Lesson 4: Analyzing Short Stories
Cold Money by Ellery Queen
Suggested Reading Assignment
(1) "Cold Money" by Ellery Queen.
Here is my summary of "Cold Money" by Ellery Queen:
This story is an example of how true detective fiction stories are written. It is told by Ellery Queen. It is about a man named Mr. Philly Mullane. He had been registered at the Hotel Chancellor in New York. One day, the house detective, Winston F. Parker, helped Inspector Richard Queen catch Philly. He was shackled and taken from his hotel room number 913. He had robbed a Manhattan payroll and escaped with the cash. The question for Inspector Queen to solve was, Where did Mullane stash the money?
When he was arrested, the room was searched and the money wasn't located. Years later after he was released from prison, he returned to the same room at Hotel Chancellor. During that time, he never left his room. He also had his food delivered to him. Only the hotel service people entered the room.
What happened after that?
Was the money found?
What happened to the villain? Suggested Writing Assignment
(1) Write a short story review of Cold Money.
Writing Reviews
A Review of a short story or novel is similar to a summary. To begin, you write a summary of the short story or novel. Then, you will give your opinion of the book. Did you like it? Why or why not? After that, you will state whether or not you would recommend this short story or novel.
Below are the questions you need to think about while you are writing your review. Questions For You To Think About
(1) Who was the protagonist? What was he/she like?
(2) Who was the villain? What was he/she like?
(3) What happened in the story?
(4) What crime was committed?
(5) Who were the suspects?
(6) Was the villain captured?
(7) What was different about this style from the other stories you read so far?
(8) Did you like this story? Why or why not?
