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Masterpieces of Mystery
Stories of murder and mayhem from the first lady of American mysteryMasterpieces of Mystery is a scintillating collection of suspenseful tales from pioneering author Anna Katharine Green, one of the first female writers of detective fiction. Tantalizingly tangled plots and unpredictable revelations A young housewife left home alone on Christmas Eve worries about the threat of robbery when a stranger knocks at her door; a daughter checks in to Three Forks Tavern with her mother, only to awaken to find her mother missing and declared dead in the nearby woods; a valuable jewel is stolen at a society ball filled with duplicitous debutantes and dashing gentlemen; and a specter that haunts the apartment of a husband and wife, which may be a good spirit or a harbinger of doom. This collection includes the classic stories “Room No. 3,” “The Staircase at Heart’s Delight,” “The Grey Lady,” “The House in the Mist,” and more. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
129 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1913
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169 people want to read
About the author
Anna Katharine Green
536 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 14, 2024
Tantalizingly tangled plots and unpredictable revelations abound: A young housewife left home alone on Christmas Eve worries about the threat of robbery when a stranger knocks at her door; a daughter checks in to Three Forks Tavern with her mother, only to awaken to find her mother missing and declared dead in the nearby woods; a valuable jewel is stolen at a society ball filled with duplicitous debutantes and dashing gentlemen; and a specter that haunts the apartment of a husband and wife, which may be a good spirit or a harbinger of doom.
Anna Katharine Green (1846–1935) was an American writer and one of the first authors of detective fiction in the United States. Her book The Leavenworth Case, published in 1878, became a wildly successful bestseller.
Anna Katharine Green (1846–1935) was an American writer and one of the first authors of detective fiction in the United States. Her book The Leavenworth Case, published in 1878, became a wildly successful bestseller.
June 17, 2023
Midnight in Beauchamp Row --3
Room no. 3 --3
The ruby and the caldron --2
The little steel coils (aka A difficult problem)--2
The staircase at Heart's Delight --3
The amethyst box --2
The grey lady --2
The thief --3
The house in the mist --3
***
The blue wash mystery--1
Room no. 3 --3
The ruby and the caldron --2
The little steel coils (aka A difficult problem)--2
The staircase at Heart's Delight --3
The amethyst box --2
The grey lady --2
The thief --3
The house in the mist --3
***
The blue wash mystery--1
December 15, 2014
I read this book in the early weeks of December during the Christmas shopping rush. I knew my spare reading time would be sparse and I wanted something I could spend a hour or so reading a short story; this book full of short mysteries filled the bill. I usually prefer something I can really sink my teeth into, but these shorter-version mysteries did have some meat on the bone that left for some entertainment and puzzlement.
May 14, 2016
This book was originally published over a hundred years ago, and reading it demonstrates how much tastes and trends have changed in the last century. Although most of the stories did have a murder, there was little explicit description of the crime. The emphasis was on solving the puzzle. The writing style was very different from modern mysteries, also. Quite interesting to see how much has changed, yet how the crux of a good mystery was and is the solution to a puzzle.
January 27, 2020
Free | Mixed bag, but none are particularly great. | One story in the collection I'd read in some other set at some point, and the rest were pretty typical of the time they were written, which means melodrama.
January 8, 2020
Spooky
The writing is stilted and dated but still contains genuine suspense and chills. Will look for more by the same author.
The writing is stilted and dated but still contains genuine suspense and chills. Will look for more by the same author.
October 15, 2023
Wow
This was such a neat collection of stories. It was interesting to get a glimpse of the writing style, and the stories were fascinating
This was such a neat collection of stories. It was interesting to get a glimpse of the writing style, and the stories were fascinating
January 10, 2017
AKG is one of the most underrated mystery writers out there. Why she isn't more recognized is anyone's guess. Is it because she was American when at the time (early 1900s) the popular mystery writers were British? Is it because she was female? Who knows. All I know is that I have never, and I mean NEVER, disappointed by any of her stories.
One story of note in this collection is "Room Number 3." It's the story of a vanishing mother...you know, like the Hitchcock movie "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) based on the 1936 Ethel Lina White novel "The Wheel Spins." Yep. That's right. AKG's version predates White's by 20 years. And trust me--I've read them both (and seen the movie), and can truthfully say I prefer AKG's to ELW's. There is a much better reason for the disappearance in AKG's than in ELW's as well as much more suspense and tension.
Another story included in this collection is the novella "The House in the Mist." It has what is perhaps the most clever and devious murder plot I've ever read--and I read a LOT of murder plots.
In short, if you have not read AKG, read her. You will NOT be disappointed.
One story of note in this collection is "Room Number 3." It's the story of a vanishing mother...you know, like the Hitchcock movie "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) based on the 1936 Ethel Lina White novel "The Wheel Spins." Yep. That's right. AKG's version predates White's by 20 years. And trust me--I've read them both (and seen the movie), and can truthfully say I prefer AKG's to ELW's. There is a much better reason for the disappearance in AKG's than in ELW's as well as much more suspense and tension.
Another story included in this collection is the novella "The House in the Mist." It has what is perhaps the most clever and devious murder plot I've ever read--and I read a LOT of murder plots.
In short, if you have not read AKG, read her. You will NOT be disappointed.
Want to read
February 24, 2019Synopsis: stories of mayhem from the first lady of American mystery: Room No. 3, The Staircase at Heart’s Delight, The Grey Lady, etc.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews