Ellery Queen is the hero in books written by two Americans, Daniel Nathan and Manford Lepofsky, as well as becoming their pseudonym.
The first Ellery Queen novel was written as an entry for a mystery writing contest. They won top honors with it, and Ellery Queen was born. The first novel was released in 1929, and since then Ellery Queen has emerged into the wonderful series of stories we all embrace today. It has also been a radio show and a television drama as well.
In 1941 the duo started the Ellery Queen magazine, which is still printed today. The franchise's 80th anniversary is coming up next year; another testament to its enduring popularity.
The magazine is geared to promote the very best of detective fiction. Ellery Queen has received many awards for being great fiction and for the caliber of mystery it portrays.
The novels follow Queen as he moves from New York to Hollywood and then back again to the east coast, ending up back in New York. Queen plays all different types of characters from the obnoxious to the sublime, and no two stories present him in a similar manner, so the reader is never quite sure which Queen will show up.
However you look at it, Ellery Queen novels are one of the greatest mystery series ever written and should be read by everyone at least once. Some of the books to look for are The Roman Hat Mystery, The French Powder Mystery, The Dutch Shoe Mystery, and The American Gun Mystery.
