Cat of Many Tails
Cat of Many Tails, Ellery Queen, 1949
The city never sleeps and in the dark of a sultry summer night, murder crept into New York City unannounced and unwelcome.
Six corpses, each the victim of a homicidal maniac have brought the Big Apple to its knees in collective fear. Seemingly unconnected except for the silk cord around the neck of each victim, the police seem helpless to stop the mad killer. Tensions are on edge and confidence in the government to catch the killer is failing. The city's mayor turns to Ellery Queen to solve the case.
Ellery, with his intellectual prowess sharpened to a razor's edge, joins forces with his father, Inspector Queen, to unravel the puzzling clues. Working against time, they find themselves racing to fit together a pattern in what seems to be a series of random murders. The victims stretch across the fabric of the city's neighborhoods, ethnic and social circles. Can there be one common thread which ties the victims to the murderer?
Meanwhile, the press is having a field day frightening citizens into a frenzy against an invisible killer. Vigilante mobs are threatening to take action unless the police can catch the murderer. After a failed attempt to set a trap for the serial killer, a defeated Ellery is ready to abandon the case. Shaking aside his frustrations, he is soon back to his manhunt. Queen senses that he must act quickly to prevent another death. The serial killer must be stopped and only Ellery can unravel the puzzle and solve the case.
Enjoy the Cat of Many Tails for its atmospheric descriptions of the ‘city that never sleeps' and be prepared for a surprising twist ending that will delight murder mystery fans.
