A review by judyward
The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen

3.0

The first novel in the Ellery Queen series written by cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee. Ellery is an amateur detective who is fixated on books and bookstores and who, on occasion, assists his father, a police inspector, in solving complex crimes. Published in 1929, this novel reflects the culture of the 1920s and the reason for the crime has to be considered in light of that fact. A hit Broadway show, Gunplay, is the setting for the murder of Monte Field. Becasue of the explosions and gunfire contained in the play, no one in the audience notices the murder until someone literally stumbles over Field. The only clue is the ded man's missing top hat. Ellery to the rescue.