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Mr. Gryce #2
A Strange Disappearance
First published in 1880, this second novel in the "Mr. Gryce" series lays out two apparently unrelated mysteries to which Mr. Gryce assigns Q to investigate. Green introduced "Q" in The Leavenworth Case as rather a shadowy character who gets the job done in spite of, or more likely because of, his strangeness. The Strange Disappearance, this time narrated by Q, involves a sewing woman who disappears from the household of Holman Blake.
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First published January 1, 1880
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About the author
Anna Katharine Green
534 books197 followersAnna 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).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
February 3, 2021
A sewing girl disappears from the house of a wealthy gentleman under mysterious circumstances. Inspector Gryce is called upon to solve the case.
I didn't much care for this story which could be put under the category of Romance. There was too much talking and explaining. Not my cup of tea.
I didn't much care for this story which could be put under the category of Romance. There was too much talking and explaining. Not my cup of tea.
May 6, 2018
I was very taken with the detective, Ebeneezer Gryce, when I read 'The Leavenworth Case' a few years ago; and so when I realised that his second recorded case would fill a tricky year in my 100 Years of Books I had to read it.
The story begins in the middle of a conversation between a group of detectives, with one of the most astute and accomplished men, who is known only as 'Q', saying to a group of colleagues:
“Talking of sudden disappearances the one you mention of Hannah in that Leavenworth case of ours, is not the only remarkable one which has come under my direct notice. Indeed, I know of another that in some respects, at least, surpasses that in points of interest, and if you will promise not to inquire into the real names of the parties concerned, as the affair is a secret, I will relate you my experience regarding it.”
There is a great deal that is strange about the disappearance of a sewing girl from the house of a notable and wealthy man. It is the housekeeper who asks for assistance, because she is sure that the girl he has been abducted. She is remarkably firm about that point, and about the good character of someone she has only known for a very short time; even going so far as to offer a reward. Her employer, on the other hand, is completely disinterested and wants nothing to do with the detectives who are carrying out investigations in his home. It was difficult for them to find out much at all about the missing girl, because she had not shared accommodation with the other servants; the housekeeper had given her much nicer quarters inside the sewing room, and she had rarely left that room.
I could see possibilities, but none of them quite worked; and the mystery really did seem inexplicable.
Mr Gryce said little, but he handled people beautifully, and later in the story it became clear that he had observed a great deal and that there were very good reasons why he was held in such high regard.
He stationed Q in a boarding house across the road, to observe the household and to keep a particularly close eye on the master of the house. He observes a great deal, and he is drawn into high drama when he follows his suspect a very long way from home.
Q couldn't make sense of it all, but Mr Gryce could; and he knew exactly how and when to reveal what he knew and to persuade others to talk.
Anna Katherine Green constructed a very cunning plot, and she wrote very well. The story could have been set in any of a number of periods, but her writing style and her handling of romance places it very firmly in the Victorian era. When I read 'The Leavenworth Case' I saw the influence of Wilkie Collins, and I see it again in this book.
I was intrigued by the mystery, and I was particularly taken by the drawing of the two detectives and the relationship between them. The older man was a very capable professional, no more and no less; while the younger man appreciated this and was pleased to be working with him, to learn from him, and maybe to one day emulate him. The other characters had rather less depth, but they were clearly defined and they served this story well.
The setting up of the story and the beginning of the resolution were much stronger than the final denouement. There was high drama, there was grand romance, but it was all a little too much. I was very pleased with the final solution, but I wish that it might have been reached a little more quickly and with rather less fuss.
This is not a book to rank with the great women crime writers who would emerge in the 20th century, but it is a very readable and very entertaining period mystery; and it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that one or more of them had read and enjoyed this book and others by its author when they were young.
The story begins in the middle of a conversation between a group of detectives, with one of the most astute and accomplished men, who is known only as 'Q', saying to a group of colleagues:
“Talking of sudden disappearances the one you mention of Hannah in that Leavenworth case of ours, is not the only remarkable one which has come under my direct notice. Indeed, I know of another that in some respects, at least, surpasses that in points of interest, and if you will promise not to inquire into the real names of the parties concerned, as the affair is a secret, I will relate you my experience regarding it.”
There is a great deal that is strange about the disappearance of a sewing girl from the house of a notable and wealthy man. It is the housekeeper who asks for assistance, because she is sure that the girl he has been abducted. She is remarkably firm about that point, and about the good character of someone she has only known for a very short time; even going so far as to offer a reward. Her employer, on the other hand, is completely disinterested and wants nothing to do with the detectives who are carrying out investigations in his home. It was difficult for them to find out much at all about the missing girl, because she had not shared accommodation with the other servants; the housekeeper had given her much nicer quarters inside the sewing room, and she had rarely left that room.
I could see possibilities, but none of them quite worked; and the mystery really did seem inexplicable.
Mr Gryce said little, but he handled people beautifully, and later in the story it became clear that he had observed a great deal and that there were very good reasons why he was held in such high regard.
He stationed Q in a boarding house across the road, to observe the household and to keep a particularly close eye on the master of the house. He observes a great deal, and he is drawn into high drama when he follows his suspect a very long way from home.
Q couldn't make sense of it all, but Mr Gryce could; and he knew exactly how and when to reveal what he knew and to persuade others to talk.
Anna Katherine Green constructed a very cunning plot, and she wrote very well. The story could have been set in any of a number of periods, but her writing style and her handling of romance places it very firmly in the Victorian era. When I read 'The Leavenworth Case' I saw the influence of Wilkie Collins, and I see it again in this book.
I was intrigued by the mystery, and I was particularly taken by the drawing of the two detectives and the relationship between them. The older man was a very capable professional, no more and no less; while the younger man appreciated this and was pleased to be working with him, to learn from him, and maybe to one day emulate him. The other characters had rather less depth, but they were clearly defined and they served this story well.
The setting up of the story and the beginning of the resolution were much stronger than the final denouement. There was high drama, there was grand romance, but it was all a little too much. I was very pleased with the final solution, but I wish that it might have been reached a little more quickly and with rather less fuss.
This is not a book to rank with the great women crime writers who would emerge in the 20th century, but it is a very readable and very entertaining period mystery; and it wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that one or more of them had read and enjoyed this book and others by its author when they were young.
July 14, 2022
Although I have enjoyed other books by Anna Katherine Green, this one seemed a little contrived and perhaps that made the style seem more than a little out-dated. While I am fond of mystery elements in books, I will also readily admit that mystery as a genre is not my bent. The plotting seemed very much in the lines of Sherlock Holmes, but without the personality that draws you into that character.
I was disappointed that Mr. Gryce, for whom I had developed a liking in The Leavenworth Case, played a minor role in this one. The story is related to us, instead, through a secondary police officer, Q (with none of the pizzazz of a Star Trek alien). None of the main characters reacts to any situation as I would expect a real person to react, so that all the actions and emotions seem over-the-top or incredulous.
This one hovered just a tad above okay–a 2.5 star read. Still, I read it through to the end, with curiosity as to how Ms. Green was going to tie it up, so I have settled on a 3-star instead of a 2-star rating.
I was disappointed that Mr. Gryce, for whom I had developed a liking in The Leavenworth Case, played a minor role in this one. The story is related to us, instead, through a secondary police officer, Q (with none of the pizzazz of a Star Trek alien). None of the main characters reacts to any situation as I would expect a real person to react, so that all the actions and emotions seem over-the-top or incredulous.
This one hovered just a tad above okay–a 2.5 star read. Still, I read it through to the end, with curiosity as to how Ms. Green was going to tie it up, so I have settled on a 3-star instead of a 2-star rating.
August 16, 2019
Δεν έχω μεγάλη εμπειρία και τριβή με τα αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα, ομολογώ ανερυθρίαστα όμως πως η πένα της Άννα Γκρην με εντυπωσιάζει το ίδιο με αυτή της Αγκάθα Κρίστι, όταν έπιασα στα χέρια μου το «Μιά Παράξενη Εξαφάνιση» δεν είχα ταυτοποιήσει το όνομα με αυτό που έγραψε την «Υπόθεση Λέβενγουορθ» με εντυπωσίασε όμως για μία ακόμη φορά ο τρόπος που βάζει τη μία λέξη πίσω από την άλλη, και εκεί που νομίζεις πως διαβάζεις ένα αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα της σειράς, ξαφνικά ξετυλίγονται ταυτόχρονα μπροστά σου, καθημερινές ιστορίες ενός κόσμου με πάμπολα μυστικά, αναρίθμητες απογοητεύσεις και δολοπλοκίες πίσω από κάθε κλειδωμένη πόρτα, πίσω από κάθε ερμητικά κλειστή κουρτίνα, αλλά κάτω και πάνω από όλα αφηγείται σαν να είναι δικιά της, μία απρόσμενα οικεία ιστορία αγάπης που με συνεπήρε και με ταξίδεψε με αμείωτο το ενδιαφέρον μου για τους ήρωες της μέχρι το τέλος.
Ακόμα ένα διαμαντάκι της σειράς Aldina της Gutenberg, που ακόμα δεν έχω διαβάσει βιβλίο της που να μη με έχει κερδίσει. ΣΤΗ ΓΩΝΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΕΡΙΜΕΝΩ!
Ακόμα ένα διαμαντάκι της σειράς Aldina της Gutenberg, που ακόμα δεν έχω διαβάσει βιβλίο της που να μη με έχει κερδίσει. ΣΤΗ ΓΩΝΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΕΡΙΜΕΝΩ!
May 30, 2021
Μια καλή ιστορία μυστηρίου που σου κρατάει το ενδιαφέρον μέχρι το τέλος χωρίς περιττές και κουραστικές λεπτομέρειες!
Συμπαθείς αφηγητής και ενδιαφέροντες πρωταγωνιστές! Μου άρεσε πολύ και σίγουρα θα διάβαζα και άλλα βιβλία της σειράς αν είχαν μεταφραστεί!
A good mystery that keeps your interest until the last page without unnecessary and tiresome details!
A sympathetic narrator and interesting main characters! I liked the story very much!
Συμπαθείς αφηγητής και ενδιαφέροντες πρωταγωνιστές! Μου άρεσε πολύ και σίγουρα θα διάβαζα και άλλα βιβλία της σειράς αν είχαν μεταφραστεί!
A good mystery that keeps your interest until the last page without unnecessary and tiresome details!
A sympathetic narrator and interesting main characters! I liked the story very much!
August 30, 2017
I'm not certain I can give a good reason why I like Anna Katherine Green and am not especially enamored of more recent mystery writers. For me, it is the better prose - better to my ear, in any case. It's quite possible she was "talking down" to her 19th Century audience, as I feel many 21st Century authors do. She is no James Patterson, thankfully, and, unlike Cormac McCarthy, she writes in complete sentences. I think her prose a bit better than Agatha Christie, but her stories are not.
This particular mystery was a bit more transparent than the first I read by her. The second in the Mr. Gryce series, we see less of him than we should expect of the series title. Instead, this is told in large part by his assistant, "Q", who also does most of the investigating. I like these two fellows and will continue the series as I have opportunity to do so. The other characters are interesting insofar as they populate the mystery, but are not fully-fleshed, as one might expect in something more literary. Anything more than three-stars for this genre would be stretching it.
This particular mystery was a bit more transparent than the first I read by her. The second in the Mr. Gryce series, we see less of him than we should expect of the series title. Instead, this is told in large part by his assistant, "Q", who also does most of the investigating. I like these two fellows and will continue the series as I have opportunity to do so. The other characters are interesting insofar as they populate the mystery, but are not fully-fleshed, as one might expect in something more literary. Anything more than three-stars for this genre would be stretching it.
March 27, 2021
Not much of a mystery story, more of a Victorian romance. The Leavenworth Case is much more interesting.
November 24, 2014
I was a little bit disappointed by this after enjoying The Leavenworth Case so much. A K Green is hailed as the Mother of Modern Crime Fiction but it didn't take me long to work out what was going on here. Added to this, I was disappointed to find that Police Inspector Ebenezer Gryce (the Sherlock Holmes of his time) hardly appeared, leaving the detective work to his assistant, Q. And the main female character was so wishy-washy, unassuming and saintly that I wanted to shake her - but I do appreciate that I was looking at her not with an 1880s glance but with 21st Century eyes. On the plus side, I liked the way the book is divided into numerous short revelatory chapters where all is explained by a character to those of us who might have missed something. But on the negative side, I listened to this on a (paid for) LibriVox audiobook and, while feeling very grateful indeed to the volunteers who give their time to record, this particular recording involved numerous voices, male and female, which made listening to the book a very disconnected experience. The sound level changed with each reader, there was birdsong in the background of some and one reader's rendering was so flat, monotonous and error-filled that I dreaded hearing that voice again. However, "reading" a crime novel published in 1880 and depicting the methods used at that time to solve a crime - no DNA evidence, no fingerprints, no Police Station interviews, etc - was an interesting experience and I will definitely go on to read some more of Ms Green's work.
July 4, 2016
A young woman has disappeared from a fifth avenue home. The bachelor owner, Mr Holman Blake, says he knows nothing of her. But the housekeeper Mrs Daniel is worried and goes to the police. Q finds blood on the windowsill and the girl has not taken the time to pack. It seems clear that she left unwillingly. But why go over the roof when she could have walked out the servant door?
***
Mr Gryce returns in book 2 of Green’s pre-Sherlock detective stories, but this time the investigator is Q, his offsider. It is the kind of thing where Q is trying to prove himself to his boss. Oddly, the housekeeper swears she loves the girl but is unable to describe her. The girl has clothes and articles that are not the kind of thing a servant seamstress would have. Nor are her rooms servant sized.
It seems she bears a resemblance to Mr Blake’s cousin Evelyn, whom he loved, with her pale skin and long black hair. But Evelyn married an old French count and is now Countess de Mirac. Q spies on the cousins talking at a ball and sees that she still loves Blake.
Gryce points out the hair in the missing woman’s hairbrush is long and blonde.
Q loves his disguises and uses them to follow Blake in the days after the disappearance. Blake searches the streets. But for whom? Q, meanwhile dates one of the maids to catch the house gossip, and then follows Blake across the country to an abandoned hotel. He realises it is the hideout of two escaped convicts but is unable to work out what link Blake has with it.
Blake talks to a young girl in the street who matches the description of the missing seamstress, and her body is found days later in the river.
***
An intriguing mystery. I love the idea that the goodness of the woman could wring any sort of oath from these men, and
The master of disguise, Q, does it again. With some help from Inspector Gryce.
3 stars
***
Mr Gryce returns in book 2 of Green’s pre-Sherlock detective stories, but this time the investigator is Q, his offsider. It is the kind of thing where Q is trying to prove himself to his boss. Oddly, the housekeeper swears she loves the girl but is unable to describe her. The girl has clothes and articles that are not the kind of thing a servant seamstress would have. Nor are her rooms servant sized.
It seems she bears a resemblance to Mr Blake’s cousin Evelyn, whom he loved, with her pale skin and long black hair. But Evelyn married an old French count and is now Countess de Mirac. Q spies on the cousins talking at a ball and sees that she still loves Blake.
Gryce points out the hair in the missing woman’s hairbrush is long and blonde.
Q loves his disguises and uses them to follow Blake in the days after the disappearance. Blake searches the streets. But for whom? Q, meanwhile dates one of the maids to catch the house gossip, and then follows Blake across the country to an abandoned hotel. He realises it is the hideout of two escaped convicts but is unable to work out what link Blake has with it.
Blake talks to a young girl in the street who matches the description of the missing seamstress, and her body is found days later in the river.
***
An intriguing mystery. I love the idea that the goodness of the woman could wring any sort of oath from these men, and
The master of disguise, Q, does it again. With some help from Inspector Gryce.
3 stars
August 13, 2012
Anna Katherine Green is considered the ’mother’ of mystery novel writing in US. I downloaded a bunch of books by her and “A Strange Disappearance” is the first one that I read.
I really did enjoy the book.It was very ‘Wilkie Collins’ in its style but less obtuse. The mystery was fairly simple. A young maid has disappeared in odd circumstances from the house of a famous diplomat, Mr. Blake. The only who seems to care is the old housekeeper Mrs. Daniels. She approaches the police and is helped my Mr. Gryce , the police detective and his junior assitant. The novel is narrated by this assistant. Thuogh Mr Blake does not issue an investigation, the assitant on his own accord, decides to observe the goings on at Mr. Blake’s residence to get to the bottom of the mystery. We follow him follow Mr. Blake around the town and in the countryside and discover pieces of information that all seem to tie back to the disappearance of the young girl.
Several questions arise in the first few pages – What was the realy identity of the girl who has disappeared? Why does Mr. Blake haunt the alleys of New York? Who is the woman in the potrait in his study? What’s the secret in the abandoned innhouse?
The story is interesting and quite a page turner for that style of writing. The descriptions are very effective – I felt the hair stand on my neck quite a few times.
I really did enjoy the book.It was very ‘Wilkie Collins’ in its style but less obtuse. The mystery was fairly simple. A young maid has disappeared in odd circumstances from the house of a famous diplomat, Mr. Blake. The only who seems to care is the old housekeeper Mrs. Daniels. She approaches the police and is helped my Mr. Gryce , the police detective and his junior assitant. The novel is narrated by this assistant. Thuogh Mr Blake does not issue an investigation, the assitant on his own accord, decides to observe the goings on at Mr. Blake’s residence to get to the bottom of the mystery. We follow him follow Mr. Blake around the town and in the countryside and discover pieces of information that all seem to tie back to the disappearance of the young girl.
Several questions arise in the first few pages – What was the realy identity of the girl who has disappeared? Why does Mr. Blake haunt the alleys of New York? Who is the woman in the potrait in his study? What’s the secret in the abandoned innhouse?
The story is interesting and quite a page turner for that style of writing. The descriptions are very effective – I felt the hair stand on my neck quite a few times.
August 11, 2020
At first I was not sure I would like this book because her style of writing depicts the times from which she writes. It is overblown with long descriptive sentences and paragraphs. I decided to give it a chance and read a few chapters and by then Ms. Green had me engrossed in the story and loving her style of writing. I'm definitely going to read another mystery by her.
July 12, 2021
Ενα αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα απο την ¨μητέρα¨της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας. Διαβάστηκε απνευστί! Ωραί πλοκή και πολύ ενδιαφέροντες χαρακτήρες. Σίγουρα θα αναζητήσω και τα υπόλοιπα της συγγραφές για ανάγνωση.
December 30, 2024
Μία όμορφη ράφτρα εξαφανίζεται μυστηριωδώς ένα βράδυ από ένα πλούσιο σπίτι στο οποίο εργαζόταν. Ο αφέντης του σπιτιού δε δίνει ιδιαίτερη σημασία στην υπόθεση σε αντίθεση με την οικονόμο η οποία ενημερώνει τις αρχές.
Πολύ όμορφη ιστορία με πλοκή που σε κρατάει σε ενδιαφέρον ως το τέλος.
Πολύ όμορφη ιστορία με πλοκή που σε κρατάει σε ενδιαφέρον ως το τέλος.
May 1, 2021
Another great classic ticked off my list. This is my second book by author Anna Katharine Green. The writing is stellar, this storyline not as good as the Leavenworth Case though. Another point, even though it is the second book with Detective Gryce, no need to read back to back.
December 30, 2014
Amore nato da delusione e inganno
L’investigatore dell’agenzia Harrison, Gryce, e il suo collega, Smart, sono alle prese con UNA STRANA SCOMPARSA, nel romanzo giallo di Anna K. Green, dal titolo omonimo.
I loro nomi sono facili da ricordare. Ad agire e raccontare il caso, è Smart, giovane e intraprendente.
Una giovane guardarobiera scompare dalla residenza del milionario Robert Blake, il quale ha a mala pena notato la sua presenza. Anche la dinamica della scomparsa è alquanto singolare, come tutta la prima parte del romanzo, dove più che indizi abbiamo misteri che si sommano ad altre situazioni impenetrabili.
Il caso d’indagine, in principio, sembra quasi non sussistere: è quello che attualmente siamo soliti definire un “allontanamento volontario”. Ma Smart vuole vederci chiaro, poiché l’unica testimone del “rapimento” dice e non dice, racconta, però si trattiene dal rivelare troppo, e sembra costantemente nascondere una verità inconfessabile. L’attenzione del lettore si acuisce insieme alle astuzie adottate dagli investigatori per scoprire cosa si cela dietro la sempre più immotivata scomparsa. Oltre al metodo intuitivo e, all’occorrenza, ai travestimenti, anche l’osservazione e l’analisi delle componenti psicologiche è interessante e utile ai fini della risoluzione del caso.
Lo stesso miliardario ha più di un segreto e più di una passione, ma anche forti interessi in gioco.
Non è il più bello di Anna K. Green, ma non manca di allietare il lettore che si lascia coinvolgere e appassionare dall’indagine.
L’investigatore dell’agenzia Harrison, Gryce, e il suo collega, Smart, sono alle prese con UNA STRANA SCOMPARSA, nel romanzo giallo di Anna K. Green, dal titolo omonimo.
I loro nomi sono facili da ricordare. Ad agire e raccontare il caso, è Smart, giovane e intraprendente.
Una giovane guardarobiera scompare dalla residenza del milionario Robert Blake, il quale ha a mala pena notato la sua presenza. Anche la dinamica della scomparsa è alquanto singolare, come tutta la prima parte del romanzo, dove più che indizi abbiamo misteri che si sommano ad altre situazioni impenetrabili.
Il caso d’indagine, in principio, sembra quasi non sussistere: è quello che attualmente siamo soliti definire un “allontanamento volontario”. Ma Smart vuole vederci chiaro, poiché l’unica testimone del “rapimento” dice e non dice, racconta, però si trattiene dal rivelare troppo, e sembra costantemente nascondere una verità inconfessabile. L’attenzione del lettore si acuisce insieme alle astuzie adottate dagli investigatori per scoprire cosa si cela dietro la sempre più immotivata scomparsa. Oltre al metodo intuitivo e, all’occorrenza, ai travestimenti, anche l’osservazione e l’analisi delle componenti psicologiche è interessante e utile ai fini della risoluzione del caso.
Lo stesso miliardario ha più di un segreto e più di una passione, ma anche forti interessi in gioco.
Non è il più bello di Anna K. Green, ma non manca di allietare il lettore che si lascia coinvolgere e appassionare dall’indagine.
July 4, 2014
I REALLY, REALLY LIKE THIS AUTHOR!!! Yet another story that had me on the edge of my seat, turning the pages, and reveling in the twists and turns come up at the end! LOVED this book!! Well done Anna Green!! By the way since most if not ALL of Anna Katharine Green's books are Classicals, they are available as FREE audiobooks on most audiobook sites and also as a FREE ebook here on Good Reads (AWESOOOMMME!!). The audiobook app that I'm using is Audiobooks 7000+ from the iphone app store, and they use Libravox (a reading service I guess?) to have different people from around the world volunteering to read the various chapters, so sometimes you have to endure the accent of the reader. That is my only gripe - but it didn't stop me from enjoying the telling of this book.
September 20, 2011
This mystery has a good start, and reasonably engaging plot, but it goes downhill after about a third of the way into the story. Rather predictable after a certain point. The ending was satisfactory as far as the mystery went, but one of the characters had a mistaken sense of duty that was annoying. Not particularly outstanding in any way. 2.5 stars.
September 26, 2022
Well written.
If I keep reading 19th century novels, I’ll need to buy a fainting couch.
If I keep reading 19th century novels, I’ll need to buy a fainting couch.
February 22, 2022
Αυτό το βιβλίο γράφτηκε το 1880 και μπορώ να πω ότι η συγγραφέας ήταν πολύ μπροστά για την εποχή της! Θεωρείται η "μητέρα" της αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας την οποία θαύμαζε η Αγκάθα Κρίστι. Ναι μεν η πλοκή είναι απλή, η λύση δίνεται αβίαστα, ωστόσο οι χαρακτήρες έχουν αρκετό ενδιαφέρον. Κάποιοι διάλογοι μπορεί να ξενίζουν αλλά ας μην ξεχνάμε ότι μιλάμε για 140 χρόνια πριν. Ένα βιβλίο που κύλησε όμορφα και διαβάστηκε ευχάριστα. Οι εκδόσεις Gutenberg και η σειρά Aldina για ακόμη μια φορά αποτελούν εγγύηση!
April 10, 2017
I love reading old British mysteries (anything pre-WW2) so enjoyed this American one, published in 1880. It takes place in NYC--I visited the Tenement Museum two weeks ago so appreciated this time and place. Two warnings to mystery fans:
1. Written in an older style, the mystery is solved earlier in the plot than modern novels.
2. The author's overly perfect females (paragons of virtue and faithfulness!) are also dated but fit literature of that era--see C Dickens if you don't believe me.
1. Written in an older style, the mystery is solved earlier in the plot than modern novels.
2. The author's overly perfect females (paragons of virtue and faithfulness!) are also dated but fit literature of that era--see C Dickens if you don't believe me.
December 12, 2021
This was fine, but the way Q solves the final part of the mystery is way too dumb
January 15, 2024
Okay mystery. It was a read for the vintage book club....some of the paragraphs ran on wwwaaaayyyyy too long, like for pages.
February 18, 2011
What a smart little mystery. Has sort of a British style in America, with secret liaisons and class struggles and everything. I have a hard time not admiring Green as a "lady detective novelist" because of her context and strong female characters (Name your daughter Luttra), but she really is just a great detective novelist.
September 2, 2011
Pretty good for a free book for Kindle. I thought this one was much better than Dark Hollow, which is the only other Anna Katharine Green book I've read. I'm glad I gave her another chance. There wasn't much fainting in this one. It held my interest till the end, which is saying a lot, considering my attention span these days.
May 2, 2012
An early detective story by a woman writer about a sewing girl in a rich man's house who is abducted. The housekeeper reports the crime and the detective in charge doesn't understand why it is imperative that the servant be found. There are some twists and things aren't as they seem. Can't say much more without giving it away.
June 13, 2013
This book fits very well my predilection for stories with stupendous heroines, be them old Miss Marple or young Marie Louise. Perhaps AKG's approach to genders' roles might be considered nowadays as too unsatisfactory but, nevertheless, the protagonist values of mental strength and integrity are an ageless, difficult to achieve, goal for all of us.
Want to read
February 9, 2016#
NC
Own on Nook.
FS: "Talking of sudden disappearances the one you mention of Hannah in that Leavenworth case of ours, is not the only remarkable one which has come under my direct notice."
LS: "And with a look that was more than words, she gave me a flower from the bouquet she held in her hand, and smilingly withdrew."
NC
Own on Nook.
FS: "Talking of sudden disappearances the one you mention of Hannah in that Leavenworth case of ours, is not the only remarkable one which has come under my direct notice."
LS: "And with a look that was more than words, she gave me a flower from the bouquet she held in her hand, and smilingly withdrew."
November 13, 2010
I picked this book up bc it was free on kindle + the author is reputed to be one of the influences to Agatha Christie. She is not nearly as good as Christie. The book was enjoyable enough, but I can't say I am feeling compelled to read anymore of hers.
April 11, 2012
This was one of Anna Katharine Green's better books. The mystery is solved fairly quickly, but the adventure continues and is well-crafted. Of course, it reads like something from its own era, but can still be enjoyed today.
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