3.5* ( )

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )

Probably my favorite of this series so far. ( )

Ellery Queen insinuates himself into the police investigation of a gory ritualistic murder in West Virginia, with no discernible success. However, when there's a similar murder on Long Island several months later Queen jumps in again. He rides his famous father's coat tails to gain entree with the police. The resulting investigation continues on for another two murders, until Queen finally has an "ah ha!" moment. That initiates a frantic chase from West Virginia to Chicago where the killer is apprehended, and his identity is revealed.

The story is well-crafted but falls down in the execution. The author focuses on plot development to the exclusion of character development and to a lesser extent, setting and local colour. Regrettably, Queen's investigation becomes monotonous. He and the police chase their tails with no progress. Queen's pompous behaviour makes him a big pain in the neck. There are some red herrings, e.g. the mysterious British neighbours, some romantic entanglements to add melodrama, and some oddball characters to muddle the story. It's a male-dominated story as was common at the time it was written (1932). The women stay in the background adding little to the story.

It's a "fair play" mystery, with the author explicitly inviting readers towards the story's denouement to figure it out. By then, the process of elimination can lead to the killer's identity without the iodine bottle clue that triggered Queen's "ah ha!" moment. The ending feels unsatisfying: the killer's motivation is elusive. Is he a serial killer, or just deranged?

The plot is original and has plenty of potential to be a great story, unfortunately that is not achieved. ( )

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