Content levels
Trigger warnings
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
We know almost from the start who the killer is – a handyman of limited intellect known as Walt, but we also know that Walt is getting instructions telling him what to do – in effect, he is a human weapon, while the person using him to kill is hidden. You may recall that Ellery Queen (the author) was a collaboration between Fred Dannay and Manfred Lee, but this book was the first of a sequence produced when Lee had writer’s block. The book was ghost-written by science-fiction author Theodore Sturgeon from a Dannay 42-page outline. It was then extensively revised by Manfred B. Lee, to which Dannay also added some revisions.
Is The Player on the Other Side appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
Classic mystery novel featuring serial murders orchestrated by a hidden mastermind using a mentally limited handyman as the weapon. Violence is implied rather than graphic, with the focus on detective puzzle-solving.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include murder, manipulation, and mental manipulation.
Who'll love this
Teens who love classic whodunit mysteries and intellectual puzzles will enjoy following the detective work to uncover the hidden killer.