The Devil to Pay [Hardcover]

Ellery Queen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1938

When Hollywood bigwig Solly Spaeth is murdered, thousands cheer. He is a most popular corpse, for Solly's stock manipulations have ruined many, including his partner. A cut and dried case - or so it appears. Enter master detective Ellery Queen, whose embarrassing questions uncover a maze of conflicting alibis and motives, and ultimately reveal a deadly face lurking beneath the glittering mask of Tinseltown.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Devil To Pay is an expert puzzle' - New York Herald Tribune, ‘Ellery Queen is the American detective story’ – Anthony Boucher, ‘A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now’ – Agatha Christie, ‘He has done far more for the detective story than any other two men put together’ – Margery Allingham, ‘They have raised exactitude and efficiency to the degree of brilliance, and fair play to the point of turpitude. In their group there is no one to touch them’ – Ngaio Marsh, ‘I am grateful for the opportunity of adding my name to the long list of those who have so much admired and enjoyed Ellery Queen’s writings’ – Freeman Wills Crofts

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

Ellery Queen was both a famous fictional detective and the pen name of two cousins born in Brooklyn in 1905. Created by Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay as an entry in a mystery-writing contest, Ellery Queen is regarded by many as the definitive American whodunit celebrity. When their first novel, The Roman Hat Mystery (1929), became an immediate success, the cousins gave up their business careers and took to writing dozens of novels, hundreds of radio scripts and countless short stories about the gentleman detective and writer who shared an apartment on West 87th Street with his father, Inspector Queen of the NYPD. Dannay was said to have largely produced detailed outlines of the plots, clues and characters while Lee did most of the writing. As the success of Ellery Queen grew, the character's legacy continued through radio, television and film. In 1941, the cousins founded Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Edited by Queen for more than forty years, the periodical is still considered one of the most influential crime fiction magazines in American history. Additionally, Queen edited a number of collections and anthologies, and his critical writings are the major works on the detective short story. Under their collective pseudonym, the cousins were given several Edgar awards by the Mystery Writers of America, including the 1960 Grand Master Award. Their novels are examples of the classic 'fair play' whodunit mystery of the Golden Age, where plot is always paramount. Manfred B. Lee, born Manford Lepofsky, died in 1971. Frederic Dannay, born Daniel Nathan, died in 1982. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Stokes Pub Co; First Edition edition (June 1938)
• ISBN-10: 999752862X
• ISBN-13: 978-9997528629
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,050,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The murderer is overly obvious, April 25, 2010

By 

Neal C. Reynolds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil to Pay (An Ellery Queen Mystery) (Signet Books #T4657) (Hardcover)

Ellery is in Hollywood for the first time in this mystery and assumes an identity as a reporter named Hillary King in order to investigate the murder of a well hated millionaire who's bilked a number of people ruining them. The humorous writing style is top notch and Ellery's deductions as usual are spot on, but the fact that any experienced mystery reader will spot the murderer early on is disappointing and the explanation seemed overly contrived; therefore I rate this as average, or typical run-of-the-mill.

5.0 out of 5 stars Ellery Queen's The Devil To Play, January 4, 2012

By 

Lee Houston, Junior (NE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil To Pay (Paperback)

Ellery Queen was a master at the "fair play" mystery story. All the clues were there, even if the reader was unable to decipher them. Unfortunately the series (both the books starring the fictional detective and those only written by him) are hard to find. I applaud the print on demand method of keeping these classics alive. Anyone unfamiliar with Queen's work firsthand will love this mystery about a despised man who is murdered. Hardly anyone mourns for his loss, but how do you find a murderer amongst practically everyone the deceased knew?

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing, Light-Hearted Mystery as Ellery Queen Visits Hollywood., May 21, 2006

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Devil to Pay (Paperback)

Ellery Queen in The Devil to Pay (1937) has been persuaded to rush to Hollywood to assist in writing a major production only to find that the producer is unavailable. While waiting for his first assignment, he inadvertently becomes involved in solving a bizarre murder of a hard-hearted, unethical financier. The murder weapon is an Italian dueling sword of the seventeenth century; its tip is coated with molasses and cyanide.

Ellery's remarkable reputation on the eastern seaboard is of little value in Los Angeles and he is soon ejected from the murder scene. Masquerading as Hilary "Scoop" King, a colorful investigative reporter, he regains access to crime scene and to confidential information.

Suspects include the murdered financier's partner Rhys Jardin, Rhy's daughter Valerie, and her fiance Walter, the estranged son of the murdered man. Walter seems to suspect Valerie's father, while he in turn is apparently suspicious of Walter. Another key suspect is an unethical lawyer with an obvious interest in the dead financier's flirtatious girl friend.

Surprising everyone, especially the police, the rather ridiculous Hilary King stumbles upon one clue after another. This light-hearted mystery may not be among the best Ellery Queen mysteries, but it is fun. The Devil to Pay, rates three, perhaps even four stars.

The Devil to Pay has been reprinted often and is not difficult to find. I have two paperback copies, one is a 1971 Signet Mystery paperback, and the other is a 1980 Signet Double Mystery paperback that also contains The Door Between (1936), another EQ mystery.

Another source: The Devil to Pay (1937), The Four of Hearts (1938), and The Origin of Evil (1951) take place in Hollywood. Four Walls Eight Windows published these three together under the title The Hollywood Murders (2000).