Preview
  • The Origin of Evil

  • By: Ellery Queen
  • Narrated by: Fred Sullivan
  • Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (116 ratings)

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The Origin of Evil

By: Ellery Queen
Narrated by: Fred Sullivan
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Publisher's summary

Having escaped New York with the hopes of finishing his latest mystery novel in peace in Los Angeles, Ellery Queen is shocked when a knock on his door lands him right in the middle of yet another mystery.

Leander Hill, a prominent Hollywood jeweler, recently died of a heart attack after receiving a package containing a dead dog, a sight that literally frightened him to death. Hill's daughter is convinced the act was premeditated murder and enlists Queen's help to catch the killer. Now Queen must harness all of his skills to prevail over this unscrupulous mind.

©2014 Ellery Queen (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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What listeners say about The Origin of Evil

Average customer ratings
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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
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Ellery Queen!

I’m so happy to have discovered Ellery Queen! I’m a huge mystery fan and I can’t think why I never read any of his books.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good story - not so good to listen to.

I am 70 and have pretty good hearing but this narrator’s voice went up and down in tone and volume - I had to keep adjusting the sound when I was listening on my iPhone speakers. With ear buds it was easier to hear. I haven’t had that issue with other narrators of the Queen series. However, the story was good.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

different. but goof

story is a continuation of the evolving queen character. story is enjoyable, but again, it feels more like a story than a detective novel.

enjoy the beautiful writing.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Made of pulp magic

A Los Angeles Ellery Queen story filled with what made pulp detective stories great - sexy women, unique characters, misleading clues, and murder. A great read for 1850's detective fans.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good Story, Strange Narration

No Inspector Queen here, and is absence is felt. The story is very enjoyable. Queen loves to give "the false solution" to be followed by "the real solution", and here it's very effective. I thought the book was done, but when I realized there was a chapter left, I knew something was up! What lets this down as an audiobook is the narration. Sullivan gives everything a flippant tone, and his voice for Ellery is absolutely horrible! He makes him sound...well, fey is the only word I can think of. The other characters are well voiced, but he makes the detective sound like a whiny, spoiled brat.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Later Ellery Queen not as charming

From a historical point of view the Ellery Queen books gives a fascination insight into turn of the century morals and cultural shifts.
Early books display woman as being hopelessly feckless while these later ones start to show how woman are “out of the house and kitchen “.

I’m disappointed that once again Ellery is no longer this detective of crime but has become the victim of his own fame so that he is no longer purely moral.

The story lines start to be more sexually shocking which takes away from the cerebral puzzle of the crime.

This particular narrator tends to make Ellery more feminine. I prefer the Ellery who was morally curious and sounded like the “guy next door”. This Ellery seems sexually frustrated but thankfully avoids sexual entanglement.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

This is not similar to the Ellery Queen mysteries I read when younger. I think anyone who enjoys the genre will be disappointed.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Wordy

Very long explanation when it came to discussing who committed the crime and why. Narration was overall good, but at times I couldn't tell who he was - one time I am sure he had a male character answer the door in the female voice.

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