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Fleming Stone #3
A Chain of Evidence
A respectable young attorney in New York City, Otis Landon has barely settled into his new living quarters when an incident occurs in a neighboring apartment that he cannot, in good conscience, ignore. Robert Pembroke, a vicious, miserly man, has been murdered behind locked doors. The only people who had access to the victim were his servant and his niece. The latter, Miss Janet Pembroke, seems the suspect most likely to have eliminated her uncle with a hatpin, but her obvious distress and gentle demeanor convince Landon she is innocent. Besides, he may be falling in love with her.
Obsessed with proving Miss Pembroke’s innocence, Landon follows a perplexing chain of evidence that includes a railroad schedule, a key to a safe deposit box, ticket stubs to a music hall performance, and a monogrammed handkerchief. But with time running out and no solution in sight, he must turn to Fleming Stone, the only detective smart enough to make sense of it all.
This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Obsessed with proving Miss Pembroke’s innocence, Landon follows a perplexing chain of evidence that includes a railroad schedule, a key to a safe deposit box, ticket stubs to a music hall performance, and a monogrammed handkerchief. But with time running out and no solution in sight, he must turn to Fleming Stone, the only detective smart enough to make sense of it all.
This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 27, 2015
206 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Wells
807 books47 followersCarolyn Wells was a prolific writer for over 40 years and was especially noted for her humor, and she was a frequent contributor of nonsense verse and whimsical pieces to such little magazines as Gelett Burgess' The Lark, the Chap Book, the Yellow Book, and the Philistine.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
July 2, 2023
I originally received an invitation earlier this year to grab this book for free via one of the lists to which I subscribe, and I was immediately engaged by the cover blurb. Little did I realize that the author was from a bygone era (born June 18, 1862 — died March 26, 1942), not that it disqualifies the author in my eyes. I love reading books that expand my worldview whether it is horizontally through time or vertically in perspective.
Carolyn Wells wrote and published 170 books of various genres, but mostly mysteries. I had never read a Carolyn Wells book and would be OK to read others. One of the criticisms of her work lie in the fact that her work is largely formulaic, but it doesn't really matter when one has never read any of her previous work, and much more importantly murder mysteries as a whole are practically all formulaic.
Chain of Evidence is a traditional locked-room murder mystery in which the dead body is found in a locked room where no one could have gotten in or out. In this case, the niece and a servant locked the door with a chain, went to bed, only to discover that in the morning the uncle is dead. A lawyer from the building witnesses some of the proceedings and gets involved. He does much of the initial investigating such that when Fleming Stone gets involved near the end (fully 75 % has nothing to do with Stone) a strong foundation has been built.
I can't say very much about Fleming Stone because his reputation has been established before this book. (It's number three in his series of mystery novels.) I enjoyed the story. I loved the locked door aspect. The characters are OK (kind of stock characters from any given vintage period, New York, murder mystery). I liked it just fine, and would definitely read more to see if it really does feel like a carbon copy of this one. I'm calling it right down the middle.
Carolyn Wells wrote and published 170 books of various genres, but mostly mysteries. I had never read a Carolyn Wells book and would be OK to read others. One of the criticisms of her work lie in the fact that her work is largely formulaic, but it doesn't really matter when one has never read any of her previous work, and much more importantly murder mysteries as a whole are practically all formulaic.
Chain of Evidence is a traditional locked-room murder mystery in which the dead body is found in a locked room where no one could have gotten in or out. In this case, the niece and a servant locked the door with a chain, went to bed, only to discover that in the morning the uncle is dead. A lawyer from the building witnesses some of the proceedings and gets involved. He does much of the initial investigating such that when Fleming Stone gets involved near the end (fully 75 % has nothing to do with Stone) a strong foundation has been built.
I can't say very much about Fleming Stone because his reputation has been established before this book. (It's number three in his series of mystery novels.) I enjoyed the story. I loved the locked door aspect. The characters are OK (kind of stock characters from any given vintage period, New York, murder mystery). I liked it just fine, and would definitely read more to see if it really does feel like a carbon copy of this one. I'm calling it right down the middle.
October 15, 2020
This just wasn't good, had nothing enjoyable about it I've read three books by her and only one, I kinda liked. Think I have to stop trying. Carolyn Wells mysteries is just not for me
December 16, 2019
Again, I found the gooey-eyed male narrator who simply can't believe such a darling girl could ever commit murder, maudlin.
However, it's a good mystery. A young woman lives with her tyrannical uncle. One morning she finds him dead in his bed. At first it seems he died of natural causes, but when the doctor comes to examine him, he finds he's been murdered.
There is one problem. There were only two other people besides the murdered man, in the apartment the night of the murder. The woman and her maid. The front door was chained shut and the windows all latched. Both women claim innocence, but if neither of them did it, who did?
A nice variation on the "locked room" mystery.
However, it's a good mystery. A young woman lives with her tyrannical uncle. One morning she finds him dead in his bed. At first it seems he died of natural causes, but when the doctor comes to examine him, he finds he's been murdered.
There is one problem. There were only two other people besides the murdered man, in the apartment the night of the murder. The woman and her maid. The front door was chained shut and the windows all latched. Both women claim innocence, but if neither of them did it, who did?
A nice variation on the "locked room" mystery.
August 5, 2018
This is my third Fleming Stone book and I will probably not be reading another one for quite a while. Don't get me wrong, they're a fun read. But they are also very formulaic. True, mystery fiction does follow a pattern (body discovered, crime scene investigation, suspect interviews, etc) which is what makes it so fun to read. But I mean here that Wells basically uses the same characters but with different names, like the beautiful young woman whom the main character detective falls in love with and is always the most likely suspect, the detective mooning over her, the male suspect whom the detective suspects the beautiful woman is in love with and is jealous of, etc. It just started to get old on me after a while. I also have an issue with the idea of the title character (Fleming Stone) being a deus ex machina kind of thing - that is, he always comes in in the last part of the book and solves the crime when the main character has been struggling all through the book. I get this is Wells' gimmick but it doesn't quite sit well with me. To me, the fun of reading cozy mysteries is to get to know the main sleuth and how he/she works and watching them uncover the clues, suspects, etc., that leads them to the crime. It sort of defeats the purpose when the sleuth comes in just in the nick of time to save the day. So Wells' books are fun, mindless reading but in small doses
March 5, 2019
A murder takes place in a locked apartment with the victim's niece and a servant within the premises. The narrator of this story is a lawyer, Otis Landon, who is a new neighbor of the victim. Landon falls in love with the victim's niece, Janet Pembroke and sets about to investigate with a few random clues he collects at the scene of crime. Unable to reach any inference, he seeks help from the renowned detective, Fleming Stone.
The story is linear in its progression and the detective appears almost towards the end of the story. Carolyn Wells has written this book more than a century ago. While referring to the servant, Charlotte, the narrator has used the word, 'colored', a little too often. In recent times, repeated use of the adjective 'colored' may be termed as objectionable by many readers all around the world.
Also, Landon going about the crime scene collecting material evidence in the victim's room and putting it in his pocket seemed weird, since we all know that one isn't supposed to touch anything until the arrival of the police.
Overall, this mystery does not have any subplot or twists. With limited number of characters, A Chain of Evidence has an old world charm that is appealing to lovers of traditional mysteries. I liked it.
The story is linear in its progression and the detective appears almost towards the end of the story. Carolyn Wells has written this book more than a century ago. While referring to the servant, Charlotte, the narrator has used the word, 'colored', a little too often. In recent times, repeated use of the adjective 'colored' may be termed as objectionable by many readers all around the world.
Also, Landon going about the crime scene collecting material evidence in the victim's room and putting it in his pocket seemed weird, since we all know that one isn't supposed to touch anything until the arrival of the police.
Overall, this mystery does not have any subplot or twists. With limited number of characters, A Chain of Evidence has an old world charm that is appealing to lovers of traditional mysteries. I liked it.
January 7, 2015
Not particularly stellar, not anything like Ptomaine Street which I thoroughly enjoyed. A Chain of Evidence is a rather bland mystery. Okay is about all I can say about it.
June 7, 2022
Free | Allll the tropes of the time
February 25, 2015
This story by Carolyn Wells has, has had as her previous ones, a good mystery but if anything the dialogue is very dated. This is another locked room mystery; this time its an apartment building with but one exit, the front door. The door is chained at 10 p.m., all the windows latched and the only suspects, a young woman and her female servant left in the apartment with the woman's uncle. The next morning, the man is found dead in his bed but its not a natural death, there's a pin stuck in his neck.
When the doctor is arrives at the scene, the neighbors across the way -- an attorney and his sister -- are alerted to the incident and are drawn into it. The attorney quickly gets himself involved, trying to find clues (everyone in this book just about thinks they are detectives!) and while the young woman is difficult to read, contradictory and unfriendly, he apparently falls for her and is convinced that he will prove her innocent of the crime.
At a certain point, he calls in Fleming Stone, the real detective, who quickly solves the mystery. The language is stilted and its hard to believe that even in the 1910s (the book was written in 1912), the police would have handled this case in this cavalier manner.
When the doctor is arrives at the scene, the neighbors across the way -- an attorney and his sister -- are alerted to the incident and are drawn into it. The attorney quickly gets himself involved, trying to find clues (everyone in this book just about thinks they are detectives!) and while the young woman is difficult to read, contradictory and unfriendly, he apparently falls for her and is convinced that he will prove her innocent of the crime.
At a certain point, he calls in Fleming Stone, the real detective, who quickly solves the mystery. The language is stilted and its hard to believe that even in the 1910s (the book was written in 1912), the police would have handled this case in this cavalier manner.
October 14, 2020
As soon as I heard the murderer's name and position, I know he would be the one to do it, as neither Janet nor Charlotte committed the crime. There was such a tiny pool of suspects. Interestingly, the Black/colored characters (servants) were portrayed as ignorant and subservient. I know this description was a sign of the times in which this book was written. The Blacks didn't know how to speak well, such as saying "sumpin" instead of "something". The white main characters treated them with disdain. How things really changed since that time?
July 9, 2016
Delightful
This was my first Carolyn Wells mystery. I enjoyed reading about the New York of that era. The Author's style of writing kept me interested right from the beginning. I plan to follow up with another mystery by this Author.
This was my first Carolyn Wells mystery. I enjoyed reading about the New York of that era. The Author's style of writing kept me interested right from the beginning. I plan to follow up with another mystery by this Author.
September 27, 2016
I enjoyed this old fashioned mystery, it's rather slow pace and its evocation of old New York City. The suspense grew slowly and the solving of the mystery was all the more satisfying because of it.
June 18, 2015
Forseeable. Repetitive. too pat.
July 13, 2016
And yet another classic from the mind of Carolyn Wells.
July 10, 2016
Melodrama
This story is a melodramatic, mostly a silly romance. There is very little mystery. The characters are shallow and unbelievable.
This story is a melodramatic, mostly a silly romance. There is very little mystery. The characters are shallow and unbelievable.
July 25, 2016
A really smart who done-it
This was a tight mystery. No waste or filler. It moved steadily its ending. Engaging. I had my suspicions but no proof until the end almost. A good read
This was a tight mystery. No waste or filler. It moved steadily its ending. Engaging. I had my suspicions but no proof until the end almost. A good read
December 27, 2017
Murder, romance, courtrooms, and a Sherlock Holmes-sort of solver. Well narrated by Richard Kilmer. Recommended for classic mystery lovers. Librivox audiobook
August 11, 2016
Kindle-Free-Early Bird Books. 3.5 stars. An enjoyable old fashioned mystery
August 27, 2019
Couldn't get off of first base with this book
If there was a writing contest, and the single piece of criterion for winning that contest was writing the slowest beginning to a book, this book would win. I recognize that with 50 plus reviews, this book is tracking at four out of five stars. However, the beginning was so painfully slow, and there are so many other great books out there that grab you from the first page, I simply could not talk myself into suffering through it. Maybe the story is good once you get into it, but I simply didn't have the patience for this one.
If there was a writing contest, and the single piece of criterion for winning that contest was writing the slowest beginning to a book, this book would win. I recognize that with 50 plus reviews, this book is tracking at four out of five stars. However, the beginning was so painfully slow, and there are so many other great books out there that grab you from the first page, I simply could not talk myself into suffering through it. Maybe the story is good once you get into it, but I simply didn't have the patience for this one.
January 24, 2019
Robert Pembroke has been found dead in a locked apartment with only two other occupants - his niece and a servant. Neighbour and lawyer Otis Landon follows the clues to try and prove the niece, Janet Pembroke, innocent.
As would seem to be normal in these stories most of the tale and clues are revealed before the detective Fleming Stone appears and solves the case. But still an enjoyable story.
As would seem to be normal in these stories most of the tale and clues are revealed before the detective Fleming Stone appears and solves the case. But still an enjoyable story.
October 11, 2022
A very entertaining locked room mystery. It is a little outdated: the hero falls madly in love with a woman he just met and who might have murdered her uncle, the "colored" servant who is colored, colored, colored and it is the only thing we ever learn about her, and how can the sister's theories be right, if she's only a woman? But the mystery itself is compelling and difficult and I didn't see it coming. Awful Audible narration though.
October 23, 2022
juvenile
This series is my least favorite type. The lead character keeps going over and over how he feels, she fees, they feel; why it might be so….over and over. You’ve said it before! Then the detective, Fleming Stone comes and solves it in three pages. Furthermore all the sudden changes of emotion of the supposedly perfect girl are never satisfactorily explained. I repeat…juvenile writing and juvenile plot.
This series is my least favorite type. The lead character keeps going over and over how he feels, she fees, they feel; why it might be so….over and over. You’ve said it before! Then the detective, Fleming Stone comes and solves it in three pages. Furthermore all the sudden changes of emotion of the supposedly perfect girl are never satisfactorily explained. I repeat…juvenile writing and juvenile plot.
April 26, 2019
An excellent example of a locked-room mystery: the victim is found in a locked room with no evidence of the murderer's ingress or egress. Further, the obvious suspects are obviously not guilty. This is an old book (1912) so police procedure is much different, and the important private detective, Fleming Stone, doesn't show up until the last chapter.
February 15, 2020
An apparent locked door mystery
Robert Pembroke a mean and hated person is found murdered in a locked apartment with only Janet Pembroke and her maid inside the apartment if they are not guilty how could anyone else enter the apartment? Otis Pembroke belives she is innocent but it is up to Fleming Stone to solve the case. A 1912 classic. Recommended.
Robert Pembroke a mean and hated person is found murdered in a locked apartment with only Janet Pembroke and her maid inside the apartment if they are not guilty how could anyone else enter the apartment? Otis Pembroke belives she is innocent but it is up to Fleming Stone to solve the case. A 1912 classic. Recommended.
February 18, 2018
A Compelling Mystery
I didn't give it five stars because I felt it just got too "wordy" with so much repetition. I could believe the hero had fallen in love at first sight, as the same thing had happened between my late husband and myself.
I didn't give it five stars because I felt it just got too "wordy" with so much repetition. I could believe the hero had fallen in love at first sight, as the same thing had happened between my late husband and myself.
January 5, 2019
This is much better than the Mystery Girl! It is another locked room mystery with "love" at first sight & a girl in distress that acts queerly. It was enjoyable, logical, & made me incorrectly guess who the killer was.
August 12, 2017
A great discovery for me of a new, challenging mystery writer
November 7, 2017
Fun read
Carolyn Well's stories are compelling. They are hard to put down. I love learning new words that are used in her writings.
Carolyn Well's stories are compelling. They are hard to put down. I love learning new words that are used in her writings.
August 7, 2018
The Chain
Excellent detective story! Very well written and entertaining. Couldn't put it down. Need more writers like Miss Wells More please!
Excellent detective story! Very well written and entertaining. Couldn't put it down. Need more writers like Miss Wells More please!
September 1, 2018
Written in 1912, interesting read
April 27, 2021
Well read cozy mystery from 1912.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews