The French Powder Mystery

By Ellery Queen

Book Overview

"The French Powder Mystery" is a classic Golden Age whodunit and the second case featuring the brilliant amateur detective Ellery Queen. When a department store window display at French's on Fifth Avenue reveals a corpse instead of merchandise, the young Ellery and his father, Inspector Richard Queen of the NYPD, are thrust into a high-stakes investigation. The victim is the wife of the store's owner, and the crime scene is as baffling as it is public.

Set against the backdrop of 1930s New York City, the novel showcases the intricate "fair play" style of mystery for which the author is renowned. Every clue-from lipstick marks to scattered powder-is meticulously presented to the reader, leading toward a dramatic conclusion that challenges even the most astute armchair detectives. This masterfully constructed puzzle explores themes of family secrets, corporate intrigue, and the relentless pursuit of logic. As Ellery sifts through a wide array of suspects, including store employees and socialites, he must unravel a complex web of motives to identify a cold-blooded killer. "The French Powder Mystery" remains a cornerstone of detective literature, celebrated for its logical rigor and gripping suspense.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025669169
• ISBN13: 9781025669168
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Ellery's 2nd Mystery - Proof Positive of Exceptional Talent

The 1930 novel, "The French Powder Mystery", is a well-structured detective story that challenges the reader, is scrupulously fair, and makes good reading. Cyrus French is the chairman of the eminently successful and stylistically influential French's Department Store in midsection New York. In recent weeks the store window has been opened precisely at noon each day to exhibit somewhat fantastical, European modern furniture. Today the waiting crowd is awestruck as a dead body tumbles from a wall bed. This second mystery by Ellery Queen, the follow-up to his remarkable first novel The Roman Hat Mystery, was proof positive that this new author was here to stay. The French Powder Mystery foreshadowed the innovative mysteries that would follow in the next few years, classic deductive novels like The Tragedy of X (1932) and The Greek Coffin Mystery (1932) and The Tragedy of Y (1932) and The Spanish Cape Mystery (1935). To me, much of the fascination with The French Powder Mystery was the recognition that the New York of 1930 now seems remotely distant. While drugs and drug addiction were not unknown, they were largely unfamiliar evils. A former college companion of Ellery Queen says, "Mightn't it be the same stuff? Heroin, I think you called it." Also, New York at night was more secure. For an alibi a young woman replies, "When I left the Zorns that evening, it was a little after ten. I walked and walked in the park (Central Park) until almost midnight." And the wealthy were indeed different: a cosmopolitan young woman had cigarettes, appropriately scented, made up especially for her by a custom tobacco manufacturer. The French Powder Mystery is classic Ellery Queen and should appeal to all fans of deductive mystery stories. Good hunting.

I highly recommend this book to all mystery fans!

When the body of the wife of the President of French's department store tumbles out of a display, Ellery Queen and his father, Inspector Queen, arrive to unravel this mystery. This is a tale of drug abuse, abduction, marital infidelity, hatred, and a murder that no one could have committed. How will Ellery gather all of the disparate threads and solve this murder? Read this book to find out!I must admit that this is the first Ellery Queen (1905-71) book that I have ever read, and as such I cannot compare it to any other of his stories. But, that said, I found this to be a great book, and a fascinating mystery! I liked the illustrations of the crime scene and the way that the clues were laid out. I highly recommend this book to all mystery fans!

A triumph of logical reasoning

The first ten Ellery Queen novels were pure logic problems, unencumbered by considerations of plausibility of character or situation. However, the puzzles are so enjoyable (especially the challenge to the reader once all the clues have been revealed) that we can overlook these flaws.The French Powder Mystery concerns a dead body, discovered when the automatic window display of the French Department Store kicks into action one morning. The logic of the solution is rigorous, and the naming of the killer is literally the last two words of the book - even when the denoument is underway and all is being explained, the name of the bad 'un is still a surprise.A better plot than Roman Hat and the Dutch Shoe Mysteries, I recommend it wholeheartedly!

Well-Entertaining!

'French Powder Mystery' is one of my favorite mystery novel. Grand Finale is really thrilling!