Post Description

Ellery Queen - The Chinese Orange Mystery - ENGELS


A wealthy publisher and collector of precious stones and Chinese postage stamps 
has a luxurious suite in a hotel that serves to handle his non-publishing 
business and the comings and goings of his staff, his relatives, and his female 
friends. When an odd and anonymous little man arrives and refuses to state his 
business, no one is surprised; he is locked (from outside only) in an anteroom 
with a bowl of fruit (including tangerines, also known as Chinese oranges) and 
left to await the publisher's arrival. When the door is unlocked, though, a 
truly bizarre scene is displayed.
 
The little man's skull is crushed, his clothing is reversed, back to front, all 
the furnishings of the room have been turned backwards - and two African spears 
have been inserted between the body and its clothing, stiffening it into 
immobility. The circumstances are such that someone has been observing every 
entrance to the room, and no one has apparently entered or left. The situation 
is further complicated by some valuable jewelry and stamps, the publisher's 
business affairs and romantic affaires, and a connection with "backwardness" 
for seemingly every character. It takes the considerable talents of Ellery Queen 
to sort through the motives and lies and arrive at the twisted logic that 
underlies every aspect of this very unusual crime.


Met dank aan originele poster,scanner