Customer Reviews

The Chinese Orange Mystery

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a private waiting room in the prestigious Hotel Chancellor in New York City we encounter a dead man, a victim of a bizarre murder. The man's identity is unknown, even the labels from his clothing has been removed. The victim was completely undressed and then re-dressed in his clothes, but backwards. The furniture, paintings, lamps, and other items in the room has been inverted or reversed. The peeling and seeds of a tangerine (then known as a Chinese Orange) are found in a fruit bowl.

The full title of this Ellery Queen Mystery (April, 1934) is The Chinese Orange Mystery, A Problem in Deduction. I made little progress in solving this mystery. I repeat a hint offered by an earlier reviewer that might benefit the modern reader: a century ago men often used removable stiff collars that could be washed and starched separately, even discarded and replaced, allowing longer use of the dress shirt itself.

The Chinese Orange Mystery makes good reading, but like a good John Dickson Carr mystery of the same period, the solution may be beyond most mortals. But with the hint above, you might unravel a few more threads than I did. Due to the difficulty level, I recommend that the a reader new to Ellery Queen not begin with this particular mystery, but defer it until you are more familiar with his deductive skills.

In recent months I have read and reviewed several Ellery Queen classic mysteries from the 1930s. Ellery Queen today is unfamiliar to many contemporary readers, but I expect that these remarkable deductive mysteries will again become as popular as they were in the 1930s through the 1960s. It may not be easy to locate one of the earlier (1930s) Ellery Queen mysteries, but I assure you that the effort will be rewarded.

When a man is found murdered, his clothes turned around, in a room where the furniture is turned around, Ellery Queen begins his investigation. But, what is the significance of everything being turned around? This is a most deep and confusing mystery, and more than one person is not telling the truth. How will Ellery solve this murder? Read this book to find out!

This is my second Ellery Queen book, and I must confess that I find the stories quite stimulating. I found the story to be quite gripping and characters to be wholly believable. I liked the illustration of the crime scene at the beginning of the book, and the way that the clues were laid out. I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to all mystery fans!

I was overjoyed to be able to obtain a copy from Amazon.com, as I had read this gem some 60 years ago. I believe it to be Ellery Queen's finest...... and this author wrote many outstanding whodunnits. This is how it should be done!!!!

Ray

Wildly overrated (#9 in a MWA poll of best locked-room mysteries). Even an average Carr locked room is more satisfying. Content is a bit thin; it would have made a better short story.