The Four of Hearts

Ellery Queen Detective #14

by Ellery Queen

1994, trade paperback edition (of a title first published in 1938), Harper Perennial, NY. 250 pages. Ellery Queen was a pen name for two cousins who, in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, along with Rex Stout, led the way re. American mystery writers. Most of the biggest names in the field were British, but Queen was one of the ones who turned things around. Our man Ellery has been hired as a writer out West on a major motion picture shoot. Something is about to happen to our two very visible super stars.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Detective, Classics, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1938

About the author

aka 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.

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edited@2018: after the rereading I downgrade the rating into 3 stars.

Murder mystery in the 1930s Hollywood! Two starlet families at war! Poker cards death threats! Last but not least, Ellery Queen, our novelist/detective has a crush on a pretty lady during investigation again! All of these do make up an entertaining but highly soap-operatic murder mystery. The characters are as flat as you can get and through the writing you can never see any hint of the Great Depression or the hardship of the 1930s America; but at least this book kept me entertained for a few hours. So, 3.5 stars.

[Francesco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Primo romanzo di Ellery Queen che leggo, mi aspettavo qualcosa di più facile da seguire e da capire.
Ci sono troppi personaggio che entrano in gioco dopo la metà del romanzo, Ellery ovviamente ha intuito tutto sin da subito ma è in possesso di dettagli non noti al lettore.

Credo che leggerò altro di lui perché comunque è stata una lettura divertente

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ellery Queen is going stir-crazy in Hollywood. After a hugely successful investigation into a Los Angeles murder in the previous book and the West Coast fame that came with it, he was in demand. He's now under contract to Magna Studios to produce scripts. All fine and dandy--except he hasn't actually met with his supposed boss, Jacques Butcher, and he hasn't actually been given any work to do. His agent tells him not worry, it's just the way studios operate. And why complain about getting a paycheck for just sitting around or seeing the sights? But Ellery can't stand to be idle and when "Butch" finally calls him (as if he's just heard that Ellery is around), he tells the boss that he's had enough and is leaving. Which results in immediate work.

The studio is planning an epic biopic featuring their two big stars--Blythe Stuart and Jack Royle. The film will tell all and the masses will flock to the theaters to learn the "true story" of the legendary feud between the two families. A feud that revolves around the once engaged couple and their respective children, Bonnie Stuart and Ty Royle. And as a bonus--Blythe and Jack will play themselves. Just as the Ellery gets down to work gathering background for the script, the two stars through a wrench into the works. Not only have they patched up the feud--they are going to get married. At first Butch and the studio are furious--there goes the melodrama of the feud. But--they decide to cash in on the romantic ending and make the most of the situation. They arrange for Blythe & Jack to be married in front of fans at the LA airfield. Then the happy couple will fly off into the sunset for a honeymoon on a secluded island. And, though Bonnie and Ty aren't happy about it (and are still feuding themselves), Ty volunteers to fly the plane.

But after the plane has taken off, Bonnie and Ty are found--tied up and gagged. So, who is flying the plane? Are the two stars being kidnapped? A few hours later, the plane is found on a mountain plateau. The pilot is missing and Blythe and Jack have been fatally poisoned. Ellery must give up researching to hunt for clues the murders. Apart from the family feud, there seems to be no motive for the death of either of the stars...let alone both. It's soon discovered that Blythe has been receiving mysterious mailings with playing cards and if Ellery can correctly decipher the cards' hidden meanings, he'll be able to hand the murderer over to Inspector Glücke.

This is a fun, slightly madcap, slightly convoluted mystery. It's obvious that Queen (Frederic Dannay & Manfred Lee) are thoroughly ensconced in Hollywood screenwriting at this point. The book reads as though "we" had a movie deal in mind. Lots of dialog, lots of action scenes--not a whole heck of a lot of focus on the mystery. A nice little romance for Ellery, but apparently not as serious as we're led to believe because Paula Paris disappears rapidly after this book. It's obvious who the leads are--Bonnie, Ty, and Ellery, with a good dose of Paula, syndicated columnist, thrown in. We could have used a bit more "screen" time for other characters. Maybe if I'd seen more of them I would have remembered how some of them were connected and I might have spotted the killer. As it was...I didn't. The solution is good and consistent, though a bit of a violent ending for the killer.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Shabbeer Hassan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ellery Queen is still in Hollywood reluctantly writing a movie plot and a murder mystery strikes right where he works. The plot is middlingly good and a token of effort has gone towards creating the spooky environment. As usual in Queen's books, there are a few obnoxious characters and a million quid if you guessed, all but bar one were women! They are either whiny or intelligent but bitchy. Yup polar opposite behaviours are what characterises women in these books it seems. Sigh!

My Rating - 2/5

[xamyaaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

got it at an antique store!
throughly enjoyed myself! such drama!
lowkey didn’t even remember the killer but maybe that’s on my and on purpose
… a bit of the time if u catch my drift
but overall a fun read

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of twisted, crazy fun read that can only come from two, not one master writer, and that's exactly what we get with Ellery Queen, a character himself from the creative minds of Manfred Lee and Frederick Dannay in 1938.

This partnership created around 40 novels — the first of which is The Four of Hearts — and short story collections, as well as more anthologies of crime fiction and true crime. Dannay also founded, and for many years edited, the still published Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

So this tale is living proof of the intelligence and creativity of two men as Ellery Queen. It starts simply — and frankly for me, with Ellery Queen throwing an insane hissy fit because he has come to Hollywood to work and yet in six weeks hasn't even met the man who hired him, boy wonder Jacques Butcher, executive vice president of production at Magna Studios.

Soon rectified, Ellery finds himself with another insane situation: Butcher pairs him with a clever idea man, Lew Bascom, a writer who can come up with ideas, but without a partner doesn't result in a screen play.

Bascom's latest idea: a story about the feud between Hollywood legends John "Jack" Royle and Blythe Stuart. Ellery moves forward with the plan, doing some of his own investigations, when suddenly the feuding duo have announced they are going to marry.

The only thing: there's a murder and a mystery. Thank goodness, there's Ellery Queen to winnow through the clues and red herrings. Competing with him is beautiful gossip columnist Paula Paris, who has a talent for uncovering secrets that may match Queen's own. For a while I wondered if he could stop stumbling over his heart to come up with the solution.

So you have feuding lovers, Hollywood studio execs, police, the public and a killer. And only Ellery can come up not only with the killer, but a way to stop him. This book has it all — excitement, confusion and a thrilling end, all developed and finished by Ellery Queen, AKA Lee and Dannay.

[Siobhan Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

utterly dated, utterly improbable, and utterly charming. I loves me some old school mystery, with a bunch of Hollywood Golden Age silliness tossed in for good measure.

[Jenn G · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I found this book in a used book sale and bought it because the cover was kinda ridiculous. It was my first experience with Ellery Queen writing and I ended up liking it!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my full review click on the link below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.com/2025/...

[Rick Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Major characters:

John "Jack" Royle, actor
Tyler Royle, his son
Louderbach, the Royle family servant
------------
Blythe Stuart, actor
Bonnie Stuart, her daughter
Tolland Stuart, her father, a mountain hermit
Clotilde, the family French maid
------------
Joe DiSangri Allesandro, casino owner
Alan Clark, theatrical agent
Jacques Butcher, a.k.a. Butch, the Boy Wonder, Magna Pictures VP
Lew Bascom, Magna Pictures writer
Sam Vix, Magna Pictures publicity agent
Arthur William Park, a studio extra
Paula Paris, syndicated columnist
Inspector Glücke
Ellery Queen

Locale: California and Wyoming

Synopsis: Ellery Queen is in Hollywood, on a short term contract to come up with a story for a detective movie for Magna Pictures; aided by writer Lew Bascom.

Magna Pictures has two famous actor families: The Royles (John "Jack" Royle and his son Tyler Royle) and the Stuarts (widow Blythe Stuart and her daughter Bonnie Stuart). Jack and Blythe have been feuding for years, and likewise their children. The studio comes up with the idea of a real-life biographical picture featuring the stars playing themselves. Surprisingly, they agree, and contracts are signed. Then, a surprise: Jack and Blythe suddenly patch things up and announce their engagement.

A quick wedding takes place on the airport tarmac, where Tyler's private plane waits to fly them to their honeymoon on remote Reed Island, owned by Jacques "Butch" Butcher, VP of Magna. After the ceremony, an unknown person dressed up in a pilot's flying togs overpowers Tyler and - impersonating Tyler - gets into the plane and flies off with Jack and Blythe.

The plane does not arrive at Reed Island. A large search eventually finds it on a mountain plateau. Authorities arrive to find Jack and Blythe dead inside from poison, but no sign of the pilot. Bonnie becomes distraught and is taken to the nearby mountain retreat of millionaire hermit Tolland Stuart, her grandfather. She is treated by Tolland's personal physician, Doc Junius.

No one seems to have a motive as no one benefits by their deaths, but Ellery finds a possible clue: Blythe had been receiving a series of anonymous playing cards in the mail, bearing the insignia of the Horseshoe Club, a casino owned by Joe DiSangli Allesandro.

Review:

A key plot element centers around the remailing service business - so a bit of explanation is called for. This sort of thing has gone by the wayside, but it used to be a big deal. It was a way of hiding out by making it appear you were someplace else. You send your stamped mail to a remailing service in a distant city, and for a fee they would drop it in the mail for you from there, getting the distant city's postmark (as evidence) in the process. These were used by people who didn't want other people (a spouse, a bill collector, etc.) to know where they really were - handy for sending ransom notes, alimony, child support checks, Dear John letters, and the like.

This was a nice early Queen, a real page turner, and a nice break from the New York City locale. It never got bogged down. The deaths had no apparent motive, and the actual motive, when discovered, was clever. The solution was a bit complex but that was of necessity.

Please visit The Mystillery Blog and try The Mystillery Reading Challenges!

[nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was okay at best. there was a lot that i didn't like about this book, and i probably should've given it a lower rating, but i feel like 3 stars here equate a very bored "meh" so i think this rating will do.

i do not like how ellery's personality changed so drastically. i know that this is the 14th book, so it's understandable that there might be some changes. however not only are they reasonable for the same character that was introduced in the first book, but also they don't even make sense for his character. i know that there's a reason why queen did this, but i still despise it.

i will not lie that i didn't know the premise nor the setting of the story, which is definitely something i should've looked more into, because it's something i didn't enjoy. i think that the hollywood setting would generally be interesting for a mystery, but here it felt too, for a lack of a better word, american-ised. it felt very stereotypical; it's all seemingly glamourous and there are so many parties and casinos , but they're all actually miserable. the forbidden romance element as well as bonnie and ty getting together was awful and i didn't like it at all.

the mystery itself is decently written. i was able to guess one of the people involved within the murder but not necessarily the murderer themselves. the use of cards as decoded messages was rather interesting though i think that it could've been executed better.

overall, this book was just okay. i finished it because i needed to know who the murderer is and i, rather unfortunately, got invested

[Bill Suits · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is everything I like in these pre-World War 2 Mysteries. The people who have nothing to do but to run around and spend money. The sky's the limit and they can do anything they want and it's so interesting to see how they just want to be normal like everyone else even though they're not.

Many people not may not like this because it's dated but I found it very very enjoyable. I actually started listening to the audio book. But when I got into the book so much I said wait I have to read this book. Boy was I glad.
I figured out most of the things except there were a few details I overlooked so I couldn't get the exact conclusion. But I do recommend this novel to most people who like Ellery Queen and I think you will find it enjoyable and classic in his typical fashion of the time.

I just regret that World War 2 is coming and all these things are going to change in Ellery's books; the themes and people are going to be so different. This war brought so many changes to the country and as many of those changes were good we lost the sort of people who were drifting, simply doing what they wanted, having an infinite amount of money, and nothing matters like time or responsibilities. These are the people of Ellery Queen novels I enjoy.

[Martin Denton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well-crafted mystery: a page-turner whose final third is exciting and captivating, with a solution that I thought I had gotten until I found out that I was completely wrong: the real solution, completely plausible, was hiding in plain sight if I'd only followed the right clues--which is of course the point.

It's set in Hollywood, and rests on the unlikely premise that Ellery Queen has moved to Hollywood to become a screenwriter, something that never made sense to me given what we knew about his character from the previous novels.

The main subplot involves Ellery's relationship with a powerful Hollywood gossip columnist, one Paula Paris, who seems to be Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper wrapped into a stunningly bewitching and gloriously feminine package, winning Ellery's heart at first sight. The authors really seem to like this character (and I know she comes back in future works), but I never did: I found her manipulative and unworthy of Ellery.

Ellery, as he so often does, plays God with other characters as he works to unmask the villain. I find myself less and less comfortable with this as I get older.

Overall, a fun read, requiring a fair amount of suspension of disbelief.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit I was apprehensive - I'd read a book of Ellery Queen short stories a few years ago and was far from impressed, but this book surpassed the level of that collection. Perhaps it needed the length of a full novel for the writers to come into their own.

Not that the book is brilliant - it isn't - but it is an enjoyable romp, albeit one where the setting (the milieu of golden-era Hollywood) grows annoying fairly quickly. The writing style makes for a page-turner, although it is also understandably dated, and full of stereotypes of the cigar-chewing manic director, the flighty starlet, the obsequious agent, the lush screenwriter, and the reclusive eyes-everywhere gossip columnist. Still a worthy read though - I considered giving it four stars, but it lacked that little something that would have pushed it over the edge.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik trek altijd punten af als de dader iemand is die ik sympathiek vind, slechts 3 sterren is zeker niet omdat het boek minder goed geschreven zou zijn dan de andere Ellery Queen. Zeker niet met Ellery Queen zelf in de hoofdrol die ik gewoonlijk nog iets hoger waardeer dan de andere boeken van het schrijversduo.
Nogal een ingewikkelde plot en niet al te veel echt speurwerk van Ellery, doordrenkt van romantiek, speelt zich af in de schijnwereld van Hollywood. Het boek boeit van begin tot einde, soms heb je (onterecht) het gevoel dat je de oplossing wel ziet, maar zeker de achtergrond kon beter uitgewerkt worden.

[Robert D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the typical Ellery Queen book. Ellery is in Hollywood, hired by Magna studios to work on a script. The studio exec decides to make a film about two feuding actors and their children. When the actors decide to bury the hatchet by getting married the studio becomes worried about the script. Then when they are both murdered it becomes a case for Ellery Queen.

I actually correctly knew the killer about 1/2 way through the book. I was 50/50 on the reason because there was a sub-plot I didn't recognize the clues on.

[Michael Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still in Hollywood but now recognized by the studio and the head producer, EQ enters the world scrip doctor to work with an "idea" writer on a film. Not a lot of action until the whole concept of the film falls apart as the lead actor/actress reconcile a long standing feud plan to marry. Now the bodies start to pile up and Queen gets to be the detective as well as the script writer of the solution. A nice twist with at least one of the bad guys being obvious from early in the tale and another crops up just before the finale shot leaving only the head baddy to be announced.

[Freeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hesitate to give this four stars instead of five, but the ending was just a touch anticlimactic. However, this shortcoming was almost completely made up for by the snappy dialogue and the intriguing subplot involving a highly successful and intuitive newspaperwoman with one phobic flaw. The other characters were, I would say, average/typical for an Ellery Queen novel, though this one may have been a tad more humorous in spots, thanks to the dialogue and Queen's particularly unsuccessful stint in couples' counseling.

[Stephen Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, not all murders can take place in New York or Wrightsville, so Hollywood gets a few Queen cases. This one is pretty fun, although it's dated. But we get Ellery falling in love, so there's that. I had no idea who the murderer was, and in my defense it was really tricky. I like how, after the solution, Queen gives us a scene where a "guesser" matches wits with the "reasoner."

[Kiarup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tre stelline perché mi hanno urtato tantissimo svariati comportamenti di Ellery Queen, vorrei mettere un paio di esempi ma non vorrei rischiare spoiler. Ho trovato la storia discretamente intricata anche a causa del gran numero di personaggi che ho fatto fatica a distinguere. Non ho ovviamente azzeccato il colpevole, ma la cosa non mi sorprende perché non sono molto intuitiva in questi casi!

[Kristina Plaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the amazing use of vocabulary, vernacular, and grammar that Queen uses. Each novel is like a full meal of words, painting a rich story. This story was a bit confusing to me. It's like two stories in one. The reveal at the end was a surprise. I really need to keep up with characters. Total chagrin because I should have seen it coming!

[Erik Deckers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mystery set in 1930s Hollywood with plenty of twists and turns you don’t even see in some modern mysteries. Still, it’s quite dated and doesn’t age well in terms of how Ellery and others regarded/spoke to/treated women. I cringed in more than a few places. But still, a good story nonetheless.

[Conni Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad at all. Could have done without the forced romance. Ellery falling over his feet is not my favorite Ellery, but the mystery was intriguing and Ellery got punched in the face, what's was just unique enough to wet my whistle.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even in the context of its times and the context of Ellery Queen, this book was over-the-top misogynistic. The mystery was absurd, essentially created and prolonged by Ellery's refusal to discuss what was going on; again, even more so than usual.

[Sammcnair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, I’ve never read EQ before. Read similar to a Sam Spade novel.

[Jo Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was definitely written in a different time so some of it's a bit surprising but, overall, I enjoyed it. I didn't figure out who done it until the end ... which is not always the case.

[David Megginson · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a pilot, I love the aviation stuff, but the ending feels tacked-on.

[M. Karpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery

............great mystery
No cell phones
No !
Modern technology to interfere with simple thinking and deduction!
Great tale of the human psyche

[Aki Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

一直到出現死人我才感覺比較有趣(爆)，主要是我覺得一票子在好萊塢混的人物都太聒噪太搶鏡了，加上我親愛的艾勒里先生被寶拉迷得很不艾勒里，兇手的下場太乾淨俐落，雷聲大雨點小啊。

[Marylène Girard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5