The Door Between

In this novel Ellery Queen begins to move away from the classic detective story where 'who' and 'how' are everything and 'why' only incidental. Although the murder here is as interesting and as complex as in any previous Queen novel the psychological element is also present although it is not the major theme it would eventually become. The character Ellery Queen begins his break from his previous 'dilettante' phase towards a more likable, well rounded personality. Touched on in this novel is also the theme of the detective wielding life and death power which will come up in later novels.I read the Kindle version of the book. Very little to complain about, only a OCR mangled word or two. I hope we get more Queen novels from Langtail in ebook format. Highly recommended.

My memories of Ellery Queen are primarily from my childhood in the 70's and the tv series. I looked forward to each episode and therefore wanted to see if I'd enjoy the stories as much in my adulthood. Of course, the weekly episodes were tied up neatly at the conclusion without a lot of subplots. Having said that, I must endorse The Door Between as a an excellently written mystery filled with all the red herrings and twists for which one could hope. However, enjoyable and interesting as it was, it wasn't difficult to put down each night.

I'll tell you up front, this audiobook could have been better with a different reader -- Fairman sort of "grates" on me. Still, he presents the story coherently and the delivery still rates in the top 40% of audiobooks I've listened to (which is MANY!). The story is a good one, not the best that Ellery Queen has to offer, but far from his worst (or should I say "their" worst? .*.) So, to pin it down, this set is worth buying if you can find a deal on it -- mine is an old library copy and the cassettes are well-made, not cheesy like some audiobooks. The mystery is a good one, not awfully ridiculous. I re-listen to this one from time to time.

by far not the best work of Ellery Queen. The solution was way to far out and not at all realistic or well thought out. Like most of their books but this is not one of them and would not recommend it.

great book

Bought it as a gift, my father love this author. He recommend it.

First published in 1936 when characters using terms like "Jap" and "Chink" were probably no-big-deal, I gave this a low rating because some of the dialogue is so stereotypical of, well, 1930's melodramatic detective novels. It just doesn't age well, or sound believable (the "brown" private detective -- not Ellery Queen -- spouts off gems like "Talk fast, sweetheart," and "you dumb cluck.") The solution to the locked room is way too complicated to be believed but by that time the plot has already become unbelievable. Oh, and the heroine acts like a complete ninny most of the time. Not the best Ellery Queen novel by a long shot, I gave it two stars because I finished it and it has a certain "they don't write them like this anymore" charm (thankfully.)

THE GOOD--This is an easy read book and reads pretty fast. It's clever too and features Ellery Queen (EQ) as the lead detective but adds a fun private detective as well as including Inspector Queen (though he doesn't come off very well here). It's one of Ellery Queen's older mysteries--which I tend to like better than the newer ones. I did guess much of the mystery, but one thing kept me from getting the entire picture--which was revealed at the bitter end. It also includes a quote for my collection--the thought of which I've noted much earlier:"Why must we always resent the truths we haven't thought of ourselves" Ellery Queen The Door Between Victor Gollancz Ltd London 1972, p. 249 [we referred to it as NIH=Not Invented Here at work]THE BAD--There are a few errors in the text. The West Philadelphia train terminal is presumably the main one in Philadelphia (where I was born & raised) and has always (to my knowledge, and certainly at the time of publication) been known as 30th Street Station. Unless there used to be another I don't recall?Also, the detective's gun is described as a .38 automatic. There is no such gun. There are .38 revolvers and .380 automatics, but no .38 automatic--this may seem a small thing, but it's not. And the gun is later referred to as a .38 revolver! Poor editing here.THE UGLY--But my main objection to the book is the last chapter in which, it seems to me, EQ passes the buck and cops out regarding the final dispensation of justice--he seems torn over responsibility, accountability, and poetic justice--kind of like the very last Hercule Poirot book resulting in Poirot's last act. And he does it with a Nero Wolfe-like ploy to confirm his reasoning. The final decision is left a bit up in the air too. I don't want to introduce any spoilers, so I won't say no more. But after a very enjoyable read, the bitter end left a slightly bitter taste. So, I'm rating it at 4.5 stars--and only giving it 4th stars.