Ellery Queen, Character and Author

Ellery Queen was a name of a character, a detective/hero, in a series of novels that were written through 42 years. The name was also used as the author’s name. Ellery Queen was actually the pen-name of two cousins from Brooklyn, Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay, which both of these were also pseudonyms. Both authors created Ellery Queen after entering a contest for the best first mystery novel in 1928.

It might be very confusing, especially when the fact is that Ellery Queen was also a pen-name for the detective in his alter ego as a mystery writer. The author as well as the character was the quintessential master of audience involved mystery. Frederic Dannay, one of the creators of this character, was also the editor for one of the best detective story magazines that was named “Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.” This magazine was one of the most popular and influential crime magazines in England at that time. The most characteristic feature for the novels was the presentation of the clues. The author would often challenge the reader in the end by saying that the reader knows all of the facts, so they should know how to come up with the logical solution to the mystery.

Ellery Queen has had a lot of fans throughout the years. Based on this character, there have been television series, movies, radio talk shows, comic books, and graphic novels. Both of the cousins, under their pen-name, got the Grand Master Award for their achievements in the field of mystery story writing.