Double, Double by Ellery Queen

By Ellery Queen

Book Overview

Ellery Queen returned to Wrightsville to solve the mystery of a rich man--believed poor--who died of "old age," a poor man--believed rich--who committed suicide, and a scholarly drunk who disappeared.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B00Z2D09B0
• ISBN13: 0782298210193
• Release Date: January 1950
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
• Length: 215 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Suspense as bodies pile up during investigation leading to logical solution.

In Double Double writer/detective Ellery Queen (son of Police Inspector Richard Queen) is summoned to the small town of Wrightsville to investigate the death of the town drunk. After receiving anonymous letters implying a link between the apparent killing of Tom Anderson with the supposedly natural death of wealthy Luke MacCaby and the apparent suicide of bankrupt John Hart, Ellery is visited by Anderson's daughter, who the drunk / beggar had named Rima after the bird-girl in Green Mansions - and raised accrodingly. Though educated beyond her years, the shy girl has no worldly knowledge, no social experience. She asks Ellery to look into her fathers death. The only connections Ellery can find between the decedents is their relationships with Doctor Dodd and his gardener, who had previously been gardener to both the rich man and the poor man, and friend of the drunk/beggar. When a third friend of the latter, the town thief, is killed in self defense by Doctor Dodd's associate, Doctor Winship, Ellery notices a childish pattern in the victims: Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief. The next line in that rhyme begins "Doctor, lawyer . . . " leading Ellery to assume Doctor Dodd is next, though he had been beginning to suspect the Doctor himself. Meanwile, Doctor Winship and Rima get married. The plot isn't a typical whodunnit formula, but more like "Ten Little Indians," with more victims dropping dead during the investigation. This keeps it suspenseful, and there are enough suspects - the gardener, Rima herself, two doctors, even a lawyer - that the final logical solution still comes as a somewhat effective surprise - especially after Ellery learns that the rhyme exists with various endings: "Indian chief," "Merchant chief," "Merchant, Chief" . . . I didn't find any flaws, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. This book has also been printed with the alternate title "Seven Murders."