The Specialty of the House and Other Stories: The Complete Mystery Tales, 1948-1978

by Stanley Ellin

Welcome to a different world. It is a world of unparalleled wonder, a world of grisly murder, a world of grotesque humor, a world of unrelenting dread. Welcome to the world of Stanley Ellin. In this unique landscape of evil there exists a perfect dinner, a perfect child, a perfect wine, and a perfect dilemma. What a pity that each is so diabolically tainted!

This volume contains 35 classic stories, all but one of which originally appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, the first seven winning awards in the prestigious contests it used to sponsor. Two ("The House Party" and "The Blessington Method") won Edgar Allan Poe Awards from the Mystery Writers of America; three others were nominated.

Like Roald Dahl, Shirley Jackson, and John Collier at their best, Stanley Ellin presents a personal view of the world which is bizarre enough to be fascinating, yet true enough to be memorable. The malevolent plots and people in this volume will haunt your quiet hours long after you have finished reading it.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Crime, Collections, The United States Of America

557 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Stanley Bernard Ellin was a mystery writer of short stories and novels. He won the Edgar Allan Poe Award three times and the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere once, and in 1981 he was awarded with the Mystery Writers of America's highest honor, the Grand Master Award.

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must confess, I'm not familiar with Stanley Ellin's novels, I only read his short story The Specialty of the House when I was a kid. But OMG, what a brilliant short mystery story! What a chilling, frightening ending! What great imagination! What talent in story telling! One single short story is enough to make Mr. Ellin an immortal in the realm of mystery writing.

In my opinion, people should read 'The Specialty of the House' during Christmas, don't ask me why, but winter seems to be the perfect time to re-read this classic.

[Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book in a rented cabin in Minnesota, while on a family vacation in 1992 or so. I read the whole thing in two days.

It wasn't until 1996 or 1997 that I found it again - thanks the amazing (new-at-the-time) Internet. If you like short mystery stories, this is a wonderful book.

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una breve raccolta di racconti di questo scrittore americano del mistero.
Racconti scorrevoli, piacevoli, qualcuno intrigante e che lascia col fiato sospeso fino al colpo di scena finale.
Il vero gioiellino è quello che dà il titolo all'antologia, "La specialità della casa". Qui l'autore, in poche pagine, ha intessuto con maestria una racconto che non vuol solo narrare un episodio, ma lascia intendere che dietro c'è molto di più, qualcosa di simbolico che va oltre.
La terza stellina se la merita proprio per questa chicca della narrativa.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first three stories but put it back on the shelf after that. Slightly dated twists/revelations that seem to undermine the imagination of the reader (just because the twists seem like such cliches these days and are totally expected).

...must have been good back in the day though. I'd read more if I was staying in Devon a bit longer and it wasn't one of my Dad's books.

I think some of the Twilight Zone storylines must have been influenced by Ellin.

[Margaret Unger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly every story is a pure delight. I read this as a teenager and many of the stories stuck in my head for years and years until I managed to locate this book again. I took care to read each story slowly and usually only read one at a time to savour its deliciousness for a while. I would love to find a similar master of suspense such as Ellin.

[Lu · Rating 2 out of 5]

La specialità della casa, racconto che da anche titolo alla raccolta, è il più carino fra tutti quelli contenuti in questo libriccino. Tutti gli altri sono gradevoli, qualcuno più di altri, con quel pizzico mai eccessivo e sempre elefante di mistero che rende l'insieme una discreta lettura. Piccoli racconti dal sapore un po' vintage.

[Jeff Hobbs]

Read so far:

from Mystery Stories (1956):
The specialty of the house --2
The cat's paw --2
Death on Christmas Eve --2
The orderly world of Mr. Appleby --2
Fool's mate --2
The best of everything --
The betrayers --2
The house party --3
The moment of decision --3
Broker's special --3

from The Blessington Method and Other Strange Tales (1964):
The Blessington method --3
The faith of Aaron Menefee --
You can't be a little girl all your life --
*Robert --
Unreasonable doubt --
*The day of the bullet --
Beidenbauer's flea --
The seven deadly virtues --
*The nine-to-five man --
The question (aka The question my son asked)--2

from Kindly Dig Your Grave and Other Wicked Stories (1975):
The crime of Ezechiele Coen --3
The great persuader --
The day the thaw came to 127 --
*Death of an old-fashioned girl --
*The twelfth statue --
*The last bottle in the world --
Coin of the realm --
Kindly dig your grave --
*The payoff --
The other side of the wall --
The corruption of Officer Avakadian --

Previously uncollected stories:
A corner of Paradise --
Generation gap --
The family circle --
*Reasons unknown --
***
*Graffiti (EQMM 1983)--
*Mrs. Mouse (EQMM 1983) --
*Natural causes (EQMM 1984)--
*Unacceptable procedures (EQMM 1985)--

[Sergio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una raccolta di gustosissimi racconti che hanno il pregio di essere scritti magistralmente e di avere un finale a sorpresa spesso shockante: una scoperta davvero interessante questo scrittore ironico e graffiante mai tedioso, sempre imprevedibile.

[Craig Herbertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elegantly told in an economical style by a master of the craft. The twist and turns may be slightly dated but this robs no enjoyment from the collection

[Conor Bateman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although not all of the stories reach the heights of the incredible titular opener, this is a really solid collection that is both thrilling and amusing.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Ellin was one of the best short story writers of the 20th century. Here are: The Specialty of the House, The House Party and more.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining Short Stories.

🖊 Contents:
Specialty of the House* ★★★★★
The Cat's Paw
Death on Christmas Eve
The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby* ★★★★★
Fool's Mate
The Best of Everything
The Betrayers
The House Party
The Moment of Decision ★★★★★
Broker's Special
The Blessington Method * ★★★★★
The Faith of Aaron Menefee
You Can't Be a Little Girl All Your Life
Robert
Unreasonable Doubt
The Day of the Bullet* ★★★★★
Beidenhauer's Flea
The Seven Deadly Virtues
The Nine-to-Five Man
The Question
The Crime of Ezechiele Coen
The Great Persuader
The Day the Thaw Came to 127
Death of an Old-Fashioned Girl
The Twelfth Statue
The Last Bottle in the World
Coin of the Realm
Kindly Dig Your Grave
The Payoff
The Other Side of the Wall
The Corruption of Officer Avakadian
A Corner of Paradise
Generation Gap
The Family Circle
Reasons Unknown
* These stories marked (*) were made as television plays on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."

📕Published – 1948 to 1978
.
જ⁀🔵 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕟𝕖𝕥 𝔸𝕣𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕧𝕖 .
༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻ ༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻

[Mrs. Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of short stories by Stanley Ellin, a writer who I think was better than his better-known contemporaries, Block and MacDonald. His most familiar stories like “Specialty" and "Decision" are of course included, but it’s his less famous ones that make this a treasure trove. In particular I was delighted to come across two for which I’ve been searching for years: I remembered everything about "The Payoff" except the title; I even suspected Ellin was the writer, and I recognized it virtually instantly. The setting is of course dated, but "The Payoff" is as valid - and the twist as surprising - as something published yesterday. As for "Generation Gap," I didn’t remember the title (duh) and have spent hours poring over lists of MacDonald’s short stories searching for one that it turns out was actually by Ellin. Enough things have changed since 1976 that possibly none of its specifics relate to today’s world, but the legitimacy of its theme is indisputable. A must-read for mystery (and short story) fans.

[Gabriela Galescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literate and funny with a twist

If this collection of stories were a drink it would be a great cocktail: just the right amount of bitter, sweet and quite a punch. Moreover, the quality of writing is pretty consistent through the book - not something one can take for granted with short story collections.

Highly recommended for light (albeit dark) reading.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stanley Ellin writes short stories with twist endings, like Roald Dahl. The title story, which I’d read in a Pan Horror collection, is fantastic and one of my all-time favourites. However, while the rest of the stories were structured well with good setups, I often found myself feeling frustrated with the endings. And unfortunately that will make (or break) this type of story.

[Angshuman Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of 35 short stories of suspense and macabre, that can be best described as "Hitchcockian" in flavour, as evidenced by the fact that eight of these were adapted for the series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellin is a well-regarded author, and this is collection primarily of his earlier work. One story, 'The House Party,' has a slight supernatural element, but most of the tales are concerned with human-generated horrors. Pleasantly diverting reading.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic mystery short stories from beginning to end! Several times I was surprised by the twists and turns.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated in places but still surprisingly funny and dark. Ellin's stuff kind of sits halfway between Roald Dahl and Hitchcock.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious!

[Regine]

Musty.

[Booksingarden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading February 2023. Fantastic storyteller.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love het eerste en laatste verhaal.
De anderen zijn ook goed. Maar de laatste twee zijn voorspelbaar, maar toch ook wonderbaarlijk goed. Want juist door de voorspelbaarheid is het geniaal.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Review of titular shirt story only). Very good tale that reveals its secret a bit too early, imo. I'd love to see Hitchcock's TV version!

[K.L. Hallam · Rating 5 out of 5]

So GOOD! Masterful mystery writing. Stanley Ellin has become one of my favorites in this genre.

[Roger Pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not a writer (far from it!). But, as an avid reader, I suspect that the creation of short stories is not as easy as it seems. And, in the case of crime writing, I imagine that it is very much more difficult than the writing of a full-length novel. By and large, good crime stories require three things: an ingenious plot; skilful characterisation; and an opportunity for the accumulation of suspense or terror and (in the case of whodunits) for a battle of wits between author and reader. It is surely much more easy to achieve those things in 200-300 pages than in the cramped confines of 15-40 pages. While Agatha Christie's short stories aren't bad, they are nothing like as good as her novels. The longer form gave her the space to develop her very ingenious plots, to switch attention from one character to another, to insert red herrings and generally to misdirect the reader. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (with his wonderful Sherlock Holmes tales) is undoubtedly the pre-eminent writer of crime short stories. Two much less well-known writers, Edward D Hoch and Jack Ritchie (both American), are also masters of the form. And so, on the evidence of this book, is Stanley Ellin (who is also American). "The Specialty of the House and Other Stories" is a wonderful collection of gripping, chilling tales.

The first story, which gives the collection its name, is an unsettling tale about an employer, Laffler, who dines regularly with one of his employees, Costain, at a decidedly bizarre restaurant, Sbirro's. The restaurant has only 8-10 tables; the customers are all male; no alcohol is served (only water); and the speciality is a dish known as 'lamb Amirstan'. It would be unfair to say more than that. Suffice it to say that this is a wonderfully offbeat tale that sets the tone for the remainder of the collection. Nothing is spelled out. The characterisation is beautifully done. And the reader has to use their imagination. Like the other nine stories in the collection, "The Specialty of the House" is not a puzzle story. The reader is not invited to guess the identity of a murderer. It's a chilling story of psychological suspense in which the reader has to wait until the last two lines to receive confirmation of what has been going on. Even then, Ellin reveals his hand in a beautifully oblique way. It's a wonderfully imaginative, darkly humorous story. Yes, it may be slightly implausible. But that really does not matter.

None of the other stories is quite as good as the opening one. It would be impossible for Ellin to maintain such a high standard. And, of course, some are better than others. But they are all wonderful tales that play on the reader's sensitivities. My other favourite stories are "The Cat's-Paw", "The Orderly World of Mr Appleby" and "The Moment of Decision", the last of which is almost as good as the eponymous tale.

The writer whom Ellin most reminds me of is Roald Dahl, whose brilliant short story collections "Kiss Kiss" and "Someone Like You" are reminiscent of the wonderfully entertaining and macabre tales in "The Specialty of the House and Other Stories". Highly recommended. 10/10.

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 4 out of 5]

10 “ruchlose” Geschichten von einem Mann, den Übersetzer Arno Schmidt mit Poe vergleicht. Und die Geschichten sind nicht schlecht, gut geschrieben sowieso und einige mit hübscher Idee. Bei der Spezialität des Hauses aber war mir auch die zarte Andeutung am Schluß “Hand ruht hier zärtlich auf ... fleischiger Schulter” schon zuviel. Das ist gerade der Witz, dass der Kanibalismus nicht einmal angedeutet werden mußte, schließlich lesen wir eine Krimi-Sammlung und was sonst sollte die Pointe sein. Hochleistungs-GmbH sehr gut. Bringe ich einen Mann um, um meinen bequemen sinnlosen Job zu behalten? Natürlich. Gut das Huneker Gambit, auch von allem das Beste. Wer will das nicht?

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review click on the links below:
https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

https://crossexaminingcrime.wordpress...

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[Stalker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krimis sind langweilig. Doch die Kriminalgeschichten von Stanley Ellin sind anders, sind so bitterschwarz und schnörkellos, aus das wichtigste reduziert und dennoch das große Menschliche im Blick, bitter böse, das ist im wirklichen Leben oft herzlichst gut und in seinen Kurzgeschichten ist Ellin mehr als gut, er ist einer der besten.

[D-day · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid short story collection by one of the masters of the genre