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The Egyptian Cross Mystery Kindle Edition

by Ellery Queen (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 378 ratings
See all formats and editions
One of the great Golden Age detectives is back in a mystery that “pioneered a style which countless writers would follow in the decades to come” (American Culture).
  It’s Christmas in Chicago, and Inspector Richard Queen is enjoying a busman’s holiday at a conference on gangland violence—but his son, amateur sleuth Ellery, isbored silly. Until, that is, Ellery reads of an unusual killing in rural Arroyo, West Virginia: A schoolmaster has been found beheaded and crucified. Ellery hustles his father into his roadster and heads east, since there is nothing he’d like better for Christmas than a juicy, gruesome puzzle. When the Queens arrive in Arroyo, they learn that the victim was an eccentric atheist, but not the sort to make enemies. What initially looks to be the work of a sadistic cult turns out to be something far more sinister. In the months ahead, more victims will turn up all over the world—all killed in the same horrifying manner. It will take several bodies before Queen divines the clue that unlocks the mystery of the Christmas crucifixion.  
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  1. Book 5 of 27
    Ellery Queen Detective
  2. Print length
    363 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
  6. Publication date
    February 5, 2013
  7. File size
    4448 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

 “A new Ellery Queen book has always been something to look forward to for many years now.” —Agatha Christie “Ellery Queen is the American detective story.” —Anthony Boucher, author of Nine Times Nine

About the Author

Ellery Queen was a pen name created and shared by two cousins, Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905–1971), as well as the name of their most famous detective. Born in Brooklyn, they spent forty-two years writing, editing, and anthologizing under the name, gaining a reputation as the foremost American authors of the Golden Age “fair play” mystery. Although eventually famous on television and radio, Queen’s first appearance came in 1928, when the cousins won a mystery-writing contest with the book that was later published as The Roman Hat Mystery. Their character was an amateur detective who uses his spare time to assist his police inspector uncle in solving baffling crimes. Besides writing the Queen novels, Dannay and Lee cofounded Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, one of the most influential crime publications of all time. Although Dannay outlived his cousin by nine years, he retired Queen upon Lee’s death.  

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00B1MSINM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ MysteriousPress.com/Open Road (February 5, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 5, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4448 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 363 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 378 ratings

About the author

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Ellery Queen

Ellery Queen

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Ellery Queen was a pen name created and shared by two cousins, Frederic Dannay (1905–1982) and Manfred B. Lee (1905–1971), as well as the name of their most famous detective. Born in Brooklyn, they spent forty-two years writing, editing, and anthologizing under the name, gaining a reputation as the foremost American authors of the Golden Age "fair play" mystery. Besides writing the Queen novels, Dannay and Lee cofounded Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, one of the most influential crime publications of all time. Although Dannay outlived his cousin by nine years, he retired Queen upon Lee's death in 1971.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
378 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Larry V. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars So much fun to read!
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2021
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I absolutely loved this very well-written mystery. The attention to post WWI detail; the shocking murders; the intricate but not unfairly convoluted plot; the genuine humor: all of these have made me an absolute Ellery Queen fan! Cannot wait to read more of these mysteries! Thanks to Mysterious Press for making them available!
2 people found this helpful
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jtass
4.0 out of 5 stars Ellery crosses his t's
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2015
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This is one of the earlier novels in the series (1932) and includes the 'challenge to the reader'.

Ellery became intrigued with a gruesome death in a small West Virginia town, a reclusive member of the community had been discovered nailed to a cross road sign. Despite his best efforts Ellery was unable to make any progress in the case until months later when a similar case, a bit closer to home appeared. Before long Ellery is hot on the trail to discover who has been been committing the crimes and why.

This nearly 90 year old novel shows it age in a variety of ways, some charming as in Ellery being depicted as a speed demon racing to a crime scene at a pace that most of us achieve each day commuting to work. Others are frustrating as the reader slogs through the long passages of descriptions and explanations that were typical of the writing style of the time. The killer's motive, and methods are a bit weak by today's standards as well. So with these flaws why four stars? Because the story is charming, even with the slow (by today's standards) pace, and the problem is challenging, even if, or perhaps because the motive and methods are more than a bit far fetched.
4 people found this helpful
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Charlene
5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Psycopath
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2019
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It is a wonder that the Tv drama, "Criminal Minds" did not but the rights to this book. Reading this mystery gives insight into the brilliant but psychopathic personality. It is chilling to think that an emotional injury early in life can warp an individual into a murderer.
One person found this helpful
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M. Weisbeck
3.0 out of 5 stars Ellery Queen loves to hear himself talk
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2021
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The story is good, if terribly convoluted with excess side-stories to confuse you with more characters, but I could not wait to get to the end! A symbol of old-school mysteries is the big reveal at the end where all is laid out, but in this book, Queen spends page upon page in many parts of the book explaining his thinking (and explaining and explaining).

He explains long past the reader's comprehension point: "I noticed the left shoe was on the right foot so that meant that the right shoe must have been on the left foot. The socks were such that there was no way to know which was which, but you could tell quite clearly that the left shoe had been incorrectly put on the right foot. If the left shoe was put on the right foot, it was obvious to me that you would find the right shoe on the left foot. Simple!"

It became so bad, I skipped and skimmed pages thinking, "yes, I get it already." Even when we get to the end, the big reveal, he had to rehash points he already explained to death earlier in the book! I won't be reading any more of the Ellery Queen stories. Sad, since I remember fondly the TV show from the 70s starring Jim Hutton.
3 people found this helpful
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Mary B.
4.0 out of 5 stars Typical Ellery Queen
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2014
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This book started off with some pretty poor writing, and some really offensive characterizations, and if I hadn't bought the book on sale, I would've returned it. But that wasn't an option, so I kept reading, and was glad I did. Overlooking the political incorrectness of the time, the plot of the book was just what I like: Deeply thought out, wildly convoluted, but logical, with the roots of the murder going back into the deep, dark past of some of the characters.

If you're an Ellery Queen fan, you've already gotten past how irritating he can be, and no longer wonder why the other characters don't just deck him. If you're new to the series, I wouldn't start with this one, but for all you devotees, this is a satisfying, Golden Age mystery.
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read.
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2020
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It had some slow spots but was a good murder mystery. You think you have the answer and you get a curve ball. Like all Ellery Queen books it was fun.
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Paul N Jacobs
5.0 out of 5 stars Clever fast moving plot
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2015
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As is true with all Ellery queen murder mystery books the reader is left to figure out who "done it" out of an interesting cast of characters. By the end of the book the Ellery queen authors challenge the reader to figure out who the murderer is. At that point the reader has all the clues needed to solve the murder . A very clever mystery.
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J. Gabrielson
4.0 out of 5 stars An oldie but goodie
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2014
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Having read this series when I was a youngster, I was happy to revisit an old favorite. 55 years has made a difference. But some of the charm remains. Much of the plot devices still are effective. it is the atmosphere of the story, written in the 1930's which gives the story it's greatest appeal. The erudition of Ellery and the Professor are almost never seen in crime fiction today, in books, movies or TV. Hannibal is a modern exception. Brush up on your Latin if you want to get every detail.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Angeles Gonzalez Navarrete
5.0 out of 5 stars De lo mejor del género.
Reviewed in Mexico on October 17, 2023
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(1932) Como en toda novela de misterio que se respete, empezamos con un crimen y vamos poco a poco conociendo los hechos, los personajes, para jugar con los autores a encontrar no solo quién lo hizo, sino también cómo y por qué. El detective protagonista es Ellery Queen, el hijo de un jefe de la policía que, a diferencia de su padre, ha optado por ser investigador privado y escribir las historias que siempre, y después de una serie de observaciones, deducciones e inferencias, termina por resolver brillantemente. De lo mejor del género.
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Nicolas
5.0 out of 5 stars Muy bueno
Reviewed in Canada on July 15, 2021
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Very good
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J Reynolds
5.0 out of 5 stars Not a Christmas story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2024
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It's Ellery Queen - it's great, just don't save it for seasonal reading hoping to get the Christmas vibe, as the snow and December only lasts a handful of pages before the story shifts six months to the summer. Quality new printing, though, if you can't find the originals.
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Jane
4.0 out of 5 stars Good detective story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2014
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......with a less exotic setting than some Ellery Queens, and the "Egyptian" tau cross thing rather a red herring - brought in , I think to match titles with, e.g. the American Gun Mystery, the Chinese Orange Mystery etc..
3 people found this helpful
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J Bannion
5.0 out of 5 stars Ellery Queen, need I say more?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 20, 2013
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I have always liked reading books from Ellery Queen as he is a great classic murder mystery writer. I love his way of reasoning in explaining to the reader how everything happened. In many of his books you also get a challenge (this book included), where the reader gets a chance to think and decide who the murderer is, having in his possession the same facts as the writer. It is not always easy to find the guilty party, but Ellery Queen's books are always such a joy to read. Reccommended to anybody who likes classic, well thought, mystery murder books.
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