American Mystery Classics

The Chinese Orange Mystery (#8)

“If this creates a new audience for a genre giant, Penzler, editor of the American Mystery Classics series, will have done yet another service for whodunit lovers.”

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“After all these years, the unbridled ingenuity of its central puzzle has never been surpassed.”

Kirkus

“It would be extremely difficult to devise a more puzzling problem than the one that Ellery Queen solves in this story.”

New York Times

“Probably Ellery Queen’s most dazzling case.”

Washington Post

“Notoriously clever.”

Washington Post

“As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction.”

Otto Penzler, Publisher of The Mysterious Press

“I’ll just say it right out–The Chinese Orange Mystery is the best Ellery Queen novel that I’ve read yet.”

My Reader’s Block

“The Chinese Orange Mystery is for my money one of the most completely successful of the early Ellery Queen mysteries. Very highly recommended.”

Vintage Pop Fictons

The Dutch Shoe Mystery (#3)

“First published in 1931, this exceptional entry in the American Mystery Classics series from MWA Grand Master Queen (the pen name of Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee) offers a scrupulously fair puzzle. After well-to-do Abigail Doorn collapses into a diabetic coma, she’s taken to Manhattan’s Dutch Memorial Hospital, where she revives, but later falls down a flight of stairs and ruptures her gall bladder. But when she’s brought into the operating room, she’s found to have been garroted to death, possibly by someone impersonating a surgeon. Her wealth leaves no shortage of suspects for Ellery Queen and his father, NYPD Insp. Richard Queen. Ellery, who epitomizes the infuriatingly brilliant detective, announces at one point that he has learned practically everything about the criminal, except the person’s identity. An interlude in which Ellery and Richard discuss their theories is printed with extra-wide margins for note-taking. Appearing before the final reveal is a challenge that asserts the reader now has all the relevant evidence to deduce Doorn’s murderer. This is a genuine treat for those who love to match wits with fictional detectives.”

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“It’s one of Ellery’s brainiest […] only the most churlish readers would think of resisting it.”

Kirkus

“When a wealthy woman is strangled in a hospital full of witnesses, an early-twentieth-century New York City man-about-town turns sleuth to unmask her murderer. Ellery Queen was the pen name of Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee as well as the name used for their protagonist; the series eventually became a franchise popular on radio and television. The first few novels, of which this is the third (1931), were largely formulated in the style of the upper-class Philo Vance mysteries by S. S. Van Dine, and some modern-day crime fiction fans might find the idea of the sleuth as top-hatted dandy a bit strange. But Queen, while something of a prig, is always amusing, and he mellows out over time. Promise. Resurrected by Otto Penzler for his American Mystery Classics series, this book is a textbook Golden Age “fair play” mystery. Readers accumulate clues and usually solve the crime simultaneously with the detective. Perfect for a discussion group exploring the history and variety of the mystery genre.”

Booklist

“A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now.”

Agatha Christie

“Ellery Queen is the American detective story.”

Anthony Boucher

“As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction.”

Otto Penzler, Publisher of The Mysterious Press

The Siamese Twin Mystery (#7)

“Queen [...] at his best, expertly combining plot and setting to heighten suspense en route to the satisfying solution [...] This rivals Christianna Brand’s Green for Danger as a classic of brilliant deduction under extreme circumstances.”

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“A pioneering […] impressive example of the locked-in-a-cabin whodunit.”

Kirkus

“THE SIAMESE TWIN MYSTERY is a powerful book. It’s a puzzle, pieced together by Ellery, complete with “dying message” clues, but it’s also a suspenseful and harrowing thriller, made even more effective by the constantly increasing danger.”

Classic Mysteries

“Bizarre circumstances, gruesome murders, eerie surroundings, this is a detective story that has it all.”

Mystery File

“A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now.”

Agatha Christie

“Ellery Queen is the American detective story.”

Anthony Boucher

“As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction.”

Otto Penzler, Publisher of The Mysterious Press

The Egyptian Cross Mystery (#5)

"This brilliant fair play puzzle exemplifies the mission of the American Mystery Classics series."

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now.”

Agatha Christie

“Ellery Queen is the American detective story.”

Anthony Boucher

“As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction.”

Otto Penzler, Publisher of the Mysterious Press

The American Gun Mystery (#6)

“A humdinger.”

The New York Times

“Good fun for fans of mystery's golden age.”

Booklist

“A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now.”

Agatha Christie

“Ellery Queen is the American detective story.”

Anthony Boucher

“As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction.”

Otto Penzler, Publisher of The Mysterious Press

The Spanish Cape Mystery (#9)

“One of the best of the Ellery Queen stories.”

New York Times

“A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now.”

Agatha Christie

“Ellery Queen is the American detective story.”

Anthony Boucher

“As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction.”

Otto Penzler, Publisher of The Mysterious Press

Cat of Many Tails (#19)

“The impact of mass murder on the soul of a city has never, that I can recall, been depicted with such convincing vividness.”

Anthony Boucher, New York Times

“Probably the best New York mystery of all time.”

Edward D. Hoch, Edgar Award winning author of the Captain Leopold series

“Marvelous . . . one of his best.”

Classic Mysteries

“Ellery Queen moves beyond the traditional whodunit into psychological thriller territory, crafting a gripping tale of fear, media frenzy, and urban paranoia . . . With its chilling atmosphere and deeply introspective detective, Cat of Many Tails is not just a mystery—it’s a reflection on the fragility of reason in the face of fear.”

Golden Age of Detective Fiction

“A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now.”

Agatha Christie

“Ellery Queen is the American detective story.”

Anthony Boucher

“As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction.”

Otto Penzler, Publisher of The Mysterious Press

Ellery Queen Main Sequence

The Roman Hat Mystery (#1)

“By the time Inspector Richard Queen and his bookish son Ellery arrive at Manhattan’s Roman theater to examine the dead body of crooked lawyer Monte Field, I was registering a distinct sense of well-being and contentment. Here was a classic Golden Age puzzle.”

The Washington Post

Ten Days’ Wonder (#18)

"Ellery Queen returns to Wrightsville, in a case garlanded with typical E.Q. extravagances and related with usual E.Q. exhibitionism. Sizzles along, readable as all getout, and plot hinges on, guess what? Anagrams!"

The Boston Globe

"There is enough material for the most avid Ellery Queen fan in Ten Days’ Wonder, in which Ellery moves with great skill to untangle a serious mess. Naturally there’s blackmail and romance behind the scenes, but Ellery, after a false start or two, quickly brings light into darkness. You may expect the usual high-class plot, carefully worked out, but also many large words and high-sounding phrases which will befuddle Ellery’s clients and readers alike. Expect a tricky solution handled in the amazingly clever manner which this author’s followers have come to expect."

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Double Double (#20)

"The detective work is superb; it is utterly fascinating to read a novel in which so many threads of the story could be so knotted up and elusive then unsnarled so the pieces all fit together."

Mystery File

The Origin of Evil (#21)

“Preposterous and endlessly inventive, it is not a show-business novel but one that could only play out in Hollywood.”

The Rap Sheet

“This is an oddly haunting, highly impressive performance.”

Tipping My Fedora

The Finishing Stroke (#25)

"Queen has combined memory and research to create a detailed and delightfully accurate picture of America at the end of the 1920's ... and how good it is to be back there and then." -

The New York Times

The Player on the Other Side (#26)

"Player certainly reads to me like vintage Ellery Queen…A rattling good read.”

The Passing Tramp

Face to Face (#29)

“A character-driven puzzle that will keep you guessing right until the end and in which the characters are very sympathetically drawn.”

Tipping My Fedora

Recommended, provided you let me know if you were fooled…”

Classic Mystery Blog

The House of Brass (#30)

“Once again, his thrillers give us much pleasure as does his earliest series."

Canberra Times

“Incredibly intricate; in other words Queentessential.”

Kirkus

A Fine and Private Place (#32)

“The number 9 is used in a bewildering and wonderful number of permutation in this, the last ever Queen novel.”

Tipping My Fedora

A Study in Terror (#33)

"Still, A Study in a Terror is an enjoyable mash up of two great detectives that gives both of them their due."

Great Detectives

Drury Lane Mysteries

The Tragedy of X (#1)

“A first-rate mystery.”

Observer

“The Viking Press has made no mistake in choosing this book as its first venture into the mystery field.”

The New York Times

"I read all of Ellery Queen's novels when I was a kid. And they were wonderful novels of deduction and they were wonderful pastimes. Wonderful puzzles and wonderful studies in character, and all of that. Wonderful examples of how to plot and misdirect and the whole nine yards...I liked the Drury Lane books, actually. THE TRAGEDY OF X, THE TRAGEDY OF Y, THE TRAGEDY of Z, and DRURY LANE'S LAST CASE. I enjoyed those a lot. But I read them all. I love them all. THE ROMAN HAT MYSTERY and so on. They were terrific. Well written. Well plotted. I mean, like the magazine, those stories were miles and miles ahead of the comptetition at the time, the Elre Stanley Gardners and even the Agatha Christies."

Stephen King, on Ellery Queen

“A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now.”

Agatha Christie

“Ellery Queen is the American detective story.”

Anthony Boucher

“As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction.”

Otto Penzler, Publisher of The Mysterious Press

Standalone

A Room to Die In

"Beautiful novel, has an ending that recalls somehow the French literature of thirties.”

Death Can Read

"But the main attraction of the novel is the clever, enigmatic plot that unfolds like a game of chess. I found it quite intriguing.”

Vancelot

The Madman Theory

“I enjoyed the taut style of writing and the mystery kept me entertained. It's a short book and a quick read.”

Do You Write Under Your Own Name?

“The plot for this novel is fairly complex with good suspense…”

Vancelot

Collections

The Adventures of the Puzzle Club

“What could be more fun than matching wits with amateur sleuth Ellery Queen? How about watching Josh Pachter match wits with the writer Ellery Queen? [. . .] Part pastiche, part homage, and wholly satisfying.”

Art Taylor, multiple award-winning author

“No fan of Ellery Queen should skip this ingenious and entertaining collection.”

Gigi Pandian, Agatha and Anthony award-winning author of UNDER LOCK & SKELETON KEY

“Some mystery readers like good stories and others simply want good puzzles. THE ADVENTURES OF THE PUZZLE CLUB features both [. . .] a delightful collection of unique characters and mind-challenging adventures for all ages. I loved this book!”

John Floyd, prolific author of short crime fiction

“If Ellery Queen was the American master of the puzzle mystery, then Josh Pachter is his successor. This wonderful collection of EQ's original Puzzle Club stories and Pachter's pastiches provides everything the mystery lover could want—entertainment, challenge, and brilliant resolutions.”

David Dean, EQMM Readers Award winner and Edgar finalist

“Every story is a tight, short gem of fair play—think Encyclopedia Brown for grownups. Nearly as much fun as the stories themselves, each story is prefaced by a unique introduction by various Queen related scholars [. . .] I've rarely had so much brain-teasing fun.”

Steve Steinbock, book reviewer for EQMM

“Josh Pachter honors the legacy of Ellery Queen in five clever new stories featuring Queen's Puzzle Club, presented here with the original five, never-before-collected stories [. . .] If you're a fan of Ellery Queen—and who isn't?—you must add THE ADVENTURES OF THE PUZZLE CLUB to your collection.”

Michael Bracken, award-winning author and editor

The Adventures of Ellery Queen

“Fans of the classic murder puzzle will be very pleased with this edition.”

New York Journal of Books

“A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now.”

Agatha Christie

“Ellery Queen is the American detective story.”

Anthony Boucher

“As an anthologist, Ellery Queen is without peer, his taste unequalled. As a bibliographer and a collector of the detective short story, Queen is, again, a historical personage. Indeed, Ellery Queen clearly is, after Poe, the most important American in mystery fiction.”

Otto Penzler, Publisher of The Mysterious Press

Anthologies

The Further Misadventures of Ellery Queen

“This is a must-have collection for anyone who wants to experience the hallmarks of Queen-style storytelling: relentlessly analytical reasoning, inventive plotting, dying messages, and the comfortable banter of old friends.”

Mystery Scene Magazine

"... an instant classic, and an instant pleasure to peruse."

Larque Press

“Ellery Queen lives again in this delightful collection!”

Janet Hutchings, editor, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

“A celebration of detective fiction.”

Steve Steinbock, book reviewer, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

“As a huge fan of both Ellery Queen and good anthologies, I am jealous of the editors for producing such a wonderful, long overdue collection of stories devoted to one of the most important detectives (and authors) in the history of detective fiction.”

Otto Penzler, owner, The Mysterious Bookshop

“The Maestro of Detection is back in a delightful series of pastiches, parodies, and other works. Long may the Queen reign!”

Jeffrey Marks, publisher, Crippen & Landru

"The Misadventures of Ellery Queen is an excellent anthology without any duds [...] highly recommended."

Beneath the Stains of Time (Misadventures)

"An impressive accomplishment for any short story collection [...] Highly recommended to every EQ fan!"

Beneath the Stains of Time (Further Misadventures)

The Misadventures of Ellery Queen

“This is a must-have collection for anyone who wants to experience the hallmarks of Queen-style storytelling: relentlessly analytical reasoning, inventive plotting, dying messages, and the comfortable banter of old friends.”

Mystery Scene Magazine

"... an instant classic, and an instant pleasure to peruse."

Larque Press

“Ellery Queen lives again in this delightful collection!”

Janet Hutchings, editor, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

“A celebration of detective fiction.”

Steve Steinbock, book reviewer, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

“As a huge fan of both Ellery Queen and good anthologies, I am jealous of the editors for producing such a wonderful, long overdue collection of stories devoted to one of the most important detectives (and authors) in the history of detective fiction.”

Otto Penzler, owner, The Mysterious Bookshop

“The Maestro of Detection is back in a delightful series of pastiches, parodies, and other works. Long may the Queen reign!”

Jeffrey Marks, publisher, Crippen & Landru

"The Misadventures of Ellery Queen is an excellent anthology without any duds [...] highly recommended."

Beneath the Stains of Time (Misadventures)

"An impressive accomplishment for any short story collection [...] Highly recommended to every EQ fan!"

Beneath the Stains of Time (Further Misadventures)

Ellery Queen Junior

The Black Dog Mystery (#1)

“Good keying of clues, and fair to reader. Upper level mystery, as compared with usual youthful fare.”

Kirkus, Starred Review

The Golden Eagle Mystery (#2)

“Nine to twelve is not too young for the craving for mystery stories to show itself, so start them with worthwhile ones. The ""Ellery Queen, Jr."" mysteries fill this bill [...] A sure choice for a fast seller. Good item for school and public libraries.”

Kirkus

The Brown Fox Mystery (#5)

“A pleasant, relaxed whodunit for the ice cream cone crowd, having to do with the mysterious doings in an abandoned ice house. Two boys, Tommy and the familiar Djuna, bring the two villains and one dope to justice. There are interesting digressions on fishing, motor-boating and other matters of juvenile importance. The plot manages to achieve a mild state of tension guaranteed harmless (but surely popular with this age).”

Kirkus

Mike McCall Sequence

Tim Corrigan Sequence