• The Origin of Evil

  • By: Ellery Queen
  • Narrated by: Fred Sullivan
  • Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (114 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
The Origin of Evil  By  cover art

The Origin of Evil

By: Ellery Queen
Narrated by: Fred Sullivan
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.56

Buy for $15.56

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Having escaped New York with the hopes of finishing his latest mystery novel in peace in Los Angeles, Ellery Queen is shocked when a knock on his door lands him right in the middle of yet another mystery.

Leander Hill, a prominent Hollywood jeweler, recently died of a heart attack after receiving a package containing a dead dog, a sight that literally frightened him to death. Hill's daughter is convinced the act was premeditated murder and enlists Queen's help to catch the killer. Now Queen must harness all of his skills to prevail over this unscrupulous mind.

©2014 Ellery Queen (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The Origin of Evil

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    79
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    72
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    75
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good story - not so good to listen to.

I am 70 and have pretty good hearing but this narrator’s voice went up and down in tone and volume - I had to keep adjusting the sound when I was listening on my iPhone speakers. With ear buds it was easier to hear. I haven’t had that issue with other narrators of the Queen series. However, the story was good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story, Strange Narration

No Inspector Queen here, and is absence is felt. The story is very enjoyable. Queen loves to give "the false solution" to be followed by "the real solution", and here it's very effective. I thought the book was done, but when I realized there was a chapter left, I knew something was up! What lets this down as an audiobook is the narration. Sullivan gives everything a flippant tone, and his voice for Ellery is absolutely horrible! He makes him sound...well, fey is the only word I can think of. The other characters are well voiced, but he makes the detective sound like a whiny, spoiled brat.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Made of pulp magic

A Los Angeles Ellery Queen story filled with what made pulp detective stories great - sexy women, unique characters, misleading clues, and murder. A great read for 1850's detective fans.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Wordy

Very long explanation when it came to discussing who committed the crime and why. Narration was overall good, but at times I couldn't tell who he was - one time I am sure he had a male character answer the door in the female voice.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

This is not similar to the Ellery Queen mysteries I read when younger. I think anyone who enjoys the genre will be disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Later Ellery Queen not as charming

From a historical point of view the Ellery Queen books gives a fascination insight into turn of the century morals and cultural shifts.
Early books display woman as being hopelessly feckless while these later ones start to show how woman are “out of the house and kitchen “.

I’m disappointed that once again Ellery is no longer this detective of crime but has become the victim of his own fame so that he is no longer purely moral.

The story lines start to be more sexually shocking which takes away from the cerebral puzzle of the crime.

This particular narrator tends to make Ellery more feminine. I prefer the Ellery who was morally curious and sounded like the “guy next door”. This Ellery seems sexually frustrated but thankfully avoids sexual entanglement.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Ellery Queen!

I’m so happy to have discovered Ellery Queen! I’m a huge mystery fan and I can’t think why I never read any of his books.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

different. but goof

story is a continuation of the evolving queen character. story is enjoyable, but again, it feels more like a story than a detective novel.

enjoy the beautiful writing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!