A Difficult Problem

by Anna Katharine Green

A Difficult Problem 1900 by Anna Katharine Green "I have been married six months. My name is Lucy Holmes. For the last few weeks my husband and myself have been living in an apartment house on Fifty-ninth Street, and as we had not a care in the world, we were very happy till Mr. Holmes was called away on business to Philadelphia. This was two weeks ago. Five days later I received an affectionate letter from him, in which he promised to come back the next day; and the news so delighted me that I accepted an invitation to the theater from some intimate friends of ours. The next morning I naturally felt fatigued and rose late; but I was very cheerful, for I expected my husband at noon. And now comes the perplexing mystery. In the course of dressing myself I stepped to my bureau, and seeing a small newspaper-slip attached to the cushion by a pin, I drew it off and read it. It was a death notice, and my hair rose and my limbs failed me as I took in its fatal and incredible words.... We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Victorian, Classics

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1900

About the author

Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Born in Brooklyn, New York, her early ambition was to write romantic verse, and she corresponded with Ralph Waldo Emerson. When her poetry failed to gain recognition, she produced her first and best known novel, The Leavenworth Case (1878). She became a bestselling author, eventually publishing about 40 books. She was in some ways a progressive woman for her time-succeeding in a genre dominated by male writers-but she did not approve of many of her feminist contemporaries, and she was opposed to women's suffrage. Her other works include A Strange Disappearance (1880), The Affair Next Door (1897), The Circular Study (1902), The Filigree Ball (1903), The Millionaire Baby (1905), The House in the Mist (1905), The Woman in the Alcove (1906), The House of the Whispering Pines (1910), Initials Only (1912), and The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow (1917).

Reviews

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars & 3/10 hearts. This is a quick little mystery, a little sad. There was a mention of whiskey, but otherwise it was clean. It was a murder mystery but not gruesome at all; mostly sadness for Lucy and James...

A Favourite Humorous Quote: “I went home. I felt ill, or imagined that I did, which under the circumstances was almost as bad.”

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lucy Holmes receives the death notice of her husband before he has died. She consults with a detective to discover the why and the who.
Not really much of a problem.
Short story originally published in 1900

[Myrna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the same story as "The Little Steel Coils" that is in book "Room Number 3 and other stories,"

[A.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A woman receives a letter from her husband saying he will be home in five days time. But it is his death notice that arrives first. And it is cut out and pinned to a small cushion. As she wonders at it, a telegram arrives saying her husband was found dead that morning. She goes to Philadelphia to check.
Then she engages a detective when the local police say it was an accidental death.

He died in his room. He was found lying on the floor near the bell button, which he had evidently risen to touch. One hand was clenched on his chest, but his face wore a peaceful look as if death had come too suddenly to cause him much suffering. His bed was undisturbed; he had died before retiring, possibly in the act of packing his trunk, for it was found nearly ready for the expressman. (Kindle Locations 46-49).

The young widow remembers hearing a man cough in a distinctive way that she recognised.
He is the prime suspect, and from there on, it is more a ‘howdunnit’ than a whodunnit.
Woorali is curare - the South American poison used in arrows.
2 stars

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mystery listening

Another will written thriller murder mystery by Anne Katherine Green with interesting will developed characters. The story line is set in New York City where murder comes to a new bride and the adventure begins. I would recommend this novella to readers looking for a quick mystery read or listening. Enjoy the adventure of reading or listening 2021 🗽

[Laraib Baloch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and interesting.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green is always a pleasure.

[Chandini · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's not really any mystery to this. There's only one suspect and all the "detecting" that goes on is of the simplest type. There's much better out there, try Edgar Wallace or Richard Austin Freeman if you want something from the Golden Age of Detection. Read Dorothy L. Sayers, the Queen of the Golden Age of Detection instead of Anna Katherine Green.

[Ema · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the story. Neat plot. But I'm wondering why the title A difficult problem? I don't think it's so hard.