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[edting]

30. Cat of Many Tails by Ellery Queen

It seems that my opinion of these EQ books runs counter to conventional wisdom. “Conventional wisdom” states that the traditional whodunits of the 1930s and 1940s are superior to the pulp fiction novels of the 1950s and 1960s. While I acknowledge the technical superiority of the early works (and Ellery’s 30-40 page explanations at the end are riveting) I like the later works better because they are more fun to read.

Written in 1949, Cat of Many Tails is one of the most famous of the Ellery Queen novels. I didn’t like it. A serial killer runs rampant in New York City. There is no connection and no motive behind the killings. The problem for me is, the case is *too* baffling. Since there’s no connection between the victims, there’s no structure to the book. There are too many victims, and I began to lose track of them all. Once things start to gel in the last 75 pages, things get a lot more interesting. But it wasn’t enough to save the first 175 pages.

I acknowledge it's a good piece of writing, but I didn't like it.