Cat of Many Tails Trivia Quiz

Answer: Because his father is in charge of the case

Ellery swore off crime solving after the events of the previous novel, "Ten Days' Wonder", in which he failed to prevent a murder. Even as the Cat terrorizes New York City for over a month and claims five victims, Ellery has no interest in the case. That changes when his father, Inspector Richard Queen, is placed as head of the investigation.

Inspector Queen was not in charge of the initial investigation but, as one of Manhattan's finest detectives, he is appointed to lead it by the Police Commissioner.

The Inspector is mortified at being assigned this unenviable task and even goes so far as to contemplate early retirement so as not to have to deal with what he deems an insolvable series of murders. Ellery, heartbroken at his father's distress, agrees to help.

Answer: She's the Cat's first black victim

The citizens of New York were not only terrorized all summer by the Cat but also by an oppressive heat wave. This combo caused everyone to be both on edge and extremely tense and miserable. The Cat's first five victims were all white and the fear for the Mayor and the Police Commissioner was that, if the Cat murdered a black victim, it would cause race riots. Beatrice Willikins is a young black woman whom the Cat murdered in a public park.

Although her death increased tensions, it did not lead to a race riot.

Answer: To save face

As tensions rise, the public increasingly becomes critical of both the Mayor and the Police Commissioner, whom they see as doing very little to catch the Cat and not providing enough assistance to either the police or public safety measures. In order to save his own political career, the Mayor appoints Ellery as head of the investigation because the Mayor believes the case is unsolvable and failure to catch the Cat can be shifted onto Ellery.

The Police Commissioner also reasons that in the off-chance Ellery does solve the crimes, the Mayor can take credit for appointing him.

Answer: Siblings of Cat victims

Jimmy McKell is the younger brother of Monica McKell, the Cat's fourth victim, and Celeste Phillips is the sister of the Cat's fifth victim, Simone Phillips. Both Jimmy and Celeste approach Ellery wanting to help out in some way. Ellery has them secretly investigate each other. Both Jimmy and Celeste reveal that the other benefits from the death of their sisters, something that was not previously known.

However, both grow angry with Ellery for deceiving them, as they have now fallen in love.

Answer: Lenore Richardson

Lenore Richardson is the seventh victim. She is the niece of Dr. Ed Cazalis, a prominent psychiatrist. Cazalis and his wife treated Lenore as their own daughter and her murder upsets them both. Cazalis offers his assistance in investigating the Cat as he believes he can identify a suspect using his ability as a psychiatrist.

Answer: True

After a few vigilante groups begin forming, the leader of one invites the Mayor to a meeting. The meeting quickly goes awry as the hall is packed to capacity and fear is still high. A woman panics that the Cat is about to attack her and a stampede ensues. Dozens of people die and hundreds are injured.

In the chaos, the Cat strikes an eighth victim: Stella Petrucchi whose body is discovered strangled with the Cat's trademark cord around her neck.

Answer: They were all delivered by Dr. Cazalis

According to their birth certificates, all nine Cat victims were delivered by Dr. Cazalis, a fact the doctor either did not recognize or did realize and failed to disclose. Before he began to practice psychiatry, Cazalis was an OB-GYN. Moreover, the Cat victims' ages decreased with each subsequent victim.

When Ellery and his father search Cazalis's medical records, they learn that each of the victims are listed in the files, in chronological order and are all listed in the phone directory. Notably, the Cat skipped over hundreds of other children listed in the medical files, all of whom were not listed in the Manhattan phone directory under their birth name.

Answer: Celeste Phillips

Ellery and his father determined the next victim was likely Marilyn Soames, a young typist who worked from her home. They sent Celeste undercover as a nurse to one of Marilyn's younger siblings. Because of the foggy night, Cazalis becomes confused, mistakes Celeste for Marilyn, and tries to strangle her but she is saved by Ellery and his team.

Answer: Austria

Dr. Cazalis had, many years prior, a psychological breakdown and was treated abroad by a Dr. Seligmann, who is now elderly and lives in Vienna. Ellery is confused about the psychological aspect and asks Seligmann for his advice on whether or not Cazalis could be the Cat.

As it turns out, Seligmann is hesitant to reveal personal medical information about his patient but is also skeptical. Ellery also learns that at the time of the first murder, Cazalis was in Switzerland presenting a paper, so he could not be the Cat.

Answer: Mrs. Cazalis

Ellery reasons that Mrs. Cazalis must be the Cat. Her husband was clearly not the Cat because of his alibi and the only person he would cover for would be his wife. Mrs. Cazalis suffered from a psychological disorder after her two children died in the delivery room after her husband delivered them.

She began to believe her husband murdered her children and fathered the other children he delivered successfully. As Ellery theorizes, years and years of suffering finally broke her and she turned to murdering the now adults her husband delivered as babies.

Although not specifically mentioned in the book and largely unexplored at the time the book was published (1949), many modern critics of Ellery Queen suspect Mrs. Cazalis was suffering from an extreme form of undiagnosed postpartum depression.