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The Roman Hat Mystery ▾
contents
  1. Lexicon of Persons Connected with the Investigation
  2. Explanation for the Map of the Roman Theatre
  3. Foreword
  4. Part One “The policeman must oft follow the precept of the ‘bakadori’—those fool-birds who, though they know disaster awaits them at the hands and clubs of the beachcombers, brave ignominious death to bury their eggs in the sandy shore. … So the policeman. All Nippon should not deter him from hatching the egg of thoroughness.” From A Thousand Leaves, by Tamaka Hiero
  5. I
  6. II
  7. III
  8. IV
  9. V
  10. VI
  11. VII
  12. Part Two “. … To illustrate: Once young Jean C—— came to me after a month of diligent investigation on a difficult assignment. He wore a forlorn expression. Without a word he handed me a slip of official paper. I read it in surprise. It was his resignation. “ ‘Here, Jean!’ I cried. ‘What is the meaning of this?’ “ ‘I have failed, M. Brillon,’ he muttered. ‘A month’s work, gone to the devil. I have been on the wrong track. It is a disgrace.’ “ ‘Jean, my friend,’ said I solemnly, ‘this for your resignation.’ Wherewith I tore it to hits before his astonished eyes. ‘Go now,’ I admonished him, ‘and begin from the beginning. For remember always the maxim: He who would know right must first know wrong!’ ” From Reminiscences of a Prefect, by Auguste Brillon
  13. VIII
  14. IX
  15. X
  16. XI
  17. XII
  18. XIII
  19. Part Three “A good detective is born, not made. Like all genius, he springs not from a carefully nurtured polizei but from all mankind. The most amazing detective I ever knew was a dirty old witch-doctor who had never been out of the bush. … It is the peculiar gift of the truly great detective that he can apply to the inexorable rules of logic three catalyzers: an abnormal observation of events, a knowledge of the human mind and an insight into the human heart.” From The Man-Hunter’s Manual, by James Redix (the Younger)
  20. XIV
  21. XV
  22. XVI
  23. XVII
  24. XVIII
  25. Interlude In which the reader’s attention is respectfully requested
  26. Part Four “The perfect criminal is a superman. He must be meticulous in his technique: unseen, unseeable, a Lone Wolf. He must have neither friends nor dependents. He must be careful to a fault, quick of brain, hand and foot. … But these are nothing. There have been such men. … On the other hand, he must be a favored child of Fate—for circumstances over which he cannot have the remotest control must never contrive his downfall. This, I think, is more difficult to achieve. … But the last is most difficult of all. He must never repeat his crime, his weapon or his motive! … In all my twoscore years as an official of the American police I have not once encountered the perfect criminal nor investigated the perfect crime.” From American Crime and Methods of Detection, by Richard Queen
  27. XIX
  28. XX
  29. XXI
  30. XXII
  31. Endnotes
English ▾

The Roman Hat Mystery

Ellery Queen

free · 95,270 words · 10 h 20 m audiobook, read by Mark Nelson for LibriVox · first published 1929

text from Standard Ebooks

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Grateful Acknowledgment
Is Made to
Professor Alexander Goettler
Chief Toxicologist of the City of New York
For His Friendly Offices
in the Preparation of This Tale

Lexicon of Persons Connected with the Investigation

Note: The complete list of individuals, male and female, brought into the story of Monte Field’s murder and appended below is given solely for the convenience of the reader. It is intended to simplify rather than mystify. In the course of perusing mysterio-detective literature the reader is, like as not, apt to lose sight of a number of seemingly unimportant characters who eventually prove of primary significance in the solution of the crime. The writer therefore urges a frequent study of this chart during the reader’s pilgrimage through the tale, if toward no other end than to ward off the inevitable cry of “Unfair!”—the consolation of those who read and do not reason.

E. Q.

  • Monte Field, an important personage indeed—the victim.

  • William Pusak, clerk. Cranially a brachycephalic.

  • Doyle, a gendarme with brains.

  • Louis Panzer, a Broadway theatre-manager.

  • James Peale, the Don Juan of Gunplay.

  • Eve Ellis. The quality of friendship is not strained.

  • Stephen Barry. One can understand the perturbation of the juvenile lead.

  • Lucille Horton, the “lady of the streets”—in the play.

  • Hilda Orange, a celebrated English character-actress.

  • Thomas Velie, Detective-Sergeant who knows a thing or two about crime.

  • Hesse, Piggott, Flint, Johnson, Hagstrom, Ritter, gentlemen of the Homicide Squad.

  • Dr. Samuel Prouty, Assistant to the Chief Medical Examiner.

  • Madge O’Connell, usherette on the fatal aisle.

  • Dr. Stuttgard. There is always a doctor in the audience.

  • Jess Lynch, the obliging orangeade-boy.

  • John Cazzanelli, alias “Parson Johnny,” naturally takes a professional interest in Gunplay.

  • Benjamin Morgan. What do you make of him?

  • Frances Ives-Pope. Enter the society interest.

  • Stanford Ives-Pope, man-about-town.

  • Harry Neilson. He revels in the sweet uses of publicity.

  • Henry Sampson, for once an intelligent District Attorney.

  • Charles Michaels, the fly—or the spider?

  • Mrs. Angela Russo, a lady of reputation.

  • Timothy Cronin, a legal ferret.

  • Arthur Stoates, another.

  • Oscar Lewin, the Charon of the dead man’s office.

  • Franklin Ives-Pope. If wealth meant happiness—

  • Mrs. Franklin Ives-Pope, a maternal hypochondriac.

  • Mrs. Phillips. Middle-aged angels have their uses.

  • Dr. Thaddeus Jones, toxicologist of the City of New York.

  • Edmund Crewe, architectural expert attached to the Detective Bureau.

  • Djuna, an Admirable Crichton of a new species.

restoring your place…

fetching the rest…

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genres

  • Mystery

—

thank you for reading

The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen. The text is in the US public domain, from the Standard Ebooks edition. Served from our own copy; read on their site for the full edition with images and typography.

Narrated by Mark Nelson for LibriVox, also public domain.

First published in 1929.

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