Initials Only

Mr. Gryce #12

by Anna Katharine Green

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Ebooks, Romance, Edwardian, Audiobook

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1911

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

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman has died in plain view on the Mezzanine floor of an upscale hotel. She has been stabbed apparently and, although there is no weapon nearby, the coroner determines it to have been suicide. Sergeant Sweetwater is not convinced, especially when he recalls an unsolved murder over in Brooklyn.

So early on there is a suspect, though means and motive remain a mystery. This reader was fairly convinced of the means, but only because I have read a fair number of mysteries of late. What kept me reading was to see if Sweetwater could figure it out. There were additional life stories which made this interesting.

I've come to enjoy these very early mysteries. Green's writing style is more 19th Century than 20th, and it makes me realize how much I miss the old stuff. I have a few more of these in my future to fill out the years in my 20th Century Women challenge, but I'll take a break for a bit. This one is a strong 3-stars.

[Leona]

Started this one; couldn't get through it. Life is too short to read bad books.

[Kathy]

Did get through this somehow. Thinking I will discard the others I had downloaded as this level of "drama" does not appeal to me. Good for her that she wrote and published a hundred years ago but there is no wit in her books.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting mystery, starting in the viewpoint of a couple who are passing down the street, before switching to the detective, and at length several other characters. A bit lengthy in spots, particularly in describing one of the male characters who is a "impeccable example of the male species", but has no warmth or humanity. In places where the character could have answered simply, they tended to ramble on an on, ending up in theorizing instead of answering.
But...I fully cheered on Detective Sweetwater, finding our opinions ran along the same line at times, smiling at his exuberance in undertaking a problem. Loved Doris, felt the ending was a bit macabre and abrupt. If you like Mary Roberts Rhinehart, I think you would find this a nice read for a winters evening.

[Jwatford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story involves the murder of a young woman in a very public location. The physical method employed is a major part of the mystery as no one was close enough to inflict the fatal wound. There was no exit wound, no bullet and no arrow found.

The first half of the story takes place in New York city and the remainder in a small village in Pennsylvania.

The characters are interesting but not well developed. The mystery was sufficient to keep me turning the pages. I suspect many mystery aficionados will guess what weapon was used.

I read a Gutenberg EBook edition in the epub format. Strangely the font changed from regular to italics at page 15-16 and continued in italics until the end. I didn't attempt to trouble-shoot it but after reading close to 200 pages of italics I recommend you check before you start and if you find the same problem that you try to remedy the situation before proceeding!

[Portobellord · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman is murdered in full view of witnesses. She is seemingly stabbed to death, yet no one was seen near her. How then was she killed? Green always has an interesting way of narrating her books. The narration is begun by a woman who at the periphery of the crime then she bows out of the story and the focus passes to Sweetwater, the detective. Sweetwater is a great character, going undercover and developing a rapport with the suspected murderer. I will admit that I feel rather stupid in not figuring out how the crime was committed earlier. While the mystery was intriguing, what kept me reading is the characters and Green’s ability to craft characters that you can instantly identify with and sympathize with. What I love most about Green’s books is that she is adept at showcasing the psychological underpinnings of the criminal mind.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Youtube

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read her before, but this one was just not great. Too wordy, too implausible, just needed a good editor to take her by the hand.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Millionairess Miss Edith Challoner is killed while staying at the Clermont Hotel, while sitting in plain sight and no-one near her. How and why. Detectives Gryce and Sweetwater investigate.
Interesting mystery but I knew straightaway how it was done.

[Tweety · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start this off with saying, You Will Not Guess How the Crime is Committed. You Just Won't. Unless you have a magnificent imagination like the author evidently did.

It's almost got a science fiction feel to it.

Inventor.

Miss Edith Challonder is a young and well known society woman with a reputation for being kind and fair minded. So when she dies suddenly before their very eyes in the mezzanine of her hotel, they are shocked and upset. She was healthy and well liked with no known enemies. What was thought to be a shot is found to have been a stab wound in her heart, but not only did no one see anything or anyone, no one heard anything either. Odder still, the weapon cannot be found. Or at least, it cannot be proven it is the weapon.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't one of Green's best. The story was good, but she drew the story out far too long. Also, unlike most of her books, there seemed to be a serious editing problem toward the end. She did the usual maddeningly slow reveal of how the killer managed to kill without leaving a trace then she went through almost exactly the same thing with the detective figuring it out. First time was a surprise (sort of) but second time was just sloppy and wasteful.

All in all, this would have been much better as a short story.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it does not take too long to identify the murderer, getting him to make a slip, or a confession, happens only at the end of the story. From the beginning until the confession, a small bit of doubt keeps the reader guessing -- did he really do it? A good plot, well written -- Anna Katherine Green was a good writer of mysteries!

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a really hard time staying with this book. The plot was too choppy, and the characters too flat. Of course, as an Amazon Kindle freebie, I guess I shouldn't ask for much! Although some of their other freebies have been good . . .

[Teri Pre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great in parts, slow moving in others.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story is quite dated, although some of the characters (Sweetwater) are of interest.

[Carrie Campbell-jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story started out good but then it went into a really weird angle at the last third of the book. It left me wondering why the author even went with that angle. That ruined it.

[Fil · Rating 2 out of 5]

La ricerca "impossibile" (trovare un'altra Christie) continua con la Green: ennesima delusione!

L'atmosfera da giallo classico è presente, ma un giallo con un solo sospettato per tre quarti del libro mi lascia abbastanza perplesso. Fortunatamente entra in scena nel finale un secondo personaggio... logicamente con le stesse iniziali.

L'unica cosa positiva è individuare il modus operandi: non semplice.

Meglio di Wallace, peggio di Van Dine, la ricerca continua!

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this story this evening. This is my second or third AKG read and it had some very strong points. I like her character development as well as the situations and relationships in her stories. She writes detailed descriptions of feeling and character thoughts and emotions, but sometimes she uses too many words to get the feelings and details across. This story and the murder came down to misinterpreted feelings and the eventual guilt that occurred when the mistake was identified.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uneven, lurching among multiple narrators (including, it seems, the author), and attempting to be in turns a mystery, a drippy romance, and a psychological study, with even a bit of a meglomaniacal Tom Swift tossed in. Effective writing too often gives way to turgid and overwrought prose. Brief sections that succeed are not enough to keep this dated and lumpy stew from being a disappointment. If I am generous, 2 1/2 stars.

[Lori Killion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this mystery. There were some great twists & turns that kept me interested & guessing. Was it suicide or murder? Was she shot or stabbed? These are pretty huge questions to have & they're just the beginning! There's a love story here also but it's not overly mushy or anything. It's just a great story overall that you should listen to.

[Antonella Sacco]

Lento e non molto originale.
In realtà nemmeno un "vero" giallo, a mio parere.

Il modo di uccidere l'avevo già trovato (simile) in un giallo di Ellery Queen (anche se non so quale dei 2 romanzi sia stato scritto prima)

[MarilynLovesNature · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say too much for fear of giving away this mystery. It unfolded slowly and was a little creepy for me. A lot of things were going on. Detective Sweetwater gets pretty involved, so we learn more about him. It was suspenseful throughout and kept me guessing until the end. Well written.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly entertaining and well narrated by Librivox volunteers.

[Monica Riva · Rating 1 out of 5]

Noiosetto.

[Daniy ♠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, i feel like I read all of akg good book first and all thats left lately are the bad ones lol
this really drags on a lot, and its only like 200 pages...

[Leserling Belana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Over the years, I’ve listened to many of Anna Katharine Green’s mysteries, and I liked them. They are well written, and the audios were OK, too (even if the mispronunciation of various words grated on me, but it is librivox policy to never correct pronunciation, unless the reader asks for it).

This book was different. It was not a solo recording, but a collaborative one, and an early one, dating from a time when neither the recording equipment nor the recording software were particularly good. And so, this specific book and recording were a mixed bag.

The story is boring. It starts out well, then goes off on a tangent pretty early on, and although we get to know the ‚whodunnit‘ and how, it is far from satisfying. No explanation of the murder device, a flimsy excuse as to the why… if it hadn’t been for a challenge which required me to either read or listen to a book starting with the letter I, I wouldn’t have finished it. The characters are flat and one-dimensional, they don't develop, and there's not a single person I really connected and felt with. Only Streetwater shows some promise.

Some chapters were of very bad sound quality, others I couldn’t understand due to the accent of some of the readers, so I had my kindle read those chapters to me, and the computerized voice was a lot better than the recording in those cases.

On the whole, this wasn’t an experience I enjoyed, since the story didn’t make up for the at times very poor audio. I truly wouldn’t recommend this book (in print or otherwise) to anybody.

[El · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't as impressed with this Anna K Green Ebenezer Gryce novel as those I've already read. The book starts well with a murder in plain sight where the wound seems to have occurred with no possible explanation of how. Rather a long-winded exposition then follows where nobody is able to explain this anomaly until both the murderer and the detective reveal the truth. (I have to admit here that I have read a Roald Dahl short story which uses a similar modus operandi but that didn't help me to work it out here!) I think the author loses her way a little in this novel with too many undeveloped characters - the opening narrator who then disappears, never to be seen again, the incredibly beautiful Doris - and a denouement which gave me the impression that Ms Green had got a little tired of this plot and just decided, "Think I'll end this now!" That said, I still enjoyed listening to it and marvelling at (and smiling at, if I am honest!) the mores of this distant time where a murderer confessing his crimes can be allowed to wait till morning to be arrested so that he can put his affairs in order and write a few letters. It truly was another world.

[Book Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my second book by this author. I also did not like the first one I read (The Leavenworth Case) so I don't think I'll read any more of her books.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the old fashioned police investigations. Cool.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious and overwrought. Easily her weakest.