Q.E.D. Queen's Experiments in Detection

Ellery Queen Detective #Short Stories 8

by Ellery Queen

* DYING MESSAGE o Mum is the Word (EQMM, 4/66)* CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS IN DEDUCTIONo Object Lesson (This Week, 09/10/55, as "The Blackboard Gangsters" and EQMM, 4/58)o No Parking (This Week, 3/18/56, as "Terror in a Penthouse" and EQMM, 2/58)o No Place to Live (This Week, 6/10/56, as "The Man They All Hated" and EQMM, 3/58)o Miracles Do Happen (EQMM, 7/57)* QUEEN'S BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONo GAMBLING DEPT. -- The Lonely Bride (This Week, 12/04/49, as "The Lady Couldn't Explain", The Sunday Herald 7/9/50 as"The Case Of the Lonely Bride")SPY DEPT. -- Mystery at the Library of Congress (Argosy, 6/60 as "Enter Ellery Queen" EQMM, 2/63)o SPY DEPT. -- Dead Ringer ((?): Diners' Club, 3/65 and reprinted in EQMM, 10/66)o KIDNAPPING DEPT. -- The Broken T (This Week, 11/3/63 as "Mystery in Neon Red" and reprinted in EQMM, 5/66)o MURDER DEPT. -- Half a Clue (This Week, 8/25/63 as "Half a Clue to Murder" EQMM, 8/66)o ANONYMOUS LETTERS DEPT. -- Eve of the Wedding (EQMM, 8/55, as "Bride in Danger")o PROBATE DEPT. -- Last Man to Die (This Week, 11/3/63 Variety (Australian), 1964; EQMM, 1/67)o CRIME SYNDICATE DEPT. -- Payoff (Cavalier, 8/64 as "Crime Syndicate Payoff" EQMM 7/66)* THE PUZZLE CLUBo The Little Spy (Cavalier, 1/65 EQMM, 9/66)o The President Regrets (Diner's Club, 9/65 EQMM, 7/67)* HISTORICAL DETECTIVE STORYo Abraham Lincoln's Clue (MD, 6/65 EQMM, 3/67)All stories originally published in This Week, Argosy, Cavalier, Signature, MD, and EQMM between 1949 and 1966.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Anthologies, Detective, Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

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

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love about Ellery Queen's mysteries are the writing (I couldn't describe what "architectural dandruff" is, but I know exactly what Queen meant) and the way the clues are always right there, staring you in the face. Sometimes they're based in mid-century life, but for some reason I like that even better, possibly because it means that all that time I spent chatting with grandparents lives on.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection contains some delightful--but much anthologized--stories, so you may have read some of them, at least, already. A Wrightsville novella seems to have an overly-simplistic conclusion, but Queen does love his dying messages. The short stories range from New York to Wrightsville to Washington, D.C., and again, some are a little too obvious, but still enjoyable. One refreshingly realistic note is struck in a story that has an eager Ellery going around and around a Manhattan block trying to find a parking space so he can prevent a murder--a nice contrast to the stories and movies that have a parking space always available when and where needed.

[Tommy Verhaegen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een hele reeks korte verhalen van de twee neven die beter bekend zijn als de schrijver Ellery Queen, die meteen ook als schrijver-detective fungeert in zijn eigen boeken.
De paddestoel op de cover doet meteen denken aan een vergiftiging en dat, samen met de naam E. Queen, nodigt al meteen uit tot lezen.
De verhalen zitten goed in mekaar en nodigen in de meeste gevallen uit om mee te denken. Het nadeel van deze korte verhalen is natuurlijk dat de mogelijkheden nogal beperkt zijn. Het is dan ook belangrijk om niet te ver door te redeneren op de vaak ingenieuze oplossingen want dan vallen ze door de mand als slechts 1 mogelijkheid uit velen.
Zeker niet het beste werk van de auteur maar erg gevarieerd van plot (en uiteraard de daarop volgende oplossingen). Erg goed geschreven in de stijl van de langere verhalen. De verhalen met speurder Ellery Queen zijn net zoals nu net een tikje leuker om lezen dan de andere, overigens ook uitstekende, verhalen van dit schrijversduo.
Een aanrader, zowel voor Queen liefhebbers als voor mensen die weinig tijd hebben en snel een mooi afgewerkt en spannend geheel willen lezen.

[Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband and I are fans of the 1975-1976 Ellery Queen television show starring Jim Hutton (Timothy's father.) That show is a pastel confection of 1940's nostalgia, as interpreted in the barren 1970's.

This book is a collection of short stories and a novelette, starring Queen. The novelette probably did not need to be more than a short story, but the stories are charming. Queen could easily be his TV counterpart and the stories often contain fun details--like the specifics of Lincoln's day on the day he was shot.

Oh and the authors' bio provides the names of Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, Queen's puppeteers.

[Andrea Santucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

È senz'altro un'antologia in grado di intrattenere, anche se poco memorabile. Alcune storie, nella fattispecie le più lunghe, sono accettabili. La maggior parte, però, sembra una novellizzazione dei gialli a fumetti della Settimana Enigmistica, nel senso che c'è più enfasi sulla "singolarità" dell'enigma che sulla sua effettiva verosimiglianza (ad esempio, se tizio è in punto di morte, personalmente dubito si metterà a scrivere intricati codici che nessuno tranne Ellery Queen sarà in grado di decifrare).

[Conni Wayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's fine, altogether. I just feel like the Authors Queen don't know how to write short stories this short. Novelettes, sure, but these short stories feel... not rushed so much as chopped up. Instead of having a full story that happens to be short, these feel like chunks of larger mysteries. In so many of these, the ending is not nearly as full as I would like, and the mystery that Ellery Solves doesn't usually mean anything to mean because we don't have enough context/background for the characters.

[Mike McAdam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read any Ellery Queen before and this was really clever! These are short stories and like all volumes of short stories, some stories are better than others but overall, thumbs up. I love a good detective story. Some of them are VERY short but there is something worthwhile in each story. I read this because I do the alphabet challenge and this was a Q author and a Q title. This was good enough that I was to read more Ellery Queen. Thumbs up!!!

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

More brainteasers than I usually expect with Queen, but I love the fair play approach and enjoyed these short stories immensely!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Longer stories good; short stories become repetitive in their word play solutions.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read many Ellery Queen novels, but what I tend to dislike about them is that they are very convoluted. These, being short stories, are simpler and more enjoyable.

[Anetq · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audio version, not sure if that made it less appealing?
Felt like a lesser Agatha Christie copy, same-ish time period, but too focused on the detecting, not the riddle or the evil.

[A.M. Helmuth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic Ellery Queen

Highly recommended for any mystery buff. Classic Ellery Queen mysteries with ample opportunity to solve it yourself. But... good luck with that.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant puzzles, all of which will divert. My favorites are the Wrightsville stories (“Mum’s the Word” and “Eve of the Wedding”) and the rainy NY murder, “No Parking.”

[Jay Rothermel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as clever of funny as Calendar of Crime.

My exthusiasm for mystery tales comes and goes. Each yearI get the bug and burn through 4 or 5 book, then one day I just drop it, even if halfway through a novel.

[James Mourgos · Rating 4 out of 5]

As many know, Ellery Queen mystery stories have been around a long, long time. Detective fiction was quite popular in the making of radio plays and films throughout the 20th century. "Ellery Queen" is actually a pen name for two gentlemen [Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee:] who were cousins, collaborating on stories, creating a "who dun it" type style that proved popular.

I've not been that "into" crime fiction. I've enjoyed the occasional Mickey Spillane novel and the Dashiell Hammet books (Maltese Falcon, etc.) were always a treat. So on a lark I grabbed this anthology set, a collection of shorts by Ellery Queen.

QED is Not Quod Erat Demonstratum in this sense, but could be construed in meaning. Queen's Experiments in Detection are not too bad. There were some shorts that really had be stumped. There were others that were just plain silly and did not leave enough clues for me to figure out. Overall, a book well worth jumping into.

My favorites include Abraham Lincoln's Clue, about a man who hides a book and letter purported to be from Abe Lincoln just before he was assassinated. When Ellery mentioned that the letter from Lincoln had Lincoln stamps on the envelope with the book, I was like, "Oh come now, obvious!" Still, was a fun tale.

Mum is the Word, about a flower gardener, (Mums, of course) and how his family responds to finding out their father is destitute and that their inheritance will not be worth the paper of the will! He's suddenly found dead. Who dun it?

Most of these stories have similar patterns, with Ellery working with his father, others treat Ellery as if he's not so hot, and still others call on him when no one else has helped. They're not all murder mysteries. One story has Ellery solve a theft in a classroom and he must solve it before the bell rings to let the class out. He's sweating!

Here are the contents of the book. Enjoy!

Contents:
• DYING MESSAGE NOVELETTE:
o Mum is the Word (1st app: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 4/66)
• CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS IN DEDUCTION
o Object Lesson (1st app: This Week, Se/10/55, as "The Blackboard Gangsters")
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 4/58)
o No Parking (1st app: This Week, 3/18/56, as "Terror in a Penthouse")
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 2/58)
o No Place to Live (1st app: This Week, 6/10/56, as "The Man They All Hated")
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 3/58)
o Miracles Do Happen (1st app: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 7/57)
• Q.B.I.: QUEEN'S BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
o GAMBLING DEPT. -- The Lonely Bride (1st app: This Week, 12/04/49, as "The Lady Couldn't Explain")
o SPY DEPT. -- Mystery at the Library of Congress (1st app: Argosy, 6/60 as "Enter Ellery Queen")
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 2/63)
o SPY DEPT. -- Dead Ringer (1st app (?): Diners' Club, 3/65)
(reprinted in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 10/66)
o KIDNAPING DEPT. -- The Broken T (1st app: This Week, Nv/3/63 as "Mystery in Neon Red")
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 5/66)
o MURDER DEPT. -- Half a Clue (1st app: This Week, Ag/24/63 as "Half a Clue to Murder")
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 8/66)
o ANONYMOUS LETTERS DEPT. -- Eve of the Wedding (1st app: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 8/55, as "Bride in Danger")
o PROBATE DEPT. -- Last Man to Die (1st app: This Week, Nv/3/63 ??)
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 1/67)
o CRIME SYNDICATE DEPT. -- Payoff (1st app: Cavalier, 8/64 as "Crime Syndicate Payoff")
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 7/66)
• THE PUZZLE CLUB
o The Little Spy (1st app: Cavalier, 1/65)
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 9/66)
o The President Regrets (1st app: Diner's Club, 9/65)
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 7/67)
• HISTORICAL DETECTIVE STORY
o Abraham Lincoln's Clue (1st app: MD: the Medical Newsmagazine, 6/65)
(reprinted: Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, 3/67)

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #: 18
Title: QED: Queen's Experiments in Detection
Author: Ellery Queen
Format: Kindle Edition, 173 pages
Pub Date: (first published 1968)
Started: 5/1/2021 Ended: 6/1/2021
Awards: none
Categories:
A locked-room mystery (PpSgr13); * A book whose title starts with “Q,” “X,” or “Z” (PpSgr 32); A book that has fewer than 1,000 reviews on Amazon or Goodreads (PpSgr 36); A book with a monochromatic cover (GrRds 04); A book with a character who can be found in a deck of cards (GrRds 27); A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years (GrRds 31); A collection of short stories, essays, or poetry (GrRds 33); A mystery or thriller (GrRds 42); * Royalty Cover or Title-Queen, King, Prince, Princess, Kingdom, Castle, Crown etc. (BkHdr 13); Fave Color Cover or Title (BkHdr 15); Minimalistic Cover- VERY VERY SIMPLE COVER! (BkHdr 18); Author with MORE Than FIVE books (BkHdr 19); No People On The Cover (BkHdr 22); Read In SPRING (BkHdr 28);
A-Z Title: Q for QED
A-Z Author: Q for Queen
Rating: *** three stars out of five

A short story collection of mysteries starring the author's pen name, Ellery Queen. Like all short story collections, a few klunkers, a few gems, mostly average. And one of the stories is a "closed circle", so it technically counts as a locked room.

[Jeff Hobbs]

Read so far:

Mum is the word --2
Object lesson (aka The blackboard gangsters)--3
No parking (aka Terror in a penthouse)--3
No place to live (aka The man they all hated)--3
Miracles do happen --2
The lonely bride (aka The lady couldn't complain)--2
Mystery at the Library of Congress (aka Enter Ellery Queen)--3
*Dead ringer --
The broken T (aka Mystery in neon red)--3
*Half a clue --
Eve of the wedding (aka Bride in danger)--2
Last man to die --3
Payoff (aka Crime syndicate payoff)--2
The little spy --2
The President regrets --3
Abraham Lincoln's clue --3

[Erik Deckers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads a little like Encyclopedia Brown at times. The beginning stories are much better than the shorts at the end.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories. As usual a mixed bag of good to very good.

[Cws]

M Que