While the book is very much a product of its time- i.e., 1954 small-town America, the red scare, etc.- it's also highly entertaining. Though it's an Ellery Queen book, neither Ellery or his father (Inspector Queen) are present. Instead we get to watch Judge Shinn and a war vet named Johnny try to unravel the truth behind the murder of a local artist. After a battle between a local mob and the state police over the fate of a transient accused of the killing, the judge hatches a plan to conduct a phony trial in order to avoid a lynching and get the accused killer out of town (and on to a fair trial).
And this is where the story gets good. In an abrupt change of tone (from the violent and suspenseful first half), a healthy dose of humor infuses the sham trial, as one rule of trial procedure after another gets steamrolled in an effort to buy more time for the accused. The trial's explosive finish, the ensuing chase, and the final solution keep the story moving to a satisfying conclusion.
Some readers dislike all the sermonizing about the "goodness" of small-town American folk, etc., but if you take the story for what it is, it's highly entertaining. ( )