„I had turned the corner at Thirty-fifth Street and was halfway down the block in my search for a number I had just taken from the telephone book when my attention was suddenly diverted by the quick movements and peculiar aspect of a man whom I saw plunging from the doorway of a large office-building some fifty feet or so ahead of me”.
The story of a strange, impenetrable, charming woman. Miss Hurd is certainly a very unusual person: „Miss Hurd in the garb of a working woman, and with a working woman’s bundle in her lap, but striking as ever in her appearance – possibly more so, –and as conspicuous among the mass of commonplace people surrounding her as she had ever been when clad in the habiliments of a lady and moving among persons of her own rank in life”.
Mary Earle’s mother passed away and then her father disappeared when she was very young. Now, after many years, being „adult” and not having her own money in her youth, she receives a rather large amount of money. Who wished this money and why? Of course, in this small town in Massachusetts there is a secret that happened many years ago!
The last part of the book includes a chase that ends with a terrible snowstorm. The problem with this is that the „twist” discovered at the end is what the reader will suspect long before Mr. Grice does. She explains in detail the heart and souls of all her characters – even Detective Grace.
The main plot of the story is a dying man and his will. Having no relatives, the man wants to give his money to someone worthy and resembling a woman whom he loved and lost too early. Most of the book is devoted to various actions of the characters, reactions and plans for this money – millions in the title. The book also has a love story.
A tall, elegant middle-aged woman sat in front of a mirror, and the finishing touches of her rich toilet seat young woman were kneeling on the floor next to her. The noted picture, and this is not from belonging to the wealth and splendor observed everywhere, but from the character of two persons who, although of completely different composition, and possibly belong to the two extremes of society, were both remarkable for their strength and individuality of expression, but al...
„The Woman in the Alcove „ is the third book in the Caleb Sweetwater series. The spinster-detective in the novel is Miss Van Arsdale, a member of the high society in New York and a woman who is short and plain in appearance. Against all odds, Rita Van Ardsdale has landed the man of her dreams and is blissfully in love. But her shot at happily ever after seems to be fading when her fiancé is accused of murder. It falls to Rita to crack the case and clear her beloved’s name. ...
Looking for a satisfying, meticulously plotted mystery with which to while away an afternoon? Look no further than „To The Minute: Scarlet And Black: Two Tales Of Life’s Perplexities”, a short story from one of the most influential early writers in the genre, Anna Katherine Green. Her remarkable skill in leading readers to the unexpected but fascinating solution to this puzzle mystery makes this story an eminently worthwhile read. Written in the 1916s, this story is chock f...
This short story revolves around a plot to steal some goods secured safely within an impenetrable vault within the confines of Mr. Stoughton’s business concern. Mr. Stoughton is the owner of a legendary vault that no one has ever been able to open. Though he can’t be sure that the safe contains anything valuable, speculation is rampant among those who know of its existence. Will anyone ever be able to find out what the vault holds? Find out in this fast-paced mystery story ...
In „The House in the Mist,” weary traveler Hugh Austin happens upon a house in a village whilst seeking shelter on a misty night. The house is open, and initially the reception he gets is quite strange to him, he then realizes that he was taken for the relative of a dead man and that the gathering he encounters is a meeting of relatives regarding an inheritance that was left. By the time they find out the deceased had long-held vengeance on his mind, it is too late. „The Ho...
Was the little girl, who appears to have been everybody’s darling, kidnapped for money? Nobody comes forward asking for a ransom. Did she sneak down to the river and drown? In „The Millionaire Baby”, a young detective Mr. Trevitt has more than one reason for desperately wanting to solve the mysterious case of little Gwendolen, a millionaire’s daughter who missed since the afternoon of August the 16th from right under the nose of her nurse. Our detective soon meets the widow...
Anna Katharine Green was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America, received praise for her accurate, well plotted stories. Her novels have always been one of the groundworks of mystery and detective fiction and The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow is a great example of the ingenious and thrilling story. In this novel, a young woman is killed by an arrow in the middle of the museum, so all of the other visitors are closed inside while the crime is investigated! A g...
„The Forsaken Inn” by Anna Katharine Green is an exceptional novel of gothic horror set in late 18th-century Revolutionary America. Told from the perspective of a Mrs. Truax, the owner of an inn, „The Forsaken Inn” is a locked-room mystery that keeps readers guessing about what has happened. Edwin Urquhart, loved by two sisters, chooses to marry the elder. Arriving at the Forsaken Inn for their honeymoon, they occupy an apartment containing a secret chamber. That night, the...
When a woman is found dead at The Whispering Pines, not only is everyone shocked, but murder is suspected. After all, why would such a well liked young lady put an end to things, or why would anyone want to do away with her? Her vagabond of a brother is suspected, since he has every cause to wish her out of the picture. Her fiancée Elwood Ranelagh also is suspected since he no longer wished to marry her but her sister. So perplexing is the case that the local authorities ca...
„The Golden Slipper and Other Problems for Violet Strange” is a collection of stories by Anna Katharine Green featuring an early edition of that familiar figure, the „girl detective”. Violet Strange is a pretty young debutante with a wealthy father and the spare time to secretly investigate various matters within her social sphere. Her knowledge of the aristocracy helps the police solve the crimes. Originally published in 1915, „The Golden Slipper” is the debut entry in the...
„The Filigree Ball” centers around the Moore mansion in Washington DC, a creepy house with a terrible library. Over several generations, three dead bodies have been found there on the hearthstone. Aside from bruises from the fall, there were no signs of violence. The police have inspected the death-dealing room and its sinister settee many times over and found no explanation. But it’s not all those bodies in the library that bring the police to the Moore house this time. It...
A mystery filled with guilt, love and anger led to death. The story is about Ebenezer Gryce, a young, energetic and determined police detective who is entrusted with the investigation of the high-profile murder of Mr. Hasbrouck, a wealthy and influential resident of the Colonnade in Lafayette Place. The only real clue is provided by the victim’s wife. She woke from a deep sleep and thought she was dreaming. She soon realized that her husband wasn’t next to her in bed. While...
Early detective novelist Anna Katharine Green was a unique writer in several respects, including the fact that many of the detectives featured in her novels are women. In this mystery, protagonist Constance Sterling takes on the seemingly impossible task of uncovering the true culprits behind the drowning death of a popular well-respected clergyman who is believed to have killed himself. The news is fatal to his fiancée. Why? And why are her two sons behaving in such a sini...
Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935), known as the „Mother of the Detective Novel”, is one of the first American writers of detective fiction. She was recognized for realism and well plotted story of her mystery stories. A tale of two families, betrayal, revenge, and murder, The Circular Story, written in 1902, is still an absorbing and notable work. We highly recommend this book to fans of classic detective fiction!
A brief early American detective novella written in 1883 by Anna Katharine Green that tells the story of a detective who arrives in a small town in Massachusetts in an attempt to investigate counterfeiters possibly connected to a series of mysterious letters addressed only to X Y Z. While he is questioning the postmaster, he learns of the Benson family and their super secretive lifestyle. They are rich and reclusive. The detective feels there is something amiss and switches...
A young pianist falls in love with a rich banker’s sixteen year old daughter after she requests to meet him in mildly mysterious circumstances. Her father will only let her marry someone with lots of money and, would you know it, hates music. The pianist decides to stop tickling the ivories and become a rich banker too. One of detective fiction master Anna Katharine Green’s earlier novels, „The Sword of Damocles” combines a budding romance set against the backdrop of New Yo...
A young girl named Juliet, draws the boys in a small village after her, and along the way a rich Colonel, whose love for her reaches farther than anyone would have expected. She also hooks a fiery, unstable man named Orrin. The Colonel gets her to swear she will marry him as soon as he finishes a stone house for her, while Orrin tries something secretive to win his love. The narrator is a former lover of Juliet, and what he tells of is a twisted tale of a selfish woman and ...
Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was one of the first mystery writers in the United States. Called „the mother of the detective novel”, she was known for her intricate, well-plotted stories, and this novel is no exception. Her first and best known novel, The Leavenworth Case became an overwhelming success and was the best seller of the year. The readers are held spellbound until the very last page. We highly recommend this book!
