Originally penned in 1934, The Chinese Orange Mystery is set in New York, at the high-priced ($10/day!) Chancellor Hotel. There Donald Kirk and his family have pretty much the entire floor, between suites for business (publishing, stamps and jewelry) and living space. The corridor of this floor is watched over by Mrs. Shane, who sees everyone who enters the floor. But she saw no one on the floor when a man waiting in an office for Kirk was murdered. The only way out of that room was either through another office, belonging to Kirk's assistant Osborne (who was there the entire time), or through the hall. But the door between the office and where the man was waiting was bolted from the inside. Not only was anyone seen leaving, but when Ellery Queen arrives, and finds the body, he notices that all of the clothes are on the man backwards -- and all of the furniture has been moved as well. The only clue that Queen can readily put his hands on is that a tangerine (a Chinese Orange) has been eaten -- with orange peels and seeds left out in plain view. With the help of his father, a police inspector, Queen must get to the bottom of the mystery to help his friend Donald Kirk.

This book was a bit on the unbelievable side but I suppose all "locked-room/impossible crime" type books have to be in a way. The solution to this one was a bit over the top. So if you want something wholly credible, this may not be the book for you. Otherwise, the characters (except for Ellery, of course, and maybe his dad) kind of stayed a bit underdeveloped (considering it was the 8th book in the series you'd think the authors would have known better), and the whole mystery is plot, rather than character driven.

Overall, it wasn't a bad read (I'm giving it what I consider an average rating), and I'd recommend it to people who like Ellery Queen novels, or to those who like impossible crime stories. Anyone who likes strange mysteries might enjoy this as well. ( )