Talk Back

[edting]

11. Death Spins the Platter by Ellery Queen

Oh my goodness, is this a good book!!!

Right from the beginning, the author (Richard Deming, ghost writing as Ellery Queen) walks the reader back and forth across a TV studio, where a murder happens in short order. It turns out the layout of the studio is crucial to the solution. I came to the realization of the killer’s identity at precisely the same moment as the hero of the story, which is either a coincidence, or masterful writing, or a combination of both.

What sets this one apart from the other EQ novels is that we have a real, sympathetic character in the hero. He’s a good honest man who feels compelled to tell the truth, even when the consequences are grave. We know right away that his principles will be challenged by the end of the story, but I was surprised how gently the subject was handled.

The action is fast paced. My heart was racing and I was holding my breath right up until the last sentence. I wanted to stand up and applaud when it was over.

[jeffp]

First off, welcome to level 3, edting.

Secondly, a real (and possibly very dumb) question: how much of the stuff written under the Ellery Queen name was actually written by others? Was there ever someone actually named "Ellery Queen" or was it just a pseudonuym for any number of different people, and perhaps the editor(s) are responsible for keeping the quality as high as you say it is?

Thanks!

--jeffp

[edting]

Jeff:

There was no "Ellery Queen." Most of the early books were written by cousins Manfred Lee and Frederic Dannay. The first book (The Roman Hat Mystery) was submitted in a writing contest, of all things. It won the contest, and the series was born.

As the series progressed, many authors ghost wrote under the name "Ellery Queen" (including sci fi writer Theodore Sturgeon). Most of the writers have since been identified, but some remain, well, mysteries. I was very impressed with the Richard Deming book, and I intend to seek out more of his EQ novels (there are about 9 or 10 of them.)

All in all, depending on how you count them, there are about 90-95 "Ellery Queen" books. They all appear to be out of print, so I'll be hitting ebay to collect as many as I can.

[jeffp]

Cool. Live and Learn. Thanks!
--jeffp