Cherchez la femme was one rule of detection Ellery Queen was always glad to obey—but this case provided too much of a good thing. One girl was a dazzling creature from Hollywood with an unfortunate talent for attracting handsome men and ugly violence. The other was fresh from the French Riviera, where she specialized in sophisticated fun and games. Ellery had a dead millionaire on his hands, two beautiful warring female hellcats on his back, and danger tightening its embrace as he put his ...

A classic collection of short crime fiction from the Grand Master Edgar Award–winning author.For Ellery Queen, there is no puzzle that reason cannot solve. In his time, he has faced down killers, thugs, and thieves, protected only by the might of his brain—and the odd bit of timely intervention by his father, a burly New York police inspector. But when a university professor asks Queen to teach a class, the detective finds there are people whom reason cannot touch:...

The classic mystery novella The Lamp of God is paired with eight short stories in this collection by a Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster."Ellery Queen is the American detective story." —Anthony Boucher, author of Nine Times NineIs it possible for a man to lift himself off the ground by his shoelaces and fly away? Can a w...

“Gets our class A rating.” —Chicago Daily News'The Roman Hat Mystery' by Ellery Queen, first published in 1929, is a classic in the golden age detective fiction genre and marks the debut of both the fictional detective Ellery Queen and the writing partnership behind the pen name. The novel introduces readers to the sharp-witted amateur sleuth Ellery Queen and his father, Inspector Richard Queen of the New York City Police Department.The story begins at the Roman Theater, where a shady lawy...

Two brave young sleuths connected to one of the greatest detectives of all time tackle their own cases in these eleven whodunits.For mystery fans, the name Ellery Queen brings to mind the sophisticated amateur sleuth who helped solve some of New York City's most confounding cases. But he wasn't the only one in his household with an eye for crime solving.Here are eleven puzzling mysteries, nine solved by Djuna, the Queen family's quick-witted assistant, with ...

World War II hero Davy Fox has returned to his New England hometown of Wrightsville a changed man. When his wife Linda wakes up to find Davy's hands squeezed around her neck, it takes all of her strength to get away. But Davy is more than shellshocked from the war. He's haunted by events of twelve years before, when his mother was murdered by his father, Bayard, who is serving life in prison and had always insisted that he was not the one who killed his wife.Linda hopes that if Dav...

From the Grand Master Edgar Award–winning author, a Golden age mystery featuring a legendary sleuth as he investigates a corpse found in a window display.The windows of French's department store are one of New York's great attractions. Year-round, their displays show off the finest in fashion, art, and home décor, and tourists and locals alike make a point of stopping to see what's on offer. One afternoon, as the board debates a merger upstairs, a salesgirl begins ...

Beautiful actress Martha Lawrence has a problem. Her once loving husband, Dirk, has become violent and controlling, and she doesn't know why. When she reaches out to their friend, mystery-solver Ellery Queen for help, Dirk interrupts their meeting in a drunken rage. He is convinced that the two are having an affair.Martha needs Ellery's help to convince Dirk that she's never cheated and never will. But from the clues he uncovers, it looks as if Martha might be two-timing after all....

When a popular singer goes from retired to dead the day before New Year's Eve, Ellery Queen is certain it’s murder. Luckily, just before she died, the victim managed to scribble out a single mysterious word: F A C E. Unfortunately, no one knows what it means.With the help of a new acquaintance, Inspector Harry Burke from Scotland, Queen uncovers even more baffling clues written in invisible ink. Enter the beautiful, discarded conquests of the dead singer's playboy husband, who prov...

Lew Bascom is an idea man, and he has quite an idea. To put his career on the fast track, Bascom plans to pen a film about Hollywood's longest-running theatrical feud—Blythe Stewart and her daughter Bonnie's rivalry with Jack Royale and his son Ty. The twist? Bascom wants the four actors to play themselves in the film.The film's producer insists on bringing Ellery Queen, a successful New York writer, out to Hollywood to help close the deal. Only problem is that Bascom - a notorious...

When every last one of the Ohippi hydro-electric power plants are destroyed by flood, Rhys Jardin is one of many who loses everything. But somehow Jardin's longtime partner, finance magnate Solly Spaeth, manages to come out of it wealthier than before, thanks to a brilliant-if-underhanded move to sell off his shares before disaster struck. Spaeth has more than enough money to rebuild the plants, but why should he, with the law on his side?The only problem is that Spaeth's son Walte...

At the tail end of the Roaring Twenties, a birthday bash for publishing heir John Sebastian, Jr., perfectly coincides with the twelve days of Christmas. Among the twelve invited guests is Ellery Queen, a newly published mystery writer planning to enjoy every last minute. But when an uninvited Santa Claus shows up on Christmas Eve and then mysteriously goes missing, the party takes a disturbing turn. Threatening clues masked as gifts begin to appear under the tree, and Queen - a novice crim...