I read this book to complete the letter Q in the Alphabet Challenge of crime novel authors at 4-Mystery Addicts.  I think it might have been the last letter I had yet to cover.  (Yes, I know “Ellery Queen” was not a real life author, but rather the pseudonym of several people plus the eponymous main character they created.)  Also – I think this may be a atypical Ellery Queen novel. 

Dead Man’s Tale
By Ellery Queen (Stephen Marlowe)
1961 (
Read by Mark Peckham: 4h 56m
Rating: A / hard-boiled crime

Estelle Street, Barney Street’s new widow, is very annoyed. Instead of leaving his fortune to her he left it to one Milo Hacha, a Czech who sympathized with the Allies and saved Barney’s life in WWII.  Now Estelle’s lover, Steven Longacre, is under her orders to go to Europe and hunt Milo down. Steve is to return with the news that Milo is dead (however he can do that). But when Steve gets there he’s told that Milo is dead already, but Longacre needs more evidence than somebody’s say-so.