Book Reviews

An old friend of Ellery, Howard Van Horn approaches him seeking help. He's been suffering blackouts and fears he may have committed a crime during one of them. Ellery follows him to Howard's New England hometown of Wrightsville - a town that Ellery knows very well, for twice Ellery has been there, and each time Ellery's a murder has occured for him to solve.

Already uneasy, Ellery meets Dietriech Van Horn, Howard's father, and Sally, the old man's very much younger and very attractive wife. As Ellery gets more involved with the Van Horns, and a series of odd, almost irrational crimes happens, his intution tells him one thing - there's definitely murder in the air, and he may be powerless to stop it.

"Ten Days' Wonder" is, in my estimation, Ellery Queen's best novel. It completely overwhelmed me the first time I read it, and it is a novel that not only delves into the secret lives hidden beneath small-town exteriors but also into the very heart of Ellery's own psychology. The clues are before the reader - all fair, no hiding - but when you and Ellery think you've got the solution, a final, delicious, deadly twist and a nasty surprise awaits both at the end. An ending that a friend of mine has described as feeling as if someone had sideswiped you with a nightstick. A high-water mark in the series.