Retired Shakespearean actor Drury Lane solves a mystery from afar Born during intermission in a seedy New Orleans playhouse, Drury Lane has spent the better part of his life in the theater. A majestic old-fashioned ham, he made his name in London, where his record-breaking run as Hamlet defined the role for a generation. When hearing loss forces him to retire, he turns his attention to human drama—specifically crime. Using his powers of disguise, knowledge of human nature, and an occasional dash of theatrical combat, Lane is the most fantastic detective of all time—onstage or off. In The Tragedy of X, a man is poisoned in the middle of a crowded New York streetcar, and not one of the dozens of witnesses can provide any useful evidence. The police are stumped until they receive a letter from Lane, claiming to have solved the crime by reading newspaper reports. He knows the killer’s name—but now he has to catch him.

Some bizarre things have been happening to the eccentric Hatter family. First, the body of York Hatter is recovered from the ocean. But he didn’t drown. He died of poison. Next, another poisoning occurs in the Hatters’ old mansion in New York’s Greenwich Village. This time the police have a witness. But what a witness! She is a blind, deaf mute. Naturally the authorities call in Drury Lane—retired Shakespearean actor. Matinee idol. Master of disguise. Amateur sleuth who finds “crime the highest refinement of human drama”. Ellery Queen’s most flamboyant detective. Here is another novel in the great tradition. All clues are scrupulously presented to you, the reader. Can you unmask the murderer before Drury Lane does? (Publisher’s description)

The elderly detective Drury Lane is aided by Patience Thumm in the investigation of the mysterious death of a corrupt state senator

Paperback Intl Polygonics Ltd (October 1987) English Ellery Queen The best of the Drury Lane stories.

The XYZ Murders is a 3-in-1 volume by Barnaby Ross (aka Ellery Queen aka Frederic Dannay & Manfred Lee)—the star of which is Drury Lane, retired actor and amateur sleuth extraordinaire. The three novels included in this volume were originally published as separate works which include The Tragedy of X, The Tragedy of Y, and The Tragedy of Z.