The Confession

by Mary Roberts Rinehart

An absorbing mystery from a modern master of the genre. Agnes Blakiston did not want to rent the old parsonage and soon came to regret it. At night the phone would ring and there would be unseen visitors. Was the house haunted? And did Miss Emily have a secret to terrible she would rather die than reveal it?

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

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1917

About the author

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

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

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

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

Reviews

[LGKH · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Classic

Written as no novel is written today, with use of words and sentence structure long gone. The story is completely unpredicatable. The communication of emotions so real I could not put this down. I'm glad to finally know Mary Rinehart''s work, This is the first of her works I've read, certainly not the last. The Spiral Staircase is next. How her work has been kept hidden, while Agatha Christie's is so well known I do not understand.

[Rick Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major characters:
Miss Agnes Blakiston, the summer tenant, and our narrator
Maggie, her maid
Willie, her nephew
Miss Emily Benton, the house owner
Anne Bullard, telephone operator
Martin Sprague, nerve specialist

Synopsis: Agnes Blakiston, as is her custom, seeks out a summer house rental in the country. She finds the perfect house, offered by Miss Emily Benton. Emily has a couple strange requirements. She wants the house rented out, no matter what, and no matter how low the rent is - even free, if necessary. Second, she insists not only be rented, but be occupied.

Agnes is happy with the arrangement and moves in, with her maid Maggie. Maggie immediately takes a dislike to the house and to Emily. Then the hall telephone begins to ring in the middle of the night - and no one is there. Next, Agnes finds evidence that someone has been in the downstairs rooms during the nights: burnt matches, candles partly consumed, things moved about slightly. Agnes realizes that the two phenonema never occur on the same night - leading her to conclude the overnight visitor is also the one ringing the phone.

Agnes consults her nerve specialist, Martin Sprague, who suggests that either Agnes is imagining things, or Emily has something in her past she is trying to reveal. Emily falls ill, and is cared for by Anne Bullard, who is also the night telephone operator; and is protective of Emily.

The strange occurrences all center around the hall telephone. Agnes asks Emily if she can install an upstairs extension, but Emily nixes the idea. Emily visits and hangs about the hall phone, and drops and loses a coin which slides under the telephone's battery box on the floor. Later, Maggie sets out to retrieve the coin, and opens the battery box to find a five year old murder confession written by Emily; and concludes Emily's actions have been trying to subtly direct attention to it. The question is: was this a real murder or just Emily's imagination?

Review: This book is now 100 years old. For the first time in ages, I had to finish a book in one sitting - staying up much past my usual bedtime. The various phenonema which seem spooky all have explanations - and it is chilling how Emily tries to attract attention to the battery box.

Rinehart always has a subtle humor. Agnes wants to identify the nighttime visitor, and sprinkles flour on the floor to detect footprints (could this have been inspired by the account of Bel and the Dragon in the extended biblical book of Daniel?). She wants to determine if she is really creating the phenomena herself, and has Maggie lock her in the bedroom so she cannot get out and make footprints and burn the candles down herself.

I enjoyed her method of visiting the church and getting clues from the windows and the graveyard. The story has an eye-opening twist at the end, with a most satisfying ending.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short read. I didn't really feel that there was much of a mystery going on. And the beginning was probably supposed to be suspenseful or creepy, but it just made me laugh. Which was fine with me. :p

[Blanche Manos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've finished reading The Confession by Mary Roberts Rinehart. I think this is the third time I've read it through the years. Miss Rinehart was a master of suspense. The book drew the reader along, disclosing clues as the story progressed, until the ending which tied everything together. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have been a fan of Rinehart mysteries for years. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a gripping story.

[Yibbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slightly terrifying little story. There were spots I wouldn't have stopped to go to sleep. At one point you even suspect the country doctor. She builds a confusing set of circumstances, and then gives a very good clue about halfway through. After that it was easy to figure out. It was a fun read though.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why did an old woman insist that her house be let for the summer? The story builds slowly as the narrator tries to answer that question as well as figuring out why the phone keeps ringing in the dead of night. Comic relief comes in the form of the maid who is terrified of the house. Overall a good short read if you're in the mood for suspense.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

✔️Published in 1917.
🖊 My review: This is a surprisingly good book about a lady who rents a place and the bizarre episodes that occur while she is there. The ending explains it all, and it is a good one. The 🔥 dénouement is surprising. 📌 Would I read this again? Yes; I believe so.
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

🔲 Excerpts :

🔸 Once a year I rent a house in the country. When my nephew and niece were children, I did it to take them out of the city during school vacations. Later, when they grew up, it was to be near the country club. But now, with the children married and new families coming along, we were more concerned with dairies than with clubs, and I inquired more carefully about the neighborhood cows than about the neighborhood golf-links.

🔸. . . on the following Wednesday, by my journal, the telephone commenced to bother me again. Generally speaking, it rang rather early, between eleven o'clock and midnight.

🔸 We bury some things as deep as possible, especially if we don't want to remember that they ever happened.

🟣 Media form: Kindle version.
🟢 Media form: Project Gutenberg.
✿●▬●✿●✿●▬●✿

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story took some time to be interesting. A lot of fear and superstition. And then a lot of things happening in the night which were unexplained.

Miss Emily persuades Miss Agnes to rent her house for the summer. It was uncharacteristic of her to even leave her home at all. After Miss Agnes and her maid/companion get settled in, mysterious things start happening. The first disturbing and unusual thing was that the telephone would ring in the night, but no response. So, with the women living alone there,and one very superstitious, fear began to take hold. But Miss Agnes, determined to break the grip of fear, begins to investigate. She begins to discover various things, but is unable to connect them and work out what happened in the past that is intruding into their lives now.

The book does grow on you a bit, coaxing you to more intense interest as the story develops.

The narrator was alright, but her accent sometimes makes it hard to understand some words.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way the story moves from possibly paranormal through possible delusions of various people. Parts--especially the telephone--are genuinely creepy. And we have one of Rinehart's patented unmarried women, whom I adore; the relationship between Agnes and Maggie is amusing (there's a recurring bit with jelly-making that's entertaining). More psychological depth than you'd expect, and a brisk and entertaining read.

(Difficult write-up to compose, as I don't want to spoil the book for anyone reading this.)

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having never read any books by this author, I have to say it was an enjoyable classic mystery. I liked the creepy parts yet she added a touch of humor to the book at times. The characters were likable and this was an all around well written story.

It was a fairly short book that I was able to read in one sitting. They have a large selection of her books on Amazon and I plan on reading some more of her writings!

[Chavi · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing was of course good. And like always, there were the usual familiar elements of Rinehart books, like a spinster protagonist and her maid? or whatever.
The one star is because I went into this book thinking it a mystery. It's absolutely not a mystery. It's not even a great story. It just is a random book about random events, almost like a diary. If you read it like that, even then, it might end up displeasing you, just because of its randomness.

[Cynthia Maddox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy her books. They're not for everyone. However, they're usually easy to read and give a glimpse of a different time. She is the "Had I but Known" writer. Really. That's what she's called. So you'll know some things from the beginning but she's good at keeping the important stuff hidden. Her stories are not earth shaking but they fun, to me, to read.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little mystery: it’s as if you were in the house yourself; I don’t usually listen to these sort of stories, but I like Mary Roberts Rheinhart so I thought I’d give it a go. Short story at about 4 hours listening

[Mary Ellen Millbranth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quintessential Mary Roberts Rinehart!

I love all of her books but especially love the ones where she and Maggie are a team. Can’t go wrong with this.

[Jessica Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short enjoyable mystery with a bit of humor and suspense. This book was a perfect read for this rainy day.

[Starry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd book aiming to be a suspenseful mystery. It was diverting, but I liked some of the author’s other books better.

[Cybercrone · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish this. Didn't seem anything like Christie, as was advertised. Just went nowhere, and very slowly.

[Melanie Mattsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this years ago. It pulled me in again.

[Potatoes · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little tale.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Mary Roberts Rinehart.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 3 out of 5]

This a pretty weird (bizarre) novella. It is awfully short and for that, it is also repetitive. The author wrote many better books.

[Kate Sheldon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't my favorite by this author, but ok. Seems like others liked it better than I did.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think you're either a Rinehart fan or you're not. Her books are dated, but whether you consider them quaint and charming or absurd is a matter of personal taste. Certainly her over-the-top, had-I-but-known style is a thing of the past. I like them for the reason that I like most old mysteries. No other genre gives as intimate and realistic a rendering of daily life in the past as mysteries. Mystery writers MUST get the details right. Solving the crime depends on it.

This is a favorite of mine. It was published in 1921 and bears a striking resemblance to her best-selling 1908 book THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE. Both are narrated by a well-to-do middle aged woman who rents a summer house, as wealthy people did at that time. With no air-conditioning, cities were unbearable in the heat of summer and the country was also supposed to offer some protection from the epidemics that normally peaked in the hotter months.

Both of the women are single, have a long-time servant with whom they carry on a running battle, and both are aunts to a grown niece and nephew. It's not a sequel, because the names of the narrators are different, although the name of the niece (Gertrude) and her husband (Jack) are repeated. But it's impossible not to think of the narrators as the same woman. They SOUND identical.

STAIRCASE was a long book for the time (226 pages) and THE CONFESSION is a novella of 73 pages. In the earlier book, the young folks are single and the action revolves around their romances. In this one, they are married with families of their own and only the nephew plays a small role.

Basically, it's a story about a respected, prominent family whose pride in their family history has consumed them. Although Rinehart was a wife and mother, she was also a proud career woman at a time when that was a daring thing to be. She passionately believed that women should be educated and live their own lives. Old Miss Emily is a prime example of a woman who has sacrificed herself on the altar of family duty. But why is she so anxious to find a renter for the family home which is the only home she's ever known? And who is the nighttime visitor who terrorizes the intrepid Agnes Blakiston and her out-spoken maid Maggie.

Rinehart's books appeal because of the excellent writing, the wry humor, and the lovingly drawn characters. She cared about her characters and she makes the reader care, too. That's one of the highest compliments I can pay any author.

[Mrsgaskell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this free download while browsing in the Kindle store. I haven't read anything by Mary Roberts Rinehart in decades so I thought I'd try it for old times' sake. I'm not sorry I did. It was an enjoyable old fashioned mystery. A spinster and her maid rent an old house in a village for the summer. The original idea was to have some nieces and nephews to stay but it doesn't work out that way and they are alone with the cook most of the time. The old lady who rents them the house has asked a suspiciously low rent and is very eager for them to stay. As soon as they move in the house inspires fear. There are mysterious phone calls in the night, signs of an intruder... As well as being an entertaining mystery, the book was humorous, in particular the relationship between Agnes and her maid, Maggie. I may very well read more by this author, next time I'm in need of a light read.

Mary Roberts Rinehart was considered the American Agatha Christie at one time and the phrase "the butler did it" was inspired by one of her novels.

[Jenn Estepp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I maybe would've liked this a wee bit better if it wasn't my, I don't know, fourth or fifth Mary Roberts Rinehart? She definitely had a groove and, while not completely sticking to it, moved pretty comfortably in it for multiple books. i.e., older lady and her less-educated companion rent a remote house for the summer and then spookiness goes down that they must get to the bottom of. I think the other books are better, but this passed the time adequately and I won't complain too much about things I download for free.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect mystery for reading near the end of October. Even though there turns out to be a perfectly reasonable and logical explanation for the events of the book, Ms Rinehart builds a creepy atmosphere that sent chills up my spine more than once. I believe if she had ever turned her hand to the writing of "ghost stories," Ms Rinehrat would have been an uncommon success at it given her talent for creating the proper atmosphere of suspense.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sad mystery, and the elderly spinster did not solve it but tried.

[Honnha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a wonderfully written story. I enjoyed it thoroughly. If you love to read for the sake of reading, I highly recommend this.

[Jeanette Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I

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

Agnes Blakiston rents a house, but soon begins wondering if its haunted and whats Miss Emily's big secret...