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Ellery Queen Detective #23
The King is Dead
Ellery Queen's job is to keep a powerful tycoon from being murdered. The task seems simple. But this time the perfect detective comes face to face with a killer who has contrived the perfect crime. For how could King Bendigo, closely guarded behind steel doors, be shot by his brother Judah, who was being watched by Ellery in another room?
Set within the brutal militaristic regime of a remote island dystopia, The King is Dead is a brilliantly structured locked-room mystery. With political overtones and elements of high technology and forensic investigation, Ellery Queen stretches the crime genre to its limits with characteristic panache.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1952
54 people are currently reading
514 people want to read
About the author
Ellery Queen
1,789 books490 followersaka Barnaby Ross.
(Pseudonym of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee)
"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 used his spare time to assist his police inspector father 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.
Several of the later "Ellery Queen" books were written by other authors, including Jack Vance, Avram Davidson, and Theodore Sturgeon.
(Pseudonym of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee)
"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 used his spare time to assist his police inspector father 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.
Several of the later "Ellery Queen" books were written by other authors, including Jack Vance, Avram Davidson, and Theodore Sturgeon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
December 31, 2025
Per quanto possa sembrare strano, la ditta dei cugini giallisti che si celano sotto Ellery Queen stavolta non riescono ad essere incisivi e strabilianti come in tante altre occasioni...peccato!
March 16, 2021
"Yes, there's nothing wrong with power. The world needs power. The world needs power more today than ever before in history. Enlightened power--if you won't laugh. Power directed toward the good. Instead of the other way."
This is another book from my dad. I've never read Ellery Queen before though I've heard of him. The King is Dead is one of the better mysteries I've read. It starts out abruptly--"The invasion of the Queen apartment occurred at 8:08 o'clock of an ordinary June morning..." The invasion? What invasion? That quickly becomes apparent. The mystery is introduced right away--Abel Bendigo (which means "I bless" in Spanish, by the way) tells the Queens, Ellery and his father, an Inspector, that his older brother, King, has received a death threat. Abel wants the Queens to come with him immediately to find out who has sent the threat. The mystery is cloaked in mystery from the start. Who wants to kill King? Abel seems to know but wants his suspicions confirmed. Why the Queens? The Queens are whisked away to the private Bendigo Island, an old fortress from World War 2 that the Bendigos took over and now use as their central work base but also their home base. What is this island? Why do the Bendigos live here? How do their employees live here? Why such secrecy?
Then, the book moves a little slowly as Ellery and the Inspector learn more about the island and its ways. Frustration builds as the Queens aren't allowed to do much but are still expected to solve this mystery. Again, why? If Abel already suspects someone, just find that person, confront him or her, and move on. But, then, the book picks up again when the "impossible" happens, meaning it's clearly not impossible.
My favorite section is the end. Ellery leaves the island and goes to the Bendigos' hometown to learn more about them. It's not just Abel and King--there's a middle brother also, Judah (yes, the names are significant). That chapter is mostly comprised of Ellery's notes from his interviews with the townspeople who remember the Bendigo boys and their parents. There are also interesting notes about the development of the town since the war. It's a town Ellery knows (I don't know if it's in other Queen books, but it seems to have been), and he sees and feels the changes acutely. Are they really developments? That's debatable, but I appreciate how Queen worked in a portrait of a town and its people and a commentary on modern adaptations in small towns that's somehow poignant and sad in the midst of the information given about the Bendigos. What Ellery learns there leads to his revelation about how the impossible became possible. It's not a surprise, exactly, when it's all revealed, but I don't think it was supposed to be.
What makes this book so good to me is the character sketch. Queen draws parallels between Hitler and Bendigo. I don't know who was active in the 50s in politics and munitions and such, so I'm not sure if there was a contemporary analog to King Bendigo, a man so rich from arms deals that he can own an island and has more power than all the presidents of every country combined, but even if there wasn't one person Queen was referencing, there was definitely symbolism at play here. Hitler makes sense as a parallel--he started out in disgrace and quickly moved to, plummeted towards, even, success and then just as quickly fell back into disgrace in the worst way. While alive and active, Hitler had more power than any bad man should. Any bad man because, presumably, a good man would use that power for the good of humanity. A bad man would--and bad men have--use it for his own ends, disregarding the good of humanity as a whole in favor of achieving his personal goals and bringing his personal dreams to fruition.
The revelation of King's character, deduced from interviews with people who knew him as a boy, was the most interesting part of this book for me. I also liked how Queen brought it all together and how the book ended--in the only way it could, in my opinion. The ending dialogue is strong and ties all the pieces together very well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, I highly recommend it, and I would definitely read Ellery Queen again.
This is another book from my dad. I've never read Ellery Queen before though I've heard of him. The King is Dead is one of the better mysteries I've read. It starts out abruptly--"The invasion of the Queen apartment occurred at 8:08 o'clock of an ordinary June morning..." The invasion? What invasion? That quickly becomes apparent. The mystery is introduced right away--Abel Bendigo (which means "I bless" in Spanish, by the way) tells the Queens, Ellery and his father, an Inspector, that his older brother, King, has received a death threat. Abel wants the Queens to come with him immediately to find out who has sent the threat. The mystery is cloaked in mystery from the start. Who wants to kill King? Abel seems to know but wants his suspicions confirmed. Why the Queens? The Queens are whisked away to the private Bendigo Island, an old fortress from World War 2 that the Bendigos took over and now use as their central work base but also their home base. What is this island? Why do the Bendigos live here? How do their employees live here? Why such secrecy?
Then, the book moves a little slowly as Ellery and the Inspector learn more about the island and its ways. Frustration builds as the Queens aren't allowed to do much but are still expected to solve this mystery. Again, why? If Abel already suspects someone, just find that person, confront him or her, and move on. But, then, the book picks up again when the "impossible" happens, meaning it's clearly not impossible.
My favorite section is the end. Ellery leaves the island and goes to the Bendigos' hometown to learn more about them. It's not just Abel and King--there's a middle brother also, Judah (yes, the names are significant). That chapter is mostly comprised of Ellery's notes from his interviews with the townspeople who remember the Bendigo boys and their parents. There are also interesting notes about the development of the town since the war. It's a town Ellery knows (I don't know if it's in other Queen books, but it seems to have been), and he sees and feels the changes acutely. Are they really developments? That's debatable, but I appreciate how Queen worked in a portrait of a town and its people and a commentary on modern adaptations in small towns that's somehow poignant and sad in the midst of the information given about the Bendigos. What Ellery learns there leads to his revelation about how the impossible became possible. It's not a surprise, exactly, when it's all revealed, but I don't think it was supposed to be.
What makes this book so good to me is the character sketch. Queen draws parallels between Hitler and Bendigo. I don't know who was active in the 50s in politics and munitions and such, so I'm not sure if there was a contemporary analog to King Bendigo, a man so rich from arms deals that he can own an island and has more power than all the presidents of every country combined, but even if there wasn't one person Queen was referencing, there was definitely symbolism at play here. Hitler makes sense as a parallel--he started out in disgrace and quickly moved to, plummeted towards, even, success and then just as quickly fell back into disgrace in the worst way. While alive and active, Hitler had more power than any bad man should. Any bad man because, presumably, a good man would use that power for the good of humanity. A bad man would--and bad men have--use it for his own ends, disregarding the good of humanity as a whole in favor of achieving his personal goals and bringing his personal dreams to fruition.
The revelation of King's character, deduced from interviews with people who knew him as a boy, was the most interesting part of this book for me. I also liked how Queen brought it all together and how the book ended--in the only way it could, in my opinion. The ending dialogue is strong and ties all the pieces together very well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, I highly recommend it, and I would definitely read Ellery Queen again.
May 19, 2022
Are asa, un aer demodat Ellery Queen - ori poate e numai romanul acesta, am sa-i mai dau o sansa, totusi.
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January 7, 2019The ending is a bit predictable but the story is entertaining, 4 stars.
November 28, 2017
E' il mio primo incontro con la versione originale di Ellery Queen e forse non ho scelto il libro giusto.
I personaggi sono abbastanza piatti e poco credibili; il colpevole è evidente sin da subito e la soluzione del delitto non è convincente. Peccato perché mi aspettavo di ritrovare l'Ellery Queen dei telefilm che guardavo da bambina che, in effetti, non so quanto corrisponda al suo alter ego cartaceo oppure è proprio la mia memoria ad avere alterato il personaggio. Per saperlo proverò a leggere un altro Ellery Queen.
I personaggi sono abbastanza piatti e poco credibili; il colpevole è evidente sin da subito e la soluzione del delitto non è convincente. Peccato perché mi aspettavo di ritrovare l'Ellery Queen dei telefilm che guardavo da bambina che, in effetti, non so quanto corrisponda al suo alter ego cartaceo oppure è proprio la mia memoria ad avere alterato il personaggio. Per saperlo proverò a leggere un altro Ellery Queen.
November 4, 2019
A me Ellery Queen piace tantissimo, è uno dei miei giallisti classici favoriti, ma questo romanzo ho fatto veramente fatica a terminarlo.
E' sottotono rispetto agli altri, forse per il fatto che l'ambientazione non è la solita.
Si svolge infatti su una strana isola in cui un magnate delle armi regna dispoticamente su parenti e dipendenti.
Quindi isola inaccessibile più camera chiusa.
Il tutto viene risolto ingegnosamente, ma ripeto, non al solito livello.
E' sottotono rispetto agli altri, forse per il fatto che l'ambientazione non è la solita.
Si svolge infatti su una strana isola in cui un magnate delle armi regna dispoticamente su parenti e dipendenti.
Quindi isola inaccessibile più camera chiusa.
Il tutto viene risolto ingegnosamente, ma ripeto, non al solito livello.
February 8, 2021
Romanzo scorrevole, che si fa leggere con piacere, soprattutto nella prima parte con la costruzione dell'ambientazione e dei personaggi. Sembra di essere in un romanzo di spionaggio con i Queen trasportati su un'isola segreta proprietà di un magnate dell'industria bellica minacciato di omicidio. E il delitto avviene puntualmente come annunciato dalle lettere minatorie, un delitto impossibile apparentemente, ma ovviamente c'è Ellery col suo incredibile fiuto.
Lo scioglimento della trama però non mi ha convinta molto. Il movente dell'omicidio viene rintracciato nel passato dei personaggi, in episodi della loro infanzia che, riconosciuti come falsi, li portano al delitto. Peccato che non si tratta di grandi traumi, ma di episodi tutto sommato secondari che sembra assurgano allo status di movente solo per sbrogliare la trama. Insomma, una mezza delusione.
Lo scioglimento della trama però non mi ha convinta molto. Il movente dell'omicidio viene rintracciato nel passato dei personaggi, in episodi della loro infanzia che, riconosciuti come falsi, li portano al delitto. Peccato che non si tratta di grandi traumi, ma di episodi tutto sommato secondari che sembra assurgano allo status di movente solo per sbrogliare la trama. Insomma, una mezza delusione.
August 2, 2016
Nice enough locked-room mystery set within a militaristic island dictatorship. Spends a lot of time setting that up and not enough time knocking it all down--the solution is clever but the psychology is silly.
January 11, 2022
Invadarea apartamentului lui Queen se petrecu la ora 8, într-o dimineaţă obişnuită de iunie, când strada 87 din cartierul de vest era spălată până la etajul al treilea de către maşina stropitoare a oraşului, iar ArseneLupin, stăpânabsolut al cornişei estice, se îndopa din firimiturile de pâine cu care se puteau hrăni o duzină de porumbei din împrejurimi.
Era o invazie în stilul secolului al douăzecilea… fără avertisment. În momentul în care survenea, inspectorul Queen îşi cumpănea pieziş linguriţa deasupra celui de-al doilea ou, apreciind calm lovitura; doamna Fabrikant tocmai îşi ridicase fundu-i colosal din cealaltă parte a camerei, pregătindu-se să bage aspiratorul în priză; iar Ellery era pe punctul de a intra în living, cu mâinile ridicate la gât ca să-şi aranjeze gulerul hainei.
— Nu mişcaţi, vă rog.
Nu se auzise nici un zgomot. Uşa fusese descuiată şi deschisă până la perete, iar vestibulul traversat în linişte.
Linguriţa Inspectorului, fundul doamnei Fabrikant, mâinile lui Ellery rămaseră unde se aflau.
Cei doi bărbaţi stăteau sub arcada vestibulului. Mâna dreaptă le era acoperită de faldurile pardesiului. Erau îmbrăcaţi la fel, costume şi pălării de un cafeniu ambiguu, doar că unul purta cămaşă albastru închis, iar celălalt cămaşă brun închis. Amândoi erau voinici, cu chipuri simpatice, dar destul de inexpresive.
Perechea privi prin livingul lui Queen, apoi se despărţiră şi Ellery observă că nu erau o pereche, ci un trio.
Cel de-al treilea bărbat stătea în faţa apartamentului, călare pe balustradă ca să supravegheze holul. Nemişcat, cu spatele spre uşa lui Queen, privea în josul scărilor.
Cămaşă-albastră se îndepărtă brusc de gemenul său, trecând pe lingă inspectorul Queen de la masa rabatabilă, fără să-i acorde vreo atenţie bătrânului gentleman care-l privea cu ochii holbaţi. Intră foarte repede în bucătărie prin uşa turnantă.
Colegul său rămase sub arcadă într-o atitudine aproape respectuoasă. Cămaşa brună adăugă un ton cald personalităţii sale. Îi apăru mâna dreaptă care ţinea un revolver calibrul 38 cu ţeava foarte scurtă.
Cămaşă-albastră ieşi din bucătărie şi dispăru în dormitorul inspectorului Queen.
Era o invazie în stilul secolului al douăzecilea… fără avertisment. În momentul în care survenea, inspectorul Queen îşi cumpănea pieziş linguriţa deasupra celui de-al doilea ou, apreciind calm lovitura; doamna Fabrikant tocmai îşi ridicase fundu-i colosal din cealaltă parte a camerei, pregătindu-se să bage aspiratorul în priză; iar Ellery era pe punctul de a intra în living, cu mâinile ridicate la gât ca să-şi aranjeze gulerul hainei.
— Nu mişcaţi, vă rog.
Nu se auzise nici un zgomot. Uşa fusese descuiată şi deschisă până la perete, iar vestibulul traversat în linişte.
Linguriţa Inspectorului, fundul doamnei Fabrikant, mâinile lui Ellery rămaseră unde se aflau.
Cei doi bărbaţi stăteau sub arcada vestibulului. Mâna dreaptă le era acoperită de faldurile pardesiului. Erau îmbrăcaţi la fel, costume şi pălării de un cafeniu ambiguu, doar că unul purta cămaşă albastru închis, iar celălalt cămaşă brun închis. Amândoi erau voinici, cu chipuri simpatice, dar destul de inexpresive.
Perechea privi prin livingul lui Queen, apoi se despărţiră şi Ellery observă că nu erau o pereche, ci un trio.
Cel de-al treilea bărbat stătea în faţa apartamentului, călare pe balustradă ca să supravegheze holul. Nemişcat, cu spatele spre uşa lui Queen, privea în josul scărilor.
Cămaşă-albastră se îndepărtă brusc de gemenul său, trecând pe lingă inspectorul Queen de la masa rabatabilă, fără să-i acorde vreo atenţie bătrânului gentleman care-l privea cu ochii holbaţi. Intră foarte repede în bucătărie prin uşa turnantă.
Colegul său rămase sub arcadă într-o atitudine aproape respectuoasă. Cămaşa brună adăugă un ton cald personalităţii sale. Îi apăru mâna dreaptă care ţinea un revolver calibrul 38 cu ţeava foarte scurtă.
Cămaşă-albastră ieşi din bucătărie şi dispăru în dormitorul inspectorului Queen.
December 11, 2022
Kasus Ellery Queen yang kedua yang aku baca~(*°▽°*)
Masih bersama papanya, Ellery kali ini diminta menjaga seorang pedagang kematian di pulau pribadinya, di mana si pedagang itu sibuk bermain raja-rajaan. Agak-agak kurang tertarik dengan penjabaran isi pulau dan tingkah-polah si Raja-yang-mengangkat-dirinya-sendiri itu, tapi begitu kasusnya muncul dan Ellery memulai penyelidikan, ceritanya jadi menarik. Lebih suka lagi saat penyelidikan masuk ke kesaksian orang-orang yang nggak terhubung dengan pulau itu.
Suka dengan analisis Ellery yang bukan hanya ke bukti-bukti fisik, tapi juga mendalami keadaan mental dan sifat-sifat korban dan orang-orang di sekitarnya. Suka juga dengan hasil analisisnya. TAPI! Aku merasa ada satu lubang... Apa akunya yang kelewat baca...
Untuk sementara, rating 4-nya aku jadikan 3 dulu aja~
_____
*setelah dicari dengan lebih teliti*
Ternyata ada penjelasannya! (^///^)> Aduhh, padahal sudah sejelas itu...
Akhir-akhir ini sering begitu balik halaman mendadak lupa apa yang diceritakan di halaman sebelumnya (^_^;) Padahal ini penyakit yang dulu kuderita saat sekolah~ apalagi pas ngebut semalaman menjelang ujian.
Siplah~ metodenya sudah jelas, motif pun oke, 'pidato' analisis kasusnya juga enak diikuti: berbagai petunjuk yang bertebaran sebelumnya bisa 'masuk' di tempat masing-masing.
Rating-nya dipulihkan jadi 4 (^▽^)/
Masih bersama papanya, Ellery kali ini diminta menjaga seorang pedagang kematian di pulau pribadinya, di mana si pedagang itu sibuk bermain raja-rajaan. Agak-agak kurang tertarik dengan penjabaran isi pulau dan tingkah-polah si Raja-yang-mengangkat-dirinya-sendiri itu, tapi begitu kasusnya muncul dan Ellery memulai penyelidikan, ceritanya jadi menarik. Lebih suka lagi saat penyelidikan masuk ke kesaksian orang-orang yang nggak terhubung dengan pulau itu.
Suka dengan analisis Ellery yang bukan hanya ke bukti-bukti fisik, tapi juga mendalami keadaan mental dan sifat-sifat korban dan orang-orang di sekitarnya. Suka juga dengan hasil analisisnya. TAPI! Aku merasa ada satu lubang... Apa akunya yang kelewat baca...
Untuk sementara, rating 4-nya aku jadikan 3 dulu aja~
_____
*setelah dicari dengan lebih teliti*
Ternyata ada penjelasannya! (^///^)> Aduhh, padahal sudah sejelas itu...
Akhir-akhir ini sering begitu balik halaman mendadak lupa apa yang diceritakan di halaman sebelumnya (^_^;) Padahal ini penyakit yang dulu kuderita saat sekolah~ apalagi pas ngebut semalaman menjelang ujian.
Siplah~ metodenya sudah jelas, motif pun oke, 'pidato' analisis kasusnya juga enak diikuti: berbagai petunjuk yang bertebaran sebelumnya bisa 'masuk' di tempat masing-masing.
Rating-nya dipulihkan jadi 4 (^▽^)/
April 12, 2024
A solid locked-room mystery with the hook being that the detectives are given details about every possible element in advance—all except for the solution, of course. This is only my second Ellery Queen novel, but so far I've been loving the creative settings the two writers' find for their formulaic stories. Here, Inspector Queen and son find themselves on the private island of an arms manufacturer, where there's a lot to be said about who profits from warfare (this book was published in 1952). It feels like the constraints of genre fiction are holding back a much bigger story though; there's a plot element baked in here about a single man engineering all of World War II simply for the sake of being wealthy. (Which occupies about 10-15 pages.) But I appreciate the ambition, though, as well as how much The King is Dead kept me in the dark about its stunningly simple solution.
January 29, 2017
3-3.5/5
November 18, 2022
Ellery Queen and his father Inspector Queen are practically kidnapped from their New York apartment. Abel Bendigo, brother to multimillionaire and weapons broker King Bendigo, arrives with armed bodyguards and insists on the pair accompanying him to his brother's secret island. The Queens are none too happy to have their home invaded and told what to do. But he comes bearing a letter from an unnamed person in Washington (but it's obviously the President) and Ellery gets interested. It seems that King has been receiving progressive threating notes. That is--the message becomes progressively longer. The first reads "You are going to be murdered--." The second reads "You are going to be murdered on Thursday--." The implication being that the next note will tell him just which specific Thursday is doomsday. Possibly followed by one that will tell the exact time.
But when the Queens arrive on the island, they find that the investigation isn't going to be simple. King Bendigo thinks that the messages are from a crank and doesn't take them seriously. They're told they can go anywhere on the island except areas marked "restricted" but they still run into difficulty searching where they need to and talking to those involved. Ellery still manages to discover who is behind the notes--it's the third (middle) brother Judah. Judah isn't bothered by being found out. He readily admits that's he's the one. That he's definitely going to kill his brother on "Thursday, June 21, at exactly twelve o'clock midnight." He even shows Ellery the gun he's going to use.
It seems that brother Judah is tired of the way King uses his wealth and his influence to manipulate the officials of the world. Buying and selling loyalty like a high-powered car dealer. Providing weapons to certain parties to increase the need for more weapons. It's rumored he even managed to help Hitler get bold enough to start a war that made Bendigo the number one provider of military armaments. Judah doesn't think anyone--not even his brother--should have that much power and believes the only way to stop him is to kill him.
On the night in question, King and his wife Karla are locked in Bendigo's conference room--a room specially built to be impregnable. It has no windows. It has only one door. It has an air conditioning system that can't be fiddled with. The Queens thoroughly search the room before allowing the couple to work in the room. They search it three times to make sure there is nowhere a man could hide; there is nowhere a booby-trap could be disguised. Inspector Queen and King's security force guard the door to the room. Ellery takes the gun that Judah says he will use and empties it of all cartridges--handing them to his father. He then searches Judah's room to be sure there are no extra cartridges hidden. Ellery and King's personal guard stand over Judah all evening. At two minutes to midnight Judah stands up, picks up the empty gun, and stretches his hand towards the wall facing the conference room. At exactly midnight he squeezes the trigger and nothing happens. But...
When Ellery and his father unlock the conference room. King is slumped in his chair with a bullet hole in his breast. Karla is lying on the floor in a faint. And there is no one else in the room--and no weapon. Somehow Judah managed to shoot his brother with an empty gun--and he did so through two walls, one of which is three feet of solid concrete!
So...on the one hand, this is a very clever locked room mystery. And even though by this point the authors had dropped the "intermission" where they told us that we had all the clues and should be able to solve the mystery--we do have all the clues needed to determine how King was killed and what happened with the gun. I enjoyed that part of the story very much. What I had trouble with was the megalomaniac character King Bendigo and the way this man supposedly pulled all the strings behind every major political thing going on anywhere. The whole evil mastermind trope doesn't really fit with the Ellery Queen style (or in very many of the Golden Age stories--I like few of the Christie capers with such people, for instance). I also had a bit of trouble with big reveal scene with King.
If we ignore the evil mastermind thing, then this is an interesting and satisfying mystery. Lots of clues spread around so transparently that, if you're like me, you'll look right through them and not even know they're there. Motive is a bit more dicey--you have to wait for Ellery to go dig that up--but motive is not the key ingredient here. It's all about how what happened could possibly have happened. ★★★ and 1/2.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
But when the Queens arrive on the island, they find that the investigation isn't going to be simple. King Bendigo thinks that the messages are from a crank and doesn't take them seriously. They're told they can go anywhere on the island except areas marked "restricted" but they still run into difficulty searching where they need to and talking to those involved. Ellery still manages to discover who is behind the notes--it's the third (middle) brother Judah. Judah isn't bothered by being found out. He readily admits that's he's the one. That he's definitely going to kill his brother on "Thursday, June 21, at exactly twelve o'clock midnight." He even shows Ellery the gun he's going to use.
It seems that brother Judah is tired of the way King uses his wealth and his influence to manipulate the officials of the world. Buying and selling loyalty like a high-powered car dealer. Providing weapons to certain parties to increase the need for more weapons. It's rumored he even managed to help Hitler get bold enough to start a war that made Bendigo the number one provider of military armaments. Judah doesn't think anyone--not even his brother--should have that much power and believes the only way to stop him is to kill him.
On the night in question, King and his wife Karla are locked in Bendigo's conference room--a room specially built to be impregnable. It has no windows. It has only one door. It has an air conditioning system that can't be fiddled with. The Queens thoroughly search the room before allowing the couple to work in the room. They search it three times to make sure there is nowhere a man could hide; there is nowhere a booby-trap could be disguised. Inspector Queen and King's security force guard the door to the room. Ellery takes the gun that Judah says he will use and empties it of all cartridges--handing them to his father. He then searches Judah's room to be sure there are no extra cartridges hidden. Ellery and King's personal guard stand over Judah all evening. At two minutes to midnight Judah stands up, picks up the empty gun, and stretches his hand towards the wall facing the conference room. At exactly midnight he squeezes the trigger and nothing happens. But...
When Ellery and his father unlock the conference room. King is slumped in his chair with a bullet hole in his breast. Karla is lying on the floor in a faint. And there is no one else in the room--and no weapon. Somehow Judah managed to shoot his brother with an empty gun--and he did so through two walls, one of which is three feet of solid concrete!
So...on the one hand, this is a very clever locked room mystery. And even though by this point the authors had dropped the "intermission" where they told us that we had all the clues and should be able to solve the mystery--we do have all the clues needed to determine how King was killed and what happened with the gun. I enjoyed that part of the story very much. What I had trouble with was the megalomaniac character King Bendigo and the way this man supposedly pulled all the strings behind every major political thing going on anywhere. The whole evil mastermind trope doesn't really fit with the Ellery Queen style (or in very many of the Golden Age stories--I like few of the Christie capers with such people, for instance). I also had a bit of trouble with big reveal scene with King.
If we ignore the evil mastermind thing, then this is an interesting and satisfying mystery. Lots of clues spread around so transparently that, if you're like me, you'll look right through them and not even know they're there. Motive is a bit more dicey--you have to wait for Ellery to go dig that up--but motive is not the key ingredient here. It's all about how what happened could possibly have happened. ★★★ and 1/2.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
January 8, 2021
Ellery Queen, Il re è morto, 1952.
Potente.
Undicesima classificata nella lista di Hoch delle migliori camere chiuse, questo romanzo cerca di unire al giallo anche una venatura distopica, forse vista con gli occhi di oggi un po’ ingenua ma decisamente coinvolgente (quasi un Orwell al contrario, criticando qui non le dittature ma le possibili degenerazioni delle mondo occidentale capitalista e democratico).
Buona parte della storia si svolge sull’isola-bunker dove ha sede una multinazionale della produzione di armamenti, che tratta alla pari con governi e con chi invece i governi li vuole abbattere. L’azienda è di proprietà di King Bendigo, e i due Queen padre e figlio sono stati chiamati a indagare su alcune minacce di morte ricevute, per lettere anonime via via più dettagliate, da King. Si trovano così sull’isola, in uno stato a metà fra ospiti e prigionieri
Il fatto chiave è effettivamente una camera chiusa tecnicamente molto valida. Provo a riassumerla evitando i dettagli non essenziali per non fare spoiler: King, insieme a un’altra persona, si trova in una camera blindata, e viene ferito da un colpo di rivoltella. Rivoltella che al momento dello sparo si trova fuori dalla camera blindata, senza che ci siano evidenze di come abbia potuto trapassare le pareti blindate, sulle quali non ci sono segni di sorta, e soprattutto al momento dello sparo si trova, scarica, in mano a una persona sorvegliata a vista da diverse persone fra cui i due Queen. La perizia balistica conferma l’incredibile fatto che il colpo è partito proprio da quella rivoltella.
In questi casi, più che il “chi è stato” è importante il “come ha fatto”, ed Ellery Queen (e i lettori più attenti, ma in questa circostanza non mi sono rivelato tale, pur arrivandoci vicino, non ho colto l’indizio chiave, cosa che hanno fatto altri) riesce a scoprire la dinamica dei fatti.
A me complessivamente è piaciuto molto, ricorda i migliori romanzi del ciclo di Wrightsville (con i quali c’è un tenue legame nella trama) nel volere unire, e secondo me nel riuscirci, al genere giallo un altro genere (là il romanzo psicologico, qua il distopico) e soprattutto nella capacità di coinvolgimento del lettore, che condivide le paure e le emozioni di Ellery.
Potente.
Undicesima classificata nella lista di Hoch delle migliori camere chiuse, questo romanzo cerca di unire al giallo anche una venatura distopica, forse vista con gli occhi di oggi un po’ ingenua ma decisamente coinvolgente (quasi un Orwell al contrario, criticando qui non le dittature ma le possibili degenerazioni delle mondo occidentale capitalista e democratico).
Buona parte della storia si svolge sull’isola-bunker dove ha sede una multinazionale della produzione di armamenti, che tratta alla pari con governi e con chi invece i governi li vuole abbattere. L’azienda è di proprietà di King Bendigo, e i due Queen padre e figlio sono stati chiamati a indagare su alcune minacce di morte ricevute, per lettere anonime via via più dettagliate, da King. Si trovano così sull’isola, in uno stato a metà fra ospiti e prigionieri
Il fatto chiave è effettivamente una camera chiusa tecnicamente molto valida. Provo a riassumerla evitando i dettagli non essenziali per non fare spoiler: King, insieme a un’altra persona, si trova in una camera blindata, e viene ferito da un colpo di rivoltella. Rivoltella che al momento dello sparo si trova fuori dalla camera blindata, senza che ci siano evidenze di come abbia potuto trapassare le pareti blindate, sulle quali non ci sono segni di sorta, e soprattutto al momento dello sparo si trova, scarica, in mano a una persona sorvegliata a vista da diverse persone fra cui i due Queen. La perizia balistica conferma l’incredibile fatto che il colpo è partito proprio da quella rivoltella.
In questi casi, più che il “chi è stato” è importante il “come ha fatto”, ed Ellery Queen (e i lettori più attenti, ma in questa circostanza non mi sono rivelato tale, pur arrivandoci vicino, non ho colto l’indizio chiave, cosa che hanno fatto altri) riesce a scoprire la dinamica dei fatti.
A me complessivamente è piaciuto molto, ricorda i migliori romanzi del ciclo di Wrightsville (con i quali c’è un tenue legame nella trama) nel volere unire, e secondo me nel riuscirci, al genere giallo un altro genere (là il romanzo psicologico, qua il distopico) e soprattutto nella capacità di coinvolgimento del lettore, che condivide le paure e le emozioni di Ellery.
June 7, 2023
I think this is the 2nd (?) time that a murderer has . And of course, when you invite a detective to a scene of a would-be-murder, he is, at the very least, going to figure out who the murderer is, even if he fails to prevent the murder Every. GODDAMN. TIME!
C'mon Ellery. Can't you prevent a murder even once? I'm begging you.
I found the plot... meh-y. It has an unnecessary link to . I also guessed the twist, or at least the technological aspects of the twist, as soon as the murder-plot-point started, so that probably got me less interested than I'd normally be. If you read this book and you don't figure out at least than you might want to look at that internalized sexism you've got knocking around in your skull. It's getting in your way. Kick it out.
Overall, the book wasn't bad, but it wasn't really fun either. I don't mind that I had to read it in my (self-inflicted) quest to read all the Ellery Queen books in order, but I don't think I'd ever read it again, unless someone paid me to.
C'mon Ellery. Can't you prevent a murder even once? I'm begging you.
I found the plot... meh-y. It has an unnecessary link to . I also guessed the twist, or at least the technological aspects of the twist, as soon as the murder-plot-point started, so that probably got me less interested than I'd normally be. If you read this book and you don't figure out at least than you might want to look at that internalized sexism you've got knocking around in your skull. It's getting in your way. Kick it out.
Overall, the book wasn't bad, but it wasn't really fun either. I don't mind that I had to read it in my (self-inflicted) quest to read all the Ellery Queen books in order, but I don't think I'd ever read it again, unless someone paid me to.
July 6, 2020
I have been reading a lot of Ellery Queen lately and none of it has been satisfying me. If the writing is exceptional, the plot is thin. If the plot is ok, the mystery solution is preposterous. If the era is the 60s, the book reads like it’s 1942. I wonder about my younger self’s tastes, because I quite liked the EQ’s I read 20 years ago. Maybe I read all the good ones.
As for this one, I liked the crime and solution. But the 100 pages to set it up are a first for me. I found them tedious. A big shot weapons manufacturer is receiving threatening letters. So his assistants kidnap Ellery and Inspector Queen to thwart the advertised murder. You see, the big shot lives on this big private island in a secret undisclosed location and has his own military and populace and...oh, it’s all pretty stupid.
We do get down to the crime — a locked room thingy that’s quite well handled. Ellery does a good job unraveling it, using both psychology and logic effectively. Since Ellery, in the other books, is prone to error and easy to misdirect, this is a nice surprise.
This may be a touch better than average, but the opening tedium means I only will give this one three stars.
As for this one, I liked the crime and solution. But the 100 pages to set it up are a first for me. I found them tedious. A big shot weapons manufacturer is receiving threatening letters. So his assistants kidnap Ellery and Inspector Queen to thwart the advertised murder. You see, the big shot lives on this big private island in a secret undisclosed location and has his own military and populace and...oh, it’s all pretty stupid.
We do get down to the crime — a locked room thingy that’s quite well handled. Ellery does a good job unraveling it, using both psychology and logic effectively. Since Ellery, in the other books, is prone to error and easy to misdirect, this is a nice surprise.
This may be a touch better than average, but the opening tedium means I only will give this one three stars.
November 3, 2020
Noioso e datato. Peccato, non avevo mai letto niente prima, di Ellery Queen, e devo dire che dopo questo libro, non credo necessariamente avro' voglia di leggerne altri.
July 30, 2024
This novel always comes in the top 10 greatest locked room mystery novel and indeed it presents a complex impossible crime with a complex puzzle.
The king is shot in a locked room having a fortified wall of 2 feet. The shot was fired from an empty gun by his brother who resided in another room in front of Ellery Queen as the witness. Empty gun cannot fire, even f it could fire, a bullet cannot travel through two thick walls amount so many witness watching. And, yet, this impossible happened . Ellery needs to figure out how.
The puzzle itself is great but the novel has pacing issue even in 300 page length. In my opinion, the first half is pretty boring and does not contribute much to the story. In fact, apart from the puzzle there is not much story . So, the book would have been better if it was at most 200 pages long.
But for the puzzle along this novel shiners and will be remembered among puzzle mystery fans.
The king is shot in a locked room having a fortified wall of 2 feet. The shot was fired from an empty gun by his brother who resided in another room in front of Ellery Queen as the witness. Empty gun cannot fire, even f it could fire, a bullet cannot travel through two thick walls amount so many witness watching. And, yet, this impossible happened . Ellery needs to figure out how.
The puzzle itself is great but the novel has pacing issue even in 300 page length. In my opinion, the first half is pretty boring and does not contribute much to the story. In fact, apart from the puzzle there is not much story . So, the book would have been better if it was at most 200 pages long.
But for the puzzle along this novel shiners and will be remembered among puzzle mystery fans.
December 29, 2017
An epos of enormous proportions, literaly worldwide, with an extremely far-fetched plot. The whole thing is quite unbeliebable from setup. It is not even that billionaires that wield world power don't exist, since they cleary do, it is just the way it is represented here. Beginning with the kidnapping of father and son Queen and keeping them locked up on the island for more than a month.
The actual murder, admittedly the most original closed room scenario i have ever seen, fails. The victim lives but knows nothing and ignores what happened. While the reader immediately sees who did it as Ellery only reasons a lot too late. Well thought out as a fantasy but bungled as a detective story.
The actual murder, admittedly the most original closed room scenario i have ever seen, fails. The victim lives but knows nothing and ignores what happened. While the reader immediately sees who did it as Ellery only reasons a lot too late. Well thought out as a fantasy but bungled as a detective story.
October 15, 2017
The characterizations were juvenile and simplistic (although King Bendigo is scarily reminiscent of a "titan" personality frequently in news headlines, but it was a fun read with some humour, and a sharp-eyed reader can detect along with Ellery Queen that not everything is as it is presented.
Abel Bendigo, brother of the fifth richest man in the world, "strongly persuades" Ellery Queen and his father to jaunt off to a tropical unnamed uncharted island to deduce who is sending King Bendigo death threats. The Queens learn there's more going on than just someone trolling an armaments and munitions entrepreneur with a noiseless typewriter.
Abel Bendigo, brother of the fifth richest man in the world, "strongly persuades" Ellery Queen and his father to jaunt off to a tropical unnamed uncharted island to deduce who is sending King Bendigo death threats. The Queens learn there's more going on than just someone trolling an armaments and munitions entrepreneur with a noiseless typewriter.
February 23, 2019
I loved the Elery Queen TV show. My dad and I would try to figure it out, sometimes we got it but most times we did not. This is the first Elery Queen book I have read. I thought it would be more like the show. You know, where he stops and says: do you have it?, let's go over what we know.... I didn't get it. I felt that the book was over done. I wanted to like it. THe fact that he never says anything to Abel or Judah about the swimming incident. I wanted them confronted. Seemed overblown and then a let down. Not sure if all the books are like this one, maybe if I can find a 99 cent one on my nook I'll try again.
June 2, 2024
Ellery Queen is a detective novel series from days gone by. Ellery had a long running radio show, movies and a TV show along with the books. If you had been alive in the forties it would have been a recognizable cultural reference.
This book is fairly short and it is well into the series. The story is fairly interesting. The solution was a bit more obvious than the detecting made it out to be.
One thing you can always expect from Ellery Queen stories is that you will be given all the needed clues in order to solve the mystery before it is revealed.
It was a fun little read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys laidback detective stories.
This book is fairly short and it is well into the series. The story is fairly interesting. The solution was a bit more obvious than the detecting made it out to be.
One thing you can always expect from Ellery Queen stories is that you will be given all the needed clues in order to solve the mystery before it is revealed.
It was a fun little read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys laidback detective stories.
March 2, 2025
Om een plinterdun plot te maskeren wordt dit boek overladen met andere randinformatie: zo scheppen de auteurs een compleet eilandrijk uit het niets; iets wat je normaal alleen terugvindt in die dikke pillen van Science-fitction en fantasy boeken...niet in een boekje van 230 blz
Als we dan ook nog 25 blz lang de halve bevolking van de geboorteplaats van de belangrijke nevenpersonages voorgeschoteld krijgen, met hun erinneringen uit de jeugd van die nevenpersonages, blijft er niet veel ruimte om een plot echt degelijk uit te werken.
Niet de beste Ellery Queen dus. Ik zou bijna zeggen dat het boek even slecht is als de titel
Als we dan ook nog 25 blz lang de halve bevolking van de geboorteplaats van de belangrijke nevenpersonages voorgeschoteld krijgen, met hun erinneringen uit de jeugd van die nevenpersonages, blijft er niet veel ruimte om een plot echt degelijk uit te werken.
Niet de beste Ellery Queen dus. Ik zou bijna zeggen dat het boek even slecht is als de titel
February 1, 2026
It's fine I suppose, but I read a lot of really ardent praise for this online and I can't really see why. First, it's pretty obvious here how the murder was done. I'm not someone who usually solves mystery novel puzzles or anything, but here it's just clear what the broad contours of the solution are. Second, any momentum the novel is building up through the isolated setting, etc. (which isn't a lot) is halted by the fact that Ellery leaves to go investigating in the Bendigos' home town back on the mainland. This leads to a tedious section summarising his findings, none of which is really even necessary to arrive at the solution to the crime. Third, there's not much atmosphere here. None of the characters is particularly interesting, and so we don't really care all that much who's done what.
February 1, 2021
It was entertaining to read something from my parents' generation. A few month ago I ran across a 1952 Edition in a Cannon Beach, Oregon bookstore. I loved the deep red book cloth covering and enticing title. The $4.95 price also appealed to me.
This is classic mid-century stuff. A murder mystery set on a romantic Caribbean Island. The characters were rich and well developed. The plot held my interest with enough twists and turns to keep me going without foreseeing the ending.
With the many possibilities of which bad guy did the dirty deed, Queen held my attention to the very last last as he elaborately unraveled the twisty plot.
Classic 1950s.
This is classic mid-century stuff. A murder mystery set on a romantic Caribbean Island. The characters were rich and well developed. The plot held my interest with enough twists and turns to keep me going without foreseeing the ending.
With the many possibilities of which bad guy did the dirty deed, Queen held my attention to the very last last as he elaborately unraveled the twisty plot.
Classic 1950s.
December 5, 2024
The set-up for this story is the most implausible I've seen yet: Ellery and his father are effectively kidnapped and taken to a secret island run by an armaments manufacturer dictator to investigate threats on his life. Eventually there is a nice locked-room mystery, but there is a lot of doldrums before it, and important background information about the main character formed a long interruption towards the end of the book. I don't fault Queen for wanting to write about the excesses of power, but it could have been done better.
April 4, 2022
It was a good enough story, I still like the dynamic between Ellery and his dad. I wish it had gone more into the details of the relationship between the three brothers at the heart of the story. We spend 3/4 of the book not knowing much then we learn everything at once. it felt a bit long but all in all, it was an enjoyable enough story. Women still don't have a real place in Ellery's stories however.
September 22, 2019
More Ian Fleming than Ellery Queen, "The King is Dead" travels to a tropical island where a meglomanical tyrant, rules. (No, not Dr. No). There is an unusual locked room murder and a Christie like ending. I usually enjoy the Queen series immensely, but this one left me unexcited. Maybe next time. Still, Ellery Queen is always a good read.
February 14, 2018
Non avevo mai letto niente di Ellery Queen, solo visto qualche telefilm (apprezzandolo). Mi sono ritrovata questo in casa e avevo voglia di lettura leggera e coinvolgente. Si, è leggero e coinvolgente ma abbastanza deludente come plot, semplicistico in modo quasi imbarazzante. Molto meglio Nero!
July 6, 2018
The murder mechanism should be simple to readers fluent in this genre - you either catch it or you don’t. Most of the effort was put into world-building (detailed, but somewhat pointless) and character development (unsuccessful and/or uninspired)
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