Product Description
How can a man be poisoned inside a packed New York City theater, in full view of hundreds, without a single witness seeing the killer—and why would the murderer risk everything just to steal the dead man’s top hat?Welcome to The Roman Hat Mystery, the brilliant, mind-bending debut that revolutionized the detective genre and introduced the world to the legendary sleuth, Ellery Queen.If you want to understand why this book stands far above standard, run-of-the-mill whodunits, look no further than what the critics and masters of the genre have said:““Ellery Queen is the American detective story.””— Anthony Boucher, legendary mystery critic"It's the ultimate in fair play mysteries... a very strong debut novel that still stands the test of time."— Classic Mystery Review"The hat is the focal point of this investigation... Solve the mystery of Field's hat and you will find the one essential clue that will point to the murderer."— Ellery Queen, from the novel's famous deductionsA Murder in Plain SightDuring the second act of the smash-hit play Gunplay at New York's bustling Roman Theatre, a notorious, unscrupulous lawyer named Monte Field is found slumped over in his seat, dead. He has been poisoned with a rare lethal chemical. The police instantly lock down the building, trapping dozens of suspicious theatergoers, cast members, and staff inside.Inspector Richard Queen of the NYPD Homicide Squad is completely baffled. Every single exit was guarded, yet the killer has evaporated into the crowd. Enter the Inspector’s son, Ellery Queen, a highly intellectual, bookish young author with a monocle and a staggering mind for logic. Ellery quickly realizes that the key to the entire crime scene isn’t what is there, but what is missing: Monte Field’s formal silk top hat.The Ultimate Golden Age ArtifactWritten in 1929, The Roman Hat Mystery is widely considered one of the key pillars of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.The Importance: This book popularized the "Fair Play" mystery in America. Near the end of the book, the narrative literally stops for a "Challenge to the Reader," where the authors state that you now possess every single clue Ellery does, challenging you to outsmart the detective before the final reveal.The Location: The grand, claustrophobic setting of the fictional Roman Theatre on Broadway perfectly captures the glitz, glamour, and hidden darkness of pre-Depression Manhattan.The Authors: "Ellery Queen" was actually the brilliant pen name for two Brooklyn-born cousins, Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee. To keep their identities a strict secret, they would routinely hold public events where one cousin would wear a black mask and pretend to be the "real" Ellery.At a time when every gentleman was strictly required to wear evening dress and a top hat to the theater, how could a killer smuggle a massive silk hat out of a sealed building without being caught with two?Grab your copy, examine the theater blueprints included inside, and see if you can solve the puzzle before the final curtain falls!Look for this and other Golden Age detective mystery classics from Master’s Collection in eBook, soft cover, hard cover and also in our Large Print editions! Read more
