Shorter Works by Ellery Queen (1905-71; 1905-82)

"Miser's Gold" (1950)

(a. k. a. "Love Hunts Hidden Treasure")

by Ellery Queen

"The atmosphere is rich and twisted, the subject likewise, and the story full of sentiment and irony. It even has a surprise ending."

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"This hidden cash you specify. How much does it amount to?"

"Four million .... In ten-thousand-dollar bills."

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"Love and buried treasure -- who could resist such a dish?"

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"He left a clue?"

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"CHALLENGE TO THE READER: In which book was Malachi's clue and how did it tell where he had hidden his money?"

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COMMENTS

Old Uncle Malachi, pawnbroker, punster, and trickster, goes the way of all flesh; but before he shuffles off this mortal coil, he leaves his closest friends in the toils of a mystery: Where has he hidden his life's savings, four hundred ten-grand bills? Enter Ellery Queen. It proves most fortuitous that Ellery and Malachi share the same enthusiasm, a rabid bibliophilia. By turning over a new leaf, Ellery helps two young lovers begin a new life.

NOTES

Minimal character development; and unless you're also a bibliophile with the same book collection as Malachi's, you'll never figure it out.

TYPE: Short story.

GENRE: Detective fiction.

NARRATIVE: Third person.

WHERE: New York City ("Baghdad-on-the-Subway"), on Third Avenue, in Uncle Malachi's pawnshop.

WHEN: Present day (1940s).

CHARACTERS: Uncle Malachi; Dr. Ben Bernard; Eve Warren; Frankie Pagluighi; Ellery Queen.

FOUND IN: Tricks and Treats (1976), pp. 161-166.

FIRST APPEARED IN: This Week (June 18, 1950).

COLLECTED IN: Q. B. I. (1955).