The Roman Hat Mystery

By: Ellery Queen

Narrated by: Robert Fass

Despite the dismal Broadway season, Gunplay continues to draw crowds. A gangland spectacle, it's packed to the gills with action, explosions, and gunfire. In fact, Gunplay is so loud that no one notices the killing of Monte Field. In a sold-out theater, Field is found dead partway through the second act, surrounded by empty seats. The police hold the crowd and call for the one man who can untangle this daring murder: Inspector Richard Queen. With the help of his son Ellery, a bibliophile and novelist whose imagination can solve any crime, the Inspector attacks this seemingly impenetrable mystery. Anyone in the theater could have killed the unscrupulous lawyer, and several had the motive. Only Ellery Queen, in his debut novel, can decipher the clue of the dead man's missing top hat.

©2013 Ellery Queen (P)2013 AudioGO

Roman theatre and Top hat

my first Queen mystery, style circa 1929, 20 years before I was born. interesting look back to popular fiction of era. Good performance, storyline very dated. I will try a couple more by the author before I can decide yea or nay!

ok but....

Struggled to finish. I usually like these types of stories but this one was hard.

love mystery

I do enjoy a good mystery but this one went on a bit long of tooth. Not that I didn't enjoy listening to the story, but I almost finished before it ended.

A classic period piece

The first in the Ellery Queen series of novels is a classic of the genre. The whodunit style made quite a contrast from my recent diet of 1930s noir crime fiction. But the matter-of-fact use of contemporary realities - like hats! - in ways that seem crazy today offers similar pleasure to the noir scenes of cops pursuing gangsters on the running boards of flivvers.

Fun & Instructive

This cleverly written and engrossing mystery is also a ticket to travel to another era. The trip to the Roaring Twenties is revealing, endearing and, at times, disturbing. Truly worth the read.

A classic with all the trappings of age

If you could sum up The Roman Hat Mystery in three words, what would they be?

A true classic.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would not change a thing. While it does not meet current ideas of political correctness, it is a great representation of the times in which it is set and was written.

What does Robert Fass bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator does not go overboard with the vocal representations of the characters, but still manages to convey tone and intent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Listened to it non-stop on a trip across Nevada from Utah to San Jose. Great listen!

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy the Ellery Queen method and don't mind a period piece that shows its age in places, you will enjoy this production.

Not as eloquent as they think they are.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The cousins who wrote as Ellery Queen waste a lot of words and your time with this. Definitely not as concise as Agatha Christie or Sir Arthur C. Doyle, they drag the listener through a lot that adds nothing to the plot. It's a bit of a snoozer.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Pretty good narration.

An excellent mystery!

After listening to this story you have no doubt why this is a classic....it is a delight to listen to!!

Interesting mystery, disturbing racism

Typical sexism for the time but the racism is hard to hear. Inspector Queen keeps some kind of slave/houseboy/ward??

For those who want to read it anyway due to its literary historical place, it's a good mystery. A bit overexplained and there are some cultural and historical barriers to deal with in order to figure it out.

Dated but goof

I wish the man narrating did Perry Mason. The story was decent dated. I had trouble sitting in 1929 while listening in 2021.