The Dutch shoe mystery

It's great, but the solution was extremely mechanical and while perfectly reasonable, it was extremely undramatic!

Kept me at the edge of my seat till the end. I didn't get it right, as opposed to the second book. So maybe I'm simply jaded.

Ellery Queen mysteries were the adult mysteries that I had cut my mystery teeth on. My mother was found of Ellery Queen and extended that love to me while I was growing up in the 70s.

I love mysteries written in the period, that is, for instance, they were written in the 30s about the 30s. As such, you get a bit of a window into what it was like back in the day.

It also means that there are references that no longer make sense and especially the use of language long gone.

What really made the books enjoyable was the assumption that the reader was educated enough to get the references and inferences. I admit being stopped more than once to look up words I wasn't familiar with (I love using the Kindle app on my iPhone and the ability to use the dictionary on the fly) and I'm sure I missed one or more classical references, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the book.

This mystery surrounds the murder of the benefactor of a hospital where she is getting minor surgery and the ensuing red herrings as Ellery figures out who dunit and why.

The early Ellery Queen books will appeal to you if you want to read great, period writing and enjoy mysteries.

I give this book a solid 5 stars. I look forward to reading more of their early works when they are put on sale.