Drury Lane's Last Case: The Tragedy of 1599

Drury Lane #4

by Barnaby Ross (pseudonym), Ellery Queen, Bernard Safran (Illustrator)

A heavily disguised, anonymous man hires (now) private investigator Inspector Thumm to hold a sealed envelope him indefinitely; stating it holds "a clue to a secret" on which he is working. The man will phone Thumm monthly to let him know he is OK, and if he fails to phone on schedule, Thumm is to open the envelope in the presence of Drury Lane.

Meanwhile, a mystery is developing at New York's small Brittanic Museum. A bus tour of 17 Indiana schoolteachers, driven by George Fisher, had toured the museum. It is discovered two men had stowed away on the bus, and later a museum display case is found smashed. At the same time, museum guard Donoghue has disappeared.

The mystery man fails to phone the following month. Thumm and Lane open the envelope to find a simple notation: 3HS wM. At the museum, it is found a rare book was stolen from the display case and another book substituted. Thumm, Patience, and Lane seek to sort out the mystery consisting of several similar rare books and two similar people (Sedlar and Ales). Then one of them is found murdered, but which one is it? RM

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Detective, Crime, American

279 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

House pseudonym.
The Drury Lane mystery series was writen by Ellery Queen (Daniel Nathan and Manford Lepofsky).
The historical novels were ghosted by Don Tracy.

Reviews

[Infada Spain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barnaby Ross (aka Ellery Queen) is the pseudonym of the cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee : contemporary to Agatha Christie and equally fascinating. I am so grateful to the dear friend who found this old copy of 1933 for me! Sheer pleasure!

[Lisa Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange case, which is triggered by a man in a strange disguise asking for Insp. Thumm to hold on to a message that should be delivered to another if he didn't call in to say he was okay; and, by a tour bus driver worried about a missing friend who works security at a museum.

There are a myriad of clues and events that don't jibe together well, and bit by bit you are able to finally follow each one to it's owner. An interesting case and one that does complete the series. Would love to have seen more work after this by Ross, and while the main body of his work was through the Ellery Queen mode... this shows how much more he could have done also branching out to other characters and detectives. Believe I have not read practically the entire Ellery Queen (Ross) ouevre.

[Minh Anh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vẫn là sự logic dưới một giọng văn tưng tửng, "bi kịch cuối cùng" là cuốn tiểu thuyết kết thúc chuỗi series Bi kịch của "Ellery Queen" - bút danh chung của 2 nhà văn đại tài. Trong chuỗi 4 cuốn này "X,Y,Z và cuối cùng", mình ưng nhất cuốn này và đã đọc qua qua quyển Bi kịch Y bởi vì nhìn không nổi chữ in, khó chịu thực sự với kiểu chữ nhỏ như kiến ấy. Anyway, tác giả lồng ghép cho cả nhà viết kịch William Shakespeare tham gia vụ án và góp phần giải câu đố ẩn số quả là một điều thú vị khi kết hợp giữa 2 trường phái khác biệt nhau hoàn toàn: Nghệ thuật - Sự thật, Cảm xúc - Lý trí, có lẽ riêng điều đó thôi đã đủ khiến người ta cứ đọc miết rồi.

[Mía · Rating 4 out of 5]

Không hài lòng lắm với đáp án hoặc ít nhất là cách luận ra đáp án ở cuối. Cái kết khá là bi tráng đúng kiểu văn chương cổ điển. Cuốn này được khâu dẫn truyện hấp dẫn kịch tính nhất trong bộ sách.

Điểm trừ của 2 bác là hành văn rườm rà và cô Thumn trong cuốn Z và cuốn “Bi kịch cuối cùng” này thực sự fail dù các bác dùng mọi cách để tạo ấn tượng đặc biệt về nàng.

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sad ending to such a good series. It kind of reminded me of one of the older Sherlock Holmes stories. I figured out part of the ending when I saw the anagram, but not the ultimate outcome. And the sad part wasn't a disappointment. It was fitting -- just sad it happened.

[Giuliana Unlibropersognaregiuly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un giallo dal sapore antico, con una struttura classica in cui fino all'ultima pagina non si riesce a districare tutta la matassa di informazioni accumulate durante l'intera vicenda. Un libro antico conservato in un museo collegato a Shakespeare e alla sua vita, molti personaggi misteriosi che vanno e vengono, difficili da identificare, mascherati con strani stratagemmi. Un ispettore irruento e la sua affascinante figlia a capo delle indagini, aiutati da vari collaboratori esperti in testi antichi, medicina e quant'altro.
Un tuffo nel passato, con uno stile che per certi tratti ricorda quello di Agatha Christie, in un mondo in cui ancora la tecnologia non la faceva da padrone e le indagini erano assai più complicate e difficili. Questo giallo trasmette un fascino senza tempo sia attraverso le sue ambientazioni, sia grazie ai suoi personaggi, icone favolose di un'epoca ormai scomparsa.

[Laura Rye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.......what a story.....an interesting tale, well written...and a heart-breaking ending.....I can highly recommend this set of four books: Tragedy of X, Tragedy of Y, Tragedy of Z, and the final mystery: Drury Lane's Last Case: The Tragedy of 1599. I had never read Dannay & Lee's work before. Dannay & Lee were cousins who wrote under the pseudonym Ellery Queen for most of their stories, and Barnaby Ross for the Drury Lane mysteries..I may have to look into some of the Ellery Queen mysteries now because their writing style is interesting, detailed, and flows through the pages...easy to get lost in the book and keep reading. These were amazing.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Inspector Thumm chases a stolen manuscript and a murderer with the help of Shakespearian actor Drury Lane.

[Alberto Avanzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Oggi è il sei maggio. Fra due settimane esatte, il venti, vi telefonerò qui. Sono praticamente certo di poterlo fare in quella data. Vi telefonerò anche il venti giugno, e il venti luglio... il venti di ogni mese finché non avrò trovato ciò che cerco. Le mie telefonate vi faranno capire che sono ancora vivo, che non sono incappato in qualche pericolo inatteso. Finché permarranno queste condizioni, voi dovrete semplicemente custodire la busta in cassaforte e aspettare che io venga a richiederla. Se invece non vi avrò telefonato entro la mezzanotte di ogni ventesimo giorno del mese, saprete che probabilmente sarò nelle condizioni di non farlo mai più. Allora, e solo allora, dovrete aprire la busta, leggere il suo contenuto e procedere nel modo che il vostro buon senso riterrà più opportuno”

Queste le parole che un misterioso visitatore, con una strana barba dai riflessi colorati, pronuncia davanti a Thumm nel suo ufficio di New York, dove l’ex poliziotto gestisce una agenzia di investigazioni private. Inizia una storia bizzarra e misteriosa, con un codice segreto da decifrare, indizi buffi e di difficile interpretazione, persone scomparse, furti misteriosi, un museo, un uomo dal cappello azzurro …
Un po’ debole la parte narrativa, dove il rapporto tra i sessi è visto in un modo che era già stereotipato per il 1933 in cui è stato scritto figuriamoci oggi. Viene ripreso il cliché a me sgradito che era comparso ne La tragedia di Z. In compenso, a differenza di questo romanzo, la parte gialla l’ho trovata valida, con una scelta dell’assassino, del movente e del mezzo sorprendenti e difficili da scoprire (l’ho letto insieme ad Anna ed entrambi, pur avendo compreso parte della dinamica, siamo rimasti spiazzati dal finale), eppure (nei limiti del genere) verosimili.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who is the man in the blue hat?
Who is the man with the rainbow beard?
Who left the cake out in the rain?
(I don't think that I can take it 'cause it took so long to make it and I'll never have that recipe again!)

Why are certain unknown parties so interested in a rare book of Shakespeare's poetry?
Why is a certain museum curator so coy concerning his whereabouts for the past week?
Why is the sky blue?
(Because if it was green, we wouldn't know when to stop mowing the lawn.)

For the answer to these questions and many other pressing matters of the day, read this book.

[Quinn Quỳnh Anh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cảm tạ trời đất vì nxb đã không in cuốn này giống cuốn bi kịch Y, không thì chắc mình cũng sẽ bỏ qua cuốn này bất chấp nó hay như thế nào luôn.

Bìa: 3/5
Dịch: 4/5
Nội dung: 4/5

Về phần dịch, dịch khá thoát ý, mình vẫn cảm nhận được giọng văn có phần bất cần đời, hài hước của ngài Dury Lane "dở hơi" mà vẫn không kém đi phần logic, đối với mình, 4 cuốn sách trong bộ series là 4 bất ngờ nho nhỏ, như cuốn này có sự tham gia của William Shakespeare làm mình phấn khích kinh khủng ấy

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a funny sort of book, very much of its time and place, very much trying to play fair as a classic mystery, while incorporating the romance angle that was very popular then. It was an interesting nostalgic read.

There is lots in it for Shakespeare fans.

By the end I couldn't shake the feeling than Christie was inspired to 'borrow' bits for her last case for Poirot, which she wrote a few years after this book came out. She did 'borrow' quite a bit during her career.

[Marcello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quarto ed ultimo episodio della saga di Drury Lane: l'ho trovato migliore del precedente, sebbene con una storia non sempre avvincente e un po' troppo lunga. Ho però apprezzato che ci sia stata, nel corso dei 4 libri, una certa evoluzione nelle vicende dei personaggi e che quest'ultima storia si sia chiusa con un finale sorprendente.

[Bardfilm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started with Lane's last case because of the Shakespeare. I might have enjoyed it more if I'd read the three previous novels in which he appears, but this was a delightful romp through the world of Shakespearean bibliophila. I won't provide spoilers; you should explore the novel for yourself to see what rare Shakespeare-related item(s) is / are at the center of this intriguing mystery.

[Cathy Houston · Rating 4 out of 5]

densely plotted mystery; keeps you guessing to the last page

[Vinh Dang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ông thanh tra Thumm được xây dựng na ná như mấy ông thanh tra trong Conan - tức là dốt đến cùng cực, chẳng hiểu sao leo lên được chức thanh tra.

[Juan Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente, quizás un poco largo, pero el inesperado final compensa todo.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are we living in a simulation? I find it hard to believe this book, with this ending, actually exists.

[Mare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fitting end. Sorry to see the last of these books.

[junie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️ serian 4⭐️ si no fuera extremadamente misógino, pero se entiende porqué fue publicado hace mucho.

[Wendy Hellwig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Match wits with Ellery Queen. For once I had this one figured out. Almost led astray by a red herring in one case, but got it.

[Rick Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setup is interesting and the action good to follow, although it gets confusing quickly between different versions of a rare book, and confusion between Hamnet Sedlar and Dr. Ales. The last portion of the book consists of discussion of various theories - all long and involved - before the solution is painfully analyzed. As in the other Drury Lane titles, the dénounement takes way too long. The final act in the book is somber as it brings the series to an end.

[Martin Denton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the final chapter in the Drury Lane series, and to my mind it is the least effective. Patience Thumm is back, along with her father the inspector; a love interest for her is introduced in the person of a Shakespearean scholar who works in an NYC library/museum where the murder takes place.

The character of Drury Lane is here presented as being riddled by old age and unnamed ailments. His deductive powers are still impressive, of course, but he's less of a lively old charmer than in previous outings.

My biggest problem with the book is that Lane is made to behave in ways that seemed arbitrary and entirely out of character. Given what we know of him from the previous three books, I never believed what he does in this one. The ending is a severe disappointment.

[FantasticRICHAR · Rating 4 out of 5]

直到最后一刻，我期间也猜到了不少东西，但是作者把所有情节衔接的算很不错了。所以觉得这本书还是很值得读的。也有让人起鸡皮疙瘩的地方。期间虽然也有像什么罕见的色盲和时钟刚好12点这种扯淡的东西，但是算是瑕不掩瑜吧。看得也挺精彩的

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth and last of the Barnaby Ross/Drury Lane mysteries written by Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay before they adopted a different joint pseudonym, Ellery Queen . . . the rest being, of course, history.

Not just fourth and last but, in my opinion, the best. The full flood of EQishness is here, from the gratuitous erudition to the overwriting-for-humorous-effect to the crime that's not just a mystery in terms of finding the perpetrator but in its very nature, its raison d'etre. Here that crime is the theft of a near unique Shakespearean volume from a swanky uptown museum/library, its disappearance being concealed through an even more valuable edition having been set in its place; not content with this philanthropy, the thief returns the stolen volume a few days later complete with a $100 bill to pay for the repairs to the minor damage the thief has done to the binding.

The unsubtle Inspector Thumm, his title an honorific because he left the NYPD years ago to become a PI, is drawn into the case when an old cop acquaintance, now working at the museum, is reported to have gone missing at the time of the theft. Really Thumm would prefer to be doing other, paying work, not to mention wrapping his head around the reason why a man in a manifestly false beard should have paid him handsomely just to stick a plain manilla envelope in his safe . . .

Also pulled into the case are Thumm's exceptionally intelligent daughter Patience -- a sort of prototype for Ellery -- and of course their old friend Drury Lane, the hugely acclaimed thespian forced to retire from the stage when a freak illness struck him deaf. There's ratiocination galore, there's adventure, there's romance as Patience discovers the merits of a youthful Shakespearan researcher she discovers at the museum, there's a delicious sort of pre-Code sensibility, there's finally a murder, and there's an extraordinarily twisty plot involving identical twins and Shakespearean memorabilia worth not just a small but a large fortune.

(The other mystery, of course, is why GoodReads has omitted the apostrophe from the book's title. It's Drury Lane's Last Case, of course.)

Thoroughly recommended.

[Chazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This turned out to be a complicated mystery with a very surprising ending. It is the first I've read in this short series and I plan to read the others. Just wished I'd not read this one first.

This was not what is usual in an Ellery Queen plot. There were a good number of clues, many of them very subtle. Also a lot of surprise turns on the path to the solution.

A man with a rainbow coloured beard, a sealed envelope not to be opened unless a phone call wasn't received, William Shakespear, rare books, twins and more. These are just some of the clues and characters involved.

I enjoyed this read and took my time with it.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een ingewikkelde plot die uiteindelijk om iets onbelangrijks draait (in de meeste ogen dan toch). Los daarvan worden moorden gepleegd, onderzoeken gedaan, verkeerde pistes gevolgd, alles in de prettig lezende stijl van Ellery Queen (de schrijver, niet de detective).
Doordrenkt met de nodige humor, slaagt de schrijver er toch in om een spannend verhaal te creëren, waar de lezer gedurende het grootste deel kop noch staart aan krijgt, ondanks het feit dat steeds meer gegevens ontdekt en aan de puzzel van een verdwijning kunnen toegevoegd worden.
Voor mij niet bepaald het beste verhaal van Queen, ook al niet wegens het dramtische en toch wel voorspelbare (echte) einde.

[Beatrice Drury · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Drury Lane mysteries only consist of four books. After the first two I truly wished there were more. The third was different but still acceptable. I cannot believe that the authors decided to end the series this way. I must say I was shocked and disappointed. These authors are long gone but if they were still alive I believe that I would have had to tell them how much I hated what they did.

The characters were what I had come to expect and was actually enjoying the book and the mystery needing to be solved. I wanted a better ending than this.

[Matthew Reads Junk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to believe anyone even talked like this, even for 1933. And, yes I've read other novels from this time period, and this dialogue just seems -hackneyed- for a word.

This is one of those "golden age" mysteries, where the answer supposedly matches the clues present, and the why as to the crime occurred isn't important.

Essential, the whole thing makes little sense and is just a follow the dots type exercise.

[Rosina Franco de Abreu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 13, after reading "the Tragedy of X". I was so impressed that I kept it in my mind as one of the best Detective Novels I read. I would like to reread it and see what I think of it forty years later.