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In the Shadow of Agatha Christie: Classic Crime Fiction by Forgotten Female Writers: 1850-1917
Agatha Christie is undoubtedly the world’s best-selling mystery author, hailed as the “Queen of Crime,” with worldwide sales in the billions. Christie burst onto the literary scene in 1920, with The Mysterious Affair at Styles; her last novel was published in 1976, a career longer than even Conan Doyle’s forty-year span.
The truth is that it was due to the success of writers like Anna Katherine Green in America; L. T. Meade, C. L. Pirkis, the Baroness Orczy, and Elizabeth Corbett in England; and Mary Fortune in Australia that the doors were finally opened for women crime-writers. Authors who followed them, such as Patricia Wentworth, Dorothy Sayers, and, of course, Agatha Christie would not have thrived without the bold, fearless work of their predecessors—and the genre would be much poorer for their absence. So while Agatha Christie may still reign supreme, it is important to remember that she did not ascend that throne except on the shoulders of the women who came before her—and inspired her—and who are now removed from her shadow once and for all by this superb new anthology by Leslie S. Klinger.
Featuring: Mary Fortune, Harriet Prescott Spofford, Ellen Wood, Elizabeth Corbett, C. L. Pirkis, Geraldine Bonner, Ellen Glasgow, L. T. Meade, Baroness Orczy, Augusta Großer, M. E. Braddon, Anna Katherine Green, Carolyn Wells, Susan Glaspell
The truth is that it was due to the success of writers like Anna Katherine Green in America; L. T. Meade, C. L. Pirkis, the Baroness Orczy, and Elizabeth Corbett in England; and Mary Fortune in Australia that the doors were finally opened for women crime-writers. Authors who followed them, such as Patricia Wentworth, Dorothy Sayers, and, of course, Agatha Christie would not have thrived without the bold, fearless work of their predecessors—and the genre would be much poorer for their absence. So while Agatha Christie may still reign supreme, it is important to remember that she did not ascend that throne except on the shoulders of the women who came before her—and inspired her—and who are now removed from her shadow once and for all by this superb new anthology by Leslie S. Klinger.
Featuring: Mary Fortune, Harriet Prescott Spofford, Ellen Wood, Elizabeth Corbett, C. L. Pirkis, Geraldine Bonner, Ellen Glasgow, L. T. Meade, Baroness Orczy, Augusta Großer, M. E. Braddon, Anna Katherine Green, Carolyn Wells, Susan Glaspell
356 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
32 people are currently reading
1872 people want to read
About the author
Leslie S. Klinger
148 books331 followersLeslie S. Klinger is considered to be one of the world’s foremost authorities on those twin icons of the Victorian era, Sherlock Holmes and Dracula. He is the editor of the three-volume collection of the short stories and novels, THE NEW ANNOTATED SHERLOCK HOLMES, published by W. W. Norton in 2004 and 2005, winner of the Edgar® Award for Best Critical/Biographical Work and nominated for every other major award in the mystery genre. THE NEW ANNOTATED DRACULA, published by W. W. Norton in 2008, delivers promises a similar in-depth examination of Bram Stoker’s haunting classic and its historical context.
Since the 1960’s, the study of the rich fantastic literature of the Victorian writers has been Klinger’s consuming passion. He has written dozens of articles on Sherlockiana, published more than a dozen books on Sherlock Holmes and Dracula in addition to the Norton works, and regularly teaches UCLA Extension courses on Holmes and Dracula.
He and Laurie R. King have co-edited three anthologies of stories inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon, the latest being ECHOES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, published by Pegasus Books. In addition, he has edited a number of anthologies collecting original and classic detective and vampire tales.
His groundbreaking THE ANNOTATED SANDMAN, a panel-by-panel examination of Neil Gaiman’s near-legendary “Sandman” comics. Given unprecedented access to Gaiman’s scripts and based on hours of conversations with the author, Klinger adds hundreds of notes describing historical sources, literary and popular cultural references and illuminates the characters and milieu of the rich stories. Published by DC Comics, the first volume appeared in January 2012; the remaining three were published in 2013, 2014 and 2015. His THE NEW ANNOTATED H. P. LOVECRAFT, highly praised and nominated for various awards, was published by W. W. Norton in 2015. He is currently working on THE ANNOTATED WATCHMEN for DC Entertainment, to be published in July 2017, as well as THE NEW ANNOTATED FRANKENSTEIN, which will appear from W. W. Norton in July 2017.
In a completely different genre, Klinger and Laura Caldwell have co-edited a searing, heartbreaking true-crime anthology ANATOMY OF INNOCENCE: TESTIMONIES OF THE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED, to be published by W. W. Norton in March 2017. The volume pairs major mystery/thriller writers with exonerees to tell their harrowing tales.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Klinger received an A.B. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by a J.D. from Boalt Hall (School of Law, U.C. Berkeley). Since then, he has lived in Los Angeles, pursuing a legal career in tax, estate, and business planning. Klinger is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the Horror Writers Association, and the Mystery Writers of America. He served three times as the Chapter President of the SoCal Chapter of MWA and on its National Board of Directors and currently serves as Treasurer of the Horror Writers Association.
Since the 1960’s, the study of the rich fantastic literature of the Victorian writers has been Klinger’s consuming passion. He has written dozens of articles on Sherlockiana, published more than a dozen books on Sherlock Holmes and Dracula in addition to the Norton works, and regularly teaches UCLA Extension courses on Holmes and Dracula.
He and Laurie R. King have co-edited three anthologies of stories inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon, the latest being ECHOES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, published by Pegasus Books. In addition, he has edited a number of anthologies collecting original and classic detective and vampire tales.
His groundbreaking THE ANNOTATED SANDMAN, a panel-by-panel examination of Neil Gaiman’s near-legendary “Sandman” comics. Given unprecedented access to Gaiman’s scripts and based on hours of conversations with the author, Klinger adds hundreds of notes describing historical sources, literary and popular cultural references and illuminates the characters and milieu of the rich stories. Published by DC Comics, the first volume appeared in January 2012; the remaining three were published in 2013, 2014 and 2015. His THE NEW ANNOTATED H. P. LOVECRAFT, highly praised and nominated for various awards, was published by W. W. Norton in 2015. He is currently working on THE ANNOTATED WATCHMEN for DC Entertainment, to be published in July 2017, as well as THE NEW ANNOTATED FRANKENSTEIN, which will appear from W. W. Norton in July 2017.
In a completely different genre, Klinger and Laura Caldwell have co-edited a searing, heartbreaking true-crime anthology ANATOMY OF INNOCENCE: TESTIMONIES OF THE WRONGFULLY CONVICTED, to be published by W. W. Norton in March 2017. The volume pairs major mystery/thriller writers with exonerees to tell their harrowing tales.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Klinger received an A.B. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, followed by a J.D. from Boalt Hall (School of Law, U.C. Berkeley). Since then, he has lived in Los Angeles, pursuing a legal career in tax, estate, and business planning. Klinger is a member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the Horror Writers Association, and the Mystery Writers of America. He served three times as the Chapter President of the SoCal Chapter of MWA and on its National Board of Directors and currently serves as Treasurer of the Horror Writers Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
December 3, 2017
This collection of classic crime fiction by forgotten authors, from 1850-1917, highlights some of the female authors of that period who were the forerunners of the great Golden Age crime authors – not only Agatha Christie, but Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and others. Each of the featured authors is given a potted biography, putting them and their work in context, which is followed by a short story, which is representative of their writing.
Some of these authors will be familiar – such as Elizabeth Gaskell and Baroness Orzy. However, others are now out of print and largely forgotten. Likewise, some of the early ‘crime’ stories in this collection are not necessarily familiar in terms of what we think of crime fiction today. For example, “The Advocate’s Wedding Day,” by Catherine Crow (1900-1876) features a story set shortly after the French Revolution; involving a feud between two men – one a former member of the gentry, with the other a member of the lower classes. This involves a court case and has a more supernatural feel to it. Other stories though involve events that we associate with crime novels from the later period – crime foggy London streets, roving tramps, murder in fashionable hotels and stolen jewels.
Overall, this is an interesting collection, which will appeal to anyone interested in the history of crime writing.
The stories and authors contained in this collection are:
The Advocate’s Wedding Day: Catherine Crowe
The Squire’s Story: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Traces of Crime: Mary Fortune
Mr Furbush: Harriet Prescott Spofford
Mrs Todhetley’s Earrings: Ellen Wood
Catching a Burglar: Elizabeth Corbett
The Ghost of Fountain Lane: C.L. Pirkis
The Statement of Jared Johnson: Geraldine Bonner
Point in Morals: Ellen Glasgow
The Blood-Red Cross: L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace
The Regents Park Murder: Baroness Orczy
The Case of the Registered Letter: Augusta Groner
The Winning Sequence: M.E. Braddon
Missing: Page Thirteen: Anna Katherine Green
The Adventures of the Clothes-Line: Carolyn Wells
Jury of Her Peers: Susan Glaspell
Some of these authors will be familiar – such as Elizabeth Gaskell and Baroness Orzy. However, others are now out of print and largely forgotten. Likewise, some of the early ‘crime’ stories in this collection are not necessarily familiar in terms of what we think of crime fiction today. For example, “The Advocate’s Wedding Day,” by Catherine Crow (1900-1876) features a story set shortly after the French Revolution; involving a feud between two men – one a former member of the gentry, with the other a member of the lower classes. This involves a court case and has a more supernatural feel to it. Other stories though involve events that we associate with crime novels from the later period – crime foggy London streets, roving tramps, murder in fashionable hotels and stolen jewels.
Overall, this is an interesting collection, which will appeal to anyone interested in the history of crime writing.
The stories and authors contained in this collection are:
The Advocate’s Wedding Day: Catherine Crowe
The Squire’s Story: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Traces of Crime: Mary Fortune
Mr Furbush: Harriet Prescott Spofford
Mrs Todhetley’s Earrings: Ellen Wood
Catching a Burglar: Elizabeth Corbett
The Ghost of Fountain Lane: C.L. Pirkis
The Statement of Jared Johnson: Geraldine Bonner
Point in Morals: Ellen Glasgow
The Blood-Red Cross: L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace
The Regents Park Murder: Baroness Orczy
The Case of the Registered Letter: Augusta Groner
The Winning Sequence: M.E. Braddon
Missing: Page Thirteen: Anna Katherine Green
The Adventures of the Clothes-Line: Carolyn Wells
Jury of Her Peers: Susan Glaspell
February 10, 2020
Usually anthologies are a hit and miss for me but this one was 1 hit and 14 misses.
I struggled wirh this book bc those stories are just not as good as we're being led to believe. Apparently there's a reason why those authors were forgotten....
I struggled wirh this book bc those stories are just not as good as we're being led to believe. Apparently there's a reason why those authors were forgotten....
January 11, 2020
3.5 stars
Once again I think I went in with the wrong expectations. I expected more discussion of the women who wrote detective fiction before Agatha Christie. Instead, I got a collection of mystery short stories written by women (though not necessarily starring women.) Some were quite good. Others I struggled to get into. They were generally engaging and interesting but lacking the historical punch I went in expecting. At the risk of sounding dismissive, there is a good reason most of these are now"in the shadows."
Some of these authors became famous for other books and some became regionally popular but never expanded. Worth a flip through if you want some interesting short stories.
Once again I think I went in with the wrong expectations. I expected more discussion of the women who wrote detective fiction before Agatha Christie. Instead, I got a collection of mystery short stories written by women (though not necessarily starring women.) Some were quite good. Others I struggled to get into. They were generally engaging and interesting but lacking the historical punch I went in expecting. At the risk of sounding dismissive, there is a good reason most of these are now"in the shadows."
Some of these authors became famous for other books and some became regionally popular but never expanded. Worth a flip through if you want some interesting short stories.
January 22, 2018
Although this collection invokes the name of Agatha Christie (in big letters on the cover), the stories themselves do not adhere to the typical Christie structure and style. Many of them are not even 'mysteries', but quite journalistic accounts of invented crimes, with a straightforward reporting of what happened, who did it and how the authorities solved it. This in itself was very interesting - what was the appetite for these stories in crime magazines, that read as if they are factual newspaper articles? Others are written to appear as if they are memoirs of a real-life detective or policeman, or extracts from a casebook.
As the collection progresses, the stories evolve from this early realism into ever more varied and modern styles, with greater emphasis on detection. There's even a Sherlock Holmes fanfiction!
The final story, Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell is in a class of its own, surprising and very moving. After finishing that one, I immediately had to go back and reread it.
Great for a snapshot of early women crime writers, but probably not the thing if you're looking for a Christie readalike.
As the collection progresses, the stories evolve from this early realism into ever more varied and modern styles, with greater emphasis on detection. There's even a Sherlock Holmes fanfiction!
The final story, Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell is in a class of its own, surprising and very moving. After finishing that one, I immediately had to go back and reread it.
Great for a snapshot of early women crime writers, but probably not the thing if you're looking for a Christie readalike.
November 17, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Pegasus Books for a digital galley of this book.
From the standpoint of learning about the roles women played in writing crime fiction published between 1850 and 1917 this book was interesting and successful. On a personal level the stories were not quite as engaging as a whole for me. I did not reach for pen and paper even once to jot down the name of an author I wanted to explore further. The premise of this book is to show that the successes of Agatha Christie have cast the writings of the authors presented here into a shadowy area so their work isn't given as much attention and credit for advancing the female crime fiction writers efforts. In other words, Christie would not have been so successful without the efforts of those women whose work came before her. My take on this collection is that now I understand just how well the Christie books are written. Granted each Agatha Christie novel isn't a literary masterpiece, but taken as a whole I have no trouble settling myself down to read any of the Christie books again and again. All of this doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy some of the stories collected in this volume, because I did, just not as many as I would have expected.
There is an Introduction by Leslie S. Klinger which provides background information for the state of crime fiction publication by women from 1850 through 1917. In this introduction many female authors are discussed, not just those who have a story presented in the collection. Each story has a brief biographical segment about the author, some historical information regarding her novel and story publication and usually a publication date for the featured story. So many of the women wrote their stories under one or more pseudonyms so that information is provided also. The following is a list of the author and their story included in this book:
Catherine Crowe - The Advocate's Wedding Day
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - The Squire's Story
Mary Fortune - Traces of Crime
Harriet Prescott Spofford - Mr. Furbush
Ellen Wood - Mrs. Todhetley's Earrings
Elizabeth Corbett - Catching A Burglar
C. L. Pirkis - The Ghost of Fountain Lane
Geraldine Bonner - The Statement of Jared Johnson
Ellen Glasgow - Point in Morals
L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace - The Blood-Red Cross
Baroness Orczy - The Regent's Park Murder
Augusta Groner - The Case of the Registered Letter
M. E. Braddon - The Winning Sequence
Anna Katherine Green - Missing: Page Thirteen
Carolyn Wells - The Adventure of the Clothes-Line
Susan Glaspell - Jury of Her Peers
Sixteen stories are presented from authors you may not be familiar with. If you are interested in reading stories from female authors who made a difference in the history of crime fiction, this will be a great place to begin your exploration of that subject.
From the standpoint of learning about the roles women played in writing crime fiction published between 1850 and 1917 this book was interesting and successful. On a personal level the stories were not quite as engaging as a whole for me. I did not reach for pen and paper even once to jot down the name of an author I wanted to explore further. The premise of this book is to show that the successes of Agatha Christie have cast the writings of the authors presented here into a shadowy area so their work isn't given as much attention and credit for advancing the female crime fiction writers efforts. In other words, Christie would not have been so successful without the efforts of those women whose work came before her. My take on this collection is that now I understand just how well the Christie books are written. Granted each Agatha Christie novel isn't a literary masterpiece, but taken as a whole I have no trouble settling myself down to read any of the Christie books again and again. All of this doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy some of the stories collected in this volume, because I did, just not as many as I would have expected.
There is an Introduction by Leslie S. Klinger which provides background information for the state of crime fiction publication by women from 1850 through 1917. In this introduction many female authors are discussed, not just those who have a story presented in the collection. Each story has a brief biographical segment about the author, some historical information regarding her novel and story publication and usually a publication date for the featured story. So many of the women wrote their stories under one or more pseudonyms so that information is provided also. The following is a list of the author and their story included in this book:
Catherine Crowe - The Advocate's Wedding Day
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - The Squire's Story
Mary Fortune - Traces of Crime
Harriet Prescott Spofford - Mr. Furbush
Ellen Wood - Mrs. Todhetley's Earrings
Elizabeth Corbett - Catching A Burglar
C. L. Pirkis - The Ghost of Fountain Lane
Geraldine Bonner - The Statement of Jared Johnson
Ellen Glasgow - Point in Morals
L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace - The Blood-Red Cross
Baroness Orczy - The Regent's Park Murder
Augusta Groner - The Case of the Registered Letter
M. E. Braddon - The Winning Sequence
Anna Katherine Green - Missing: Page Thirteen
Carolyn Wells - The Adventure of the Clothes-Line
Susan Glaspell - Jury of Her Peers
Sixteen stories are presented from authors you may not be familiar with. If you are interested in reading stories from female authors who made a difference in the history of crime fiction, this will be a great place to begin your exploration of that subject.
November 20, 2017
A great book for the crime loving reader. The author gives an excellent introduction and mentions authors that I had not even heard of before, some I'd heard of but had never read any of their books. Klinger has put together an excellent compilation of crime stories, a book definitely worth reading.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the advanced digital copy.
Many thanks to Netgalley for the advanced digital copy.
January 16, 2019
A historically interesting collection of short stories by women in the crime/mystery genre. They are products of their time, published before the likes of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Don’t go into this volume expecting the quality of those two talented women writers!
These are the roots of women writing in this genre from the late 1800’s into the early 20th century. If you’ve read books like Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho or Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White, you will have a fairly clear idea of what you are getting in this collection. The best part is that these are short works—there is no need to wade through the pages and pages of description that the reader encounters in the two novels reference above. You can sample and decide if there are authors whose work you wish to pursue further.
I put a hold on this book in my public library, believing that I would get more contemporaries of Ms. Christie, those who were writing “in her shadow,” so it wasn’t quite what I was anticipating. Still, it made an excellent book for coffee breaks, allowing me to read a whole story before having to set the book down & return to business.
These are the roots of women writing in this genre from the late 1800’s into the early 20th century. If you’ve read books like Ann Radcliffe’s The Mysteries of Udolpho or Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White, you will have a fairly clear idea of what you are getting in this collection. The best part is that these are short works—there is no need to wade through the pages and pages of description that the reader encounters in the two novels reference above. You can sample and decide if there are authors whose work you wish to pursue further.
I put a hold on this book in my public library, believing that I would get more contemporaries of Ms. Christie, those who were writing “in her shadow,” so it wasn’t quite what I was anticipating. Still, it made an excellent book for coffee breaks, allowing me to read a whole story before having to set the book down & return to business.
January 31, 2020
What I enjoyed most were the bios written about these "forgotten" female crime writers before their short stories. They were so interesting to read! Such fascinating women. I'll admit to not jumping to read these every chance I got - I found many suffered from their age and from that main critique about short stories, in that they ended so abruptly, it took away from the overall enjoyment of them. There were many good ones inside here though!
November 3, 2017
Every great crime writer and reader loves Agatha Christie - she is the Queen of Crime,and many writers today are still inspired by her.But what about the writers who came before her and helped her to be able to write as she did? The women who paved the way for MsChristie. Well, this was a lovely set of stories,a good collection of some cosy ones, police led ones, and a variety of crimes and victims too. I hadn't heard of all the writers in the book but that's the delight of a selection box of goodies like this - some you know you're going to like and others you discover and now have more things to enjoy! a great idea to have just female writers and those who helped pave the way for Agatha and every (female) crime writer since. This would make a lovely present for all crime readers!
October 31, 2017
Klinger has done a wonderful job of bringing together a collection of forgotten gems of early crime fiction. Before Agatha Christie there was Catherine Crowe, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, Mary Helena Fortune, Harriet Prescott Spofford, Ellen Wood, Mrs. George Corbett, Catherine Louisa Pirkis, Geraldine Bonner, Ellen Glasgow, Elizabeth Thomasina Meade Smith, Baroness Emma Magdolna Rozalia Maria Jozefa Borbala Orczy de Orci, Augusta Groner, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Anna Catherine Green, Carolyn Wells, and Susan Glaspell. Some of them were wonderful authors, some not so great, but all pioneers. This is a collection of their short stories.
Even though it these are all crime stories, they vary quite a bit. The plots cover everything from fairly simple burglary stories to wildly complicated murder frames, and ghost stories. The styles vary from police procedurals to tales of suspense and even a farce. Even the settings are quite diverse, most are set in England and America, but others are set in Austria and Australia. Some of them would be considered classics, others pulp, but all are fun reads, all but that really tragic one.
The introduction to the book gives a quick history of the crime fiction genre. Then each story is prefaced with a quick history of that particular author's writing career.
I really appreciated how clean the stories are. I would recommend this collection to anyone.
I received this as a free ARC through Net Galley and Pegasus Books. No favorable review was required. These are my honest opinions.
Even though it these are all crime stories, they vary quite a bit. The plots cover everything from fairly simple burglary stories to wildly complicated murder frames, and ghost stories. The styles vary from police procedurals to tales of suspense and even a farce. Even the settings are quite diverse, most are set in England and America, but others are set in Austria and Australia. Some of them would be considered classics, others pulp, but all are fun reads, all but that really tragic one.
The introduction to the book gives a quick history of the crime fiction genre. Then each story is prefaced with a quick history of that particular author's writing career.
I really appreciated how clean the stories are. I would recommend this collection to anyone.
I received this as a free ARC through Net Galley and Pegasus Books. No favorable review was required. These are my honest opinions.
December 28, 2017
It is not often that I enjoy a foreword, but this book has probably one of the best forewords ever. Klinger clearly has researched the field of female crime fiction writers in great detail and is incredibly knowledgeable. Yet, overall, the book suffered from the anthology curse: It rises or falls with the weaker stories and there are quite a few week stories. Clearly not Klinger's fault, after all, the output of those ladies is not his responsibility and I think, he will have chosen the stories that are in his opinion the strongest. So all in all, an interesting journey, but the sights were so-so. I would love to read more on this topic though, so I hope he will continue publishing books about forgotten female writers.
January 27, 2024
Phew, I'm back. It's been almost 20 days since I finished a book, which is far too long! I think I was in a bit of a funk, but I'm getting back on the horse so to speak. This is one of those books that suffers from a misleading title and description. I went into this expecting a mix of mystery stories written by other female authors before Agatha Christie. There are certainly a few of those, which were great, but there were also ones that weren't very close. Some stories had no mystery, they were just the retelling of a crime. While it may be "crime fiction", describing the stories and writers as being in the shadow of Agatha Christie is quite misleading (especially since some of these came out decades before the first book was published by Christie). The second to the last story was pure fanfic (while not even understanding the characters being used) and one of the worst stories I've ever read. So while there was a couple of good stories here (shout out to my girl Baroness Orczy), for the most part this was mostly fine. If you go into this with more realistic expectations (maybe as a collection of stories from female writers before Agatha Christie), you may enjoy this more. For me, this was at best 3/5 stars.
Quick hits:
+ Getting to explore the history of mystery stories was great.
+ There are some quality stories in here, and I discovered a couple of new authors I definitely enjoy.
- Misleading title and description.
- Some stories weren't even really crime fiction and the second to last story was atrocious.
Regardless, I'm back baby, on to the next!
Quick hits:
+ Getting to explore the history of mystery stories was great.
+ There are some quality stories in here, and I discovered a couple of new authors I definitely enjoy.
- Misleading title and description.
- Some stories weren't even really crime fiction and the second to last story was atrocious.
Regardless, I'm back baby, on to the next!
February 7, 2018
I really enjoyed this collection and how varied the stories and themes are, as well as the variation of authors each with something new to offer with a growing ingenuity in the latter half of the book, particularly shown in one of my favourites, The Blood-Red Cross by L. T. Meade (with assistance from Robert Eustace, a doctor) which uses an excellent bit of science. Some of my other favourites include The Statement of Jared Johnson by Geraldine Bonner, The Regent’s Park Murder by Baroness Orczy and Missing: Page Thirteen by Anna Katharine Green. I also really liked the page of biographical information for each author as an introduction before each story. Very informative.
It is unfortunate that these authors weren’t as popular as Agatha Christie, or didn’t retain their popularity, and I’m glad to have read this book and plan on reading more by my favourites from this collection, but I do have to say that Agatha Christie is still my Queen of Crime and unfortunately, for me, only a few of these stories came close to her writing and intricate plotting (see my favourites listed above).
Well worth a read and it was great finding more female classic crime writers to read! .
It is unfortunate that these authors weren’t as popular as Agatha Christie, or didn’t retain their popularity, and I’m glad to have read this book and plan on reading more by my favourites from this collection, but I do have to say that Agatha Christie is still my Queen of Crime and unfortunately, for me, only a few of these stories came close to her writing and intricate plotting (see my favourites listed above).
Well worth a read and it was great finding more female classic crime writers to read! .
September 23, 2021
As with most anthologies, some of these short stories were better than others, but overall, they were fun and engaging, and written by a collection of interesting women whom I previously knew little about. Many stories had genuinely clever, creepy, or laugh-out-loud moments. The last story, however - "A Jury of Her Peers," by Susan Glaspell - is a powerhouse. Reading it was worth the entire book. It's a feminist gut punch packed into just twenty pages and I still have chills. I'd recommend In the Shadow of Agatha Christie to anyone with an interest in mysteries, gothic literature, or classic crime fiction - but I'd recommend "A Jury of Her Peers" to anyone, full stop.
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February 24, 2018An interesting collection of short stories.
August 13, 2023
A collection of short stories by the women who paved the way for Agatha Christie. We have early stories that don't really have a detective, but mysteries and crime. There are more than a few that have supernatural overtones. But there are also straight detective tales with police inspectors, private detectives, amateurs, and even a few female sleuths. As I've mentioned several times, collections seem to vary in the strength of their stories. Those without real detection aren't nearly as interesting and a few of those with sleuths still aren't very strong. My favorites are "Trace's of Crime," "Mr. Furbush" (even though a motive seems to be lacking), and "The Regent's Park Murder." ★★★ for the collection.
"The Advocate's Wedding Day" by Catherine Crowe: Two young men have a bitter rivalry throughout their childhood and into adulthood. When the young man who always seemed to come out the worst in their encouters has a chance a love and happiness at the expense of the other, he takes it.
"The Squire's Story" by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell: A story of a mysterious, rich squire who takes possession of a country house and marries a local man's beautiful young daughter. Everyone admires him--he has excellent taste in food, wine, and horses; can ride to the hounds like nobody's business; and has money to spare. Everyone, that is except one wise woman--after all, who knows where this man came from or where he gets his money...
"Traces of Crime" by Mary Fortune: A detective goes undercover in the gold fields of Australia to track and uncover a rapist and a murderer. His only clue at the outset...a tattoo that many prospectors might sport.
"Mr. Furbush" by Harriet Prescott Spofford: After most of the detective force gives up a case involving the strangulation of a pretty young woman, Mr. Furbush uses his knowledge of photography to find an all-important clue. [My one complaint--there's no real indication of the reason for the murder. One might speculate jealousy, but there's no actual evidence of such a thing.]
"Mrs. Todhetley's Earrings" by Ellen Wood: When a woman's valuable earring goes missing, a squire's prejudices and trusting nature lead to the theft of the other earring.
"Catching a Burglar" by Elizabeth Corbett: Detective Dora Bell goes undercover as a lady's maid to discover who the insider is who is helping burglars repeatedly steal from a gentleman's house.
"The Ghost of Fountain Lane" by C. L. Pirkis: Loveday Brooke solves both the mystery of the ghost and the theft of a missing blank check. [I have to say that Miss Brooke is as bad as Holmes about keeping what she knows to herself until the final paragraphs. There's no way for the reader to make the connections which she does...]
"The Statement of Jared Johnson" by Geraldine Bonner: A young reporter proves Jared Johnston innocent of what looked to be a vicious murder. [A fairly ingenious method of death.]
"Point in Morals" by Ellen Glasgow: The point in question: is it more moral to help a man die painlessly who is destined for a more horrible death? And is it murder if one does?
"The Blood-Red Cross" by L. T. Meade & Robert Eustace: Madame Sara, the evil adventuress, has her eye on a priceless pearl necklace. She plans to get her hands on it through a bit of blackmail.
"The Regent's Park Murder" by Baroness Orczy: The Old Man in the Corner solves the murder of Mr. Aaron Cohen in Regent's Park. Cohen was on his way home late one foggy night with pocketsful of gambling winnings when he was set upon and strangled.
"The Case of the Registered Letter" by Augusta Groner: Circumstantial evidence overwhelming indicates that Albert Graumann must have killed John Siders. But Graumann's aunt believes him innocent and pleads with Detective Muller to prove her right.
"The Winning Sequence" by M. E. Braddon: A woman in thrall to the gambling bug, loses her lover over a game of cards. Her distress is so intense that she becomes a ghost after her death.
"Missing: Page Thirteen" by Anna Katharine Green: Miss Violet Strange, who had thought to retire from detection, decides to take just one more case--at the instigation of Robert Upjohn. This time, she is busy tracking down a missing scientific formula relating to explosives [aren't they always?]. She quickly solves the mystery of the missing page and is then made privy to another, older secret.
"The Adventure of the Clothes-Line" by Carolyn Wells: A pastiche of Holmes and various other GAD detectives--who gather at The Infallible Detectives Club and try to solve the riddle of the fashionable lady dangling from a clothes-line.
"Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell: When a man is strangled in his bed--with his wife supposedly asleep beside him--the sheriff and his men are sure she did it. But they can't find a motive. While the men hunt in vain for clues, their wives spot hints in trifles that the superior male eye would never see. Will they point out the clues?
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
"The Advocate's Wedding Day" by Catherine Crowe: Two young men have a bitter rivalry throughout their childhood and into adulthood. When the young man who always seemed to come out the worst in their encouters has a chance a love and happiness at the expense of the other, he takes it.
"The Squire's Story" by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell: A story of a mysterious, rich squire who takes possession of a country house and marries a local man's beautiful young daughter. Everyone admires him--he has excellent taste in food, wine, and horses; can ride to the hounds like nobody's business; and has money to spare. Everyone, that is except one wise woman--after all, who knows where this man came from or where he gets his money...
"Traces of Crime" by Mary Fortune: A detective goes undercover in the gold fields of Australia to track and uncover a rapist and a murderer. His only clue at the outset...a tattoo that many prospectors might sport.
"Mr. Furbush" by Harriet Prescott Spofford: After most of the detective force gives up a case involving the strangulation of a pretty young woman, Mr. Furbush uses his knowledge of photography to find an all-important clue. [My one complaint--there's no real indication of the reason for the murder. One might speculate jealousy, but there's no actual evidence of such a thing.]
"Mrs. Todhetley's Earrings" by Ellen Wood: When a woman's valuable earring goes missing, a squire's prejudices and trusting nature lead to the theft of the other earring.
"Catching a Burglar" by Elizabeth Corbett: Detective Dora Bell goes undercover as a lady's maid to discover who the insider is who is helping burglars repeatedly steal from a gentleman's house.
"The Ghost of Fountain Lane" by C. L. Pirkis: Loveday Brooke solves both the mystery of the ghost and the theft of a missing blank check. [I have to say that Miss Brooke is as bad as Holmes about keeping what she knows to herself until the final paragraphs. There's no way for the reader to make the connections which she does...]
"The Statement of Jared Johnson" by Geraldine Bonner: A young reporter proves Jared Johnston innocent of what looked to be a vicious murder. [A fairly ingenious method of death.]
"Point in Morals" by Ellen Glasgow: The point in question: is it more moral to help a man die painlessly who is destined for a more horrible death? And is it murder if one does?
"The Blood-Red Cross" by L. T. Meade & Robert Eustace: Madame Sara, the evil adventuress, has her eye on a priceless pearl necklace. She plans to get her hands on it through a bit of blackmail.
"The Regent's Park Murder" by Baroness Orczy: The Old Man in the Corner solves the murder of Mr. Aaron Cohen in Regent's Park. Cohen was on his way home late one foggy night with pocketsful of gambling winnings when he was set upon and strangled.
"The Case of the Registered Letter" by Augusta Groner: Circumstantial evidence overwhelming indicates that Albert Graumann must have killed John Siders. But Graumann's aunt believes him innocent and pleads with Detective Muller to prove her right.
"The Winning Sequence" by M. E. Braddon: A woman in thrall to the gambling bug, loses her lover over a game of cards. Her distress is so intense that she becomes a ghost after her death.
"Missing: Page Thirteen" by Anna Katharine Green: Miss Violet Strange, who had thought to retire from detection, decides to take just one more case--at the instigation of Robert Upjohn. This time, she is busy tracking down a missing scientific formula relating to explosives [aren't they always?]. She quickly solves the mystery of the missing page and is then made privy to another, older secret.
"The Adventure of the Clothes-Line" by Carolyn Wells: A pastiche of Holmes and various other GAD detectives--who gather at The Infallible Detectives Club and try to solve the riddle of the fashionable lady dangling from a clothes-line.
"Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell: When a man is strangled in his bed--with his wife supposedly asleep beside him--the sheriff and his men are sure she did it. But they can't find a motive. While the men hunt in vain for clues, their wives spot hints in trifles that the superior male eye would never see. Will they point out the clues?
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.
November 4, 2017
A very good collection of short stories of women mystery writer who wrote before Agatha Christie. Most of them are unknown to most of people but their stories are an interesting reading.
A good way to rediscover some female writers who are unfortunately forgotten.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Pegasus Books for giving me the change to review this book.
A good way to rediscover some female writers who are unfortunately forgotten.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Pegasus Books for giving me the change to review this book.
October 19, 2017
"In the Shadow of Agatha Christie" is a collection of 16 short story mysteries that were originally published between 1850 and 1917. They were set in France, England, Australia, Austria, and America. Some of the stories were a person talking about a crime after it was solved, so it's more a "crime story" than a "mystery." The stories that followed someone as they solved a mystery were usually pretty straight-forward and involved few clues. Short stories can't be very complex, but some of the authors relied upon the clever crime to hold the reader's interest whereas others developed the main characters as well. I enjoyed about 2/3rds of the stories and thought "Jury of Her Peers" was the best of the collection. There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of bad language.
"The Advocate's Wedding Day" by Catherine Crowe (originally published 1850, set late 1790s)
"The Squire's Story" by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (pub. 1853, set 1769-1775)
"Traces of Crime" by Mary Fortune (pub. 1865)
"Mr Furbush" by Harriet Prescott Spofford (pub. 1865)
"Mrs. Todhetley's Earrings" by Ellen Wood (pub. 1873)
"Catching a Burglar" by Elizabeth Corbett (pub. 1893)
"The Ghost of Fountain Lane" by C. L. Pirkis (pub. 1893)
"The Statement of Jared Johnson" by Geraldine Bonner (pub. 1899)
"Point in Morals" by Ellen Glasgow (pub. 1899)
"The Blood-Red Cross" by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace (pub. 1902, set Nov. 1899)
"The Regent's Park Murder" by Baroness Orczy (pub. 1901)
"The Case of the Registered Letter" by Augusta Groner (pub. 1910)
"The Winning Sequence" by M.E. Braddon (pub. 1896)
"Missing: Page Thirteen" by Anna Katherine Green (pub. 1915)
"The Adventures of the Clothes-Line" by Carolyn Wells (pub. 1903)
"Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glashell (pub. 1917)
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
"The Advocate's Wedding Day" by Catherine Crowe (originally published 1850, set late 1790s)
"The Squire's Story" by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (pub. 1853, set 1769-1775)
"Traces of Crime" by Mary Fortune (pub. 1865)
"Mr Furbush" by Harriet Prescott Spofford (pub. 1865)
"Mrs. Todhetley's Earrings" by Ellen Wood (pub. 1873)
"Catching a Burglar" by Elizabeth Corbett (pub. 1893)
"The Ghost of Fountain Lane" by C. L. Pirkis (pub. 1893)
"The Statement of Jared Johnson" by Geraldine Bonner (pub. 1899)
"Point in Morals" by Ellen Glasgow (pub. 1899)
"The Blood-Red Cross" by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace (pub. 1902, set Nov. 1899)
"The Regent's Park Murder" by Baroness Orczy (pub. 1901)
"The Case of the Registered Letter" by Augusta Groner (pub. 1910)
"The Winning Sequence" by M.E. Braddon (pub. 1896)
"Missing: Page Thirteen" by Anna Katherine Green (pub. 1915)
"The Adventures of the Clothes-Line" by Carolyn Wells (pub. 1903)
"Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glashell (pub. 1917)
I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
November 28, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Pegasus Books for the digital ARC.
I think the title of this might mislead some readers as there is nothing remotely Agatha Christie-like about these stories. They are interesting in themselves as a demonstration of the kind of crime fiction that existed before World War One, whether written by men or women: I do not think that there is a particularly feminine slant to these.
Nor are some of these authors as neglected as the editor and some reviewers have asserted. Certainly in Britain, Elizabeth Gaskell, CL Purkis, LT Meade, Baroness Orczy, Anna Katherine Green and Carolyn Wells are still read and I have heard some of their stories dramatised by the BBC.
In any collection there will be some entries which are stronger and more memorable than others. Here the standout story by a long way was “Jury of Her Peers".
Below is a list of the tales with some of my notes which may be of interest.
1.The Advocate’s Wedding Day-Catherine Crowe ( English 1800-76)- Interesting tale of justice done with a slight supernatural twist.(1850)
2. The Squire’s Story- Elizabeth Gaskell (Biography is too dismissive)- Well-written conscience crime story.(1853)
3.Traces of Crime-Mary Fortune (Australian 1833-1910) Detective finds clues to solve cases of assault and murder in the goldfields (1865)
4.Mr Furbush- Harriet Spofford (American 1835-1921) Detective solves murder with help of magnified photo.(1865)
5.Mrs Todhetley’s Earrings-Ellen Wood (Mrs Henry Wood 1814-1887)A Johnny Ludlow story of an earring lost and found.(1873)
6.Catching a Burglar-Mrs George (Elizabeth) Corbett (English 1846-1930) Lady private detective Dora Bell helps catch burglars.(1892)
7.The Ghost of Fountain Lane- C L Purkis (English 1839-1910) Loveday Brooke investigates a stolen cheque and a ghost. How are they connected?(1893)
8.The Statement of Jared Johnson-Geraldine Bonner (American 1870-1930) Reporter saves a man accused of murder. Highly original method of killing.(1899)
9.Point in Morals-Ellen Glasgow (American1873-1945) Odd tale. Was he a murderer?(1899)
10.The Blood-Red Cross-L T Meade (English 1844-1914) and Robert Eustace- Neat little story of evil adventuress thwarted by detectives.(1902)
11. The Regent’s Park Murder-Baroness Orczy (1865-1947) Polly Burton and the Old Man in the Corner story.Solution of a murder but no proof. (1901)
12. The Case of the Registered Letter-Augusta Groner (Austrian 1850-1929) Detective Muller investigates a strange murder case. Too long. Dull.(1910?)
13. The Winning Sequence-Mary Bradden (1835-1915)Ghost story and a crime. Weak. (1896)
14.Missing Page Thirteen- Anna Katherine Green (1846-1935) Violet Strange story of a page of a formula gone missing and a past ghost laid (1915)
15.The Adventure of the Clothes-Line- Carolyn Wells (1870-1942) Amusing send-up of the famous members of the Society of Infallible Detectives. (1915)
16.Jury of her Peers-Susan Glaspell (1876-1948) Women work out the motive for a crime-from trifles (1917)
Highly recommended.
I think the title of this might mislead some readers as there is nothing remotely Agatha Christie-like about these stories. They are interesting in themselves as a demonstration of the kind of crime fiction that existed before World War One, whether written by men or women: I do not think that there is a particularly feminine slant to these.
Nor are some of these authors as neglected as the editor and some reviewers have asserted. Certainly in Britain, Elizabeth Gaskell, CL Purkis, LT Meade, Baroness Orczy, Anna Katherine Green and Carolyn Wells are still read and I have heard some of their stories dramatised by the BBC.
In any collection there will be some entries which are stronger and more memorable than others. Here the standout story by a long way was “Jury of Her Peers".
Below is a list of the tales with some of my notes which may be of interest.
1.The Advocate’s Wedding Day-Catherine Crowe ( English 1800-76)- Interesting tale of justice done with a slight supernatural twist.(1850)
2. The Squire’s Story- Elizabeth Gaskell (Biography is too dismissive)- Well-written conscience crime story.(1853)
3.Traces of Crime-Mary Fortune (Australian 1833-1910) Detective finds clues to solve cases of assault and murder in the goldfields (1865)
4.Mr Furbush- Harriet Spofford (American 1835-1921) Detective solves murder with help of magnified photo.(1865)
5.Mrs Todhetley’s Earrings-Ellen Wood (Mrs Henry Wood 1814-1887)A Johnny Ludlow story of an earring lost and found.(1873)
6.Catching a Burglar-Mrs George (Elizabeth) Corbett (English 1846-1930) Lady private detective Dora Bell helps catch burglars.(1892)
7.The Ghost of Fountain Lane- C L Purkis (English 1839-1910) Loveday Brooke investigates a stolen cheque and a ghost. How are they connected?(1893)
8.The Statement of Jared Johnson-Geraldine Bonner (American 1870-1930) Reporter saves a man accused of murder. Highly original method of killing.(1899)
9.Point in Morals-Ellen Glasgow (American1873-1945) Odd tale. Was he a murderer?(1899)
10.The Blood-Red Cross-L T Meade (English 1844-1914) and Robert Eustace- Neat little story of evil adventuress thwarted by detectives.(1902)
11. The Regent’s Park Murder-Baroness Orczy (1865-1947) Polly Burton and the Old Man in the Corner story.Solution of a murder but no proof. (1901)
12. The Case of the Registered Letter-Augusta Groner (Austrian 1850-1929) Detective Muller investigates a strange murder case. Too long. Dull.(1910?)
13. The Winning Sequence-Mary Bradden (1835-1915)Ghost story and a crime. Weak. (1896)
14.Missing Page Thirteen- Anna Katherine Green (1846-1935) Violet Strange story of a page of a formula gone missing and a past ghost laid (1915)
15.The Adventure of the Clothes-Line- Carolyn Wells (1870-1942) Amusing send-up of the famous members of the Society of Infallible Detectives. (1915)
16.Jury of her Peers-Susan Glaspell (1876-1948) Women work out the motive for a crime-from trifles (1917)
Highly recommended.
September 23, 2021
UPDATE: I had to DNF this a few months back because ~library returns~ and ~too many books.~
Sigh.
Will definitely return to this sometime, though!
~~~
So, seeing as I've only completed stories 1 and 2 as of yet, I'll save my final review for later. As of yet this anthology is shaping up to be a fine mystery anthology!
Introduction
A fascinating beginning, and a look into these forgotten women's lives. Thank you, Leslie S. Klinger, for bringing these women out of the shadows, because they deserve way more than they have been receiving.
The Advocate's Wedding Day
I positively ADORE this short story! I haven't read one this good in quite some time!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for morbid personal enjoyment.
The Squire's Story
While Reading
I'm still currently reading this one, and though the story itself is shaping up to be a good one, I'm already prejudiced against the author herself - Mrs. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - for her shameful and untrue portrayal of the Brontë family...but I'm trying to separate the author from the story in this case.
...
After Finishing
Having now finished the story, I find myself having difficulty separating the author from the mystery. The "mystery" she presented consisted mostly of irrelevant info-dumps concerning the village in which this story is set. The mystery itself we only hear of near the end, when Personally, I would rather have heard more about the mystery itself, and less overabundance of the idyllic village descriptions (which served no purpose, as half of what was described either served only a small purpose in the story, or was never seen again.
My only other complaint with the story is this:
However, her writing style was gorgeous. Descriptions of places and events were crafted in such a way as to make one believe they were truly in the story as it occurred, which I adored.
Perhaps Mrs. Gaskell's storytelling can be just as convoluted as her writing about Charlotte Brontë, however I enjoyed her writing style and unique story. 🌟🌟🌟
Traces of Crime
Currently Reading
I wish Mary Fortune was still alive, because I am ready to give her all of the love, adoration, and respect she so deserves!!!
Sigh.
Will definitely return to this sometime, though!
~~~
So, seeing as I've only completed stories 1 and 2 as of yet, I'll save my final review for later. As of yet this anthology is shaping up to be a fine mystery anthology!
Introduction
A fascinating beginning, and a look into these forgotten women's lives. Thank you, Leslie S. Klinger, for bringing these women out of the shadows, because they deserve way more than they have been receiving.
The Advocate's Wedding Day
I positively ADORE this short story! I haven't read one this good in quite some time!
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for morbid personal enjoyment.
The Squire's Story
While Reading
I'm still currently reading this one, and though the story itself is shaping up to be a good one, I'm already prejudiced against the author herself - Mrs. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell - for her shameful and untrue portrayal of the Brontë family...but I'm trying to separate the author from the story in this case.
...
After Finishing
Having now finished the story, I find myself having difficulty separating the author from the mystery. The "mystery" she presented consisted mostly of irrelevant info-dumps concerning the village in which this story is set. The mystery itself we only hear of near the end, when Personally, I would rather have heard more about the mystery itself, and less overabundance of the idyllic village descriptions (which served no purpose, as half of what was described either served only a small purpose in the story, or was never seen again.
My only other complaint with the story is this:
However, her writing style was gorgeous. Descriptions of places and events were crafted in such a way as to make one believe they were truly in the story as it occurred, which I adored.
Perhaps Mrs. Gaskell's storytelling can be just as convoluted as her writing about Charlotte Brontë, however I enjoyed her writing style and unique story. 🌟🌟🌟
Traces of Crime
Currently Reading
I wish Mary Fortune was still alive, because I am ready to give her all of the love, adoration, and respect she so deserves!!!
Want to read
October 2, 2017Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
September 16, 2024
A collection of 16 short amateur and professional detective stories written by 16 distinguished, yet overlooked, female authors from the "Agatha Christie era". There are a few gems but many of the stories were rightfully overshadowed by much better story tellers. Many failed to even have a mystery element.
The Advocate's Wedding Day- Catherine Crowe (3 stars)
Rivalry and hatred between two young men comes to a head when one prosecutes the other for a crime they are innocent of.
This story was not a detective mystery but just a thriller masquerading as a supernatural.
The Squire's Story- Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (2 stars)
A well-received gentleman confides details of a ghastly crime he shouldn't know to a fellow pub dweller.
This reads as a biography and is clearly not a mystery, spending most of the story describing the life of the gentleman before the crime is then essentially confessed.
Traces of Crime- Mary Fortune (2 stars)
A dead man's body surfaces on the goldfields while a detective hunts undercover for a man guilty of assault.
Less a detective story, and moreso an act of providence in being in the right place at the right time.
Mr Furbush- Harriet Prescott Spofford (2 stars)
Efforts to find the murderer of a much loved adopted daughter are rewarded when a chance photo of the crime surfaces.
An unbelievable and disappointing "coincidence" overshadows what could have been an interesting detective hunt.
Mrs Todhetley's Earrings- Ellen Wood (2 stars)
When a topaz and diamond earring goes missing, all fingers point to a passing tramp, but will a private detective recover it?
An obvious crime leaning more towards a discussion on human character than a mystery.
Catching a Burglar- Elizabeth Corbett (3 stars)
After a house is burgled twice, a female detective goes undercover to spy on the staff.
No real detective work but still an interesting view on catching the culprits.
The Ghost of Fountain Lane- C.L. Pirkis (3 stars)
Miss Loveday Brooke's holiday is interrupted when a Vicar's blank cheque is forged for £600 and a ghostly Napoleon terrorises London.
Sherlockian thinking and story but relied too strongly on the reader's understanding of religious sects long forgotten in the 21st century.
The Statement of Jared Johnson- Geraldine Bonner (4 stars)
When the death of an artist's model is blamed on the building manager, a young journalist steps in to investigate.
A fantastic mystery! The smattering of clues was just enough to let the reader piece the story together without being too obvious or vague.
Point in Morals- Ellen Glasgow (2 stars)
Peer into a conversation where a psychologist shares his tale of the moral and ethical dilemmas behind conscientious murder.
Truly not a mystery although there was somewhat of a crime committed, the story was obnoxious and without meaning.
The Blood-Red Cross- L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace (3 stars)
A coveted pearl necklace, an orphaned bride, and a wicked plot to destroy them both.
A clever story and revelations marred by a confusing start as the editor set it up as the villain being the story's hero.
The Regent's Park Murder- Baroness Orczy (3 stars)
The murder of a winning gambler throws the sore loser into handcuffs, but a solid alibi and thick fog make it a difficult case for the police, but not for the Old Man in the Corner.
The sticking point is the inability for an accurate time of death, which would have overthrown all the clever planning.
The Case of the Registered Letter- Augusta Groner (3 stars)
When a dead man is discovered in an overturned room next to a distinctive pistol, all evidence points towards a deadly quarrel with his betrothed's guardian.
A solid mystery with a disappointing conclusion.
The Winning Sequence- M.E. Braddon (2 stars)
A sorrowful tale is shared concerning the ghostly card player that haunts the halls.
Disappointingly, this is another biography with an element of supernatural rather than a mystery.
Missing: Page Thirteen- Anna Katherine Green (4 stars)
Called away from the midst of a ball to a dark manor house in the country, Miss Violet Strange uses her logic and wits to find the thirteenth page of a manuscript detailing a revolutionary formula. But what else will she discover?
A fantastic mystery with great detective work. The setting was really well immersive, with a dark gothic atmosphere heightening the story's haunting tale.
The Adventure of the Clothes-Line- Carolyn Wells (4 stars)
President Holmes sets the Society of Infallible Detectives the task of discovering why a gentlelady was hanging from a clothesline suspended between buildings 100 feet off the ground.
A humorous poke at the many fictional detectives of the time and their wild theories.
Jury of her Peers- Susan Glaspell (3 stars)
Mrs Hale provides company, and a shrewd eye, to the sheriff's wife as he investigates the murder of a local villager.
A strange, half-told story written with such nervous energy.
The Advocate's Wedding Day- Catherine Crowe (3 stars)
Rivalry and hatred between two young men comes to a head when one prosecutes the other for a crime they are innocent of.
This story was not a detective mystery but just a thriller masquerading as a supernatural.
The Squire's Story- Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (2 stars)
A well-received gentleman confides details of a ghastly crime he shouldn't know to a fellow pub dweller.
This reads as a biography and is clearly not a mystery, spending most of the story describing the life of the gentleman before the crime is then essentially confessed.
Traces of Crime- Mary Fortune (2 stars)
A dead man's body surfaces on the goldfields while a detective hunts undercover for a man guilty of assault.
Less a detective story, and moreso an act of providence in being in the right place at the right time.
Mr Furbush- Harriet Prescott Spofford (2 stars)
Efforts to find the murderer of a much loved adopted daughter are rewarded when a chance photo of the crime surfaces.
An unbelievable and disappointing "coincidence" overshadows what could have been an interesting detective hunt.
Mrs Todhetley's Earrings- Ellen Wood (2 stars)
When a topaz and diamond earring goes missing, all fingers point to a passing tramp, but will a private detective recover it?
An obvious crime leaning more towards a discussion on human character than a mystery.
Catching a Burglar- Elizabeth Corbett (3 stars)
After a house is burgled twice, a female detective goes undercover to spy on the staff.
No real detective work but still an interesting view on catching the culprits.
The Ghost of Fountain Lane- C.L. Pirkis (3 stars)
Miss Loveday Brooke's holiday is interrupted when a Vicar's blank cheque is forged for £600 and a ghostly Napoleon terrorises London.
Sherlockian thinking and story but relied too strongly on the reader's understanding of religious sects long forgotten in the 21st century.
The Statement of Jared Johnson- Geraldine Bonner (4 stars)
When the death of an artist's model is blamed on the building manager, a young journalist steps in to investigate.
A fantastic mystery! The smattering of clues was just enough to let the reader piece the story together without being too obvious or vague.
Point in Morals- Ellen Glasgow (2 stars)
Peer into a conversation where a psychologist shares his tale of the moral and ethical dilemmas behind conscientious murder.
Truly not a mystery although there was somewhat of a crime committed, the story was obnoxious and without meaning.
The Blood-Red Cross- L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace (3 stars)
A coveted pearl necklace, an orphaned bride, and a wicked plot to destroy them both.
A clever story and revelations marred by a confusing start as the editor set it up as the villain being the story's hero.
The Regent's Park Murder- Baroness Orczy (3 stars)
The murder of a winning gambler throws the sore loser into handcuffs, but a solid alibi and thick fog make it a difficult case for the police, but not for the Old Man in the Corner.
The sticking point is the inability for an accurate time of death, which would have overthrown all the clever planning.
The Case of the Registered Letter- Augusta Groner (3 stars)
When a dead man is discovered in an overturned room next to a distinctive pistol, all evidence points towards a deadly quarrel with his betrothed's guardian.
A solid mystery with a disappointing conclusion.
The Winning Sequence- M.E. Braddon (2 stars)
A sorrowful tale is shared concerning the ghostly card player that haunts the halls.
Disappointingly, this is another biography with an element of supernatural rather than a mystery.
Missing: Page Thirteen- Anna Katherine Green (4 stars)
Called away from the midst of a ball to a dark manor house in the country, Miss Violet Strange uses her logic and wits to find the thirteenth page of a manuscript detailing a revolutionary formula. But what else will she discover?
A fantastic mystery with great detective work. The setting was really well immersive, with a dark gothic atmosphere heightening the story's haunting tale.
The Adventure of the Clothes-Line- Carolyn Wells (4 stars)
President Holmes sets the Society of Infallible Detectives the task of discovering why a gentlelady was hanging from a clothesline suspended between buildings 100 feet off the ground.
A humorous poke at the many fictional detectives of the time and their wild theories.
Jury of her Peers- Susan Glaspell (3 stars)
Mrs Hale provides company, and a shrewd eye, to the sheriff's wife as he investigates the murder of a local villager.
A strange, half-told story written with such nervous energy.
January 15, 2020
Much in the vein of Hugh Greene’s excellent anthologies The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes and The Further Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, which brought to light mystery writers whose works have been overshadowed by the master. The present anthology contains sixteen works, all of which pre-date Agatha Christie’s earliest novel, sometimes significantly (the earliest included story appeared less than a decade after Poe first introduced C. Auguste Dupin to the world).
The offerings in Shadow are quite as varied and eccentric as Greene’s Rivals. Klinger, of course, is a proper scholar of crime fiction, having edited the fabulous The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, for my money the best Holmes collection, hands down. Stories range from early and relatively unsophisticated, to satirical, thrilling, and complex.
The authors included were entirely unknown to me, aside from Baroness Orczy (and she for The Scarlett Pimpernel, not her mysteries). There were quite a few authors included I would enjoy reading more from, especially given that several achieved their greatest success through their novels, and don’t necessarily have their best work represented here.
Standout entries for me were Elizabeth Thomasina Mead Smith’s “The Blood-Red Cross”, whose villain, Madame Sara, is just as engaging as its heroes; Anna Katherine Green’s “Missing: Page Thirteen” who writes so suspensefully that the story’s actual detection is secondary to its epilogue; and Ellen Glasgow’s provocative “Point in Morals”, where crime doesn’t necessarily play a central role, but which is nevertheless dramatic and rewarding.
The offerings in Shadow are quite as varied and eccentric as Greene’s Rivals. Klinger, of course, is a proper scholar of crime fiction, having edited the fabulous The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, for my money the best Holmes collection, hands down. Stories range from early and relatively unsophisticated, to satirical, thrilling, and complex.
The authors included were entirely unknown to me, aside from Baroness Orczy (and she for The Scarlett Pimpernel, not her mysteries). There were quite a few authors included I would enjoy reading more from, especially given that several achieved their greatest success through their novels, and don’t necessarily have their best work represented here.
Standout entries for me were Elizabeth Thomasina Mead Smith’s “The Blood-Red Cross”, whose villain, Madame Sara, is just as engaging as its heroes; Anna Katherine Green’s “Missing: Page Thirteen” who writes so suspensefully that the story’s actual detection is secondary to its epilogue; and Ellen Glasgow’s provocative “Point in Morals”, where crime doesn’t necessarily play a central role, but which is nevertheless dramatic and rewarding.
October 9, 2018
The thing that struck me as I read the small biographies for each of these pre-Golden Age female crime fiction writers was how prolific they were, how many novels each one of them had written, how much choice late Victorian readers would have had.
Most of them were British, and from a 21st century perspective, many of them were Victorian and rather wordy even cumbersome in style. Agatha Christie would have felt like a breath of fresh air. I don't think I had realised how different readers in 1920 would have found THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES.
But these writers paved the way for crime fiction by female writers as an acceptable, if not quite literary, genre.
An interesting and educative anthology.
January 30, 2018
Short story collections just aren’t for me. Jojo Moyes’ Paris for One and Other Stories couldn’t hold my interest; Rebecca Makkai’s Music for Wartime had its bright spots, but felt lackluster as a whole, Margaret Atwood’s Stone Mattress was a DNF. This one is totally on me, going in I KNEW short stories collection and anthologies just aren’t my thing, but I was so hopeful and excited that I didn’t care. ..and that led to another DNF.
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
October 9, 2017
For my 500th Review of 2017 I wanted something special to mark the occasion. With an upcoming movie based on one of Agatha Christie’s books and being a staunch supporter of female writers this seemed like the perfect way to celebrate. Recently I reviewed a short story collection from the mystery genre that covered stories across 150 years yet only around 5% of the book was devoted to female writers despite the fact they have made their own mark on the publication industry. Having a book devoted to those missing voices, showcasing the women who opened doors for Christie and so many others, is empowering.
Leslie Klinger starts off with a history of the huge impact Agatha Christie had over an astounding career that was longer than even the most famous, esteemed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We learn that though Sherlock Holmes made the crime/mystery genre popular in the late 19th century, female writers had already been providing their own literary creations long before he embarked upon the world. Yet they were not given the same recognition for their equally talented efforts.
Even hardcore mystery fans may not recognize the names of the authors presented in this anthology or know how long back the female voice stretches but thanks to Mr. Klinger they are no longer lost in the dust of the past. The irony that it took a man to settle that wrong against my fellow gender has not been lost on me.
The first female detective was Mrs. G. in the apropos named story The Female Detective published in the mid 1800s but the first female crime-writer came much earlier from the British culture. The history lessons continue as we bounce around the western hemisphere from France to England to the States learning how the various cultures influenced authors, publications and notoriety.
After the highly detailed and meticulously researched history lessons conclude, the fun starts with stories by some of the strongest women to grace the world’s literary stage. Klinger did a wonderful job reminding us that women have had a voice much longer than most know and we owe it to them to remember their hard work in a time when men were the dominant force.
These stories provide a window into the past, into a time when women couldn’t be on bestseller lists or given the same recognition as men. Their stories are the product of the time, places, people and culture they were created in so it’s important to remember that before passing judgement. You may like some, love some, hate some or be indifferent but in the end you should respect them because each in her own way was leaving a mark upon a world that didn’t care what they had to say simply because of their gender.
The Advocate’s Wedding Day by Catherine Crowe
The Squire’s Story by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Traces of Crime by Mary Fortune
Mr. Furbush by Harriet Prescott Spofford
Mrs. Todhetley’s Earrings by Ellen Wood
Catching a Burglar by Elizabeth Corbett
The Ghost of Fountain Lane by C. L. Pirkis
The Statement of Jared Johnson by Geraldine Bonner
Point in Morals by Ellen Glasgow
The Blood-Red Cross by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace
The Regent’s Park Murder by Baroness Orczy
The Case of the Registered Letter by Augusta Groner
The Winning Sequence by M. E. Braddon
Missing; Page Thirteen by Anna Katherine Green
The Adventure of the Clothes-Line by Carolyn Wells
Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell
Leslie Klinger starts off with a history of the huge impact Agatha Christie had over an astounding career that was longer than even the most famous, esteemed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We learn that though Sherlock Holmes made the crime/mystery genre popular in the late 19th century, female writers had already been providing their own literary creations long before he embarked upon the world. Yet they were not given the same recognition for their equally talented efforts.
Even hardcore mystery fans may not recognize the names of the authors presented in this anthology or know how long back the female voice stretches but thanks to Mr. Klinger they are no longer lost in the dust of the past. The irony that it took a man to settle that wrong against my fellow gender has not been lost on me.
The first female detective was Mrs. G. in the apropos named story The Female Detective published in the mid 1800s but the first female crime-writer came much earlier from the British culture. The history lessons continue as we bounce around the western hemisphere from France to England to the States learning how the various cultures influenced authors, publications and notoriety.
After the highly detailed and meticulously researched history lessons conclude, the fun starts with stories by some of the strongest women to grace the world’s literary stage. Klinger did a wonderful job reminding us that women have had a voice much longer than most know and we owe it to them to remember their hard work in a time when men were the dominant force.
These stories provide a window into the past, into a time when women couldn’t be on bestseller lists or given the same recognition as men. Their stories are the product of the time, places, people and culture they were created in so it’s important to remember that before passing judgement. You may like some, love some, hate some or be indifferent but in the end you should respect them because each in her own way was leaving a mark upon a world that didn’t care what they had to say simply because of their gender.
The Advocate’s Wedding Day by Catherine Crowe
The Squire’s Story by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Traces of Crime by Mary Fortune
Mr. Furbush by Harriet Prescott Spofford
Mrs. Todhetley’s Earrings by Ellen Wood
Catching a Burglar by Elizabeth Corbett
The Ghost of Fountain Lane by C. L. Pirkis
The Statement of Jared Johnson by Geraldine Bonner
Point in Morals by Ellen Glasgow
The Blood-Red Cross by L. T. Meade and Robert Eustace
The Regent’s Park Murder by Baroness Orczy
The Case of the Registered Letter by Augusta Groner
The Winning Sequence by M. E. Braddon
Missing; Page Thirteen by Anna Katherine Green
The Adventure of the Clothes-Line by Carolyn Wells
Jury of Her Peers by Susan Glaspell
Want to read
October 21, 2017I love Christie's books!!! Super excited to read this!
June 4, 2020
An interesting collection filled with a few gems and a few forgettable pieces. Susan Glaspell's "A Jury Of Her Peers" is a masterpiece. "Adventure Of The Clothes-Line" is genuinely funny and reminded me of the movie "Murder By Death," which I recently watched. Most of these stories at least provide a clever twist or satisfying ending, and I have to remember that what seems to a modern reader as a tired cliche might have been truly ground-breaking at the time. Case in point: The story where a detective magnifies a photograph to see a tiny detail that ends up leading to the suspect. Modern crime TV shows pretend that grainy security footage can be magnified a billion percent to solve a crime, and it's funny that a story published in 1865 used the same trope in the days of photography's infancy. A worthwhile read for me personally, but I understand the frustrations of those readers who expected something different based on the use of Agatha Christie's name in the cover.
November 23, 2018
This anthology of short mystery stories from neglected female authors is largely entertaining. The preface and short literary bios are informative but not overlong. Naturally, I found some of the stories more enjoyable or better-written than others, but none are terrible.
April 22, 2018
I enjoyed this compilation but feel that the title is misleading. By and large these authors were forebears of Agatha Christie, not contemporaries.
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