 he Four of Hearts (1938)
It was a script that could only have come from Hollywood: the
spectacular wedding of two superstars after a scandal-filled courtship...a wild trip by
private plane to an exclusive hideaway...a deadly double overdose of drugs...But these
corpses weren't play-acting. And once again Ellery Queen was cast in the role of master
detective, as he found nothing was quite what it seemed in the never-never land of
moviedom--except sudden, violent death
Here is a grand mystery with an extremely ingenious,
intricate, and watertight plot. The setting is Hollywood, and something is happening all
the time. It's fantastic and uproarious, and full of Hollywood patter at its lushest. It's
expertly solved, with an effective extra turnover at the end resulting in a surprising and
thrillful finish. (Cover)
   
   
By contrast, this second Hollywood book, shows more of Queen's plotting artistry. It is
also the only one of his Hollywood books to have a setting within the film industry
itself. Agatha Christie and S.S. Van Dine are mentioned by name in
Chapter 1 of The Four of Hearts. EQ makes clear who his closest literary relatives are by
referring to the imaginary mystery writer Ellery Van Christie.
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