The Roman Hat Mystery

By Ellery Queen and Ellery Queen (Author)

Book Overview

A hat left behind. A man dead in his seat. And a theater full of secrets. In the heart of Manhattan, at the prestigious Roman Theater, a packed house is stunned when a well-dressed man is found murdered during a performance-his only trace a mysteriously missing hat. Enter Ellery Queen, the brilliant amateur detective with a razor-sharp mind and a flair for the unconventional. Together with his father, Inspector Richard Queen of the NYPD, they unravel a tangled web of deception, blackmail, and high society scandal hidden beneath the surface of the city's glittering entertainment scene. But as they dig deeper, the case becomes more puzzling. Why was the victim sitting alone? What was in the missing hat? And what secret was so deadly it demanded murder?

A masterclass in classic detective fiction, The Roman Hat Mystery is the debut that launched the legendary Ellery Queen name-clever, stylish, and brimming with suspense. For lovers of golden age mysteries, this is the case that started it all.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 151546590X
• ISBN13: 9781515465904
• Release Date: July 2025
• Publisher: Positronic Publishing
• Length: 246 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Ellery Queen's First Mystery - An Auspicious Beginning

The Roman Hat Mystery (August 15, 1929) established the basic pattern for many of the later Ellery Queen stories. Ellery Queen, a recent college graduate, often assists his father, the highly respected Inspector Richard Queen of the New York City Police Department, with particularly difficult investigations. This arrangement gives Ellery access to crime scenes and confidential information not available to the general public. In the late 1920s men still wore top hats for formal affairs. A death occurs in the Roman Theater and inexplicably, the murder victim's top hat is missing. The Roman Hat Mystery is structured as a logical, deductive challenge to the reader. A list of characters and a floor plan of the Roman Theater are provided. Prior to the final chapter, the reader is informed that Ellery has solved the mystery, and the alert reader should have noted the critical clues. I was not particularly successful. Queen's detailed explanation is about twenty pages; the logic is convincing. An earlier reviewer stated that readers new to Ellery Queen should first read some of the later stories like The French Powder Mystery, The Spanish Cape Mystery, or The Greek Coffin Mystery. I am more ambivalent. Certainly, there is no need to read the Ellery Queen mysteries chronologically. The best approach may be to start with the first Ellery Queen mystery (with Ellery Queen as the major character) that you can find. They are all quite good. Two cousins, Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay, won first place for The Roman Hat Mystery in a writing contest, sponsored jointly by Frederick A. Stokes Company, a book publisher, and McClure's Magazine. Lee and Dannay used a pseudonym, Ellery Queen. This choice has led to endless confusion as Ellery Queen is also the name of their fictional detective. The Roman Hat Mystery proved to be quite successful and within a few years the Ellery Queen stories had become immensely popular. The Ellery Queen mysteries stayed in print for at least five decades. I recently had the good fortune to find a discount copy of a beautiful, leather bound, Franklin Library fifty-year commemorative edition of The Roman Hat Mystery. This edition is more costly, but it would make a good gift, possibly to yourself.

great detective story

I really do not understand why Ellery Queen is not as famous as Agatha Christie, Christie's books are nice but cliche, you will be able to find out whodunit after reading several of her books. And her stories are not probable at all. While Queen's story is much more complicated and believable. Also I do not understand why Queen's books are not filmed like the ones of Agatha Christie.

First of the greats

This mystery is an excellent example of the classic "puzzle style" mystery. I love how the characters constantly review the little clues and items. I could read this story over and over again. I'll never understand why Agatha Christie's books never go out of print while so many of the other greats like J.D. Carr Ellery Queen have been out of print for years.