The Window at the White Cat

by Mary Roberts Rinehart

A beautiful girl seeks the help of an attorney when her father vanishes. Before long, her aunt also disappears - from a locked house in the dead of the night. The search leads to THE WHITE CAT, an infamous establishment frequented by crooked politicians. And then - murder.

THE WINDOW AT THE WHITE CAT is another in the famous "Had-I-But-Known School" of mysteries founded by Mary Roberts Rinehart with the publication in 1908 of her first work, THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE. The focus of these stories is the Gothic heroine--always in the wrong place at the wrong time trusting the wrong people.

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Romance, Ebooks

379 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1910

About the author

Mysteries of the well-known American writer Mary Roberts Rinehart include The Circular Staircase (1908) and The Door (1930).

People often called this prolific author the American version of Agatha Christie. She is considered the source of the phrase "The butler did it," though the exact phrase doesn't appear in her works, and she invented the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing.

Rinehart wrote hundreds of short stories, poems, travelogues, and special articles. Many of her books and plays were adapted for movies, such as The Bat (1926), The Bat Whispers (1930), and The Bat (1959). Critics most appreciated her murder mysteries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ro...

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great Golden Age style mystery, with a sleuth using deduction and just a spice of romance to it. Easy to follow and make guesses with, but hard to guess the right answer.

Content: a few swears

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ stars (6/10 hearts). I loved this mystery when I first read it, and I loved it even more rereading it now. It’s so much fun.

So, this book is supposed to be somber. It literally starts out with a girl coming to report her father missing in all sorts of ominous circumstances. It also starts out with a lawyer immediately and helplessly smitten with love for a girl way out of his reach. And his struggles to stay on topic and keep proper seriousness in the face of his wildly different emotions set things up for an absolutely hilarious romp. No matter how hard the situation tried to get gloomy and creepy, the humour didn’t just creep in, it flooded in. The constant ridicule our MC found himself in, and the sarcasm he and his fellow characters exchanged, kept things light-hearted in spite of everything.

So, speaking of the characters, I should introduce them. Knox, the lawyer, amateur detective, and narrator of the story—a confirmed bachelor nearer forty than twenty, and a man with the knack of getting himself in stupid and painful positions. Marjory, the beautiful, sweet, and spirited girl (sixteen years younger) who is at the centre of the whole mystery because of her family connections to basically every suspect or victim. Harry, her insipid, cowardly fiancé. Miss Maitland, deaf as a post, obstinate as a pig, and imperious as any empress—besides being firmly fixed in one historical era for ever and aye. Miss Jane Maitland, timid and romantic and absolutely under her sister’s thumb. Fred, Knox’s tenderhearted, sharp-tongued brother, and Edith, his sweetly artful wife. Davidson, a detective known for his love of apples and propinquity for trailing suspects. Burton, the reporter, sharp as a tack and twice as fun. And then you have all the suspects and victims, but you can discover them for yourself.

The plot is one of Rinehart’s best. It was completely baffling and continually twisted and destroyed my theories. It ends SO differently than you expect! There’s all the mystery a detective could wish, along with super cute romance, vivid characters, engaging everyday life moments, and the aforementioned fantastic humour. To be honest, the plot does deal with some dark things, like revenge and hatred, but again, my overall feeling is one of humorous enjoyment. The darkness is just completely overshadowed by the cute and funny side of the book. I absolutely love it.

Content: murder, divorce, abduction, swearing, drinking. No gruesomeness, and every page had some humour.

A Favourite Quote: “I don't believe in the man who is never afraid: he doesn't deserve the credit he gets. It's the fellow who is scared to death, whose knees knock together, and who totters rather than walks into danger, who is the real hero.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “I blundered in the same direction, my unshod feet striking on projecting furniture and causing me agonies, even through my excitement. When I reached the front door, however, I was amazed to find it unlocked, and standing open perhaps an inch. I stopped uncertainly. I was in a peculiar position; not even the most ardent admirers of antique brass candlesticks indorse them as weapons of offense or defense.”

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spendid. Mr Jack Knox, attorney at law, falls for the beautiful young girl who walks into his office and enlists his help to find her missing father, Mr. Flemming-a polititian. But not being a detective, he also asks for the help of the detective force, and the newspaper reporters.
But the case of a simple disapearance takes on a more serious turn when Mr Flemming is murdered, his spinster sister in-law disappears, valuable pears are stolen, and Miss Flemming's fiance may just possibly be guilty of it all!
Witty, humerous and baffling, this is a mystery I recommend to all.
On a side note, I can't get enough of his brother Fred, and wife Edith-they are the cutest married couple!! You just wish you could insert yourself into the Knox family home and be friends!

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relistening - it is just as delightful this time around.

=========

#59 - 2010.

Picked this up from LibriVox and I recommend it highly for the narrration by Robert Keiper which is pure delight. His introduction reads:

When a clumsy, well-meaning lawyer gets involved with a pair of delightful old maids and a beautiful girl, he must acquire some of the skills of his friends the detective and the newspaperman to solve the puzzle of The White Cat. That’s the name of a back-street political club serving beers, political favors and, occasionally, murder.

There is a wickedly understated humor to the story telling that the narrator picks up perfectly and which adds to the enjoyment of this old mystery.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

This cutesy mystery was intriguing, so it won’t be my last by this new-to-me author.

I disliked the use of bad language, including using the Lord’s name in vain. It’s such lazy, uncreative writing, not to mention disrespectful to one’s audience.

I liked that the author kept me guessing about who did what and why certain things had happened and such. If this is a typical cozy mystery, perhaps I’ll be reading more of them soon. I can definitely see why they are so popular!

[Julian Worker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 2.5 stars rounded up to three stars as there isn't a wholesale massacre of characters in the story.

The White Cat Club of the title is a members club integral to the politics and poker-playing of the town / city of Plattsburg.

The narrator is a lawyer called Jack Knox who lives with his married brother, Fred, Fred's wife and their two boys in a nearby city called Manchester (USA not UK).

Knox falls for a woman called Margery Fleming who visits his lawyer's office when her father, Allan Fleming, disappears without a trace.

Fleming is soon found, shot in the forehead, by a window at the White Cat Club.

Whodunnit?

This is a tricky one case for Knox to investigate, as lots of people are in the club at the time of the shooting and no one heard a shot, though there were lots of cars backfiring in the street outside and there was a thunderstorm in the vicinity too. No one saw anyone with a gun in the club and there were people in the room with Fleming when he was shot, yet none of them did it. And it wasn't suicide.

Another character wanders off too, diverting the reader to consider that this disappearance and the murder are connected...

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTC.

[Pat Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

They don't write like this anymore - unfortunately



today's authors think sex and and blood and convoluted plots make for fine writing. they're wrong. normal characters, believable dialogue, and interesting plots, along with solid writing skills make a book such as The WIndow at the White Cat a timeless classic. Modern readers might bemoan the lack of technology and the difference a cell phone would have made to the story, but this story was written in a different time, with different values. That in itself refreshing :)and a welcome change from the usual bilge that passes for Best Sellers these days. Looking forward to revisiting more Mary Roberts Rhinehart works. What a joy!

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

More entertaining for me than a 3 star. 3.5 stars. I truly wanted to round it up, but I can't.

It's because there are so many break ins, night home invasions (or room invasions, or staircase invasions) with nary a glance except for the swinging door behind? Within the plotting all of these events without a glimpse or a shape clue. Or maybe just a "sound" from the next room or the floor below that would give Jack more information than this?

I did laugh out loud a couple of times because of the varying sensibilities of both the era when this was written and also the one in which the story unfolds. Both! There are some extremely politically incorrect sentencing, analogies, adjectives etc. But also for the amounts of swooning, fainting, general insensibility and "female" or "male" trait context assumptions. There is "German cupidity" for instance (that's one of the nicer one). When the doctor decrees that the worst news about the health of the "other" suitor is that he is a "weakling"- I really did laugh. After all the psychological word game tests, that he came to that conclusion! Well that was "science" of the time or should I say "consensus science".

But she writes personality well and her conversations are spot on. Mary Roberts Rinehart would have been an excellent screen writer. Like Horowitz or Connelly is. Dialogues are terrific.

I did not figure out the perp at all- it was too confusing in physical spaces to begin to parse all the multitudes of characters. The baddies were numerous and the entire politico seemed corrupt. It has some of the very same characteristics that I find in my own state, hometown. Fraud, embezzling, theft, murder, blackmail are the nicer aspects? Always within a shortfall budget and a "do as I say and not as I do" criteria of actions.

Well, those clubs do still exist but they aren't as "open" to insider knowledge or hidden association as once they were so visually. And with not as many members either at one time or in one place as this White Cat held nightly. Too many cameras everywhere and also tech GPS hiding encompassed consistently now. Ask Jussie Smollett.

Reading these Rinehart are delightful in the look back to the time when people could make individual calls and express them with common sense and accuracy too and entirely in their own onus. There's that, as well. There isn't hardly any "group think" so the men and women individuals are all quite carved more uniquely. I love the depth that ensues for that feature in most copy of this era too.

The romance added quite a bit to this tale. Margery is way too submissive though. And she is supposed to be 20. She acts more like 15 or 16, IMHO. Women married the men who their people (parents / Dad especially) picked for them within certain circles. But she was just way too compliant, especially upon Miss Jane's absence. Look at feisty Mrs. Butler!

[Dave Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say I have become a major fan of Mary Roberts Rinehart books. Though she has been called the American Agatha Christie, I don't think this does her justice. With Agatha Christie, whom I have read and enjoyed, I find the mystery is the core of her stories, whereas with Mary Rinehart the people and psychological element are the core whether she is writing a mystery, romance or drama. In this case the story is a mystery told from the prospective of a lawyer that gets involved in it whom she handles quite convincingly. While not her best work (in my mind) it is still a very enjoyable read.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and will DEFINITELY be reading more of Ms. Rinehart's books. Refreshing to read a book from this time period that was actually written in this time period.....all details were totally correct and no chance of historical inaccuracies, as the author only knew her own time period.

[Janelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Vicki Seldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I had to ignore the early- twentieth century notions of proper upper-middle class behavior and other stereotypical touches, I did enjoy this American drawing-room mystery with its endearing and somewhat bumbling lawyer turned detective and the backdrop of corruption in state politics.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read for an afternoon h0me from work due to an ice storm. I had a little trouble keeping the characters straight, but it didn't distract from the story. As one of the characters in the story says, I was more interested in the romance than the mystery!

Read at Project Gutenberg.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young woman enters the law offices of John Knox and his life will never again be the same.

There is something about Margery Fleming that forces Knox to play detective: first to try hunting down her father, Allan Fleming, and when he turns up dead — an apparent suicide committed without a weapon — to continue the hunt, now in finding out who and why for the death.

If is an interesting tale of a crooked public official, who disappears leaving few clues except for a scrap of paper with the message "eleven twenty two." As Knox delves into the caper, he discovers more and more mysterious happenings — missing money taken from a travel bag, missing pearls and more.

And the alluring Margery Fleming apparently is engaged — and Knox realizes he is in love with her.

Originally written in 1910, the tale is short but has plenty of action and melodrama. Knox is not your traditional hero — he stumbles when he should be stealthy and of course, he's a love sick puppy when he should be focused on the clues to just what is happening. Nevertheless, Mary Roberts Rinehart has chosen her characters wisely and drawn them in full three-dimensional form: Knox, Margary, Margary's fiancé and their mutual aunts, Knox's brother and sister-in-law, the criminal politicians who gather to party at The White Cat Club, and the dedicated police detective and street-wise journalists whose hands are tied by backroom deals and payoffs. All have their part to play in this well-written and clever tale.

Rinehart was one clever woman who picked up the pen to make money for her family following the stock market crash of 1903. Like many writers of her generation, she was prolific at short stories and successful with her first novel, The Circular Staircase, in 1907. The book sold 1.25 million copies and brought her to national attention. By 1911, she had five successful books and two plays. She was a wife, a mother, a successful writer and during World War I, a war correspondent. She also helped her sons found the publishing house Farrar & Rinehart. I can't wait to read another of her works.

[Tim Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yo can read my review at http://tims-reviews.blogspot.com/2018...

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first time with this author--the Librivox narration by Robert Keiper was just right for the story, an old-fashioned and entertaining mystery/romance.

[Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a complex read. I just really enjoyed it. The bumbling lawyer who wishes he wasn't investigating this had me laughing out loud a couple times.

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knox has a Ned Henry-esque sort of start and, though it doesn't continue, it hooked me more than the mystery. It was good fun, would have been a 5, except for the old lady's periodic racist comments. You're obviously not meant to agree with her---no one agrees with her about anything---but it could be updated to cut it out. The political backdrop was amusing given the timing but distanced enough to not really ruin my days when I picked it up. The marital teasing and toleration, the inexhaustible and ever-eating reporter, and the trailing detective were all so fun. Glad I found MRR when I did.

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attorney Jack Knox loves his new client, Margery Fleming, but she loves another. Margery's father, a crooked politician, is missing and Jack must find him and win Margery's love. Set in 1910 the reader follows Jack through the corruption and crime of big-city politics.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the third of Rinehart's mysteries and appeared in 1910. The narrator is a 35-year-old man. Rinehart wrote some of her mysteries in third person and many were narrated by female characters. Some readers claim that her books narrated by men are less convincing than those narrated by women, although I don't agree.

However, it's indisputable that many of her earlier mysteries are narrated by male characters, but almost none of her later ones are. Did she bow to popular opinion? Did she start out writing in a man's voice believing that men are more likely to be mystery fans than women? Who knows.

Narrator Jack Knox has an enviable life - a thriving law practice, a companionable brother, a jewel of a sister-in-law, and two energetic, adoring nephews to spoil. But if you think he'll be allowed to enjoy his comfortable bachelorhood, you don't know the determined Mrs. Rinehart. From personal conviction or professional strategy, she was a great proponent of marriage. She was content to allow females to remain single (provided they had money) and some of her most memorable characters are spinsters. But a man needs a wife to take care of him.

Knox never has a chance. In the third paragraph of the first chapter, a lovely young woman comes to his office to seek his help and he's a gone goose. She's the daughter of crooked politician Alan Fleming and Fleming is missing under mysterious circumstances. Then one of his elderly sisters-in-law goes missing under even MORE mysterious circumstances.

Fleming has, after all, led a "colorful" life associating with jovial, amoral political hacks and hanging out at the notorious political club known as the White Cat. No one is terribly surprised when he comes to a violent end and (with the exception of his daughter) no one is terribly sorry, either. But gentle little Miss Jane Maitland has been bossed around by her domineering older sister all of her life. What could have happened to her and those missing pearls?

It's one part political thriller, one part domestic comedy, and one part romance. The plot winds around and around and you could call it wildly improbable in places without getting much argument from me. Rinehart never had Agatha Christie's interest in intricate problems. She was too absorbed in her characters to worry much about the mystery. If you're a Rinehart fan, you love her charm and humor and eccentric characters. And if you're not? Read something else.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this will be my last Mary Roberts Rinehart review of the year, and I'm really not sure when I will have a chance to review another one. Not because I still don't love her books, but because I don't have anymore to read. What's worse, I think I've finally emptied the used bookstores in Wichita of their Rinehart books. I can still find the books I already own, but I'm afraid there are no "new" ones to find. If I have to end my Mary Roberts Rinehart love fest for a while, at least it was with a book I really enjoyed. After the last few books of hers that weren't strictly mysteries, it was nice to get back to her writing at it's best.

One aspect of this book that I don't think I have ever touched upon before is the way she is able to tell the story from a man's perspective. Almost all of her books are told in the first person, and she is one of the few that does an equally good job telling the story from the perspective of male and female characters. Either way, the narrative voice comes across as authentic and natural for the time period and for who the character is. Even when the smallest aspects of romance are involved, which there always is in a Rinehart mystery, if the narrator is a man, it never feels forced or fake in any way. I wish I could say that about most authors, but from what I have seen in the past, that's not normally the case.

The other side of her books that I almost always enjoy, and do so here, is the way in which she incorporates all the side characters into the story. Whether they are family members, doctors, police officers, or suspects; the secondary characters are always fun, and almost always as well developed as the main characters. I wish modern mystery writers would develop that skill, though I will admit that some, like Louise Penny and Tana French, do a great job at it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Someone in our Zoom discussion on this book mentioned that it was published in 1910! I think that changes how I view the novel actually. That means it was pre-Golden Age crime writing. I did enjoy reading this, though there were so many elements to the mystery that it felt hectic at times. The narrator, Jack Knox, is an amateur detective, and so there are several other characters that do a lot of the typical “detecting”. That made it a bit scattered to read as well. The mystery itself was clever and I had no idea whodunnit. There were some really fun characters in this, especially the Maitland sisters, Davidson, and Fred and Edith.

[Rick Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary Roberts Rinehart can write a dark mystery with humor, a rare combination. As the disappearance and mysterious notes mount up, the character list gets longer and longer as new people, mostly relatives, slide into the story. It is obvious there is skullduggery originating with some banking scams, and centered around the sketchy White Cat, which ostensibly is a "political club" but seems more like a frat house. Jane disappears early on, but seems to be forgotten throughout most of the book. It is satisfying to read a book over 100 years old which still remains a puzzler and a page-turner.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Rinehart's good mysteries. Liked the characters. Enjoyed the mystery. I would have given it a different title, maybe "1122" or "The Missing Spinster" or ""How I Met Your Mother." (I guess that last one has been taken...)

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

After skipping the totally racist parts, I found the story to be engrossing, with kidnappings, murders, suicides, love triangles, missing pearls and eccentric aunts. It was written in a different time and reflected the views of that era.

[Bev · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not a fan of the "Had I But Known School." So, I know, why did I buy it and read it? Because I'm a book-aholic and can't resist a first edition pocket size mystery.

[Bethany Willcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaaagggghhhh!!! I think I've just found a new favorite book, as well as a new favorite author!! That was amazing!!! Can't wait to read more of Mary Roberts Rinehart!

[for-much-deliberation ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marjory Fleming's father is found dead and Jack Knox is bent on solving this mystery...

[C.K. Heartwing · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read a mystery, but when I saw a friend's review for this book, I knew I was long overdue for another! The very beginning of the story seems to set the stage for what will be a somber read, perhaps reminiscent of noir (never mind that this came first), but this impression is soon lost as the humor that laces each line of story begins to make its appearance. This book was much more humorous than I was expecting, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, as it helped it from becoming too gloomy or somber. I don't mind serious mysteries, but something more lighthearted was what I was needing so this was a perfect read! This was also my first read for one of Mary Roberts Rinehart's books (though I did see the old movie for The Bat with Vincent Price!), and I fully intend to read more!

While the plot is incredibly well done, the wild cast of characters definitely served to bring this story to life for me. Mr. Knox, a lawyer and (rather clumsy) amateur detective, was the perfect narrator for this story. Marjory was sweet but spirited, and I love the strength she showed in the face of all the hardships that came her way. Hunter made an interesting character, as the main detective for the first half of story, and Davidson, another detective with a knack for apples, brought some humor when he stepped into the story. The Maitland sisters are interesting polar opposites. And then there's Fred and Edith, Knox's brother and sister-in-law. Their banter between each other is so fun and cute. I loved the way their relationship is written. There's also wonderful banter between them and Knox. Honestly, their household is a fun, cozy one.

Returning to the plot, the mystery here truly is fantastic. There were so many twists and turns, and each time it seemed I had a solid theory, it would then be proven wrong. I did not expect the ending, but it fit so well! The plot dealt with some heavy subjects, but the humor and cute domestic scenes help keep the story lighthearted.

I'm looking forward to reading this one again in the future and to diving into more of Rinehart's books!

Content: swearing, drinking, murder, divorce, abduction.