Customer Reviews

The origin of evil

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It is 1951 and Hollywood is reeling from the advent of television. Ellery Queen, visiting from New York City, has isolated himself in a rented home overlooking Los Angeles in hopes of quietly completing his latest mystery story. His writing is interrupted, however, by an unannounced visit from a young woman convinced that her father's heart attack at the sight of a dead dog was actually premeditated murder. This third Hollywood mystery reveals a growing list of surrealistic clues, exemplified by the dead dog, hundreds of dead frogs, a poisoned sandwich, and a mutilated leather bound book of Aristophanes. The solution within a solution offered by Ellery is quite ingenious.

The Origin of Evil is unusual in its short topical digressions on the threat of nuclear war, the call-up of troops for the Korean UN Police Action, and Hollywood's exaggerated concern with television. The characters include, among others, a mean spirited business man confined to a wheel chair; his sultry, voluptuous wife Delia; the chameleon-like man servant Alfred Wallace; the pretty, young daughter, Laurel, convinced of her father's murder; and Crowe Macgowan, an eccentric, muscular young man emulating Tarzan in the local trees. Unlike his experience on his two previous visits to Hollywood, this time Ellery's assistance is readily accepted by a detective in the Los Angeles Police Department.

The Origin of Evil has often been reprinted and should not be difficult to locate. My copy is a 1992 reprint edition by Harper Perennial. You might look for inexpensive paperback editions (1970s and 1980s) from either Ballantine Books, Signet Classics, or the Signet Double Mystery series.

Another option: The Devil to Pay (1937), The Four of Hearts (1938), and The Origin of Evil (1951) are unique Ellery Queen mysteries in that the setting is Hollywood. Four Walls Eight Windows published these three mysteries in 2000 under the title The Hollywood Murders.

Most Ellery Queen novels are written in a light vein, and are at times almost satirical of themselves. However, this novel stands out as not only more serious and thoughtful than the previous`but with definite dark tones. The mystery itself is complex and fascinating. There are glimpses into the inner being of the characters as well as looks at the society of the times. And while the 60's are looked at as the decade of change, this 1951 book reveals the roots of the change.Most highly recommended, but it would be well to be better acquainted with Ellery before reading this outstanding addition to the series.