The Origin of Evil
| Industry | Wholesale jewelry business |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
The Origin of Evil is a mystery novel from 1951 authored by Ellery Queen—the pen name for Manfred B. Lee and Frederic Dannay—taking place in Los Angeles, United States.
Plot summary
Laurel Hill enlists Ellery Queen’s help to look into a series of strange anonymous presents sent to her father, Leander Hill, who co-manages Hill and Priam, a wholesale jewelry business. Following Leander’s death from a heart attack triggered by one such gift—a dead dog accompanied by an enigmatic note—his partner Roger Priam, confined to a wheelchair, and Roger’s wife Delia begin receiving similar mysterious items. The narrative also involves Delia’s son Crowe, who is Laurel’s boyfriend, along with several household staff members. The assortment of gifts—ranging from tainted tuna salad and a green alligator wallet to a charred book and worthless stock certificates—links back to a violent episode connected to the origins of Hill and Priam’s jewelry enterprise. Ellery decodes the clues and arranges a climactic reveal that identifies the perpetrator only at the story’s end.
Literary significance & criticism
By the time this novel was published, Ellery Queen had become a well-known figure through novels, radio broadcasts, and films. The Origin of Evil represents the last Queen story set against the backdrop of Hollywood. Previous Hollywood-related titles such as The Four of Hearts incorporated a lighter, more humorous tone reflecting the authors’ familiarity with the film industry. In contrast, this work takes on a more serious tone, integrating contemporary themes like Crowe’s nudist lifestyle as preparation for life after an atomic event. Despite this shift, it retains the frequent criticism directed at Queen novels: characters and plot developments sometimes feel contrived due to narrative demands. On balance, these Hollywood-set stories delivered entertaining reads but had limited lasting literary influence.