Ellery Queen Masters of Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Bad (Excellent; Good; Average; Bad; Poor)
Review: I had heard so much about Ellery Queen that I finally decided to buy and read this book. I read all its 56 stories but was quite disappointed with the book overall, specially when it mentions "Masters" in its title. A few of the stories are downright garbage; a few others have plots that look like they have been thought out by novices; and a couple of others should have appeared possibly in a compilation of the worst ghost stories. I was looking for mainly murder and detection and am a voracious reader of such stories. I like stories that have one or more of the following (A) an unexpected ending (B) an unexpected or complex plot (C) a mystery that gets uncovered because of a very small clue. If you are looking for these things, you will find this book utterly disappointing. Out of 56 stories, I liked only the following ten: The Mutilated Scholar by James Holding (B) Leap Day by Francis Nevins (B,C) The Rose Murders by E X Ferrars (C) Gentlemen's Agreement by Lawrence Block (B) A Choice Of Murders by Patricia McGerr (A,B,C) They'll Kill The Lady by Hugh Pentecost (A,B) The Theft Of The Dinosaur's Tail by Edward D Hoch (B) Dr Coffee And The Whiz Kid by Lawrence Blochman (B) The Crimson Coach Murders by Julian Symons (B) Missing: One Stage-Struck Hippie by Lawrence Blochman (B). It's okay if you get to read the book for free. Otherwise, it might be a waste of money and time. Good luck! Vivek Kaul