The Roman Hat Mystery

A Dud of a Series Start
A review of the Mysterious Press/Open Road eBook edition (October 11, 2013) of the original Frederick A. Stokes hardcover (June 7, 1929).

This was the first Ellery Queen novel. I decided to read this after enjoying The Adventures of Ellery Queen (1934) which was a collection of short stories mostly written for magazines in 1933-34. Much of the enjoyment in the EQ short stories came from the allusions and homage to Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes / Dr. Watson detective duo. This first novel though was a chore to get through and contains some disturbing issues for readers a century later.

The pacing here is at a snail's pace, with the investigators going around in circles for the longest time. Shockingly, show more the Kindle edition I read is listed at 648 pages on GR, although the page count on my device comes in at 619 pages (the later pages being just advertising for other EQ books). Regardless, it is a crawl to get through most of it.

See image at https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/...;
The cover of the original Frederick A. Stokes hardcover (1929). Image sourced from Goodreads.

This is the debut of NYC Police Inspector Richard Queen and his detective son Ellery Queen. You can expect some initial fumbling in a freshman effort, but often the action and dialogue reads very cringey. The elder Queen is rather stolid and constantly partakes in snuff after which he sneezes "his habitual joyful sneeze." The younger Queen lurks around the crime scene with his pince-nez glasses, smoking cigarets (sic) and makes "witty" asides which often make reference to classical literature, as if he is above it all. The elder is the main character but it is left to the younger to make the breakthrough deductions which help solve the case.

More disturbing though is the introduction of their "houseboy" Djuna, a character whose exact ethnic origins are not detailed but who is presumably of African or Middle Eastern origin based on the name. This character does the housework and cooking for the Queens at their NYC apartment. What is shocking is that Djuna apparently regularly sits or curls up on the floor in the corner of the apartment ("his favorite attitude"), and is referred to as an "imp" a "monkey" and "a rascal" by others. The elder Queen at one point strokes the hair of Djuna, when the latter reclines on the floor by his lap. It is as if the character is treated as a house pet.

The above scenes are short and are a distraction from the case itself, which involves a poisoning murder which occurs during a theatrical show at the Roman Theater in NYC. The victim is a well-known criminal attorney who serves rather unsavory clientele. The major clue in the case is that the victim was dressed in evening formal wear including a top hat. However, the hat has disappeared from the scene when the victim's body is found in his theater seat. The eventual resolution of the case introduces a racist element as well when a character who was "passing" is revealed.

The dated references and treatments are brief, but disturbing nevertheless. What dooms the book from being an enjoyable read is the glacial pacing. The combination means that this doesn't rise to a GR 3 "Like" or even a GR 2 "OK." It becomes a GR 1 "Did Not Like."

Trivia and Links
It is not often that you can get a Rembrandt image into a book review, so I couldn't resist including this. At one point EQ refers to the Aramaic saying mene mene tekel upharsin written on the wall during Belshazzar's Feast in Daniel 5:25-28. Our modern day saying of "the writing's on the wall" alluding to a forecasted ending comes from this reference.
See the painting at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Rembrandt-Belsazar.jpg...
Rembrandt's painting "Belshazzar's Feast" (c1635-1638). Image sourced from Wikipedia.

The fictional detective Ellery Queen was both the story protagonist and the writing pseudonym of cousins Frederic Dannay (1905-1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905-1971). They wrote over 40 novels and short story collections under that name. After Lee's passing in 1971, Dannay retired from writing the series. The series has been adapted several times for radio and television. A mystery stories magazine in the same name was founded in 1941 and continues to this day as the bi-monthly Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

There is an Ellery Queen specialist site which provides extended information about the editions of The Roman Hat Mystery and includes some detailed story discussions (Note: Some spoilers included). You can read it at Queen.Spaceports.com. show less

I read this book in annotated form as included in Classic American Crime Fiction of the 1920s
edited by Leslie S. Klinger.

Thus far in this collection, I've read the first books about Charlie Chan and Philo Vance. Both had issues, from my modern perspective--a painfully slow start and barely any Charlie Chan in the first, and the rambling, annoying presence of Philo Vance in the second. But in this, the first Ellery Queen novel, I finally encountered a 1920s mystery I absolutely loved. The writing is fantastic from page one, the mystery utterly intriguing, and the cast of characters diverse and amusing. I could see myself reading and enjoying more Ellery Queen novels.

This is a fun and delightful mystery set in 1923 New York where prohibition gangsters, society dames, and two-bit floozies all parade across the setting as Plato and Aristotle (aka Ellery and Richard Queen) attempt to solve the riddle of a missing hat of a dead man at the Roman Theatre. Easy to see why this opening volume led to a long series of mysteries for the wizened Inspector R. Queen and his adult son Ellery, a bon-vivant writer and intellectual, to solve through their competing yet complimentary methods. Given that they are father and son, their "rivalry" can never be too competitive, bitter, or intense. That makes for a story of little danger and more puzzle--I am happy to say that I was able to solve it before the reveal, but show more it wasn't as easy as many I've read before, and not nearly as fun. Of course, the racial impetus to the murder, and its discussion at the end, is likely going to cause some smirks and head-shaking from readers a century later. show less

In 1920s New York City, crowds have been thronging to see the latest Broadway hit, a sensationalist gangster play complete with flashing lights and gunfire. But little did the audience members of the Roman theater suspect that a real murder would be committed during the second act! Inspector Richard Queen of the local police is on the scene almost immediately, with his curious son Ellery in tow. In examining the victim's body, they soon discover an interesting anomaly: despite being dressed in full evening clothes, the dead man wasn't wearing a top hat. The police scour the Roman theater from top to bottom and search all the audience members as they leave the premises, but the hat is nowhere to be found. While Inspector Queen and his show more fellow police detectives identify the corpse and discover his involvement in a blackmailing scheme, Ellery applies himself to the mystery of the missing hat -- and deduces the identity of the murderer as a result.

I really enjoy classic mysteries from the early 20th century, so I was excited to read this first Ellery Queen novel. Overall, I was very impressed with the mystery plot itself; the solution is tight and hangs together well, although part of the motive is concealed from readers until the very end. (Historical racism is also an aspect of the solution, which can certainly be offputting for contemporary readers.) I also liked the way in which the police were depicted as they investigated the murder: far from being bumbling idiots, they approach their job intelligently and methodically. I was especially tickled by the introduction of the district attorney as a character. Most mystery novels focus solely on catching the killer -- never mind if s/he can actually be convicted in a court of law! I wasn't as impressed with the characterization of the detectives, however. Inspector Queen was more central to this book than Ellery, but he didn't seem to be consistently depicted, and Ellery was barely fleshed out at all. Presumably, though, more character development occurs in subsequent books, and I'd certainly be willing to read more Ellery Queen novels. show less

The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen is a 1929 publication.

A murder takes place at a packed theatre and Inspector Richard Queen is called in to investigate. His son, Ellery, a crime novelist, has joined him and together they attempt to solve the most perplexing case the Inspector as ever encountered…

This is the first book of the Ellery Queen mystery series, which was originally published in 1929. The series has a quite a legacy, but I’d never thought of tackling it until I was gifted a copy of one the installments for Christmas one year. I have since acquired a stack of Ellery Queen paperbacks, but unfortunately, the print is so small I can’t read them in that format- which forced me to attempt to find them in digital format so show more I can adjust the font size.

I do believe that most of the series is digitized, but whew! They want a bit too much for books this old and this short! My local library only had a handful of them to check out… but Hoopla saved the day.

But, after going to all that trouble to track down digital copies- I found this first installment to be incredibly confusing. The bit about the hat droned on and on and on and on until my eyes glazed over.

I love, love, love old mysteries and had really high hopes for this series, but found that it was too slow for my taste and the Queens were not likeable or interesting enough to keep me invested when the plot spun in place for too long.

All that said, my understanding is that this first novel by the authors- who were cousins, if you didn’t already know- is not considered to be a very good representation of their work.

Unfortunately, we are so hardwired to start a series with the first installment, when possible, that this one may not make a strong enough impression to motivate the reader to continue on with the series. At this writing, I don't plan to read another installment for a good long while- but...

With of the books available on Hoopla, in both eBook and audio formats- I may give Queen another chance someday. show less

Inspector Richard Queen and his son Ellery, a writer, are called upon to investigate when a corrupt lawyer meets his death during a theatre performance. Their biggest clues are a missing top hat and empty seats surrounding the lawyer. It's important to remember that this was a short story and has been re-issued as a stand alone. The puzzling is not as complex as you might expect in a novel-length piece, but it's more interesting than many mystery and detective short stories. I found myself enjoying the puzzle as I listened to it.

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 show more 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. show less