The Roman Hat Mystery

By Ellery Queen and Ellery Queen (Author)

Book Overview

A murder in a crowded theater leaves a pack of suspects, but only one clue Despite the dismal Broadway season, Gunplay continues to draw crowds. A gangland spectacle, it's packed to the gills with action, explosions, and gunfire. In fact, Gunplay is so loud that no one notices the killing of Monte Field. In a sold-out theater, Field is found dead partway through the second act, surrounded by empty seats. The police hold the crowd and call for the one man who can untangle this daring murder: Inspector Richard Queen. With the help of his son Ellery, a bibliophile and novelist whose imagination can solve any crime, the Inspector attacks this seemingly impenetrable mystery. Anyone in the theater could have killed the unscrupulous lawyer, and several had the motive. Only Ellery Queen, in his debut novel, can decipher the clue of the dead man's missing top hat. "A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now." -Agatha Christie "Ellery Queen is the American detective story." -Anthony Boucher, author of Nine Times Nine Ellery Queen was a pen name created and shared by two cousins, Frederic Dannay (1905-1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905-1971), as well as the name of their most famous detective. Born in Brooklyn, they spent forty-two years writing, editing, and anthologizing under the name, gaining a reputation as the foremost American authors of the Golden Age "fair play" mystery. Although eventually famous on television and radio, Queen's first appearance came in 1928, when the cousins won a mystery-writing contest with the book that would eventually be published as The Roman Hat Mystery. Their character was an amateur detective who uses his spare time to assist his police inspector uncle in solving baffling crimes. Besides writing the Queen novels, Dannay and Lee cofounded Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, one of the most influential crime publications of all time. Although Dannay outlived his cousin by nine years, he retired Queen upon Lee's death.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 149769518X
• ISBN13: 9781497695184
• Release Date: January 2015
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media LLC
• Length: 397 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.0"

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.