Hello, all. 

I became rabidly addicted to Ellery Queen, mmm, barely a month ago.  I'm dying to talk with other Queen fans.  It all began with my second (or third?) short story, "The Ides of Michael Magoon."

Something I've been thinking a lot about is the challenge to Ellery himself after 1939.  The way the novels got more complex.

What do you think of the Moriarty problem?  This is what I call the murderer type in the Third Period mysteries.  Sometimes it's not planned, as in the murderer didn't plan with Ellery in mind, and sometimes the opposite.

I haven't read much of the later mysteries yet.  As of tonight I've read nearly 2/3 of the series. 

The first ghostwritten novel bothered me.  Ellery and his dad didn't act in character.  Not really.  :/  Not the ghostwriter's fault, honestly.  From what I recall of Sturgeon's style [Some of Your Blood] I suspect witty repartee, etc., wasn't his thing. 

So I'm a little depressed, since I'm more than halfway through the series, and I'm really hoping that the Queen cousins themselves wrote the final four novels.  It does make me think that Rex Stout, had he been alive still, would have handled the dialog better...

Anyway, anyone want to mention their favorite Queen novels and/or short stories?  Or the ones you hated most?  And did you ever solve any of them?  :>

Cheers!