Forgotten Books: A Study in Terror by Ellery Queen (and Dr. Watson)

“This book is unique,” says the hype on the back. “You have never read anything like it before.”

That first statement may have been true in 1966, and I’m pretty sure the second one was. At the very least, this book is not without certain points of interest.

What it is, basically, is a pretty standard Sherlock Holmes pastiche with framing chapters featuring Ellery Queen at regular intervals. But it has the added attraction of pitting Holmes against Jack the Ripper, whetting my appetite for a reading of Gary Hobb’s new ebook, A Policeman’s Lot.

The Holmes story, via one of those lost manuscripts Dr. Watson was so prone to leave lying about, occupies 120 of the book’s 164 pages. It’s nicely done, though nothing exceptional. The book’s other 44 pages feature Ellery Queen. Most of that time, Ellery is trying (and failing) to resist the manuscript while he struggles to meet the deadline for his next novel. Finally, at the end, he ventures forth to do a little detecting on his own, discovering that while Holmes had successfully solved the Ripper case, he had allowed Watson to reach the wrong conclusion.

The cover above (the black one) is the paperback original, published in 1966. The cover says “Also a thrilling Columbia Pictures movie,” and inside is a list of the film’s leading cast and credits.

I at first assumed the movie was based on this book, but later learned this is actually a novelization (written by Paul W. Fairman) of the screen story with the Ellery Queen bits added by “Ellery Queen.” The Ellery Queen frame was not used in the movie, which was a straight Holmes adventure with a Batmanesque poster that likely embarrassed all concerned. For reasons unknown (to me) the book and film apparently reach different conclusions as to the identity of the Ripper.

I’m curious whether Misters Lee and Dannay actually had a hand in this book, or if their parts were ghosted (maybe by Fairman?). Does anyone know?

These two paperback editions offer points of interest as well. The first edition promotes Ellery Queen and Sherlock Holmes, mentioning the Ripper only the back, while the next printing (only a year later) hypes Ellery Queen vs. Jack the Ripper, with Holmes relegated to the back. Strange. It would seem to me they'd want all three names on the cover.

Friday's Forgotten Books, as usual, is a pattinase production.