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A collection of eighteen stories, the hardcover published in January, 1955. My copy is a fourth printing paperback from March, 1965.
Most of them short, only a hundred and forty-eight pages of text, they are typical tales of this sort, relying on paying attention to words, actions, and figuring the guilty party or uncovering the secret.
MISER’S GOLD finds Ellery looking for the location a dead man, who passed before he could say, hid his treasure: four hundred ten thousand dollar bills.
THE THREE WIDOWS are just that, two sisters and their stepmother living in the same house. The will leaves a stipend to the sisters as long as the stepmother is alive. Someone is trying to poison her.
THE ROBBER OF WRIGHTSVILLE has Ellery once more in his favorite town to find a thief.
THE BLACK LEDGER has Ellery playing courier with a list of names that will help convict a drug kingpin. Grabbed, he has to outsmart them so the list can get through.
The other stories involve murder, blackmail, and assorted other crimes. I like these mind game tales and always try my luck at solving them with Ellery, though I rarely succeed. The cover blurb is not quite right. Though I enjoyed these stories, I have read better Queen shorts.
As always, for more forgotten books, check out Patti Abbott over at her blog, Pattinase.
