I started on the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew. I thought this was a great story, and no, I really didn't have it all solved until the very end. (But I should have.) My only complaint was that Lane belabored the telling of the solution.
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