Two Ellery Queen Novels - The Roman Hat Mystery and The French Powder Mystery - Unabridged

Presented here are two of Ellery Queen's earliest novels: "The Roman Hat Mystery" and "The French Powder Mystery."

Ellery Queen is the suave, sophiticated New York amateur detective who often assists his father - Inspector Richard Queen of the New York Police Department- in solving crimes. These two books launched the character of Ellery Queen into the forefront of American crime fiction and he would eventually become the most popular characters in the genre.

In "The Roman Hat Mystery," wealthy lawyer Monte Field is found dead in his box during a performance at the Roman Theatre, yet the murderer has vanished among the audience. The most puzzling clue is the missing hat Field wore before entering the theatre. Diving into the mystery, Ellery examines the suspects' motives, movements, disguises, and conflicting statements, gradually reconstructing the crime from details that seem insignificant.

In "The French Powder Mystery," Queen investigates a bizarre murder in a Manhattan department store. The body of a woman is discovered inside a display bed in the furniture department, where it appears to have been placed during business hours without anyone noticing.

Both novels reinforce the series' celebrated "fair-play" mystery tradition. The clues are plainly laid out so that the reader can piece them together and solve the crime themselves.

"Two Ellery Queen Novels: The Roman Hat Mystery and The French Powder Mystery" are presented here in their original and unabridged format.