The Roman Hat Mystery

By Ellery Queen and Ellery Queen (Author)

Book Overview

"The Roman Hat Mystery" marks the spectacular debut of Ellery Queen, one of the most iconic figures in the history of detective fiction. Set against the vibrant backdrop of late 1920s New York City, the story begins with a chilling discovery: a high-profile lawyer is found dead in his seat during a sold-out performance at the Roman Theater. As the investigation unfolds, led by Inspector Richard Queen of the NYPD and his astute son, Ellery, a baffling puzzle emerges. The victim's top hat-an essential piece of attire for a gentleman of his status-has vanished without a trace, and evidence suggests that no one entered or left the theater during the act.

This seminal work introduced the "Challenge to the Reader," a hallmark of the series where all clues are presented, daring the audience to solve the mystery before the protagonist. A masterpiece of logic and ratiocination, "The Roman Hat Mystery" captures the essence of the Golden Age of mystery. It offers a meticulously crafted plot, a complex web of suspects, and a brilliant display of deduction. As the first entry in the celebrated Ellery Queen canon, this novel remains an essential read for aficionados of classic crime fiction and intricate intellectual puzzles.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025364228
• ISBN13: 9781025364223
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 350 Pages
• Weight: 1.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

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.