Reviews

The Greek Coffin Mystery by Ellery Queen

bernab's review against another edition

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3.0

A page turner mystery but the book could have been shorter.

soyouwinagain's review against another edition

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4.0

I never read mysteries and I don't care for them, but since I owned this already I gave it a go – and it was a fun time!

aqtbenz's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

plumlikestoread's review against another edition

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3.0

This didn't really hold together for me in the end. I usually love locked-room style mysteries but this was needlessly convoluted. It had too many false endings which required you to drop all of the conclusions that were made before. As a result there wasn't that feeling of things falling together.

peanotsilent's review against another edition

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2.0

My first major GAD disappointment this year. Queen is known for not writing particularly interesting characters or a gripping narrative. He is known for writing good mysteries, and if so, this book should not count as one among them. It does not mean the murderer was obvious, it just means the solution was as dull as the rest of the book. It is written as an early mystery and promises further development in Queen's character which should be interesting since he is insufferable in this one . I do plan to continue, but have significantly tempered expectations going on. (p.s. expect the usual dollop of casual sexism and racism)

jaina's review

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4.0

Yaaas Queen!

mwgerard's review

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4.0

As a nerdy child who read just about any mystery she could get her hands on, I often picked up musty copies of the Ellery Queen Magazine with stories by dozens of contributing writers at yard sales. And in recent years I’ve watched some episodes of the show starring Jim Hutton. But somehow, I had never read an original Ellery Queen novel.

Based on the pulpiness of the magazine (in both content and printing material), I presumed the novel would have that hard-boiled grittiness to it. I expected dames and car chases and gun battles and alley fights. In reality, the novel is very constructed and the prose is dense.


Please support independent reviews and read my full post here: http://mwgerard.com/review-the-greek-coffin-mystery-by-ellery-queen/

missmarketpaperback's review

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DNF at 33%, this was too dated (and racist) for me
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