-
The Roman Hat Mystery
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $15.56
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Face to Face
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gloria Guild is the singing "glory" of the thirties and the millionairess wife of Count Carlos Armando, renowned only for his succession of wealthy wives. When she is murdered, her husband is the obvious suspect, but he has a perfect alibi. So who could he have got to do it for him? The only clue is the word "face," penned in her dying scrawl. But whose face? And why? Ellery Queen pursues the glory riddle from the Bowery to a way-out wedding - and a surprise climax that will jolt you into cold shock. Anyone whonails this killer before Queen is either a genius or a cheat.
-
-
One of the best queens stories
- By peter on 09-21-20
By: Ellery Queen
-
A Fine and Private Place
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Mark Peckham
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The nine-word clue was one of nine cryptic notes that had been sent to taunt Inspector Queen and his son Ellery nine days after the murder. Nino Importuna had been obsessed with the number. He had lived by it. Now the killer who brought a trio of gory deaths to Nino's ninth-floor penthouse at Number 99 East was camouflaging his identity in a jungle of nines - and daring Ellery to find him. The case was destined to be a dazzling contest of wits - to the ninth degree!
-
-
Good puzzle, but not much of a whodunit!
- By Stephen W Osborne on 03-10-17
By: Ellery Queen
-
QBI
- Queen's Bureau of Investigation
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Queen's Bureau of Investigation is now open for business - and in each department of this new enterprise Ellery finds ample opportunity to exercise the brilliant, ingenious, and at times startling talents of his crime-lab mind. For to the bureau come some of the most plaguey cases in Queen's career.
-
-
GOOD LISTEN
- By peter on 09-10-20
By: Ellery Queen
-
QED
- Queen’s Experiments in Detection
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Let Ellery Queen clue you in on his special brand of high tension, brain-teasing mystery! This collection consists of novelettes and short stories from Queen's many escapades.
-
-
A great series of short stories
- By Henry Maicki II on 07-31-17
By: Ellery Queen
-
The Case of the Velvet Claws
- Perry Mason Series, Book 1
- By: Erle Stanley Gardner
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Married Eva Griffin has been caught with a prominent congressman, and is ready to pay the editor of a sleazy tabloid hush money to protect the politician. But first Perry Mason tracks down the publisher of the blackmailing tabloid and discovers a shocking secret, which eventually leads to Mason being accused of murder. This is the first Perry Mason mystery and our introduction to secretary Della Street, detective Paul Drake, and the great lawyer himself.
-
-
Enter Perry Mason
- By David S. Mathew on 04-10-17
-
Fer-de-Lance
- By: Rex Stout
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When someone makes a present of a fer-de-lance - the dreaded snake - to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he's close to solving two apparently unrelated murders. As for Wolfe, he's playing snake charmer in a case more deadly than a cobra and whistling a seductive tune he hopes will catch a killer with poison in his heart.
-
-
One of the best crime series of all time.
- By ShySusan on 03-27-13
By: Rex Stout
-
Face to Face
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gloria Guild is the singing "glory" of the thirties and the millionairess wife of Count Carlos Armando, renowned only for his succession of wealthy wives. When she is murdered, her husband is the obvious suspect, but he has a perfect alibi. So who could he have got to do it for him? The only clue is the word "face," penned in her dying scrawl. But whose face? And why? Ellery Queen pursues the glory riddle from the Bowery to a way-out wedding - and a surprise climax that will jolt you into cold shock. Anyone whonails this killer before Queen is either a genius or a cheat.
-
-
One of the best queens stories
- By peter on 09-21-20
By: Ellery Queen
-
A Fine and Private Place
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Mark Peckham
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The nine-word clue was one of nine cryptic notes that had been sent to taunt Inspector Queen and his son Ellery nine days after the murder. Nino Importuna had been obsessed with the number. He had lived by it. Now the killer who brought a trio of gory deaths to Nino's ninth-floor penthouse at Number 99 East was camouflaging his identity in a jungle of nines - and daring Ellery to find him. The case was destined to be a dazzling contest of wits - to the ninth degree!
-
-
Good puzzle, but not much of a whodunit!
- By Stephen W Osborne on 03-10-17
By: Ellery Queen
-
QBI
- Queen's Bureau of Investigation
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Queen's Bureau of Investigation is now open for business - and in each department of this new enterprise Ellery finds ample opportunity to exercise the brilliant, ingenious, and at times startling talents of his crime-lab mind. For to the bureau come some of the most plaguey cases in Queen's career.
-
-
GOOD LISTEN
- By peter on 09-10-20
By: Ellery Queen
-
QED
- Queen’s Experiments in Detection
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Let Ellery Queen clue you in on his special brand of high tension, brain-teasing mystery! This collection consists of novelettes and short stories from Queen's many escapades.
-
-
A great series of short stories
- By Henry Maicki II on 07-31-17
By: Ellery Queen
-
The Case of the Velvet Claws
- Perry Mason Series, Book 1
- By: Erle Stanley Gardner
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Married Eva Griffin has been caught with a prominent congressman, and is ready to pay the editor of a sleazy tabloid hush money to protect the politician. But first Perry Mason tracks down the publisher of the blackmailing tabloid and discovers a shocking secret, which eventually leads to Mason being accused of murder. This is the first Perry Mason mystery and our introduction to secretary Della Street, detective Paul Drake, and the great lawyer himself.
-
-
Enter Perry Mason
- By David S. Mathew on 04-10-17
-
Fer-de-Lance
- By: Rex Stout
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When someone makes a present of a fer-de-lance - the dreaded snake - to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he's close to solving two apparently unrelated murders. As for Wolfe, he's playing snake charmer in a case more deadly than a cobra and whistling a seductive tune he hopes will catch a killer with poison in his heart.
-
-
One of the best crime series of all time.
- By ShySusan on 03-27-13
By: Rex Stout
-
The Fourth Side of the Triangle
- The Ellery Queen Mysteries
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Mark Peckham
- Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Frightfully rich and awesomely respectable, the McKells had never been touched by scandal. At least, not until the handsome Dane McKell discovered his father's secret affair. Determined to protect his mother, he forced a meeting with the other woman.
But Dane didn't count on falling in love with her himself. Nor did he count on the front page murder that engulfed them all. Sheila, exotic young international leader of haute couture, is found murdered in her Park Avenue penthouse.
-
-
Mature subject matter Ellery Queen
- By Henry Maicki II on 03-23-16
By: Ellery Queen
-
The Complete Father Brown Collection
- By: G. K. Chesterton
- Narrated by: Stephen Scalon
- Length: 41 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Shabby and lumbering, with a face like a Norfolk dumpling, Father Brown makes for an improbable super-sleuth. But his innocence is the secret of his success: refusing the scientific method of detection, he adopts instead an approach of simple sympathy, interpreting each crime as a work of art, and each criminal as a man no worse than himself… Here you will find the complete Father Brown stories in the chronological order of their original publication. The Innocence of Father Brown Starts at Chapter 1, The Wisdom of Father Brown Starts at Chapter 13.
-
-
Good collection, bad editing, bad American accent
- By Samantha on 04-01-20
By: G. K. Chesterton
-
The Blessing Way
- By: Tony Hillerman
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Homicide is always an abomination, but there is something exceptionally disturbing about the victim discovered in a high, lonely place: a corpse with a mouth full of sand, abandoned at a crime scene seemingly devoid of tracks or useful clues. Though it goes against his better judgment, Navajo tribal police lieutenant Joe Leaphorn cannot help but suspect the hand of a supernatural killer.
-
-
A 'Blessing' Indeed!
- By Carole T. on 03-15-16
By: Tony Hillerman
-
The Tragedy of X
- The Drury Lane Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Mark Peckham
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In New York City in the early 1930s, a man is poisoned on a crowded streetcar during rush hour. Everyone sees Longstreet die - but no one sees the killer. Inspector Thumm's few clues all lead up a blind alley. He finally seeks the aid of Drury Lane - retired Shakespearean actor, master of disguise, and amateur sleuth. Seated amid the splendor of the vast medieval halls of his castle on the Hudson, Drury Lane hears the story from the inspector.
-
-
Quasimodo
- By ED on 06-08-21
By: Ellery Queen
-
The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of 25 Hercule Poirot adventures is compiled from short stories written by Agatha Christie for The Sketch magazine in 1923 from March to December. In these stories, including "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim", "The Veiled Lady", and "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb", the eccentric private detective slowly and surely solves mysteries involving jealousy, revenge, and greed. These stories were well-received at the time and cemented Christie's reputation as the worthy successor to Arthur Conan Doyle.
-
-
1923 Was a Very Good Year
- By John on 02-04-19
By: Agatha Christie
-
The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds
- A Dizzy Heights Mystery, Book 1
- By: T E Kinsey
- Narrated by: Simon Mattacks, Elizabeth Knowelden
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1925. With their band the Dizzy Heights, jazz musicians Ivor ‘Skins’ Maloney and Bartholomew ‘Barty’ Dunn are used to improvising as they play the Charleston for flappers and toffs, but things are about to take a surprising turn.
-
-
Not What I Was Expecting
- By Paulette on 03-10-21
By: T E Kinsey
-
Mycroft Holmes
- By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Anna Waterhouse
- Narrated by: Damian Lynch
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"When I say, therefore, that [my brother] has better powers of observation than I...I am speaking the exact and literal truth." (Sherlock Holmes). This story occurs when Mycroft, an athletic Cambridge graduate, assists the secretary of State. He becomes embroiled in a mystery in Trinidad based on actual history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a huge Holmesian, seven-foot-two tall, basketball's all-time leading scorer, and a US cultural ambassador. Anna Waterhouse is a professional screenwriter and script consultant.
-
-
Finally a good Mycroft story!
- By Sherlock Fan on 09-28-15
By: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and others
-
The Kill Artist
- By: Daniel Silva
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the assassination of his wife and son, Gabriel Allon retires from his brutal anti-terrorist career and loses himself in his previous cover job: art restoration. But when Tariq al-Hourani, the Palestinian terrorist responsible for his family’s death, begins a killing spree designed to destroy Middle East peace talks, Gabriel once again slips into the shadowy world of international intrigue. In a global game of hide-and-seek, the motives of Gabriel and Tariq soon become more personal than political.
-
-
Reluctant Assassin
- By Snoodely on 10-30-13
By: Daniel Silva
-
The Killings at Badger’s Drift
- Midsomer Murders Mystery, Book 1
- By: Caroline Graham
- Narrated by: John Hopkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The village of Badger's Drift is the essence of tranquillity. But when resident and well-loved spinster Miss Simpson takes a stroll in the nearby woods, she stumbles across something she was never meant to see, and there's only one way to keep her quiet. Miss Simpson's death is not suspicious, say the villagers. But Miss Lucy Bellringer refuses to rest: her friend has been murdered. She is sure of it.
-
-
I wanted to love this series but I just don't
- By Lynch on 11-09-22
By: Caroline Graham
-
The Windsor Knot
- A Novel
- By: SJ Bennett
- Narrated by: Jane Copland
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90th birthday celebrations. But the preparations are interrupted when a guest is found dead in one of the Castle bedrooms. The scene suggests the young Russian pianist strangled himself, but a badly tied knot leads MI5 to suspect foul play was involved. The Queen leaves the investigation to the professionals—until their suspicions point them in the wrong direction. Unhappy at the mishandling of the case and concerned for her staff's morale, the monarch decides to take matters into her own hands.
-
-
Great Book
- By Kristen on 04-20-21
By: SJ Bennett
-
The Word Is Murder
- A Novel
- By: Anthony Horowitz
- Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times best-selling author of Magpie Murders and Moriarty brilliantly reinvents the classic crime novel once again with this clever and inventive mystery starring a fictional version of the author himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes, investigating a case involving buried secrets, murder, and a trail of bloody clues.
-
-
Something New
- By Alice on 06-26-18
By: Anthony Horowitz
-
The Alienist
- By: Caleb Carr
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 20 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels.
-
-
Outstanding on several levels.
- By lyl on 12-30-12
By: Caleb Carr
Publisher's summary
Despite the dismal Broadway season, Gunplay continues to draw crowds. A gangland spectacle, it's packed to the gills with action, explosions, and gunfire. In fact, Gunplay is so loud that no one notices the killing of Monte Field. In a sold-out theater, Field is found dead partway through the second act, surrounded by empty seats. The police hold the crowd and call for the one man who can untangle this daring murder: Inspector Richard Queen. With the help of his son Ellery, a bibliophile and novelist whose imagination can solve any crime, the Inspector attacks this seemingly impenetrable mystery. Anyone in the theater could have killed the unscrupulous lawyer, and several had the motive. Only Ellery Queen, in his debut novel, can decipher the clue of the dead man's missing top hat.
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
Meet the Tiger
- A Simon “The Saint” Templar Novel
- By: Leslie Charteris
- Narrated by: John Rayburn
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The fiction world of today needs a “Saint” more than it ever did. For years now that scene has been dominated by the “anti-heroes"—those grim gray operators in a sunless sub-culture where global issues are worked out with totally unemotional pragmatism, those hapless uninspired puppets manipulated and expended by ruthlessly dedicated little brothers of Big Brother. It made morbidly fascinating narrative, but it never gave anyone a lift until it climaxed in the hyper-gadgeted parodies of 007 extravaganzas.
By: Leslie Charteris
-
Spade & Archer
- The Prequel to The Maltese Falcon
- By: Joseph Gores
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Sam Spade gets drawn into the Maltese Falcon case, we know what to expect: straight talk, hard questions, no favors, and no way for anyone to get underneath the protective shell he wears like a second skin. We know that his late partner, Miles Archer, was a son of a bitch; that Spade is sleeping with Archer's wife, Iva; that his tomboyish secretary, Effie Perine, is the only innocent in his life. What we don't know is how Spade became who he is. Spade & Archer completes the picture.
-
-
"A Real Joy"
- By Mark on 04-14-09
By: Joseph Gores
-
Bulldog Drummond
- By: Sapper
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Demobilised officer, finding peace incredibly tedious, would welcome diversion. Legitimate if possible; excitement essential. When Captain Hugh Drummond, DSO, MC placed that advertisement, he was looking for adventure. What he finds is an international plot headed by the greatest criminal mastermind in the world.
-
-
Fantastic Narration
- By nooch85 on 07-21-18
By: Sapper
-
The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of 25 Hercule Poirot adventures is compiled from short stories written by Agatha Christie for The Sketch magazine in 1923 from March to December. In these stories, including "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim", "The Veiled Lady", and "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb", the eccentric private detective slowly and surely solves mysteries involving jealousy, revenge, and greed. These stories were well-received at the time and cemented Christie's reputation as the worthy successor to Arthur Conan Doyle.
-
-
1923 Was a Very Good Year
- By John on 02-04-19
By: Agatha Christie
-
The Secret Adversary & N or M?
- Two Bestselling Agatha Christie Novels in One Great Audiobook
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tommy and Tuppence are young, in love… and flat broke. Restless for excitement, they decide to embark on a daring business scheme: Young Adventurers Ltd.—"willing to do anything, go anywhere." But they get more than they bargained for when their first assignment for the sinister Mr. Whittington draws them into a diabolical conspiracy. It isn’t long before they find themselves plunged into more danger than they ever could have imagined.
-
-
Hugh Fraser is great!
- By Cheryl McInerney on 09-06-22
By: Agatha Christie
-
A Gentleman's Murder
- By: Christopher Huang
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1924. Only a few years removed from the trenches of Flanders, Lieutenant Eric Peterkin has just been granted membership in the most prestigious soldiers-only club in London: the Britannia. But when a gentleman's wager ends with a member stabbed to death, the victim's last words echo in the lieutenant's head: that he would "Soon right a great wrong from the past". Eric is certain one of his fellow members is the murderer. But who?
-
-
Ignore the indiscriminate ire. It’s great!
- By Denise Dalrymple on 05-15-20
-
Meet the Tiger
- A Simon “The Saint” Templar Novel
- By: Leslie Charteris
- Narrated by: John Rayburn
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The fiction world of today needs a “Saint” more than it ever did. For years now that scene has been dominated by the “anti-heroes"—those grim gray operators in a sunless sub-culture where global issues are worked out with totally unemotional pragmatism, those hapless uninspired puppets manipulated and expended by ruthlessly dedicated little brothers of Big Brother. It made morbidly fascinating narrative, but it never gave anyone a lift until it climaxed in the hyper-gadgeted parodies of 007 extravaganzas.
By: Leslie Charteris
-
Spade & Archer
- The Prequel to The Maltese Falcon
- By: Joseph Gores
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Sam Spade gets drawn into the Maltese Falcon case, we know what to expect: straight talk, hard questions, no favors, and no way for anyone to get underneath the protective shell he wears like a second skin. We know that his late partner, Miles Archer, was a son of a bitch; that Spade is sleeping with Archer's wife, Iva; that his tomboyish secretary, Effie Perine, is the only innocent in his life. What we don't know is how Spade became who he is. Spade & Archer completes the picture.
-
-
"A Real Joy"
- By Mark on 04-14-09
By: Joseph Gores
-
Bulldog Drummond
- By: Sapper
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Demobilised officer, finding peace incredibly tedious, would welcome diversion. Legitimate if possible; excitement essential. When Captain Hugh Drummond, DSO, MC placed that advertisement, he was looking for adventure. What he finds is an international plot headed by the greatest criminal mastermind in the world.
-
-
Fantastic Narration
- By nooch85 on 07-21-18
By: Sapper
-
The Early Cases of Hercule Poirot
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This collection of 25 Hercule Poirot adventures is compiled from short stories written by Agatha Christie for The Sketch magazine in 1923 from March to December. In these stories, including "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim", "The Veiled Lady", and "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb", the eccentric private detective slowly and surely solves mysteries involving jealousy, revenge, and greed. These stories were well-received at the time and cemented Christie's reputation as the worthy successor to Arthur Conan Doyle.
-
-
1923 Was a Very Good Year
- By John on 02-04-19
By: Agatha Christie
-
The Secret Adversary & N or M?
- Two Bestselling Agatha Christie Novels in One Great Audiobook
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tommy and Tuppence are young, in love… and flat broke. Restless for excitement, they decide to embark on a daring business scheme: Young Adventurers Ltd.—"willing to do anything, go anywhere." But they get more than they bargained for when their first assignment for the sinister Mr. Whittington draws them into a diabolical conspiracy. It isn’t long before they find themselves plunged into more danger than they ever could have imagined.
-
-
Hugh Fraser is great!
- By Cheryl McInerney on 09-06-22
By: Agatha Christie
-
A Gentleman's Murder
- By: Christopher Huang
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1924. Only a few years removed from the trenches of Flanders, Lieutenant Eric Peterkin has just been granted membership in the most prestigious soldiers-only club in London: the Britannia. But when a gentleman's wager ends with a member stabbed to death, the victim's last words echo in the lieutenant's head: that he would "Soon right a great wrong from the past". Eric is certain one of his fellow members is the murderer. But who?
-
-
Ignore the indiscriminate ire. It’s great!
- By Denise Dalrymple on 05-15-20
-
Except the Dying
- A Murdoch Mystery, Book 1
- By: Maureen Jennings
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the cold Toronto winter of 1895, the naked body of a servant girl is found frozen in a deserted laneway. The young victim was pregnant when she died. Detective William Murdoch soon discovers that many of those connected with the girl's life have secrets to hide. Was her death on attempt to cover up a scandal in one of the city's influential families?
-
-
If you like the show - don't buy
- By Sarah on 06-09-16
By: Maureen Jennings
-
Pietr the Latvian
- Inspector Maigret, Book 1
- By: Georges Simenon, David Bellos - translator
- Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first audiobook which appeared in Georges Simenon's famous Maigret series, in a gripping new translation by David Bellos.Inevitably Maigret was a hostile presence in the Majestic. He constituted a kind of foreign body that the hotel's atmosphere could not assimilate. Not that he looked like a cartoon policeman. He didn't have a moustache and he didn't wear heavy boots. His clothes were well cut and made of fairly light worsted. He shaved every day and looked after his hands. But his frame was proletarian. He was a big, bony man.
-
-
Long live Maigret
- By Adeliese Baumann on 11-19-14
By: Georges Simenon, and others
-
The Glass Key
- By: Dashiell Hammett
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paul Madvig was a cheerfully corrupt ward-heeler who aspired to something better: the daughter of Senator Ralph Bancroft Henry, the heiress to a dynasty of political purebreds. Did he want her badly enough to commit murder? And if Madvig was innocent, which of his dozens of enemies was doing an awfully good job of framing him? Dashiell Hammett’s tour de force of detective fiction combines an airtight plot, authentically venal characters, and writing of telegraphic crispness. A one-time detective and a master of deft understatement, Hammett invented the noir crime novel.
-
-
Pacing Quick & Plot was Goldilocks
- By Darwin8u on 05-16-12
By: Dashiell Hammett
-
Rules of Murder
- Drew Farthering, Book 1
- By: Julianna Deering
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the tip of his black Homburg to the crease in his cheviot trousers, Drew Farthering is the epitome of a stylish 1930s English gentleman. His only problem? The body he just discovered. With the help of beautiful and whip-smart Madeline Parker, a guest from America, Drew proposes to use the lessons he’s learned reading his mysteries to solve the crime. Trying hard to remain one step ahead of the killer - and trying harder to impress Madeline - Drew must decide how far to take this dangerous game.
-
-
Good British Cozy Except for the Religion
- By Marie on 08-19-13
By: Julianna Deering
-
Murphy's Law
- By: Rhys Bowen
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Molly Murphy always knew she'd end up in trouble, just as her mother predicted. So, when she commits murder in self-defense, she flees her cherished Ireland, under cover of a false identity, for the anonymous shores of late 19th-century America. When she arrives in New York and sees the welcoming promise of freedom in the Statue of Liberty, Molly begins to breathe easier. But when a man is murdered on Ellis Island, a man Molly was seen arguing with, she becomes a prime suspect in the crime.
-
-
Cream Puff Read
- By Jan on 12-19-13
By: Rhys Bowen
-
Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance
- By: Gyles Brandreth
- Narrated by: Bill Wallis
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1889. Oscar Wilde, celebrated poet, wit, playwright, and raconteur is the literary sensation of his age. All Europe lies at his feet. Yet when he chances across the naked corpse of sixteen-year-old Billy Wood, posed by candlelight in a dark stifling attic room, he cannot ignore the brutal murder. With the help of fellow author Arthur Conan Doyle he sets out to solve the crime - but it is Wilde's unparalleled access to all degrees of late Victorian life, from society drawing rooms to the underclass, that will prove the decisive factor in their investigation....
-
-
needs glue
- By connie on 11-13-11
By: Gyles Brandreth
-
Ask Me No Questions
- A Lady Dunbridge Mystery
- By: Shelley Noble
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A modern woman in 1907, Lady Dunbridge is not about to let a little thing like the death of her husband ruin her social life. She's ready to take the dazzling world of Gilded Age Manhattan by storm. From the decadence of high society balls to the underbelly of Belmont horse racing, romance, murder, and scandals abound. Someone simply must do something. And Lady Dunbridge is happy to oblige.
-
-
A Creative Mystery
- By Victoria J. Mejia-Gewe on 02-28-19
By: Shelley Noble
-
The Eighth Commandment
- By: Lawrence Sanders
- Narrated by: Rebecca Gibel
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the Damaretion, the prized Greek coin from Archibald Havistock's collection, disappears and appraiser Mary Lou "Dunk" Bateson comes under suspicion, Bateson, a cop, and an insurance investigator set out to solve the crime.
-
-
It was a nice listen
- By John on 10-01-12
By: Lawrence Sanders
-
Dust and Shadow
- An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson
- By: Lyndsay Faye
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Breathless and painstakingly researched, this is a stunning debut mystery in which Sherlock Holmes unmasks Jack the Ripper. Lyndsay Faye perfectly captures all the color and syntax of Conan Doyle’s distinctive nineteenth-century London.
-
-
Excellent!
- By Wadie on 01-07-11
By: Lyndsay Faye
-
Mind of a Killer
- A Victorian History
- By: Simon Beaufort
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
London, 1882. Alec Lonsdale, a young reporter on the Pall Mall Gazette, is working on a story about a fatal house fire. But the postmortem on the victim produces shocking results: Patrick Donovan's death was no accident. But why would someone murder a humble shop assistant and steal part of his brain? When a second body is discovered, its throat cut, and then a third, Lonsdale and his spirited female colleague, Hulda Friederichs, begin to uncover evidence of a conspiracy that reaches to the highest echelons of Victorian society.
-
-
Really, really good
- By Sherry on 11-28-18
By: Simon Beaufort
-
God Save the Mark
- A Novel of Crime and Confusion
- By: Donald E. Westlake
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What, you ask, is a Fred Fitch? Well, for one thing, Fred Fitch is the man with the most extensive collection of fake receipts, phony bills of sale, and counterfeit sweepstakes tickets in the Western hemisphere, and possibly in the entire world. For another thing, Fred Fitch may be the only New York City resident in the twentieth century to buy a money machine.
-
-
American Gods for the Grifter set!
- By William R. on 09-06-11
-
Fer-de-Lance
- By: Rex Stout
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When someone makes a present of a fer-de-lance - the dreaded snake - to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he's close to solving two apparently unrelated murders. As for Wolfe, he's playing snake charmer in a case more deadly than a cobra and whistling a seductive tune he hopes will catch a killer with poison in his heart.
-
-
One of the best crime series of all time.
- By ShySusan on 03-27-13
By: Rex Stout
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
QED
- Queen’s Experiments in Detection
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Let Ellery Queen clue you in on his special brand of high tension, brain-teasing mystery! This collection consists of novelettes and short stories from Queen's many escapades.
-
-
A great series of short stories
- By Henry Maicki II on 07-31-17
By: Ellery Queen
-
Face to Face
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gloria Guild is the singing "glory" of the thirties and the millionairess wife of Count Carlos Armando, renowned only for his succession of wealthy wives. When she is murdered, her husband is the obvious suspect, but he has a perfect alibi. So who could he have got to do it for him? The only clue is the word "face," penned in her dying scrawl. But whose face? And why? Ellery Queen pursues the glory riddle from the Bowery to a way-out wedding - and a surprise climax that will jolt you into cold shock. Anyone whonails this killer before Queen is either a genius or a cheat.
-
-
One of the best queens stories
- By peter on 09-21-20
By: Ellery Queen
-
Quick Service
- By: P. G. Wodehouse
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imperious American widow Beatrice Chavender is visiting her sister's country home near London when a most unfortunate thing happens: She takes a bite of inferior ham while having her breakfast. Soon everyone around her is suffering the consequences - her sister, her brother-in-law, the butler, poor Sally, Sally's fiancé, and even Mrs. Chavender's ex-fiancé, "Ham King" J. B. Duff.
-
-
Hilarious!
- By Jaime Treadwell on 05-18-21
By: P. G. Wodehouse
-
Morse’s Greatest Mystery and Other Stories
- By: Colin Dexter
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Colin Dexter’s Chief Inspector Morse - the cranky, heavy-drinking, and exasperatingly brilliant sleuth of the Thames Valley Police - has become one of the most beloved detectives in fiction. Now, with this collection of 11 short stories, we can savor choice examples of his dry wit, devious cunning, and psychological insight at its best. Colin Dexter tantalizes us with six Inspector Morse adventures, ranging from bite-size morsels of intrigue to longer stories for listeners to sink their teeth into.
-
-
Colin Dexter books deserve better narration!!!
- By E.L. on 08-26-20
By: Colin Dexter
-
Hot Water
- By: P. G. Wodehouse
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cecil
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The house party at Chateau Blissac, Brittany, features a rather odd array of guests this year. Mr. J. Wellington Gedge is hoping for some peace and quiet while his wife takes herself off for a while. She, however, has invited numerous visitors to the chateau, to whom he will have to play reluctant host. Senator Opal and his daughter are expected, and so is the chateau's handsome owner, Vicomte de Blissac.
-
-
I Always Forget How Funny This One Is
- By John on 01-04-21
By: P. G. Wodehouse
-
The Red House Mystery
- By: A. A. Milne
- Narrated by: William Sutherland
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mark Ablett's stately mansion, the Red House, is filled with very proper guests when his most improper brother returns from Australia. The prodigal brother enters Mark's study, the parlor maid hears arguing and the brother dies...rather suddenly, with a bullet between the eyes. The study is locked from the inside and Mark is missing! Investigating the crime is wealthy Antony Gillingham, who rivals Sherlock Holmes in his remarkable powers of observation.
-
-
difficult listen
- By Todd on 10-17-03
By: A. A. Milne
-
QED
- Queen’s Experiments in Detection
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Let Ellery Queen clue you in on his special brand of high tension, brain-teasing mystery! This collection consists of novelettes and short stories from Queen's many escapades.
-
-
A great series of short stories
- By Henry Maicki II on 07-31-17
By: Ellery Queen
-
Face to Face
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gloria Guild is the singing "glory" of the thirties and the millionairess wife of Count Carlos Armando, renowned only for his succession of wealthy wives. When she is murdered, her husband is the obvious suspect, but he has a perfect alibi. So who could he have got to do it for him? The only clue is the word "face," penned in her dying scrawl. But whose face? And why? Ellery Queen pursues the glory riddle from the Bowery to a way-out wedding - and a surprise climax that will jolt you into cold shock. Anyone whonails this killer before Queen is either a genius or a cheat.
-
-
One of the best queens stories
- By peter on 09-21-20
By: Ellery Queen
-
Quick Service
- By: P. G. Wodehouse
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imperious American widow Beatrice Chavender is visiting her sister's country home near London when a most unfortunate thing happens: She takes a bite of inferior ham while having her breakfast. Soon everyone around her is suffering the consequences - her sister, her brother-in-law, the butler, poor Sally, Sally's fiancé, and even Mrs. Chavender's ex-fiancé, "Ham King" J. B. Duff.
-
-
Hilarious!
- By Jaime Treadwell on 05-18-21
By: P. G. Wodehouse
-
Morse’s Greatest Mystery and Other Stories
- By: Colin Dexter
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Colin Dexter’s Chief Inspector Morse - the cranky, heavy-drinking, and exasperatingly brilliant sleuth of the Thames Valley Police - has become one of the most beloved detectives in fiction. Now, with this collection of 11 short stories, we can savor choice examples of his dry wit, devious cunning, and psychological insight at its best. Colin Dexter tantalizes us with six Inspector Morse adventures, ranging from bite-size morsels of intrigue to longer stories for listeners to sink their teeth into.
-
-
Colin Dexter books deserve better narration!!!
- By E.L. on 08-26-20
By: Colin Dexter
-
Hot Water
- By: P. G. Wodehouse
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cecil
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The house party at Chateau Blissac, Brittany, features a rather odd array of guests this year. Mr. J. Wellington Gedge is hoping for some peace and quiet while his wife takes herself off for a while. She, however, has invited numerous visitors to the chateau, to whom he will have to play reluctant host. Senator Opal and his daughter are expected, and so is the chateau's handsome owner, Vicomte de Blissac.
-
-
I Always Forget How Funny This One Is
- By John on 01-04-21
By: P. G. Wodehouse
-
The Red House Mystery
- By: A. A. Milne
- Narrated by: William Sutherland
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mark Ablett's stately mansion, the Red House, is filled with very proper guests when his most improper brother returns from Australia. The prodigal brother enters Mark's study, the parlor maid hears arguing and the brother dies...rather suddenly, with a bullet between the eyes. The study is locked from the inside and Mark is missing! Investigating the crime is wealthy Antony Gillingham, who rivals Sherlock Holmes in his remarkable powers of observation.
-
-
difficult listen
- By Todd on 10-17-03
By: A. A. Milne
-
A Study in Terror
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ellery Queen and Sherlock Holmes are the undisputed masters of analytical deduction - their talents and methods strikingly, almost uncannily, alike. Through the strange interlocking of events past and present, the two celebrated detectives meet to focus their razor-sharp intellects - and their brilliant powers of observation - on the mystery of…Jack the Ripper.
-
-
Very engrossing
- By Lynne Olsen on 06-25-23
By: Ellery Queen
-
Murder in E Minor
- A Nero Wolfe Mystery
- By: Robert Goldsborough
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since disgraced associate Orrie Cather’s suicide, armchair detective Nero Wolfe has relished retirement in his Manhattan brownstone on West 35th Street. Two years after Cather’s death, only a visit from Maria Radovich - and the urging of Wolfe’s prize assistant, Archie Goodwin - could draw the eccentric and reclusive genius back into business. Maria’s uncle, New York Symphony Orchestra conductor Milan Stevens, formerly known as Milos Stefanovic, spent his youth alongside Wolfe as a fellow freedom fighter in the mountains of Montenegro.
-
-
Murder in E Minor
- By Danny Harr on 08-31-22
-
Her Forbidden Knight
- By: Rex Stout
- Narrated by: Jonah Cummings
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once, the Lamartine Hotel was a quiet refuge for New York’s stuffy fashionable set. But by the 1890s, fashion has moved uptown, and the lobby of the Lamartine has been overtaken by natty young sports, who pass their afternoons with billiards or shows of noisy derring-do. Their preferred damsel is Lila Williams, a delicate young telegraph operator whose shyness so charms them that they resolve to defend her against any ill-behaved characters. They are about to face their fiercest challenger, who rides in the gleaming armor of a millionaire.
-
-
a slow starter but...
- By Steven on 05-06-21
By: Rex Stout
-
The Man in the Queue
- Inspector Alan Grant Series, Book 1
- By: Josephine Tey
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first of Josephine Tey's Inspector Grant mysteries concerns the murder of a man, standing in a ticket queue for a London musical comedy. With his customary tenacity, Grant pursues his suspects through the length of Britain and the labyrinth of the city.
-
-
Unerringly dull...
- By Marianna on 04-27-18
By: Josephine Tey
-
Poirot Investigates
- A Hercule Poirot Collection (Hercule Poirot Mysteries, Book 3)
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Poirot Investigates is a collection of short stories written by English author Agatha Christie and first published in the UK in March 1924. In the 11 stories, famed eccentric detective Hercule Poirot solves a myriad of mysteries involving greed, jealousy, and revenge.
-
-
An Entertaining Collection
- By Barbara Lunz on 04-09-21
By: Agatha Christie
-
The Tragedy of X
- The Drury Lane Mysteries, Book 1
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Mark Peckham
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In New York City in the early 1930s, a man is poisoned on a crowded streetcar during rush hour. Everyone sees Longstreet die - but no one sees the killer. Inspector Thumm's few clues all lead up a blind alley. He finally seeks the aid of Drury Lane - retired Shakespearean actor, master of disguise, and amateur sleuth. Seated amid the splendor of the vast medieval halls of his castle on the Hudson, Drury Lane hears the story from the inspector.
-
-
Quasimodo
- By ED on 06-08-21
By: Ellery Queen
-
The Best Crime Stories Ever Told
- By: Dorothy L. Sayers - editor
- Narrated by: Robin Bloodworth, Suehyla El Attar
- Length: 20 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When acclaimed mystery writer Dorothy L. Sayers first began compiling anthologies of the best crime stories in the 1920s and ’30s, the genre was in the flush of its first golden age. While it is hard to imagine today - after every possible mystery plot has been told, retold, subverted, and played straight again by hundreds of writers over nearly a century - in Sayers’s day there were still twists that had never been seen, and machinations of crime that would shock even jaded Jazz Age fans.
-
-
Lot of duds, some gems
- By Regina on 11-09-13
-
Sherlock Holmes and the Hapsburg Tiara
- By: Alan Vanneman
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a crafty new novel featuring the world's greatest literary detective, Alan Vanneman extends the boundaries of the Sherlock Holmes canon with this novel. A late-night summons takes Holmes and Dr. Watson from the cozy Victorian comforts of Baker Street to the Orient Express, where they travel the breadth of Europe to exotic Constantinople. But danger's afoot, for death, too, is traveling first class.
-
-
Not the Sherlock we love and deserve
- By B. McLemore on 04-11-20
By: Alan Vanneman
-
Fer-de-Lance
- By: Rex Stout
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When someone makes a present of a fer-de-lance - the dreaded snake - to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin knows he's close to solving two apparently unrelated murders. As for Wolfe, he's playing snake charmer in a case more deadly than a cobra and whistling a seductive tune he hopes will catch a killer with poison in his heart.
-
-
One of the best crime series of all time.
- By ShySusan on 03-27-13
By: Rex Stout
-
A Fine and Private Place
- By: Ellery Queen
- Narrated by: Mark Peckham
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The nine-word clue was one of nine cryptic notes that had been sent to taunt Inspector Queen and his son Ellery nine days after the murder. Nino Importuna had been obsessed with the number. He had lived by it. Now the killer who brought a trio of gory deaths to Nino's ninth-floor penthouse at Number 99 East was camouflaging his identity in a jungle of nines - and daring Ellery to find him. The case was destined to be a dazzling contest of wits - to the ninth degree!
-
-
Good puzzle, but not much of a whodunit!
- By Stephen W Osborne on 03-10-17
By: Ellery Queen
-
Echoes of Sherlock Holmes
- Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon
- By: Laurie R. King - editor, Leslie S. Klinger - editor
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin, Clive Chafer, Derek Perkins, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Expert Sherlockians Laurie King and Leslie Klinger put forth the question: What happens when great writers/creators who are not known as Sherlock Holmes devotees admit to being inspired by Conan Doyle stories? While some are highly regarded mystery writers, others are best known for their work in the fields of fantasy or science fiction. All of these talented authors, however, share a great admiration for Arthur Conan Doyle and his greatest creations, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
-
-
Easy listen
- By Robie on 07-31-17
By: Laurie R. King - editor, and others
-
A Man Lay Dead
- By: Ngaio Marsh
- Narrated by: Philip Franks
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Wealthy Sir Hubert Handesley's original and lively weekend house parties are deservedly famous. To amuse his guests, he has devised a new form of the fashionable Murder Game, in which a guest is secretly selected to commit a 'murder' in the dark, and everyone assembles to solve the crime. But when the lights go up this time, there is a real corpse....
-
-
Classic Upper Crust Mystery
- By Laurence G. Byrne on 02-25-16
By: Ngaio Marsh
What listeners say about The Roman Hat Mystery
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kathi
- 02-24-14
Wonderful "logic puzzle"--great listen, great fun!
This was my first Ellery Queen. Loving mysteries, I have long intended to get to these books because they're a significant part of the American contributions during the classic mystery writing period. (This one was originally published in 1929). Being a lover of mysteries from that time, so far as I can tell, this is about as good as it gets.
This is the "fun" kind of mystery--where it is laid out as a pure logic problem for the reader from beginning to end. Clues and suspects are plentiful, but the author has (now looking back on it) been very clever in creating a straightforward mystery that the reader could [theoretically] solve along with them. (Clues are everywhere but few red herrings). Toward the end, the author has an aside to the reader, stating that now, at this point, we know as much as the detectives do--there will be no surprises thrown in at the end--and invites the reader to use their own deductive powers to solve the murder/puzzle. Quite a fun book, really--like a giant cerebral murder puzzle. It's "Clue" on steroids. If you know how to pay attention, you can solve the mystery (but fair warning--it is far from obvious and I won't say if I was smart enough to figure it out :-) .
Richard Queen (the father) is a member of the homicide squad--greatly respected by all his peers and superiors (there's a different idea--modern detective stories so often have the main characters butting up against forces that do not support them--so they become lone wolves). But not here--this is a book with "class". Ellery Queen is the son, who for all practical purposes is not a detective, but a book lover, but father & son are unusually close, and Ellery does a great deal of the "detecting" in the team. The book is written without a single swear word, in fact I would call it "polite" much of the time because it is not meant as a series of shocks, but a series of clues to the reader.
It is peppered with some literary allusions, and the occasional Latin phrase (to point out how erudite the father & son are). I feel the need to just comment on how it has a small amount of what would today be viewed as a sort of political incorrectness--a very few comments by characters left me cringing and sad, but I finally decided that the writing represents mindsets of that era, and I believe the authors would be sensitive enough to present a couple of offhand remarks differently today. Although noticeable, it didn't take away from the overall enjoyment.
So there were two authors for the Ellery Queen series. I looked that part up--and it sounds like two men wrote the books--one came up with the logic puzzle sort of setup and the clues, while the other wrote the dialogue and fleshed the books out. I'm old, and have read hundreds of good mysteries in my life. I had heard of Ellery Queen, but never before read one. I was beyond thrilled with this discovery, I'm groggy with lack of sleep this morning because I listened till the wee hours to hear the end, and I cannot wait till I can listen to the next one! I so highly recommend--I wish I could give it all 10 stars!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
59 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- wodehouse fan
- 08-19-14
Good story, product of its time
I'm new to Ellery Queen, and I found this to be a good story with an interesting plotline. It was written early last century and shows it - the action doesn't move extremely quickly and the discussions move at a slower pace. The villain is a surprise, not because the author 'cheated', but because the plot twists and clues are subtle. Possibly once I have read a number of these I will be better at predicting the ending, but I doubt it. I very much enjoyed the plot and most of the characters.
One note: this book was written in a time when minorities were often portrayed almost as caricatures. I can generally overlook a certain number of these types of references, but this book has some scenes and descriptions that are pretty shocking by today's standards. Djuna the houseboy is of gypsy origin, according to Wikipedia, but that is not clear in the text. Djuna is not a major character in the story (he is supposed to be comic relief, I think, but I didn't find him funny) and is portrayed with affection like a pet. If this upsets you, consider reading Rex Stout instead, or at least skipping the few scenes involving Djuna.
I took a star off my overall rating because of the way Djuna was portrayed. He did detract from my enjoyment of the book in spite of my efforts to overlook those scenes.
Bottom line: the story is good, the characters are interesting, and the book is worth reading if you can take a scholarly approach to the portrayal of Djuna as a product of that time. I am going to try a few more of the series and hope for the best.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
40 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Takeyabue
- 10-19-13
A classic with all the trappings of age
If you could sum up The Roman Hat Mystery in three words, what would they be?
A true classic.
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
I would not change a thing. While it does not meet current ideas of political correctness, it is a great representation of the times in which it is set and was written.
What does Robert Fass bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
The narrator does not go overboard with the vocal representations of the characters, but still manages to convey tone and intent.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Listened to it non-stop on a trip across Nevada from Utah to San Jose. Great listen!
Any additional comments?
If you enjoy the Ellery Queen method and don't mind a period piece that shows its age in places, you will enjoy this production.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
21 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kent
- 08-06-14
Not as eloquent as they think they are.
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
The cousins who wrote as Ellery Queen waste a lot of words and your time with this. Definitely not as concise as Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur C. Doyle, they drag the listener through a lot that adds nothing to the plot. It's a bit of a snoozer.
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
Pretty good narration.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mike From Mesa
- 10-16-14
An old fashioned whodunit
I bought this based on my fond memories of the Ellery Queen mysteries on TV. I always thought they were intelligently written, reasonably well scripted and smartly done and hoped that the books would be the same.
There were two things that struck me about this book in particular. One was that the language and social attitudes were very dated with both words and ideas that are now considered at the very least archaic if not something worse. The second is that the mystery itself was as well constructed as I remembered the TV shows to be with all of the needed hints provided along with a lot of red herrings. All in all it was fun although at times a bit tiring trying to deal with the old language.
While I was able to guess what was going on and who, in general, was the villain, the mystery was deep enough to make me stop and think about who it might be for some time before I came to a reasonable conclusion.
The book is well read and I enjoyed it, but I do not believe I will buy any more. One was enough to satisfy my curiosity.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jenna
- 08-02-16
Just remember it was written in the 20's...
It's an excellent detective/mystery story. I had to remind myself several times that it was written a long time ago to keep from getting too annoyed at the way women (dainty, fragile, forgetting their place, etc) are written in this story to finish. If that kind of thing bothers you, skip it. Otherwise, it was a pretty good story and the narration was excellently done
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Davee
- 07-18-16
A good mystery
The reader is excellent and every character is recognizable. I remember reading Ellery Queen mysteries as a teenager. My father subscribed to the magazine. Now, 60 years later, I enjoy not only the story and the powers of deduction Ellery and his father use, but the historical significance of the setting. Men no longer all wear hats so this plot would not work today. That does not take anything away from the story. I will certainly listen to others in the series.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cee
- 05-09-21
Overt racism, misogynist interrogation, plot holes
I am not in favor of banning books, but I do think some could use a retirement, and at the very least some trigger warnings for a more modern society. I am sad to say, this is one of these books. I have long wanted to dive into the Ellery Queen series, but I was disappointed with how overtly racist this book was. So much of it was unnecessary, bordering on exposing the author as a possible follower of eugenics. From a "houseboy" being compared to a primate, and other racist themes woven deeper into this story, I was really sad to hear this stuff and couldn't let it slip by. Misogyny is always expected in novels from the 1920s, but the elder Inspector Queen was disappointingly lascivious when interrogating a young woman. So often these themes are well explored and noted in books by Raymond Chandler, but not here. I think the character development or lack thereof is partly to blame. My other complaints include tremendous plot holes (amateurish!), overly didactic and verbose dialogues, and some cringeworthy moments between an insecure father and son and over hyping the intellect of Ellery. Racism aside, this novel could have easily been a short story. So much editing needed. So many sentences alone devoted to the snorting of snuff and polishing of pince nez to the point of ridiculous that it could be used as a drinking game. The bulk of this book made the story harder to follow, and not an interesting puzzle to solve. I can see how this series fit into a remade 60 minute TV episode and radio series. Editing got it there. In short, subpar writing cannot gloss over this book's other offenses. It's just a bad book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John
- 05-18-17
A Theater, an Audience and a Corpse
What more could you ask for?
The Roman Hat Mystery is a classic. A completely satisfying tale of intrigue and murder. It features carefully crafted characters, believable dialogue, and well-rendered atmosphere. The frustrations of a police investigation (one chapter is even titled, “Stalemate”), the extended exercises in logic, the pointless errands and dead ends all contribute to the listener’s sense of “being there”. We share—or at least I shared—in every setback, as well as the yeasty sense of triumph at the end.
Up till now I’ve only dabbled in the Ellery Queen short story collections. While I found these very entertaining (and perplexing), the shorter time frame sometimes made it necessary for conclusions to be jumped to a little quicker than seemed natural. And where the story was a tad too pat, Ellery resembled “Encyclopedia Brown” the precocious boy-hero of those mysteries we read as kids. So I was intrigued to see what Ellery and his father were like in a full-scale novel. I wasn’t disappointed.
The first in a series of books featuring successful, well-beloved characters is always a treat. We want to know how Archie Goodwin and Nero Wolfe, Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, or Holmes and Watson started out. Oddly enough, this first novel begins at what should be the end of the father-and-son team’s career. I’ll be interested to see how that’s handled in the next volume. In this first installment, the father-son relationship reads as true as the love/hate interplay between Wolfe and Goodwin; the father knows his son is a little too pretentious, a mite too self-satisfied. He also recognizes that Ellery has uncommon gifts and is hugely proud of him. Being younger, Ellery is less reflective on personal matters and simply venerates his parent. Thanks to the story being set before Oprah, however, their mutual affection is never discussed and always genuinely felt.
This being a mystery, I won’t say much more except that, unlike some reviewers, I was neither shocked, horrified or upset by the racial attitudes expressed in the story. Being published in 1929, I would have been surprised if they hadn’t been there. The past is a foreign country inhabited by people to whom we are related. And it's always healthy to remember that very soon (sooner than you think) you and I might seem just as foreign. Will you be horrified that the police toxicology lab tests the efficacy of a little-known poison on a live rabbit? The future might recoil just as much at our daily disposal of human life (how many millions since 1973?). Is it terrible that one character is blackmailed for fathering a child out of wedlock? Yes. But how has our modern embrace of illegitimacy (and the consequent devaluing of the “traditional” family) made things any better? On the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed the book’s complete lack of sex scenes and absolute irreducible minimum of foul language. While no prude, I like decorum when I can get it, tagging along with Aristotle in preferring all the rough stuff to happen offstage.
In the meantime, I’m willing to bet that, as the series develops, changing social attitudes will be faithfully reflected in later stories.
Lastly, Robert Fass does a fine job here, not overdoing the semi-stock characters (like the gangster nicknamed "Parson" or his girlfriend) and doing full justice to the more three-dimensional roles. Like any accomplished reader, he gives you an almost visual image of everyone.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Gjemm
- 11-06-16
Slow going with racism. What more could you want?
What disappointed you about The Roman Hat Mystery?
The long deductive analysis was boring. The scenes were all the same: Father comes up against a mental log jam. Seemingly brilliant son solves it in his aloof manner. Father endlessly grateful. Easy enough to figure out the distractors. Plus the institutional racism--hard to read. I know it was a book of its time, but still.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful