Scan barcode
school_librarian60's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
david_megginson's review against another edition
3.0
This book forms a loose series with the next one ([b:The Four of Hearts|72535|The Four of Hearts (Ellery Queen Detective, #14)|Ellery Queen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1292769459l/72535._SY75_.jpg|1246238]) as a Hollywood period in Ellery's life.
bev_reads_mysteries's review against another edition
3.0
The Devil to Play is the first of the Ellery Queen novels set in Hollywood. Ellery has been brought west under contract to write a screenplay, but has been left cooling his heels while the producer, Jacques Butcher plays golf by day and the playboy by night. When Ellery's old school buddy Walter Spaeth calls upon him for help, he's more than happy to leave his lonely office in the depths of the studio to come to the rescue.
Walter's father, Solomon "Solly" Spaeth and Rhys Jardin had partnered up for the Ohippi Hydro-Electric Project--investing their own money and convincing hundreds of others to sink their savings into the project as well. When the Project goes bust--both from Spaeth's machinations and flooding in the area--the investors are left with nothing. Well, all of them but Spaeth. The wily financier has juggled his money about so that he comes out with millions.
When Spaeth is found dead from an apparent sword wound in his home shortly after the news breaks, no one is really surprised and no one is really sad. In fact, the investors are cheered to think that "that crook" got what was coming to him. And not even Winni Moon, Spaeth's "protege" sheds many tears--after all, since Spaeth and his son had that very convenient argument over the financier's business practices, a new will has left her with all the loot. How could a girl be sad about that when there are minks and diamonds and pretty dresses to buy?
Added to the mix, Spaeth and Jardin's daughter Valerie are trying to be in love--but it's difficult with false clues laying about and suspicion focusing alternately on Valerie's father and her lover. And each man is stubbornly refusing to clear himself...if that's even possible. The local Inspector is determined to hang the crime on one of these men and it isn't until Queen comes into the case that all the false clues are swept away and the remaining ones are placed in the proper order to lead straight to the villain.
My take: What a relief to get back to a story written by Dannay and Lee. The entire flow of the story is so much better than my previous read. It doesn't even matter that the reader can figure out the culprit pretty quickly through simple process of elimination. The fun of reading the real Queen's turn of phrase, dialogue and descriptions totally make up for it. And the mystery is fairly clued. A fun read and decent mystery--rating a nice solid three stars
{This review is mine and was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission to repost any portion. Thanks.}
Walter's father, Solomon "Solly" Spaeth and Rhys Jardin had partnered up for the Ohippi Hydro-Electric Project--investing their own money and convincing hundreds of others to sink their savings into the project as well. When the Project goes bust--both from Spaeth's machinations and flooding in the area--the investors are left with nothing. Well, all of them but Spaeth. The wily financier has juggled his money about so that he comes out with millions.
When Spaeth is found dead from an apparent sword wound in his home shortly after the news breaks, no one is really surprised and no one is really sad. In fact, the investors are cheered to think that "that crook" got what was coming to him. And not even Winni Moon, Spaeth's "protege" sheds many tears--after all, since Spaeth and his son had that very convenient argument over the financier's business practices, a new will has left her with all the loot. How could a girl be sad about that when there are minks and diamonds and pretty dresses to buy?
Added to the mix, Spaeth and Jardin's daughter Valerie are trying to be in love--but it's difficult with false clues laying about and suspicion focusing alternately on Valerie's father and her lover. And each man is stubbornly refusing to clear himself...if that's even possible. The local Inspector is determined to hang the crime on one of these men and it isn't until Queen comes into the case that all the false clues are swept away and the remaining ones are placed in the proper order to lead straight to the villain.
My take: What a relief to get back to a story written by Dannay and Lee. The entire flow of the story is so much better than my previous read. It doesn't even matter that the reader can figure out the culprit pretty quickly through simple process of elimination. The fun of reading the real Queen's turn of phrase, dialogue and descriptions totally make up for it. And the mystery is fairly clued. A fun read and decent mystery--rating a nice solid three stars
{This review is mine and was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission to repost any portion. Thanks.}
pineapplestitches's review against another edition
4.0
Classic! Amusement! “Beneath that bland exterior he fancied he saw a considerable equipment for skullduggery”
katevane's review
3.0
I listened to this before I learnt that [a:Ellery Queen|41015|Ellery Queen|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1290279673p2/41015.jpg] was a pseudonym for cousins Lee and Dannay, which made it all the more interesting, because it felt like two different books to me.
The first part introduces all the characters. They are sparky, complex and colourful. The prose is stylish, at times poetic. There’s a real sense of the place and the period (Depression-era Hollywood), and a strong story at the heart of it – Walter despises the privileged background of his peers and himself but is in love with Valerie, who is entirely at ease with her life of luxury and finds his principles somewhat comical.
Their lives are turned upside-down when Valerie’s father, Rhys, and an awful lot of other people (little people who were never even rich to start with and who therefore largely serve as extras) lose all their money, due to the dishonest dealings of Walter’s father, Solly. Then Solly is murdered and the main suspects are Walter and Rhys.
From then on the book seems to lose something. It has all the hallmarks of a classic whodunnit – clues and misdirection and a wanton disregard for realism – but the characters become slaves to the plot and the prose at times pedestrian. And the killer was obvious from very early on. I kept thinking that it was so obvious it must be a red herring or the jumping-off point to another plotline, but it wasn’t.
Still, I kept going. There were glimpses of the early promise – clever dialogue and wry humour – in among the endless set-piece scenes where Queen gets everyone in a room to talk about his insights and the police allow the wealthy or formerly wealthy suspects to walk all over them (perhaps that bit is realistic).
On the whodunnit level, it all works. The fact that Queen adopts a disguise, which makes little sense in story terms, has some resonance when you know that Ellery Queen is a pseudonym. It flowed well and I did think I’d like to try another Queen novel (though I can’t help feeling that the Queen character is the least interesting thing about this book).
*
I listened to the Blackstone audiobook – the reading by Robert Fass was excellent.
The first part introduces all the characters. They are sparky, complex and colourful. The prose is stylish, at times poetic. There’s a real sense of the place and the period (Depression-era Hollywood), and a strong story at the heart of it – Walter despises the privileged background of his peers and himself but is in love with Valerie, who is entirely at ease with her life of luxury and finds his principles somewhat comical.
Their lives are turned upside-down when Valerie’s father, Rhys, and an awful lot of other people (little people who were never even rich to start with and who therefore largely serve as extras) lose all their money, due to the dishonest dealings of Walter’s father, Solly. Then Solly is murdered and the main suspects are Walter and Rhys.
From then on the book seems to lose something. It has all the hallmarks of a classic whodunnit – clues and misdirection and a wanton disregard for realism – but the characters become slaves to the plot and the prose at times pedestrian. And the killer was obvious from very early on. I kept thinking that it was so obvious it must be a red herring or the jumping-off point to another plotline, but it wasn’t.
Still, I kept going. There were glimpses of the early promise – clever dialogue and wry humour – in among the endless set-piece scenes where Queen gets everyone in a room to talk about his insights and the police allow the wealthy or formerly wealthy suspects to walk all over them (perhaps that bit is realistic).
On the whodunnit level, it all works. The fact that Queen adopts a disguise, which makes little sense in story terms, has some resonance when you know that Ellery Queen is a pseudonym. It flowed well and I did think I’d like to try another Queen novel (though I can’t help feeling that the Queen character is the least interesting thing about this book).
*
I listened to the Blackstone audiobook – the reading by Robert Fass was excellent.
More...