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The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935)

by Ellery Queen

Series: Ellery Queen (9)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
269999,083 (3.43)8
"A house party turns a millionaire's hacienda hideaway into a crime scene in this classic whodunnit from an Edgar Award-winning Grand Master. The Godfrey family is vacationing among the picturesque rocky cliffs of the North Atlantic seaboard, expecting peace, quiet, and, perhaps, a bit of golf or tennis. But one dusky evening in an isolated spot on the grounds of Spanish Cape, Rosa and her uncle David get into an argument about her secretive romance with one of their guests, the roguish John Marco, a handsome cad with a yellow roadster and no visible source of income. That's when a towering one-eyed man with a .38 revolver emerges from the twilight. When renowned sleuth Ellery Queen arrives the next day from New York City, looking forward to a summer getaway on the coast, he realizes his trip will be no walk on the beach. Rescuing Rosa, he discovers her captor mistook David for John and struck the former down instead. But Ellery has more work to do when Rosa's shady sweetheart is found stone dead and stark naked . . . aside from a black fedora and a theatrical-looking opera cloak. There are plenty of guests and members of the household who might have wanted John dead, but who did it--and what in the world happened to the victim's clothes? In this iconic series inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and praised by none other than Agatha Christie, carefully planted clues, logical deduction, and an atmospheric 1930s setting combine for an irresistibly enjoyable read for anyone who loves a murderous puzzle. Includes discussion guide questions for use in book clubs"--… (more)
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» See also 8 mentions

English (8)  Italian (1)  All languages (9)
Showing 1-5 of 8 (next | show all)
3.5* ( )
  leslie.98 | Jun 27, 2023 |
Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss. ( )
  fernandie | Sep 15, 2022 |
Ellery Queen has been invited by a retired judge friend to stay at a cottage at Spanish Cape. They arrive to find Rosa Godfrey, a beautiful young woman from a wealthy family, tied up and injured. Rosa and her uncle had been kidnapped earlier in the evening, her uncle having been mistaken for Rosa's disreputable suitor, John Marco. When Rosa is fit to travel, Ellery and the judge return her to her home to the news that John Marco has been murdered. Ellery and the judge assist the local police in the investigation of the murder. The suspects are limited to the residents and guests in the Godfrey home.

This mystery has elements of both country house and locked room variations popular in the Golden Age. I probably would have enjoyed it more in print. My mental image of Ellery Queen is largely influenced by Jim Hutton's portrayal of him in the 1970s TV series. When the book describes Ellery as speaking cheerfully, I imagine Jim Hutton's breezy characterization. The audio reader doesn't sound anything like Jim Hutton. His Ellery sounds like a supercilious snob. I think Jim Hutton's portrayal was likely closer to what the author intended. ( )
  cbl_tn | Feb 16, 2018 |
One of Ellery Queen's earlier books, it has a bit more detail to it and provides a solid read. There are red herrings to pull you off track, yet the clues are all there. This adventure finds Ellery on vacation and in the company of Judge Macklin heading for the coast for a bit. This is one story that doesn't include Inspector Queen.
The cast of characters is colourful and there is logic galore in the analysis of the clues. ( )
  ChazziFrazz | Jun 23, 2016 |
Ellery Queen books are quite inconsistent. They're a mixed bag. The more difficult is it to solve the crime on your own, the worse the book is. This I've gleaned from experience in reading the blighters. As for this particular book, there was too much melodrama and not enough drama. Concretely, too much eavesdropping was going on to facilitate the solution of the case. Ellery Queen had to find out a lot of the mystery by a too well informed butler. There was a single murder, and by the time the mystery hummed and hawed, I was losing interest. ( )
  Jiraiya | Mar 1, 2014 |
Showing 1-5 of 8 (next | show all)
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NUDAQUE VERITAS.

Horace - Carmina. I. 24. 7.
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It was to all intents and purposes a sickening blunder.
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"A house party turns a millionaire's hacienda hideaway into a crime scene in this classic whodunnit from an Edgar Award-winning Grand Master. The Godfrey family is vacationing among the picturesque rocky cliffs of the North Atlantic seaboard, expecting peace, quiet, and, perhaps, a bit of golf or tennis. But one dusky evening in an isolated spot on the grounds of Spanish Cape, Rosa and her uncle David get into an argument about her secretive romance with one of their guests, the roguish John Marco, a handsome cad with a yellow roadster and no visible source of income. That's when a towering one-eyed man with a .38 revolver emerges from the twilight. When renowned sleuth Ellery Queen arrives the next day from New York City, looking forward to a summer getaway on the coast, he realizes his trip will be no walk on the beach. Rescuing Rosa, he discovers her captor mistook David for John and struck the former down instead. But Ellery has more work to do when Rosa's shady sweetheart is found stone dead and stark naked . . . aside from a black fedora and a theatrical-looking opera cloak. There are plenty of guests and members of the household who might have wanted John dead, but who did it--and what in the world happened to the victim's clothes? In this iconic series inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and praised by none other than Agatha Christie, carefully planted clues, logical deduction, and an atmospheric 1930s setting combine for an irresistibly enjoyable read for anyone who loves a murderous puzzle. Includes discussion guide questions for use in book clubs"--

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