After several people apparently vanish into thin air while walking along the same country road, New York aged detective inspector Mr. Gryce calls on the skills of Miss Amelia Butterworth to help him solve this most puzzling crime. In „Lost Man’s Lane” the author Anna Katharine Green shows that she has lost none of her cunning in inventing an intricate and absorbing plot, and in unfolding it carefully bit by bit by the agency of her chosen hero or heroine. This is classic Gr...
A detective story first published in 1911, it is one of the book of Ebenezer Gryce series, „Initials Only” deals with the case of beautiful young heiress Edith Challoner. She is murdered in the writing room of a luxury hotel while nobody is near her, and no shot is heard and no bullet found in the deadly wound. She is seemingly stabbed to death, yet no one was seen near her. How then was she killed? Among Miss Challoner’s personal belongings are found letters signed with in...
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...
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”.
A beautiful young woman is interviewed by Coroner Golden and new Deputy sheriff Mr. Hammersmith. Her mother has been found dead in the nearby forest but the woman alleges they both rented rooms in Three Forks Tavern. The landlord Mr. Quimby deny her story. She describes the room her mother was in but a search reveals no room that matches it. But the sheriff believes her and he insists on staying in the tavern overnight while the coroner goes to collect his jury. He has a va...
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 ...
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 ...
A classic detective story of murder and punishment by one of America’s finest mystery writers. Widow Clemmens is struck down in her parlor while the town’s legal professionals chat outside the courthouse down the street and there is no sign of the killer. An investigation is made and two equally plausible suspects are quickly unearthed. But who actually committed the crime? And what role does the mysterious Miss Imogene Dare play in this drama? A powerful detective story, c...
In a small town Shelby shrouded in secrets a woman seeks to find the truth behind a terrible injustice in this classic mystery from „the mother of the detective novel”. Deborah attempts to prove that her husband was wrongly convicted of murder and was subsequently executed for a crime which she is sure he did not commit. She wants his name cleared so her daughter can marry the man she loves. Determined to prove her husband’s innocence, Deborah believes the judge who convict...
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!
Miss Saunders is out for an adventure. One, which is full of secrets, hints, and half-lies. One, which will require all of her wits. Miss Saunders, a discreet domestic spy of some kind, is hired by Mayor Packard to look after his unaccountably abstracted wife whilst he goes out of town for a fortnight. The lady is unhappy, and the reason for her grave unhappiness is more serious than you think. A detective novel involving theft, bigamy, a haunted house, lost money, ciphers ...
The book that will keep your attention until the very last page! A Strange Disappearance by Anna Katherine Green is one of the first detective stories to ever be published in USA. Her novels are known for their well thought out plots and their legal accuracy and A Strange Disappearance is one of her finest works. In this story, a young woman working as a home help disappears from a rich household in New York City, and the police begin their search to find her.
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.
