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“A quarter of a century’s requests from many thousands of Ellery Queen fans all over the world have finally borne fruit. At long last, here is a full-fledged murder mystery investigated and solved by Inspector Richard Queen without so much as a single deduction’s help from his celebrated son. But ‘Inspector Queen’s Own Case’ is far more than a baffling murder mystery. It is also a tender, understanding story of middle-aged people everywhere who find themselves put out to pasture on a pension to face an empty old age. Ellery’s father was spending the summer with friends at their beach house on the Connecticut shore. It should have been a golden summer, but all the Inspector could think about was his enforced uselessness. The old pro had been retired – the Administrative Code made no exceptions when a New York police officer reached the age of 63. How was he to occupy the endless days? He was still vigorous, still useful. A man needed more than security. He needed something to do. Richard Queen found one man’s answer on Nair Island, and he was soon plunged into the most challenging and dangerous case of his long career. And he found something else, too – that life can even be sweet at 63. Her name was Jessie Sherwood, a registered nurse in her late 40s, lonely, still pretty, and all woman. Jessie had been hired by the blueblood Humffreys to take charge of their newborn infant. When queer, frightening things began to happen in that multimillionaire home… A helpless baby, a unique romance, and a tensely plotted tale of multiple murder mounting to a shocking climax make ‘Inspector Queen’s Own Case’ one of the most superb novels to come from Ellery Queen’s typewriter.”

 
"Incredible, but Ellery isn't missed in this excellent and charming story which is, indeed Inspector Queen's very own." --  Buffalo Evening News

"The Inspector piles up laurels for himself and a great deal of enjoyment for the readers of this super yarn from one of the best and typically American writers of our day." --  The East Hamptom Star
 
Inspector Queen's Own Case - dust cover Simon and Schuster edition, An Inner Sanctum Mystery, New York, September 1956 (1st) - October 1956 (2nd)Inspector Queen's Own Case - hardcover Simon and Schuster edition, An Inner Sanctum Mystery, New York, 1956 Inspector Queen's Own Case - hardcover Simon and Schuster edition, An Inner Sanctum Mystery, New York, 1956 Inspector Queen's Own Case - dust cover Gollancz edition, London, 1956 (1st) (Red hardcover with golden lettering on spine)Inspector Queen's Own Case - dust cover Gollancz edition, "Volume XXIII from the Complete Crime novels first published in 1956", 1976 reissue.
Above left to right: dust and 2 hardcovers for Simon and Schuster; dust covers for Gollancz (1956, 1976). (Click on the covers to see the differences) * 

Note: there is also a Mystery Guild edition Feb 1957 (Not known how it looked)
 
Lewiston Evening Journal by F.P.
September 29. 1956

"The latest Inner Sanctum mystery is another in the many first rate mystery yarns concocted by Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee, that writing duo better known under the name of Ellery Queen. The story entitled 'Inspector Queen's Own Case,' a most appropriate title in view of the fact that Inspector Queen, Ellery's father, is entirely on his own in this instance.

We find Inspector Queen retired when the tale opens. He is retired and somewhat bored by it all. He wishes he could find something to do. Before he knows it, he is in the center of a murder mystery which starts on Nair Island, the summer home for six millionaires. The trouble starts at the summer place of Alton K. Humffrey when a baby adopted through the assistance of a shyster lawyer mysteriously is killed.

Prior to this terrible incident, Inspector Queen met the baby's nurse, Jessie Sherwood, a registered nurse in her 40's. Their acquaintanceship eventually evolved to romantic proportions, but not before both of them experienced trials in seeking to track down the wanton killer of the Humffrey baby.

Readers will be engrossed from start to finish with this smoothly moving story. As usual, the characters in this Ellery Queen book are real flesh and blood people, with the happenings completely believable. There is lots of suspense too, particularly during the time of the dramatic climax."

The first Inspector Queen retirement case, it really isn't up to the level of the best of the rest--but makes quick, entertaining read nonetheless. Introduces the future Mrs. Richard Queen.
This novel is more Lee contribution as it in large measure an exploration of Lee's feelings about growing older. He told his son (Rand B. Lee) that he based the character of Richard Queen from memories of his father, Benjamin Lepofsky and his maternal grandfather, Robert Hugh Brinker, of whom Lee was fond.

Ellery Queen fans might also be interested in reading TC's article "Like a rolling thunder chasing the wind" TC draws our attention to a typical piece of EQ symbolism in this book. ". "On the one hand we have Michael, smothered at infancy, and on the other Richard, a (re)tired police officer of 63, who finds a completely new life in the home were a very young life was cut short. Or am I over thinking this?"

Inspector Queen's own Case - cover pocket book edition, Pocket Book N° 1167, June 1957 (1st)Inspector Queen's own Case - cover pocket book edition, Penguin, 1963 (1st-3rd). (cover design by Romek Marber)Inspector Queen's own Case - cover pocket book edition, Bantam Books F3100, July 1966Inspector Queen's own Case - cover pocket book edition, Ballantine Books N° 24582, 1976.  (illustration by Swanson)
Inspector Queen's Own Case - cover AudiobookInspector Queen's Own Case - dust cover Chivers Press "Black Dagger Crime", 2002.
Inspector Queen's Own Case - cover audiobook Blackstone Audio, Inc., read by Robert Fass, May 1. 2014Inspector Queen's Own Case - cover MysteriousPress.com/Open Road, August 4, 2015
 


Le cas d'Inspecteur Queen - cover French edition, Presses de la Cité, N°336, 1957Le cas de l'Inspecteur Queen - cover French edition collection Pocket n°1108_1974.Le cas de l'inspecteur Queen - cover French edition éditions J'ai lu, Paris, Nr.3023, 1991Le cas de l'inspecteur Queen - cover French edition Polar, bibliomnibus, Omnibus (April 10, 2014)Inspektor Queen greift ein - cover German edition (3 stories by several authors)Inspektor Queen greift ein - cover German edition
Complimenti Mr.Queen! - cover Italian edition I Gialli Mondadori N°400, 1956Complimenti Mr.Queen! - cover Italian edition, intended for juveniles Arnoldo Mondadori, Editore Nr 67Complimenti Mr.Queen! - cover Italian editionComplimenti Mr.Queen! - cover Italian editionComplimenti Mr.Queen! - cover Italian edition I Classici Del Giallo N°519, December 1986Complimenti Mr.Queen! - cover Italian edition I Classici Del Giallo - 2010

Inspector Queen's Own Case 
(aka November Song)Translations
:
Danish: Inspektør Queens eget mysterium 
Dutch/Flemish: no translation 
Finnish:
Kämmenen jälki 
French:  Le cas de l'Inspecteur Queen 
German: Inspektor Queen greift ein 
Hungarian: Queen felügyelő önálló esete 
Indonesian: Rahasia Djutawan Kedjam 
Italian: Complimenti Mr.Queen! 
Japanese: クイーン警部自身の事件 (kui-nkeisijisinnojiken) 
Norwegian: Inspektør Queen tar en sjanse 
Portuguese: O último caso do Inspector Queen 
Russian: СОБСТВЕННОЕ ДЕЛО ИНСПЕКТОРА КУИНА
 
aka Расследует инспектор Квин
 
aka Дело о кружевной наволочке
 
Spanish: El caso del inspector Queen 
(aka Un caso dificil para el inspector Queen
Swedish: Kommisarie Queens eget fall 

O último caso do Inspector Queen - cover Portuguese edition, Minerva, 1958El caso del inspector Queen - Cover Spanish edition, Ediciones Picazo, 1979El caso del inspector Queen - Cover Spanish edition, Ediciones Picazo, 1979Un caso dificil para el inspector Queen - Cover Spanish edition, Versal, Barcelona, 1988Inspektør Queens eget mysterium - cover Danish cover, Martin KobenhavnKommisarie Queens eget fall - cover Swedish edition Bonniers, 1955
Kommisarie Queens eget fall - cover Swedish edition Bonniers Nr 134, 1961Kämmenen jälki - Cover Finnish editionРасследует инспектор Квин (IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote & INSPECTOR QUEEN'S OWN CASE by Ellery Queen) - Russian edition, Детективы века, в.2, 1st edition, 1991Расследует инспектор Квин - cover Russian edition, editions Всесоюзная книжная палата, 1991 (featured Inspector Queen's Own Case by Ellery Queen and Le bourreau pleure by Frederic Dard)Золотой фонд детектива Том 9 Чандлер - cover Russian edition, issue of a 20 part compilation of detectives, Raymond Chandler's "The Little Sister" and "Trouble is My Business", Ellery Queen's "Inspector Queen's Own Case" (Расследует инспектор Куин), "Drury Lane's Last Case" (Тень Шекспира) & from "Queen's Bureau of Investigation" "Driver's Seat" (Место за рулем), 1992Остросюжетный детектив (Action detective) - cover Russian compilation, contains "The French Powder Mystery" (Тайна белого порошка), "Inspector Queen's Own Case" (Дело о кружевной наволочке) & "There was an old Woman" (Старуха), Publisher  Фемида (Themis), 1993Расследует инспектор Квин - cover Russian edition, part of Э. Квин. Приёмыш на заклание, П. Квентин. Р. Стаут" Хабаровск: Риотип (Детективы Америки, т. 5), stories by Rex Stout, Patrick Quentin & Ellery Queen (Detectives of America), 1994
Расследует инспектор Квин part of omnibus "Тайна Карен Лейт" - dust cover Russian edition, contains "The Door Between" (Тайна Карен Лейт), "The Lamp of God" (Божественный свет), "A study in terror" (Неизвестная рукопись доктора Ватсона) and "Inspector Queen's Own investigation" (Расследует инспектор Квин), 1993Расследует инспектор Квин part of omnibus "Тайна Карен Лейт" - hardcover Russian edition, contains "The Door Between" (Тайна Карен Лейт), "The Lamp of God" (Божественный свет), "A study in terror" (Неизвестная рукопись доктора Ватсона) and "Inspector Queen's Own investigation" (Расследует инспектор Квин), 1993Эллери Куин в 3-х тт. (Ellery Queen in 3 volumes) - cover Russian edition, part 3 of three volumes with 3 Ellery Queen stories each, this volume contains "Inspector Queen's own Case" (Собственное дело инспектора Куина), "The Finishing Stroke" (Последний удар) & "The Player on the Other Side" (Игрок на другой стороне), published by Terra Bookclub (Терра - Книжный клуб), 2001СОБСТВЕННОЕ ДЕЛО ИНСПЕКТОРА КУИНА - cover Russian edition, 2006 (Also includes On the Eight Day)Rahasia Djutawan Kedjam - cover Indonesian edition, Bukusaku AnausaInspector Queen's Own Case - cover Japanese editionInspector Queen's Own Case - Japan
 


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Other articles on this book
(1) Reading Ellery Queen - Inspector Queen's Own Case Jon Mathewson (Dec 2015)
 
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