First published in 1936 when characters using terms like "Jap" and "Chink" was probably no-big-deal, I gave this a low rating because some of the dialogue is so stereotypical of, well, 1930's melodramatic detective novels. It just doesn't age well, or sound believable (the "brown" private detective -- not Ellery Queen -- spouts off gems like "Talk fast, sweetheart," and "you dumb cluck.") The solution to the locked room is way too complicated to be believed but by that time the plot has already become unbelievable. Oh, and the heroine acts like a complete ninny most of the time. Not the best Ellery Queen novel by a long shot, I gave it two stars because I finished it and it has a certain "they don't write them like this anymore" charm (thankfully.)

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