Scan barcode
lgpiper's review against another edition
3.0
I had never read an Ellery Queen book before, so when I found this at a church fair book table, I figured it was an omen. So, now I can say I've read Ellery Queen. Actually, I liked the book reasonably well. I liked it quite a bit at first, but then it began to wear a bit on me. Some of the plot seemed a bit improbable, and for people so smart as Ellery Queen and his father, some of the things that happened wouldn't have happened if they had been thinking even reasonably clearly. For example, in a duel, no clear-headed person would just hand out guns without checking first that they had been "properly" set up.
Anyway, while this isn't great literature, and a bit sketchy in places, and hideously out of date regarding one's views of women, I'd likely read more Ellery Queen as escapist literature, whereas, I would have to be paid to read any more Mickey Spillane, a more-or-less contemporary crime author.
Anyway, while this isn't great literature, and a bit sketchy in places, and hideously out of date regarding one's views of women, I'd likely read more Ellery Queen as escapist literature, whereas, I would have to be paid to read any more Mickey Spillane, a more-or-less contemporary crime author.
k_lee_reads_it's review against another edition
3.0
Ellery finds himself embroiled in the turmoil of a crazy family with a wicked and controlling woman for a mother. The mother, Cornelia Potts, has and is sacrificing her three rational grown children’s lives and wellbeing to serve her own power play and for the whims of her other three mentally insane children.
The story begins as Cornelia urges on her crazy son, Thurlow, in a suit claiming slander against the honorable Potts name. The craziness moves quickly onto Thurlow challenging his younger half-brother to a duel and killing the competent man at dawn despite the attempts of Ellery to avert the tragedy.
Insanity continues as more family members die.
Finally Ellery begins to put together the motive and plot behind all the murders and death.
I found this story difficult to get into at the beginning due to all the slang from the reporters and police officers covering the slander case. Once I got to the Palace, the house where the old woman raised her children, I was quite enjoying the twists and turns and additions from Mother Goose.
And I’m glad Ellery saved the innocent family members in the end, but the last chapter, could have been left off. I know this is a vintage mystery (1943), and I suspect that there is a reason that they are getting Sheila/Nikki into Ellery’s office, but really a multimillionaire secretary? Even back in the day, why would she do that?
The story begins as Cornelia urges on her crazy son, Thurlow, in a suit claiming slander against the honorable Potts name. The craziness moves quickly onto Thurlow challenging his younger half-brother to a duel and killing the competent man at dawn despite the attempts of Ellery to avert the tragedy.
Insanity continues as more family members die.
Finally Ellery begins to put together the motive and plot behind all the murders and death.
I found this story difficult to get into at the beginning due to all the slang from the reporters and police officers covering the slander case. Once I got to the Palace, the house where the old woman raised her children, I was quite enjoying the twists and turns and additions from Mother Goose.
And I’m glad Ellery saved the innocent family members in the end, but the last chapter, could have been left off. I know this is a vintage mystery (1943), and I suspect that there is a reason that they are getting Sheila/Nikki into Ellery’s office, but really a multimillionaire secretary? Even back in the day, why would she do that?
More...