Tales of Fascination

The French Powder Mystery is a golden age novel “authored by” Ellery Queen who is also the protagonist. The true authors were cousins Frederic Dannay and Manfred Lee who collaborated on many of this celebrated sleuth’s mysteries. The first eight published are known as the international series because they have a reference to a country in the title. I’ve read four. They’re often called puzzlers because of their intricate plots, intriguing hooks, and whodunnit plot device.

In my research, The French Powder Mystery is not the best in the series but ranks highly. Ironically, none of the international series are set in countries outside the U.S. The international word refers to an object, person, or plot device. In this case, the main characters’ last names are French. The setting is 1930 New York and a department store (remember them?) with a window display (remember that?) has a demonstration at noon every day of the bedroom of the future. A hostess wordlessly gestures to the various devices of the room of the future and lowers a bed folded into a wall. On the bed is the store owner’s wife, shot twice through the chest.

To read a Golden Age mystery in modern times, one must be willing to shift one’s mindset away from modern conventions. First, this novel contains racial stereotypes that neither I nor most level-headed readers would endorse. Unfortunately, this was the norm in the 1930s, and the authors wrote to their audience then. Thank goodness this has been purged from our social norms. I didn’t like it but won’t dismiss the rest of the novel because of it. Second, the pace is s-l-o-w, like watching an earthworm cross a sidewalk slow. I would challenge the reader to learn to read slower novels. I find a slower pace relaxes my reading and results in more enjoyment “along the way.” Last, the detective makes a few contrivances that would never fly today. The old “the killer’s mindset would only lead him to do X” worked in 1930 but less so today. But if you get by these three antiquated points, you have a treasure trove of novels to choose from if you’re a mystery reader.

This Ellery Queen mystery is almost like a play where most of the setting is the department store. Very few scenes occur outside, and the reveal happens in the room of the murder. The characters are mostly shallow. Yet, one of the victim’s daughters has some darkness to her, and the victim’s ex-husband is an interesting character. The powder from the title is a great clue itself and has multiple meanings throughout the story. Overall, I enjoyed the story, especially the hook. And the novel plays fair. If readers follow the clues, they should uncover the murderer. But the clues are subtle, and The French Powder Mystery could be one of the novels where you didn’t see the ending coming.

The hooks were all great in early Ellery Queen novels. I found them more fascinating than even the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie (but not John Dickson Carr—he’s the best). If you’re interested, here are others in the series.

The Roman Hat Mystery – Murder in a theater where the unusual clue is a missing hat.

The Dutch Shoe Mystery – A woman, wheeled in for surgery, is found to be dead on the gurney.

The Greek Coffin Mystery – A missing will leads to an exhumed coffin, resulting in a second corpse.

The Egyptian Cross Mystery – A series of murders start with a beheading and nailing the corpse to a cross.

The American Gun Mystery – A murder occurs at a rodeo in front of hundreds of spectators.

The Siamese Twins Mystery – (Considered the best) The detectives are trapped in a house at the top of the hill while a fire rages below.

The Chinese Orange Mystery – A corpse is found with his clothes backward and the furniture in the room reversed.

The Spanish Cape Mystery – A corpse is found on a beach with no footprints leading to the victim.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B1MSIT6