THE SIAMESE TWIN MYSTERY finds Ellery and his father, the irascible Inspector Queen, trapped in a mountain retreat by a raging forest fire. The members of the household are a strange lot, and the mysterious murder of the retreat's host indicates to the Queens that not only are they isolated with an odd assortment of characters, but a dangerous killer as well!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Ellery Queen - Among His Best Stories
Jun 22 2003
By Michael Wischmeyer
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
We join Ellery and his father, Inspector Richard Queen, in an unfamiliar habitat, a remote rugged road in a forested mountainous area in upstate New York. Tired, somewhat uncertain of their directions, with night falling, the situation suddenly worsens as they find themselves cutoff by a forest fire. Following a barely visible rutted road upward, they find temporary safety at a sprawling lodge nestled on the top of Arrow mountain. As the fire below slowly encircles them, the Queens find themselves involved in a bizarre murder mystery.
Certainly, the situation is contrived. Dr. Xavier's work on Siamese twins in an isolated mountain lodge is a bit fantastic. The clues are supremely subtle. And yet this mystery is highly effective. Under the stress of the approaching fire, Ellery too hurriedly offers solutions, seemingly masterful examples of pure logic, but flawed nonetheless. (The reader may be reminded of another remarkable Ellery Queen story, The Greek Coffin Mystery.)
Ellery and Inspector Queen refuse to let the relentless forest fire dissuade them from continuing their investigation. The drama and suspense shifts back and forth between the danger posed by the ever advancing fire and the more immediate threat, the likelihood that the unknown killer will murder again.
The Siamese Twin Mystery (October, 1933) is a good example of the deductive mystery genre that was especially popular in 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. To assist the reader in unraveling the mystery, it comes complete with a playful description of the cast of characters and a floor plan of the ground level of Dr. Xavier's lodge. Surprisingly, it is missing Ellery's trademark, a pause generally found at the beginning of the last chapter, in which the author challenges the reader to solve the mystery before reading further, as all clues have now been revealed.
The Siamese Twin Mystery makes a good introduction to Ellery Queen. It has all of the elements that characterize a classic Ellery Queen mystery. It is among the best of Ellery Queen stories, comparing favorably with The Greek Coffin Mystery, The Spanish Cape Mystery, and The Tragedy of X.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Weak reasoning, strong story, well worth reading.
May 24 2006
By drkhimxz
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I agree with the fine review which leads the list for this book save in one particular. While making for tension necessary to keep the reader moving, I felt Ellery was led by his two Brooklyn creators into some less than sterling reasoning. However, despite that, this is a fine story that should provide readers (or listeners to the excellent audiobook production)with hours of entertainment.
Readers of other early Ellery Queen mysteries (this is from 1933) can be assured that the authors had already begun to flesh out a more human and less thinking machine character for the durable hero of books, film, radio, and televison (which probably did the best job of translating the original books into dramatic form with Bob Hutton (Ellery), David Wayne (Inspector Queen)leading a strong cast which always included interesting guest stars.
Readers of other early Ellery Queen mysteries (this is from 1933) can be assured that the authors had already begun to flesh out a more human and less thinking machine character for the durable hero of books, film, radio, and televison (which probably did the best job of translating the original books into dramatic form with Bob Hutton (Ellery), David Wayne (Inspector Queen)leading a strong cast which always included interesting guest stars.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of Queen's best!
Oct 16 2007
By Patrick W. Crabtree
- Published on Amazon.com
This is sort of a strange story, but I think that such can be said of most Ellery Queen mysteries. In any event, I've read them all and this is one of the three best that "the two cousins," (Nathan, a.k.a. "Dannay," and, Lepofsky, a.k.a. "Lee"), ever wrote.
Ellery and his dad, Inspector Queen of the NYPD, are enjoying a much-needed touring vacation through the Western U.S. They get lost on a rutty backroad when a forest fire breaks out and forces them to a strange old mountaintop mansion. There, they find a renowned physician living in seclusion with a weird parade of family, staff, and guests.
As the fire encroaches each day upon the mountain, the suspense builds and, of course, murder ensues. It's up to Ellery and his dad to sort through the bizarre cast of principals and put the finger on the guilty party.
It would be a bit of a spoiler to reveal the precise nature of the title but, leave it to say, it's one of the strangest facets of the mystery.
Don't pass this one by, even though it's a fairly old volume. It's a superb rendering with lots of atmosphere and detailed clues, both of which are so indigenous to the great Ellery Queen mysteries.
Ellery and his dad, Inspector Queen of the NYPD, are enjoying a much-needed touring vacation through the Western U.S. They get lost on a rutty backroad when a forest fire breaks out and forces them to a strange old mountaintop mansion. There, they find a renowned physician living in seclusion with a weird parade of family, staff, and guests.
As the fire encroaches each day upon the mountain, the suspense builds and, of course, murder ensues. It's up to Ellery and his dad to sort through the bizarre cast of principals and put the finger on the guilty party.
It would be a bit of a spoiler to reveal the precise nature of the title but, leave it to say, it's one of the strangest facets of the mystery.
Don't pass this one by, even though it's a fairly old volume. It's a superb rendering with lots of atmosphere and detailed clues, both of which are so indigenous to the great Ellery Queen mysteries.
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