On This Page
Description
In one of his earliest cases, Ellery Queen confronts a murder in blue blood America's master of deduction, Ellery Queen, has made his name by combining dazzling feats of pure reason with the old-fashioned legwork that comes with being the son of a New York cop. Before he became the nation's most famous sleuth, he was just an untested talenta bookworm who thought he might put his genius to work solving crimes. Young Queen made his bones on the Khalkis case. The scion of a famous New York show more art-dealing family, Georg Khalkis has spent several years housebound with blindnessa misery he is relieved of when a heart attack knocks him dead on the library floor. After the funeral, his will vanishes, and an exhaustive search of home, churchyard, crypt, and mourners reveals nothing. Baffled, the police turn to a headstrong young genius named Ellery Queen. During this case, Queen develops his deductive methodand swings dramatically between failure and success. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
I won't even try to sum up the plot because there are so many elements and twists that it's bananas. But bananas in a really good way. I loved how complex the mystery was, the large cast of characters, and I thought I knew the solution just as many ties as the detectives did. Plus, Ellery Queen is an absolute hoot. He's like Sherlock Holmes' bratty-but-charming kid brother. This was my first of his mysteries but it won't be my last.
My particular copy of this book had a few editorial comments by the previous owner, which I actually found germane. He (the previous owner) wasn't fond of Ellery Queen (the character), finding him annoying. Which is true; here he can be annoying as Philo Vance, and that's saying something. The mystery itself is one of those puzzle-mysteries with a whole mess of contrived clues that don't really jibe with reality, though it's not meant to. From an entertainment level, it's pretty good. Can't say I found the solution to be to my taste, though once elucidated, I did see the chain.
This mystery dials back in the chronology of Ellery Queen's "unofficial" consulting on his father's homicide cases in 1920s New York City to a period before he was in his prime--presumably the Ellery Queen we've gotten used to in the prior three installments. The conceit here is that Ellery isn't as experienced and more prone to error.
And while we might smile at the conceit, its actually does work to obscure the actual criminal because Ellery's deductions and reactions to the clues is not as good as in the prior stories which can lead the reader (or this reader anyway) astray. A fun idea, two bodies in a recently interred coffin. Lots of misleading red herrings and a fun finish. This is a solid installment.
And while we might smile at the conceit, its actually does work to obscure the actual criminal because Ellery's deductions and reactions to the clues is not as good as in the prior stories which can lead the reader (or this reader anyway) astray. A fun idea, two bodies in a recently interred coffin. Lots of misleading red herrings and a fun finish. This is a solid installment.
2 1/2 stars: I didn't particularly like it or dislike it; mixed or no real interest
From the back cover: Someone was playing nasty tricks on Ellery Queen. Every clue the famous sleuth followed led him further into a crazy house maze of multiplying suspects and proliferating possibilities. All Ellery knew for sure was that an eminent art dealer was dead, a brilliant forget had ben slain, a priceless painting had been stolen, a mysterious will had disappeared and a ruthless killer was ready to strike again. As a connoisseur of crime, Queen had to admit he was up against a master. As a detective, he had to put his reputation on the line in the most puzzling case of his career.
------------
Historically I have enjoyed Ellery Queen mysteries, show more and a few of them have been my favorite mysteries to date (Drury Lane, Tragedy of Y). I chose this book, wanting something light to read while I was in the nonexistent COVID vaccine recovery phase. I picked it because it is rated as one of his best of this era. I am not certain if it was my mood - though I don't think so - but it really didn't engage me that much. I found the characters a bit hard to grasp in the beginning, and therefore the interactions didn't always make sense to me. Furthermore, the "era sexism" was constant, but what I found really jarring was the repeated reference to a Greek character as an "imbecile". I did finish the book, but in the end, the mystery and puzzle weren't enough to keep me engaged.
It was a classic Golden Age mystery, in that all the clues were provided, there was a "false reveal" and a "fake out", and the author breaks the third wall and tells the reader that they have all the information to solve the crime at hand. I didn't come close to "Getting it" at all, and in fact the character I felt convincingly throughout was whodunnit, had not (neither the fake out or the reality).
I will be giving this one away. I'm not certain if I am done with Queen as I've certainly enjoyed others of his. show less
From the back cover: Someone was playing nasty tricks on Ellery Queen. Every clue the famous sleuth followed led him further into a crazy house maze of multiplying suspects and proliferating possibilities. All Ellery knew for sure was that an eminent art dealer was dead, a brilliant forget had ben slain, a priceless painting had been stolen, a mysterious will had disappeared and a ruthless killer was ready to strike again. As a connoisseur of crime, Queen had to admit he was up against a master. As a detective, he had to put his reputation on the line in the most puzzling case of his career.
------------
Historically I have enjoyed Ellery Queen mysteries, show more and a few of them have been my favorite mysteries to date (Drury Lane, Tragedy of Y). I chose this book, wanting something light to read while I was in the nonexistent COVID vaccine recovery phase. I picked it because it is rated as one of his best of this era. I am not certain if it was my mood - though I don't think so - but it really didn't engage me that much. I found the characters a bit hard to grasp in the beginning, and therefore the interactions didn't always make sense to me. Furthermore, the "era sexism" was constant, but what I found really jarring was the repeated reference to a Greek character as an "imbecile". I did finish the book, but in the end, the mystery and puzzle weren't enough to keep me engaged.
It was a classic Golden Age mystery, in that all the clues were provided, there was a "false reveal" and a "fake out", and the author breaks the third wall and tells the reader that they have all the information to solve the crime at hand. I didn't come close to "Getting it" at all, and in fact the character I felt convincingly throughout was whodunnit, had not (neither the fake out or the reality).
I will be giving this one away. I'm not certain if I am done with Queen as I've certainly enjoyed others of his. show less
I devoured library-borrowed Ellery Queen mysteries many years ago as a teenager, and so had to buy this age-spotted book found in a second-hand book shop recently. The puzzle was complex, but I thought I had guessed the 'who dunnit' when I got to the page where the reader is notified all the clues have been revealed. And I was delighted that I was wrong and had obediently followed the red herring. So a very good puzzle, but as a far more mature reader I did yearn for some character development and psychological exploration.
An early book in the Ellery Queen series, it has a much detailed and different style from the later books.
Set in the 1930s, Ellery has yet to develop his analytical chops and can make mistakes in his possible solutions, which he does in this case. These errors cause him to re think and search for the missing elements needed to solve the mystery.
George Khalkis, well known and respected art dealer, is found dead at home. Heart failure is the first decided cause. When Khalkis' newest will disappears and it seems there is a question of who inherits what, questions start to arise. The D.A. calls in Inspector Queen to investigate, and he in turn calls on his son Ellery.
After investigation and analysis, Ellery determines where the missing will show more is, but when that place is examined the will is not there. Instead it is the body of and ex-convict! This adds another element to the mystery.
The writing contains much detail so I found that I needed to take time to read or I would miss things. There is quite a long cast of characters, a number who would benefit from the estate if the new will isn't found.
One thing I did enjoy is the 'challenge to the reader' that is posed by Ellery prior to revealing the solution. Knowing it was coming, I tried that much more to solve it.
Not a fast read, but a very satisfying read! show less
Set in the 1930s, Ellery has yet to develop his analytical chops and can make mistakes in his possible solutions, which he does in this case. These errors cause him to re think and search for the missing elements needed to solve the mystery.
George Khalkis, well known and respected art dealer, is found dead at home. Heart failure is the first decided cause. When Khalkis' newest will disappears and it seems there is a question of who inherits what, questions start to arise. The D.A. calls in Inspector Queen to investigate, and he in turn calls on his son Ellery.
After investigation and analysis, Ellery determines where the missing will show more is, but when that place is examined the will is not there. Instead it is the body of and ex-convict! This adds another element to the mystery.
The writing contains much detail so I found that I needed to take time to read or I would miss things. There is quite a long cast of characters, a number who would benefit from the estate if the new will isn't found.
One thing I did enjoy is the 'challenge to the reader' that is posed by Ellery prior to revealing the solution. Knowing it was coming, I tried that much more to solve it.
Not a fast read, but a very satisfying read! show less
The two authors who have taken the pen name of Ellery Queen are many things, but great writers they are not. By great I mean - maybe - humanizing. To see someone solve a rubik cube in record time inspires nothing but awe; I don't mean that in a good way by the way. They do not know how to make the journey to the final solution of the mystery memorable. But such is the force with which the authors have created this story that even an average minded person like me followed most of the ongoing developments without trouble.
I learned by pure chance today that in the past a series of Ellery Queen on television lasted only for one season in the US. It was replaced by Murder She Wrote. That one went on for many seasons, and garnered pretty much show more every award. The detective called Ellery Queen is not distinctive in appearance. He is not fleshed out. He is far from being despicable, or mundane, but he is not relatable. As time went by, and slowly as we are nearing the 100 year anniversary of the first Ellery Queen book, the appeal of Ellery becomes less and less fetching.
Despite all this the books remain on my imaginary book shelf. The Queens books are much better, despite the limitations I chalked up regarding the authors' abilities, than most of the modern fluff being sold currently. It's difficult to have unanimous reviews that sort the wheat from the chaff. There's so many contemporary books to choose from and most of them will be subpar. The burnt hand teaches best and I've been burnt several times by inferior literature. But I digress.
The tour de force which the authors accomplished and which earned a perfect score from me lay in the deconstruction of a complex plot so that I could follow most of it. The book never got boring. It has a big cast. One of them is the murderer. There's no lengthy questioning of any select group of them. But I feel that if the authors were in another category of writing, say text books, they would have been immensely successful. They know how to make a complex idea go within reach of the masses.
I am very impressed. I had one or two suspects in my mind, but I could never guess the solution here. The authors don't show their hand blatantly. Agatha Christie shows us a lot daringly, that's why I could guess some of her mysteries. But the Queen mysteries are very delicately logical, like a puzzle. What most impressed me here was -spoilers!- the apprehension of the false murderer and the amazing, step by step dismantling of what supposedly happened. To fool the reader and leave none the wiser with such an in depth analysis of a false trail is genius work. The Queen authors were very confident of their case. I hope, however, that they don't use this device more than twice or thrice, as it would lose its novelty. Once is enough. show less
I learned by pure chance today that in the past a series of Ellery Queen on television lasted only for one season in the US. It was replaced by Murder She Wrote. That one went on for many seasons, and garnered pretty much show more every award. The detective called Ellery Queen is not distinctive in appearance. He is not fleshed out. He is far from being despicable, or mundane, but he is not relatable. As time went by, and slowly as we are nearing the 100 year anniversary of the first Ellery Queen book, the appeal of Ellery becomes less and less fetching.
Despite all this the books remain on my imaginary book shelf. The Queens books are much better, despite the limitations I chalked up regarding the authors' abilities, than most of the modern fluff being sold currently. It's difficult to have unanimous reviews that sort the wheat from the chaff. There's so many contemporary books to choose from and most of them will be subpar. The burnt hand teaches best and I've been burnt several times by inferior literature. But I digress.
The tour de force which the authors accomplished and which earned a perfect score from me lay in the deconstruction of a complex plot so that I could follow most of it. The book never got boring. It has a big cast. One of them is the murderer. There's no lengthy questioning of any select group of them. But I feel that if the authors were in another category of writing, say text books, they would have been immensely successful. They know how to make a complex idea go within reach of the masses.
I am very impressed. I had one or two suspects in my mind, but I could never guess the solution here. The authors don't show their hand blatantly. Agatha Christie shows us a lot daringly, that's why I could guess some of her mysteries. But the Queen mysteries are very delicately logical, like a puzzle. What most impressed me here was -spoilers!- the apprehension of the false murderer and the amazing, step by step dismantling of what supposedly happened. To fool the reader and leave none the wiser with such an in depth analysis of a false trail is genius work. The Queen authors were very confident of their case. I hope, however, that they don't use this device more than twice or thrice, as it would lose its novelty. Once is enough. show less
Members
- Recently Added By
Published Reviews
ThingScore 100
Whoever [the author] may be, he knows how to write a first-rate detective story.
added by Shortride
Lists
#JustTheFacts2023Gold
60 works; 1 member
Tozai Mystery Best 100 | The Top 100 Mystery Novels
111 works; 3 members
Must Read Detective Stories (Nick Fuller)
278 works; 2 members
Author Information
284+ Works 14,480 Members
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Notable Lists
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Ruumiskirstun arvoitus
- Original title
- The Greek Coffin Mystery: A Problem in Deduction
- Alternate titles
- Ruumiskirstun Arvoitus
- Original publication date
- 1932
- People/Characters
- Ellery Queen; Richard Queen (Inspector); Georg Khalkis; Gilbert Sloane; Delphina Sloane; Alan Cheney (show all 39); Demetrios Khalkis (Demmy); Joan Brett; Jan Vreeland; Lucy Vreeland; Nacio Suiza; Albert Grimshaw; Dr. Wardes; Miles Woodruff; James J. Knox; Dr. Duncan Frost; Mrs. Susan Morse; Jeremiah Odell; Lily Odell; Rev. John Henry Elder; Sexton Honeywell; Weekes; Mrs. Simms; Assistant District Attorney Pepper; Henry Sampson (District Attorney); Cohalan; Dr. Samuel Prouty; Edmund Crewe; Una Lambert; "Jimmy"; Trikkala; Flint; Hesse; Johnson; Piggott; Hagstrom; Ritter; Sergeant Velie; Djuna
- First words
- 'In science, in history, in psychology, in all manner of pursuits which require an application of thought to the appearance of phenomena, things are very often not what they seem.
- Quotations
- For others, however, the week had been full to the brim. Sloane's suicide and funeral had undammed a flood. The newspapers wallowed in copious details. They splashed about in the backwaters of Gilbert Sloane's personal histor... (show all)y. They sluiced the dead man with streams of subtle vituperation, managed without singular effort to soak and soften the outer shell of his life, so that it warped and split and curled off, a spoiled and loggy reputation. Those who survived him were caught up in the backwash, and of these Delphina Sloane became of necessity the most prominent. Waves of words lapped at the shores of her grief. The Khalkis house had been converted into an impregnable lighthouse toward whose beacon the not-to-be-daunted representatives of the Press directed their barques. (The Albatross edition 1932, chapter 22, p. 201)
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And Ellery, when the door had closed upon them, surveyed the prostrate canvas on his floor - to which it had slipped from Miss Joan Brett's soft underarm - and sighed, and under the slightly disapproving gaze of young Djuna, who even at that tender age exhibited stern evidences of teetotalism, sipped his Scotch-and-soda all by himself ... a not unpleasant ritual, if one should judge by the oxlike contentment which spread over his lean face.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 563
- Popularity
- 52,001
- Reviews
- 17
- Rating
- (3.50)
- Languages
- 10 — Chinese, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 26
- ASINs
- 33
