Ellery Queen was the pseudonym of two cousins: Frederick Denny (1905–1982) and Manfred Lee (1905–1971). They have written about 30 detective stories that share a common hero, detective and crime novelist Ellery Queen, whose fame rivals that of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. The work of the brothers-co-authors basically fits into the mainstream of a classic detective story, where there are enough confusing logical moves, false leads, and ingenious traps. Ellery Queen is not only the pseudonym of two writers, but also the protagonist of many of their works - a professional writer of detective stories and an amateur detective who comes to the aid of her father, police inspector Richard Queen, when another criminal nut turns out to be too tough for him. Events in the presented The story revolves around the murder of Gordon Cobb, who gained fame in China as a ventriloquist. The story is considered non-canonical, as it represents an alternative version of the novels for the development of events in Ellery’s life, and is the second in the series of stories about Nikki Porter.