Ellery Queen: 90 books

An American spy heads to Tokyo to meet a Soviet defector, but things go very wrong in this tale of espionage, mystery, and murder . . .   Fred Wilkinson waits in a Tokyo alley, wishing he were James Bond. Paunchy, in his 50s, and oh-so-tired, Wilkinson has nothing in common with that world-famous...

An American cop stumbles across a drug ring on a tropical island No matter how hard she tries, Tracy can’t seem to kill herself. Her hands shake too much to cut her wrists. Wading into the ocean, her body refuses to be drowned. Even the heroin she has been shooting for years has failed to...

A killer stalks a college campus, sending the co-eds scurrying Terry Miles goes across the hallway expecting an orgy. When her neighbor opens his door, she finds that the promised erotic party is nothing more than a few brainy academics balancing beers on their bellies and arguing about philosophy....

A retired Shakespearean actor plays his new role—amateur sleuth—after a murder in a New York streetcar. Born during intermission in a seedy New Orleans playhouse, Drury Lane has spent the better part of his life in the theater. A majestic old-fashioned ham, he made his name in London, where...

To escape a manhunt, a gang of killers takes a cop’s daughter hostage After years of toil for Aztec Paper Products, Thomas Howland only makes $112.90 per week. When it comes time for the company to compensate its workers, he is in charge of carrying the payroll: $24,000 in cold hard cash....

A Shakespearean actor-turned-sleuth wonders if a suicide’s been staged—and suspects the members of an eccentric New York family . . . A ramshackle trawler, the Lavinia D rumbles into New York harbor with empty nets. When its crew spies something floating in the water, they drag it in, hoping...

When a diplomat’s daughter falls in love with a man suspected of murder, he goes in search of the truth in this classic from the legendary mystery author. The kids call it spring break, but their parents know it by its true name: debauchery. Every Easter, hormone-crazed students pile into...

A city seethes with racial tension, and a political fixer tries to keep the peace In a forgotten neighborhood of downtown Banbury, Harlan James preaches the revolution, teaching young black men and women to stand up for their rights. According to the district attorney, he’s also been teaching...

Inspector Omar Collins tracks a mad killer through California’s Sierra Nevada mountains in this classic novel from the legendary mystery author. A party of backpackers hikes along the silver strand of the river, in awe of the overwhelming beauty of King’s Canyon. They are amateur hikers,...

An ordinary office worker finds a whole lot of money—and winds up running for his life—in this twist-filled thriller by a mystery master. Jim Morgan can’t afford the briefcase. His wife’s spending has strangled him with debt, and he’s down to his last $20. But the briefcase in the...

First published in 1944, this is an anthology of parodies and pastiches, and comprises of a collection of more than 30 stories—written by detective story writers, famous literary figures, humorists and others—of burlesques and pastiches of the famous detective that represent the highlights of...

CRIME AND MYSTERY STORIES BY 20 VENDORS OF VILLAINY Mystery Writers of America is pleased to present this sinister volume of larceny, deception, and murder, brought to you by the very finest purveyors of perfidy. Donald E. Westlake tells a tale of a cheating wife who tries to turn the...

A schoolteacher fights to prove that her father’s suicide was actually murder in this classic whodunit from one of the greatest names in mystery fiction. Ann hasn’t seen her mother in three years, and she doesn’t miss her at all. But without warning, Elaine shows up on her daughter’s...

A lynch mob threatens to take over a small New England town after a shocking murder Homicide has never had a place in Shinn Corners. This backwater New England hamlet has seen three unlawful deaths in its 250-year history: infanticide in 1739, a political killing in the 1860s, and a forgettable...