What do you think?
Tim Corrigan
What's in the Dark?
During the Great Blackout in New York City, Brian Frank, an accountant, is murdered, and eight co-workers, one of them the murderer, are trapped in the twenty-seventh-floor office
143 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 6, 1969
About the author
Ellery Queen
1,779 books514 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 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 9, 2008
Another “faux” Ellery Queen novel. This whodunit is solvable, but you have to pay close attention to details (the clues are not dated in this story). The story is about an apparent suicide that takes place on the 21st floor of an office building, minutes before a blackout strikes the entire eastern seaboard and part of Canada. Detective Corrigan is called in to investigate, he realizes it's murder and not suicide and the killer is among those stranded on the 21st floor. Sure the writing and story are a bit “cheesy”, but I really enjoyed the “old fashioned” writing and language. Using words that you no longer hear these days like “beery”: “He had a beery sort of voice; thick and gurgly.” The descriptions of the characters, in my opinion, are wonderful.
From the book: “Tim Corrigan looked and moved like a classy middleweight boxer with a heavyweight's kick in either fist. He was built low to the ground and, like Antaeus, seemed to gather his strength from it. His face was a construction of overlapping planes, almost cartoonistic, an illusion that was furthered by the black patch over his left eye socket. The eye that was there was brown, steady, and usually amiable.”
Sybil Graves is described as: “She had a cool, clear voice, on the husky side; it seemed made for moonlight. She also had Irish-blue eyes and a turned-up Irish nose and a bust development that knew no national boundaries.”
What's not to enjoy about writing like that?
From the book: “Tim Corrigan looked and moved like a classy middleweight boxer with a heavyweight's kick in either fist. He was built low to the ground and, like Antaeus, seemed to gather his strength from it. His face was a construction of overlapping planes, almost cartoonistic, an illusion that was furthered by the black patch over his left eye socket. The eye that was there was brown, steady, and usually amiable.”
Sybil Graves is described as: “She had a cool, clear voice, on the husky side; it seemed made for moonlight. She also had Irish-blue eyes and a turned-up Irish nose and a bust development that knew no national boundaries.”
What's not to enjoy about writing like that?
April 10, 2025
Ugh. I knew this was a “fake” Ellery Queen, written by Richard Deming and featuring Tim Corrigan, I had heard it was good. I had thought I was inured to sexist writing enough to ignore how many times a main character’s breasts are referred to, stared at, obsessed over. I think I was wrong. This is just getting weird. Plus, ignoring the breasts (that’s once!) it’s not written at all well, or at all like Ellery Queen. Why should I keep reading?
June 11, 2017
A book too contrived and using too many standard mystery tricks, despite good characters, is best not to read.
'What's in the Dark' starts early with pages of building layout and room descriptions as if to construct building plans than a mystery. Why the author didn't better intersperse these descriptions is beyond me. The writing gets worse as the suspects to a murder are winnowed to only those on the floor of the building during a blackout. Though 21 floors up, the entire group are written as if they can't leave. Or even try to escape. Yet leave two do to get food. Instead of escape a party ensues. A party? After a murder of one all knew? Worse is the far too obvious setup of a second murder.
With all the setup of 21st floor layout and reference throughout, the ending is a large let down.
The characters are a treat and the the only worthy part of the book. Though the sexual content is more explicit for a bad pulp novel. Also, again, wholly inappropriate considering a friend and colleague was murdered and laying nearby.
Botoom line I do not recommend this book. three out of ten points.
'What's in the Dark' starts early with pages of building layout and room descriptions as if to construct building plans than a mystery. Why the author didn't better intersperse these descriptions is beyond me. The writing gets worse as the suspects to a murder are winnowed to only those on the floor of the building during a blackout. Though 21 floors up, the entire group are written as if they can't leave. Or even try to escape. Yet leave two do to get food. Instead of escape a party ensues. A party? After a murder of one all knew? Worse is the far too obvious setup of a second murder.
With all the setup of 21st floor layout and reference throughout, the ending is a large let down.
The characters are a treat and the the only worthy part of the book. Though the sexual content is more explicit for a bad pulp novel. Also, again, wholly inappropriate considering a friend and colleague was murdered and laying nearby.
Botoom line I do not recommend this book. three out of ten points.
April 30, 2026
I had heard Ellery Queen was a prolific mystery writer and I picked up this book years ago. Turns out Ellery Queen is a pseudonym for a couple of writers but this particular book was ghost written by someone else. Tim Corrigan is a tough guy protagonist and his war buddy Chuck Baer is another tough guy private detective. This novel was written in 1968 and some things were fun (phone books) but dang the sexism was over the top. “Mammae” used multiple times (really?), sexy legs, nympho, and Tim and Chuck hooking up with two suspects (professional much?). The mystery itself was mildly interesting
April 1, 2018
For being ghostwritten, there were elements of the book that reminded me of the early Queens (e.g. putting the action on the 21st floor of a building during the blackout reminded me of The ST mystery, where they were trapped on a mountain.) Corrigan is probably my favorite of the "non-Queen" Queens.
December 18, 2018
Average crime story. Rather dull and quiet boring
April 27, 2020
I didn’t like the characters and didn’t care whodunnit.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews