"Their Pleasure, in Short, Is Puzzles"

IN CASE you haven't noticed, Election Fever is gripping the nation; so, in honor of the occasion, we present a story involving Ellery Queen (the detective) not solving a problem 

but propounding one:

"The President Regrets."

By Ellery Queen (Wikipedia HERE and the GAD Wiki HERE).

The Puzzle Club No. 2.

First appearance: The Diners Club Magazine, September 1965.

Reprinted in EQMM, July 1967 (today's text).

Other reprints:

 Tales of Mystery and Suspense (1977)

 Ellery Queen’s Anthology #36, Fall/Winter 1978.

Short short story (5 pages).

Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 94).

(Some text magnification may be necessary.)

   "In that case, Ellery said, with resignation, which of Valetta's four swains murdered her?"

WHAT'S in a name—or should we say names? The solution to a murder puzzle, of course.

Main characters:

~ The Puzzle Club: Syres, Darnell, Dr. Vreeland, Dr. Arkavy (absent again), Emmy Wandermere, and Ellery Queen. Others: Valetta van Buren, John Thrushbotton 

Taylor the Third, A. Palmer Harrison, Leonardo Price, and Biff Wilson.

References and resources:

- "since their youthful days as riggers in the Texas oilfields":

  The Texas reference and the date of the story suggest "the President" here to be LBJ:

  "Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973), often referred to as LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served as the 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a U.S. representative and U.S. senator." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- We covered the first Puzzle Club story (HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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