Daniel Hiland's Reviews > The Tragedy of Y

Though the story is written under the pseudonym of ''Barnaby Ross," and the detective involved is one "Drury Lane," for all intents and purposes this is an "Ellery Queen" mystery (speaking of pseudonyms!) If one can overlook Mr. Lane's somewhat bland persona, the story of the doomed Hatter family is fascinating and action-packed. Following the discovery of York Hatter's poisoned body in the ocean, disturbing and homicidal activities start cropping up, back at the Hatter family's Greenwich Village mansion. Mr. Lane is called in by the police to help investigate, and soon discovers that the Hatter family puts the "D" in "dysfunctional." The solution to the crimes is as surprising as it is malevolent and disturbing. The story is a long read, at 344 pages (in my paperback edition), and drags a bit toward the end, but it's still an absorbing tale rich in description, suspense, and occasional dark humor. The Drury Lane series only consisted of four novels, but if this one is representative, I'll be checking out the other three.