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Uncle Abner: Master of Mysteries
The adventures of a true American original--a detective who puts equal faith in his Bible and his brains
In the backwoods of West Virginia, years before the Civil War, a man arrives with gold in his purse and evil on his mind. His land too barren for farming, Doomdorf builds a still and grows rich selling high-proof moonshine to anyone with a bit of change in his pocket. As drunkenness and debauchery run rampant across the countryside, the locals turn against him. They are preparing to exact frontier justice when the bootlegger is found dead, shot through the heart in a room locked from the inside.
At the scene is Uncle Abner, a folksy sleuth who uses a keen eye and steadfast beliefs to solve the mysteries of Appalachia. In this landmark story collection, Abner contends with hunchbacks and drunkards, killers and thieves. In a time and a place beyond the rule of law, justice belongs to the Lord--and Uncle Abner is His instrument.
This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
In the backwoods of West Virginia, years before the Civil War, a man arrives with gold in his purse and evil on his mind. His land too barren for farming, Doomdorf builds a still and grows rich selling high-proof moonshine to anyone with a bit of change in his pocket. As drunkenness and debauchery run rampant across the countryside, the locals turn against him. They are preparing to exact frontier justice when the bootlegger is found dead, shot through the heart in a room locked from the inside.
At the scene is Uncle Abner, a folksy sleuth who uses a keen eye and steadfast beliefs to solve the mysteries of Appalachia. In this landmark story collection, Abner contends with hunchbacks and drunkards, killers and thieves. In a time and a place beyond the rule of law, justice belongs to the Lord--and Uncle Abner is His instrument.
This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1918
137 people are currently reading
404 people want to read
About the author
Melville Davisson Post
191 books11 followersMelville Davisson Post (April 19, 1869–June 23, 1930) is an American author, born in Harrison County, West Virginia. He earned a law degree from West Virginia University in 1892, and was married in 1903 to Ann Bloomfield Gamble Schofield. Their only child, a son, died at eighteen months old and Mrs. Post died of pneumonia in 1919.
After the death of their son, he left law practice and went on an European tour with his wife. Upon return from Europe, he began writing short stories and became America's highest paid short story writer. He was an avid horseman, and died on June 23, 1930, after a fall from his horse, and was buried in Harrison County. His boyhood home, "Templemoor", is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of 1982.
Although Post's name is not immediately familiar to many in this era, his stories are available through Gutenberg and many collections of detective fiction include works by Post. There is a case to be made for these stories to be among the finest of detective fiction in America. No less than Ellery Queen and Howard Haycraft both praised Post's writing as among the finest of American detective writing.
Post's best-known character is the mystery-solving, justice dispensing Virginian backwoodsman, Uncle Abner. Post also created two other recurring characters, Sir Henry Marquis and Randolph Mason. He also wrote two non-crime novels. His total output was approximately 230 titles.
After the death of their son, he left law practice and went on an European tour with his wife. Upon return from Europe, he began writing short stories and became America's highest paid short story writer. He was an avid horseman, and died on June 23, 1930, after a fall from his horse, and was buried in Harrison County. His boyhood home, "Templemoor", is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of 1982.
Although Post's name is not immediately familiar to many in this era, his stories are available through Gutenberg and many collections of detective fiction include works by Post. There is a case to be made for these stories to be among the finest of detective fiction in America. No less than Ellery Queen and Howard Haycraft both praised Post's writing as among the finest of American detective writing.
Post's best-known character is the mystery-solving, justice dispensing Virginian backwoodsman, Uncle Abner. Post also created two other recurring characters, Sir Henry Marquis and Randolph Mason. He also wrote two non-crime novels. His total output was approximately 230 titles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
March 31, 2022
Set in early America. The main character is very near puritanical in his views on life, and that makes for an interesting detective. I liked it.
Review for a third reading...
I didn't read every story, but the vast majority of them. I still really like them. This time the narrator caught my attention. His youth that contrasts so startlingly with the content of the stories narrated, but even more starkly with the wisdom and strength of the detective. It really works well. It makes the hero-worship actually seem natural instead of forced as in some older narrators.
I still strongly recommend it.
Review for second reading...
Staunch Christian. Unapologetically American. Those are the best aspects of this book.
About the first aspect, staunch Christianity or maybe I should just call it faithful Christianity is a rare quality in modern fiction. Post created a Christian character who is dedicated to his God and the Word of God. When was the last time you read a book that dared use Scripture and all the attendant social implications? Instead, of seeing a psychological problem Post has his hero see a sin as outlined by an example in God’s Word. It’s very refreshing.
Then the second one, patriotism is no longer fashionable. It seems that it’s okay to love America, but you have to be at least embarrassed by the strong Christian men that founded it. Post wrote with not just a love but an overwhelming respect for their faith, strength, and government. It’s not a blind reverence though. He explains how each aspect influenced the other. He explains how they tried to put the power into the hands of the majority. The practical applications of that idea are really very interesting when applied to a mystery story. It’s very refreshing to read a book that stands so firmly for the rule of law, especially a law based on God’s authority.
Then the mysteries are really good. They twist around and double back so you never know what’s going to happen. Abner is a fine upright man who understands the frailties of humanity and extends mercy along with justice. The villains are quite a mix as well. They could be thoroughly vile desperadoes or desperate needy people or any situation in between. Even the clues are unique. They could be scientific, legal, natural, or even customary.
The only drawback is that there are a few curse words. The Christian characters never use them, but I wish they weren’t there.
Review for a third reading...
I didn't read every story, but the vast majority of them. I still really like them. This time the narrator caught my attention. His youth that contrasts so startlingly with the content of the stories narrated, but even more starkly with the wisdom and strength of the detective. It really works well. It makes the hero-worship actually seem natural instead of forced as in some older narrators.
I still strongly recommend it.
Review for second reading...
Staunch Christian. Unapologetically American. Those are the best aspects of this book.
About the first aspect, staunch Christianity or maybe I should just call it faithful Christianity is a rare quality in modern fiction. Post created a Christian character who is dedicated to his God and the Word of God. When was the last time you read a book that dared use Scripture and all the attendant social implications? Instead, of seeing a psychological problem Post has his hero see a sin as outlined by an example in God’s Word. It’s very refreshing.
Then the second one, patriotism is no longer fashionable. It seems that it’s okay to love America, but you have to be at least embarrassed by the strong Christian men that founded it. Post wrote with not just a love but an overwhelming respect for their faith, strength, and government. It’s not a blind reverence though. He explains how each aspect influenced the other. He explains how they tried to put the power into the hands of the majority. The practical applications of that idea are really very interesting when applied to a mystery story. It’s very refreshing to read a book that stands so firmly for the rule of law, especially a law based on God’s authority.
Then the mysteries are really good. They twist around and double back so you never know what’s going to happen. Abner is a fine upright man who understands the frailties of humanity and extends mercy along with justice. The villains are quite a mix as well. They could be thoroughly vile desperadoes or desperate needy people or any situation in between. Even the clues are unique. They could be scientific, legal, natural, or even customary.
The only drawback is that there are a few curse words. The Christian characters never use them, but I wish they weren’t there.
April 8, 2017
Melville Davisson Post (1869-1930) was born into a prosperous family in West Virginia and practiced criminal and corporate law for several years. However, after the success of his first novel series, he promptly dropped his law career to write full time. He was a prolific writer, penning numerous stories in national magazines like The Saturday Evening Post and The Ladies Home Journal.
He wrote a couple of series and some standalone novels, but it may have been his twenty-plus stories featuring the mystery-solving and justice dispensing West Virginian backwoodsman, Uncle Abner, which helped make Post popular. Ellery Queen called the stories "an out-of-this-world target for future detective-story writers," and the 1941 review of the mystery genre, Murder for Pleasure, declared that Uncle Abner was, after Edgar Allan Poe's Arsène Dupin, "the greatest American contribution" to the cast of fictional detectives.
Uncle Abner is described as "a big, broad-shouldered, deep-chested Saxon, with all those marked characteristics of a race living out of doors and hardened by wind and sun. His powerful frame carried no ounce of surplus weight. It was the frame of an empire builder on the frontier of the empire. The face reminded one of Cromwell, the craggy features in repose seemed molded over iron but the fine gray eyes had a calm serenity, like remote spaces in the summer sky. The man's clothes were plain and somber. And he gave the impression of things big and vast."
Abner is also a Puritan at heart who always carries a Bible in his pocket and has a knack for finding out the truth. As his nephew, Martin, who frequently narrates the stories, says, “for all his iron ways, Abner was a man who saw justice in its large and human aspect, and he stood for the spirit, above the letter, of the truth.” He is a stern authoritarian figure but equally so a kind and compassionate philosopher.
Uncle Abner, Master of Mysteries was the first anthology (1918), and contained 18 Uncle Abner stories all told by Martin. The crimes primarily deal with murder or robbery and start after the crime has been committed and the killer thinks he's gotten away with it. "The Doomdorf Mystery," is the first story in the collection and also one of Post's best known. It features more than one possible suspect who all admit to being the killer, as well as a locked-room scenario ("the wall of the house is plumb with the sheer face of the rock. It is a hundred feet to the river ... but that is not all. Look at these window frames; they are cemented into their casement with dust").
The stories are most definitely of their pre Civil War setting, in that they feature the attitudes toward African-Americans prevalent at the time (with the associated language that today's readers might find offensive). If you can get past that, these are entertaining for the shrewd characterizations, tight plots and for the dispensing of frontier justice in an era that predated American police forces and procedures.
He wrote a couple of series and some standalone novels, but it may have been his twenty-plus stories featuring the mystery-solving and justice dispensing West Virginian backwoodsman, Uncle Abner, which helped make Post popular. Ellery Queen called the stories "an out-of-this-world target for future detective-story writers," and the 1941 review of the mystery genre, Murder for Pleasure, declared that Uncle Abner was, after Edgar Allan Poe's Arsène Dupin, "the greatest American contribution" to the cast of fictional detectives.
Uncle Abner is described as "a big, broad-shouldered, deep-chested Saxon, with all those marked characteristics of a race living out of doors and hardened by wind and sun. His powerful frame carried no ounce of surplus weight. It was the frame of an empire builder on the frontier of the empire. The face reminded one of Cromwell, the craggy features in repose seemed molded over iron but the fine gray eyes had a calm serenity, like remote spaces in the summer sky. The man's clothes were plain and somber. And he gave the impression of things big and vast."
Abner is also a Puritan at heart who always carries a Bible in his pocket and has a knack for finding out the truth. As his nephew, Martin, who frequently narrates the stories, says, “for all his iron ways, Abner was a man who saw justice in its large and human aspect, and he stood for the spirit, above the letter, of the truth.” He is a stern authoritarian figure but equally so a kind and compassionate philosopher.
Uncle Abner, Master of Mysteries was the first anthology (1918), and contained 18 Uncle Abner stories all told by Martin. The crimes primarily deal with murder or robbery and start after the crime has been committed and the killer thinks he's gotten away with it. "The Doomdorf Mystery," is the first story in the collection and also one of Post's best known. It features more than one possible suspect who all admit to being the killer, as well as a locked-room scenario ("the wall of the house is plumb with the sheer face of the rock. It is a hundred feet to the river ... but that is not all. Look at these window frames; they are cemented into their casement with dust").
The stories are most definitely of their pre Civil War setting, in that they feature the attitudes toward African-Americans prevalent at the time (with the associated language that today's readers might find offensive). If you can get past that, these are entertaining for the shrewd characterizations, tight plots and for the dispensing of frontier justice in an era that predated American police forces and procedures.
February 27, 2015
A collection of eighteen excellent mystery short stories in a unique setting—rural Virginia in the early 1800s. Comparison to G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown stories, which I've been reading and enjoying, are apt, though the two detectives in many respects are polar opposites—one a small, mild, English Catholic; the other a big, stalwart American Protestant. There is a strong religious element to the Uncle Abner stories. Abner's faith is at the root of his belief in justice that drives him to find the correct solutions to a variety of crimes. Justice is the theme of the collection as a whole. Some of the stories demonstrate the limits of human law, while still reinforcing its importance, but above all stress the existence of a higher justice, and the conviction that all guilty parties will meet the justice of God even if they are beyond the reach of human law.
As a reader of Westerns, a number of elements in the description of life in Virginia at this period struck familiar chords—the grazing, driving, selling (and sometimes stealing) of cattle and journeys on horseback. A number of the stories involve disputes over land, another familiar feature in the Western. "A Twilight Adventure," a neatly constructed story concerning cattle thieving, demonstrates the dangers of both lynch law and circumstantial evidence. Last year I read Frank Lawrence Owsley's Plain Folk of the Old South, and the Uncle Abner stories reminded me of Owsley's description of the livestock-raising economy of the early South, which bore a strong resemblance to that which later developed in the West.
The stories are narrated by Abner's young nephew, who is present at the scene of some of them, and relates the others second-hand. There is also a foil for the detective in the person of Squire Randolph, the justice of the peace, an honest but talkative and pompous man who is continually baffled by Abner's line of reasoning until the moment when the truth is revealed. Abner's methods are similar to Father Brown's in that he sees the truth a lot sooner than the other characters or the reader, but drops cryptic remarks along the way that all make sense in the end. He also frequently deals with skeptics who deny the existence or power of God. There's a great historical flavor to the whole book, and the writing is also excellent, with some beautiful, atmospheric descriptive passages equal to those in Chesterton. Definitely a great read for anyone who loves classic, old-fashioned detective stories; a fine piece of entertainment with deeper, edifying elements as well.
As a reader of Westerns, a number of elements in the description of life in Virginia at this period struck familiar chords—the grazing, driving, selling (and sometimes stealing) of cattle and journeys on horseback. A number of the stories involve disputes over land, another familiar feature in the Western. "A Twilight Adventure," a neatly constructed story concerning cattle thieving, demonstrates the dangers of both lynch law and circumstantial evidence. Last year I read Frank Lawrence Owsley's Plain Folk of the Old South, and the Uncle Abner stories reminded me of Owsley's description of the livestock-raising economy of the early South, which bore a strong resemblance to that which later developed in the West.
The stories are narrated by Abner's young nephew, who is present at the scene of some of them, and relates the others second-hand. There is also a foil for the detective in the person of Squire Randolph, the justice of the peace, an honest but talkative and pompous man who is continually baffled by Abner's line of reasoning until the moment when the truth is revealed. Abner's methods are similar to Father Brown's in that he sees the truth a lot sooner than the other characters or the reader, but drops cryptic remarks along the way that all make sense in the end. He also frequently deals with skeptics who deny the existence or power of God. There's a great historical flavor to the whole book, and the writing is also excellent, with some beautiful, atmospheric descriptive passages equal to those in Chesterton. Definitely a great read for anyone who loves classic, old-fashioned detective stories; a fine piece of entertainment with deeper, edifying elements as well.
May 15, 2016
“Sometimes, a man’s voice can be all that separates darkness from light.”
Despite breaking every current political correctness standard, these stories (first published in 1914) are well-written. Women’s roles, slavery, sympathetic Christians. Abner is the sleuth, solving apparently insolvable crimes and defending innocence.
“Oftimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truth.”
Each story is a short, stand-alone murder mystery. Abner solves them with liberal applications of deductive reasoning but from a heavily scriptural viewpoint. Not sure about Post’s denominational affiliation, but Abner comes on strong for truth, justice and the American way. Along the way he quotes and applies the Bible truthfully.
“No one of them believed in what the other taught, but they all believed in justice.”
Not "the finest mysteries ever written", but they’re good.
The heart of a woman is the deepest of God’s riddles.”
Despite breaking every current political correctness standard, these stories (first published in 1914) are well-written. Women’s roles, slavery, sympathetic Christians. Abner is the sleuth, solving apparently insolvable crimes and defending innocence.
“Oftimes, to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truth.”
Each story is a short, stand-alone murder mystery. Abner solves them with liberal applications of deductive reasoning but from a heavily scriptural viewpoint. Not sure about Post’s denominational affiliation, but Abner comes on strong for truth, justice and the American way. Along the way he quotes and applies the Bible truthfully.
“No one of them believed in what the other taught, but they all believed in justice.”
Not "the finest mysteries ever written", but they’re good.
The heart of a woman is the deepest of God’s riddles.”
September 3, 2019
A Calvinist in 1840s Virginia eases things along a bit whenever God's ways are interfered with.
I liked most of these short mystery tales, but they got repetitive. Evil is afoot, clever people try to deny what they have done, Abner stands up to denounce them with some reeeeeaaaaallllly thin suppositions, all is revealed, the end.
Recommended if you're a completist in the mystery field, or if you don't plan to read these straight through.
I liked most of these short mystery tales, but they got repetitive. Evil is afoot, clever people try to deny what they have done, Abner stands up to denounce them with some reeeeeaaaaallllly thin suppositions, all is revealed, the end.
Recommended if you're a completist in the mystery field, or if you don't plan to read these straight through.
October 31, 2021
Re-read as audiobook.
August 16, 2011
Over the top awesome. Another great Christian detective. Maybe even better than Father Brown. Imagine a massive Calvinist who solves crimes in 19th century Virginia. Great stuff. Deserves a wide audience.
September 13, 2025
Tiene su tela el libro este, porque el whodunnit clásico con lo etnológico/histórico; tiene reminiscencias de western.
Las historias transcurren antes de 1860 -guerra de Secesión y abolición de la esclavitud- por lo que los negros que aparecen son mitad tío tom mitad atrezzo. Es una forma burda de decirlo, pero choca un montón.
En general la estructura es: el tío Abner (que pinta que es un alguacil virginiano) llega a un sitio, por lo general una hacienda cojonuda de Virginia; a veces hay un cadáver aún caliente, otras la sombra del crimen aparece más tarde; el tío Abner siempre está ahí en plan por la Biblia, a fe mía que me gusta que me cuenten historias y de repente se quita se quita el disfraz de paleto y suelta todo el pastel, desface el entuerto y todos siguen con su vida. Se supone que el que lo cuenta es el sobrino, de una edad indefinida entre 9 y 14 años (según la historia). Leídos unos cuantos, la estructura se acaba haciendo cansina, pero lo etnológico del asunto, la parte de "ese país que se va haciendo poco a poco" tiene su interés.
Las historias transcurren antes de 1860 -guerra de Secesión y abolición de la esclavitud- por lo que los negros que aparecen son mitad tío tom mitad atrezzo. Es una forma burda de decirlo, pero choca un montón.
En general la estructura es: el tío Abner (que pinta que es un alguacil virginiano) llega a un sitio, por lo general una hacienda cojonuda de Virginia; a veces hay un cadáver aún caliente, otras la sombra del crimen aparece más tarde; el tío Abner siempre está ahí en plan por la Biblia, a fe mía que me gusta que me cuenten historias y de repente se quita se quita el disfraz de paleto y suelta todo el pastel, desface el entuerto y todos siguen con su vida. Se supone que el que lo cuenta es el sobrino, de una edad indefinida entre 9 y 14 años (según la historia). Leídos unos cuantos, la estructura se acaba haciendo cansina, pero lo etnológico del asunto, la parte de "ese país que se va haciendo poco a poco" tiene su interés.
May 5, 2022
This is a marvelous book because has so many very well crafted layers. On one layer is a glimpse into the life and times of those living in the wilderness areas in the early years of America. On another layer are numerous lessons on basic civics and law that we all need to remember. On yet another layer is the workings of an American Sherlock Homes who through intense awareness of his surroundings and vast knowledge of human nature is able to discern the author of the crime where others have failed. All of the stories in this book have very interesting twists. For example, in one incident, Uncle Abner is asked what the motive was behind a murder and he replies that the answer lies in 1 Kings chapter 21. Read the story, read the Bible and I think that you also will be intrigued by this particular twist.
March 14, 2019
This is a quirky book wherein each chapter is a new mystery introduced, investigated and solved by the "Uncle" of the central character who is a young boy who is between 9 and 12 years of age. Uncle Abner is something like "Monk" or "Sherlock Holmes" in that he sees and understands things that others do not, and uses that information to solve murky mysteries of early America, setting somewhere between 1815 and 1850 in rural northeast USA. I recommend for those who like unusual stories and are interested in the atmosphere and history of early America. I do caution that the language is that of an earlier time, and will offend if one does not understand that the words used are reflective of that time period.
June 25, 2018
A nice collection of short stories. It is set in Virginia before the Civil War. Uncle Abner is a wise, religious and observant man who solve frontier mysteries and deliver frontier justice using his power of observation and deductive skills. A few stories relate to land use, land deeds and inheritance laws during that period. The early stories seem to have more scripture references but not as much so in the later stories.
March 15, 2025
Extrañamente me ha gustado bastante. Tiene un lenguaje recargado a momentos, antiguo (el primer recopilatorio de relatos es de 1918), pero ingenioso. Recuerda al Padre Brown,de Chesterson, en parte porque también pone en la justicia de Dios por encima de las leyes humanas y, en parte también, por el agudo conocimiento del alma humana. También es verdad que refleja una realidad, la sureña, con esclavos negros infravalorados y con los antiesclavistas como locos, que choca mucho al leerlo.
February 14, 2018
18 short stories. The stories were okay, but they were written in the early 20th century and were set in the mid 19th, so the language made it difficult to follow. I was reading a Kindle edition, so there were what I believe were typos, but who knows. I just found it hard to follow the dialogue as the characters were not speaking as we speak today.
March 9, 2024
🌟 Just finished reading ‘Uncle Abner: Master of Mysteries’ by Melville Davisson Post. While it’s a classic, I found it a tad dated. Still, the blend of faith, justice, and historical context makes it an intriguing read. Have you explored any vintage detective fiction lately? 📚 #BookReview #ClassicMystery” 🕵️♂️✨
December 28, 2017
Interesting
I enjoyed this book. Great short mystery stories! I was fascinated how Abner solved these mysteries! If you are looking for a collection of short mysteries to read, I highly recommend reading this book!
I enjoyed this book. Great short mystery stories! I was fascinated how Abner solved these mysteries! If you are looking for a collection of short mysteries to read, I highly recommend reading this book!
February 18, 2019
Morality tales with an O. Henry twist
Stories written for a magazine, these short tales depict a frontier Virginia justice beholden to God. Morality tales in the best sense. Wonderful read.
Stories written for a magazine, these short tales depict a frontier Virginia justice beholden to God. Morality tales in the best sense. Wonderful read.
November 25, 2019
สำนวนการแปลดีอ่านง่าย ลีลาการไขคดีแบบบ้านๆของลุงทำให้ชวนอ่าน ในเล่มแบ่งเป็นตอนๆแบบจบในตอนเป็นเรื่องสั้นไม่ได้เชื่อมโยงกัน เล่าเป็นคดีๆไปแต่เกิดในพื้นที่เดียวกัน สนุกครับนักสืบชาวบ้านบ่างคดีต้องร้องว๊าวเลย โดยรวมดีเลยครับอ่านง่าย
February 12, 2020
ความยากของคดีไม่เท่าไร แต่คาแรคเตอร์เป็นเอกลักษณ์ชาวใต้ดี
Read
May 22, 2021An enjoyable and relaxed read.
June 3, 2023
18 classic American mystery stories set in 19th century West Virginia, published in national magazines between 1911 and 1918.
June 19, 2012
This book answers the question "What if Sherlock Holmes were a cowboy?"
The narrator, now grown, recalls tagging along with his Uncle Abner as he solved various 'mysteries' that utterly befuddled the inhabitants of a rural community in western Virginia (eventually West Virginia) at the turn of the nineteenth century. With the state government all but inaccessible across the Alleghenies, it falls to the rather unimaginative justice of the peace to be the arbiter of justice in this farming community. Fortunately, he has the assistance of the perceptive and devoutly Protestant Abner, who is astute (and creative) enough to think outside the box and thus unravels more than a few tangled situations to reach a just (though not always strictly legal) outcome.
So . . . Sherlock Holmes as played by John Wayne.
Of course, Abner is more landed gentry/cattle baron than cowboy, but the idea's the same. The stories combine the moral code of the Old West and Holmes' logical reasoning and observational skills (though Abner lacks Holmes' extensive scientific training), with a healthy dose of religious conviction thrown in. The collection includes all 22 Uncle Abner stories, none of which is longer than 20 pages, so it's easy to read the book in small chunks.
The mysteries themselves aren't all that great, though the resolution of "An Act of God" was particularly clever, and I have to respect "The Doomdorf Mystery" on account of it's one of the earliest locked-room mysteries. Still, Abner's a one-of-a-kind character, and Post's descriptions of him are fantastic. I think he compares him to Oliver Cromwell no fewer than 3 times in 22 stories, and the stories are replete with (surprisingly relevant) Biblical references. Post interjects lots of historical, political, religious, and legal observations along the way, and it is these passages--rather than the actual mysteries--that make the stories worth reading.
Honestly, I can't do better than to point you to this excellent article on Post, Abner, and why we should hear a lot more about them than we do. If you enjoy old-school mysteries (Agatha Christie, G.K. Chesterton, Arthur Conan Doyle, Georgette Heyer, etc.), you should definitely give these a try.
The narrator, now grown, recalls tagging along with his Uncle Abner as he solved various 'mysteries' that utterly befuddled the inhabitants of a rural community in western Virginia (eventually West Virginia) at the turn of the nineteenth century. With the state government all but inaccessible across the Alleghenies, it falls to the rather unimaginative justice of the peace to be the arbiter of justice in this farming community. Fortunately, he has the assistance of the perceptive and devoutly Protestant Abner, who is astute (and creative) enough to think outside the box and thus unravels more than a few tangled situations to reach a just (though not always strictly legal) outcome.
So . . . Sherlock Holmes as played by John Wayne.
Of course, Abner is more landed gentry/cattle baron than cowboy, but the idea's the same. The stories combine the moral code of the Old West and Holmes' logical reasoning and observational skills (though Abner lacks Holmes' extensive scientific training), with a healthy dose of religious conviction thrown in. The collection includes all 22 Uncle Abner stories, none of which is longer than 20 pages, so it's easy to read the book in small chunks.
The mysteries themselves aren't all that great, though the resolution of "An Act of God" was particularly clever, and I have to respect "The Doomdorf Mystery" on account of it's one of the earliest locked-room mysteries. Still, Abner's a one-of-a-kind character, and Post's descriptions of him are fantastic. I think he compares him to Oliver Cromwell no fewer than 3 times in 22 stories, and the stories are replete with (surprisingly relevant) Biblical references. Post interjects lots of historical, political, religious, and legal observations along the way, and it is these passages--rather than the actual mysteries--that make the stories worth reading.
Honestly, I can't do better than to point you to this excellent article on Post, Abner, and why we should hear a lot more about them than we do. If you enjoy old-school mysteries (Agatha Christie, G.K. Chesterton, Arthur Conan Doyle, Georgette Heyer, etc.), you should definitely give these a try.
February 25, 2025
These stories were written just a hop, a skip, and a jump from my old stompin' grounds and were based in a time of great interest to me, but somehow I'd never heard of Melville Post or Uncle Abner. Having just read such good things about these stories and being a bit of a mystery lover, I'd hoped to greatly enjoy this book. Unfortunately, I found it a little spotty. At times, Post's writing is brilliant and immensely quotable. At other times, it gets a little tedious, as does the character of the self-righteous Uncle Abner. I also found the stories to somehow be static and somewhat fomulaic and populated by stock characters. I very much enjoyed several of the stories, though, particularly the locked-room story. Those are always fun. I'd certainly recommend this book to any fan of mysteries unfamiliar, as I was, with Post's work.
December 19, 2013
Maybe 2½ stars. These short mystery stories are not mysteries in the contemporary sense - they aren't whodunits which the reader has a chance to figure out the culprit. Rather, they are crime stories which show the darker corners of human nature. Post's main character, Uncle Abner, was interesting but not enough for me to want to read more. The style was sort of a cross between Washington Irving and Arthur Conan Doyle, which I found trying at times. The setting was a bit muddled - in some of the stories, it is clearly before 1860 (there are still slaves & the region described is part of Virginia instead of West Virginia) while in others there are indications that it is supposed to be the 1890s ("200 years since the massacre of Glen Coe").
June 11, 2014
Of all the detective stories I remember originally reading in some long-forgotten Ellery Queen omnibus, Uncle Abner has stayed with me the most clearly. In Uncle Abner's world--the Virginia hills in the 1840s or so--there is black and there is white. The stories have a strong religious element, with good pitted against evil. There are quite a few forays into justice versus law, as well: what is right? And when is lawful not right?
The stories are not all fair play, which may bother some readers. The historical viewpoint, however, has a charm of its own, and I confess to a great liking for the straightforwardness of the stories: good versus bad, and good (in the form of Uncle Abner) wins.
The stories are not all fair play, which may bother some readers. The historical viewpoint, however, has a charm of its own, and I confess to a great liking for the straightforwardness of the stories: good versus bad, and good (in the form of Uncle Abner) wins.
October 22, 2022
A collection of mystery stories, written in the 1910s and set in Antebellum Virginia, with a very unusual detective - the commanding Uncle Abner, a humorless, morally uncompromising Protestant backwoodsman. Post often doesn't play fair with the readers (Abner solves a number of mysteries because he has noticed something, or had a conversation with someone, that the reader isn't privy to); there are a few appearances of enslaved Africans that are, at the very best, uncomfortable; and the stories and culprits can get very repetitive. But Post can turn a phrase nicely, and some of these stories can be quite powerful.
Want to read
December 18, 2025Read so far:
An angel of the Lord --2
*The wrong hand --
The house of the dead man --
The tenth commandment --3
The Devil's tools --
A twilight adventure --2
*The hidden law --
The riddle --
An act of God --
Naboth's vineyard --3
The Doomdorf mystery --3
The treasure hunter --
The age of miracles --3
The adopted daughter --2
The straw man --2
The edge of the shadow --
The mystery of chance --
The concealed path --2
The Devil's track --
The god of the hills --3
The dark night --2
The mystery at hillhouse --
An angel of the Lord --2
*The wrong hand --
The house of the dead man --
The tenth commandment --3
The Devil's tools --
A twilight adventure --2
*The hidden law --
The riddle --
An act of God --
Naboth's vineyard --3
The Doomdorf mystery --3
The treasure hunter --
The age of miracles --3
The adopted daughter --2
The straw man --2
The edge of the shadow --
The mystery of chance --
The concealed path --2
The Devil's track --
The god of the hills --3
The dark night --2
The mystery at hillhouse --
March 30, 2013
Originally published in 1918, these stories are set in the mid 1800s in Virginia. They are as interesting for their historical setting as for the clever deductions made by Uncle Abner in the pursuit of justice. As the story progresses, the reader is led to the suspect without understanding how Uncle Abner has arrived at his conclusion. Often the solution cannot be deduced by the reader because of the withholding of a vital fact, which would not be considered "fair" nowadays. Highly recommended for mystery buffs.
February 3, 2014
The stories are uneven and there is never a doubt whodunit, but even the lesser stories are excellent. The best are among the finest mystery stories ever written. "Naboth's Vineyard" is one of my all-time favorite stories. The stories are set in what is today West Virginia before the Civil War and some stories are marred with stereotypical portrayals of African-American slaves. Not that this in any way justifies the author's choices in his portrayals of African-Americans, but the stories were written a century ago by a man who was born in and lived his whole life in West Virginia.
February 21, 2019
I've read this collection twice, not something I ordinarily do with mystery collections from that era, but Post developed a voice for these stories that pulls me in. It's a righteous voice that in spite of the stories being set in New England, at times recalls Faulkner though many if not most of the stories predate Faulkner's writing.
The puzzles Post presents aren't all that hard to solve, but again there's something about the voice that appeals to me.
The puzzles Post presents aren't all that hard to solve, but again there's something about the voice that appeals to me.
October 7, 2024
Había leído que fue un buen escritor de misterio pero no me lo ha parecido. No hay trama de misterio; ocurre algo, llega Abner que se saca la solución de la manga junto a discurso bíblico con moralina...
Me he llevado un chasco con este título, porque hasta ahora todos los libros de la colección "Biblioteca de Clásicos Policiacos" del editorial "Siruela" habían sido muy interesantes.
Me he llevado un chasco con este título, porque hasta ahora todos los libros de la colección "Biblioteca de Clásicos Policiacos" del editorial "Siruela" habían sido muy interesantes.
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