The victim is a sleazy lawyer who dies in the Roman Theatre during a performance of the play, Gunplay. He is in evening dress, but his top hat is missing. Wearing the proper clothing for the occasion is an important aspect of the plot. I found the discussions of sticks, suits and hats to be the most interesting parts of the book.

The mystery is a puzzle, with the facts being presented to the reader as a challenge. The characters are virtually irrelevant; if they had another dimension they would be flat. Richard Queen, the police inspector, laughs, chuckles and takes snuff. Ellery makes cryptic comments, collects first editions, plans elaborate dinners and solves the crime from a distance.

**Small spoilers
The murderer is minor character who makes very few appearances in the book and has no discernible motive until the denouement. This is CHEATING!
**
The incidental racism made my skin crawl; the servant, Djuna, is compared to a monkey not once, but repeatedly. The women are tarts or fools.

Worth reading as a picture of life in 1929, but as a mystery, third-rate. ( )

Much as I love the early Ellery Queen, this is, unfortunately, one where he makes a blatent scientific error - it's at the heart of the solution to the mystery, and it blows the entire deal. Until then, the book is fun, with the usual cast of delightfully eccentric New Yorkers. ( )

first in the Inspector Queen series of mysteries featuring Inspector Richard Queen and his bookwormish geeky son Ellery, the Roman Hat mystery was set in the late 1920s or early 1930s. Very much the classical-style whodunit, complete with a list of suspects, lists of motives and a final showdown, this book was a fun read and a definite no-miss for fans of classic detective fiction. I have the 50th anniversary issue; the original was written in 1929. I really enjoy these old mysteries; I have a shelf filled with them just waiting to be read.

A new play has just opened on Broadway called "Gunplay!" ... and it is close after intermission that a man gets out of his seat to go out to the lobby and tries to get past another guy who seems to be asleep hunched over in his seat. But it turns out he's not asleep; he's dying. He leans up to the passer-by and says "murder!" and promptly dies. The man runs out of the theater, summons a policeman, and the show is over for the night. The policeman calls on Inspector Queen, who is famous in the department for getting his man. Along with the inspector comes his son Ellery, who carries books in his pocket and keeps notes on the crime in their flyleaves. On the back of the dead man's seat they find his cape but what's missing is his tophat; remember, this is back in the days when going to the theater was an extremely formal occasion. Although they scour the theater, and search everyone leaving for a tophat, they find nothing; thus Ellery and the Inspector come to realize that the key to the murder lies in the missing hat.

To be honest, I guessed the who, but my motive was incorrect. I had the person pegged for an entirely different motive, but I like being wrong in the case of good mysteries.

I have most of the Ellery Queen novels, which I haven't read yet, but I plan to get to them here shortly! If you're an old-fashioned mystery fan, this one should be a fun read. ( )