Long and winding - but not suspenseful

I always love the Queens and their cast of peculiar characters but this one (true to life perhaps but bad for fiction) went nowhere forever. Hard to convey the author's frustration and perplexity without confounding the reader who has much less dedication. On the up side, I had plenty of time and tedium to pick out clues and rethink the facts, throw away buckets of herrings, and was still surprised by the ending.

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

The Cure

Some books keep me awake at night. This old war horse with its mechanical, grade school narration had the reverse effect. It is the cure for insomnia.

3 persone l'hanno trovata utile

how come this says optional, if required?

Quirky, intricate, just enough horror. (I think I put it succuntly enough not to need 20 words!)

2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Ten little Indians, sort of

I saw the ending coming a mile away. Of course I didn't know the motive, but I was waiting to see who the last man standing was, and then I knew which relative was the killer. All throughout the book, i kept thinking of ten little Indians, another cheat ending.

But some questions really bother me. Like who tended to the person in the cave when the murderer was away? Why didn't they notice the rope marks on his body? How did he go to the bathroom? Things like that make the solution wholly unsatisfying and unrealistic.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

an adequate entry in the series

It's an all right story but plays too fast & cute with the business with the story title. Other than the story title it was a fine mystery. You can see why they got away from the beginning title gadget McGuffin.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

More Convoluted and Less Satisfying

Compared to the previous four books, I found The Egyptian Cross Mystery to be more convoluted and less satisfying. While there were the usual Ellery touches, the final plot seemed rather contrived and padded. I won't post any spoilers, just that it wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the previous books. The narration was very good and pleasant to listen to.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Who is who?

great story, narrator better than when he narrated Calamity Town, but, he should research the book so he could pronounce words correctly.

Much too long. Labours the point.

I finished this book and was glad to end it. It could be half the length and more interesting.
It’s a gruesome story that has its roots in reality. If you enjoy procedural police/crime stories this one will interest you. There’s too much of it for me, but if you listen well and ask yourself some questions about the homicides you will be able to identify the culprit.

Loved it.

The story was long but had plenty of twists and turns. Like getting all the clues!

Very Bloody for an Ellery Queen

What did you like best about The Egyptian Cross Mystery? What did you like least?

The Ellery Queen stories are getting more gorey as the series goes on. Some of the "conclusions" drawn from the evidence are a little thin. Overall, it still had a nice way of twisting and turning at the very end.