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The Filigree Ball: Being a Full and True Account of the Solution of the Mystery Concerning the Jeffrey-Moore Affair
For two weeks Washington has been abuzz with talk about what happened at the Moore house. The historic old building, dating back to colonial times, has long been a subject of unease as the site of multiple deaths. But pretty young Veronica Moore decides to defy superstition and hold her lavish wedding at the ancestral property—an event that turns tragic when a guest’s lifeless body is discovered. Now, a man has reported to the police that he spotted a light coming from within the supposedly empty house on an all but deserted block, and a detective must enter the mansion to unravel the secrets within . . . Published near the turn of the twentieth century, The Filigree Ball was written by Anna Katharine Green, a woman whose detective fiction, praised for its realism and accuracy, predated the creation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous investigator, Sherlock Holmes. Indeed, Green was one of the most accomplished mystery writers of her era.
214 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1902
67 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Anna Katharine Green
540 books197 followersAnna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Born in Brooklyn, New York, her early ambition was to write romantic verse, and she corresponded with Ralph Waldo Emerson. When her poetry failed to gain recognition, she produced her first and best known novel, The Leavenworth Case (1878). She became a bestselling author, eventually publishing about 40 books. She was in some ways a progressive woman for her time-succeeding in a genre dominated by male writers-but she did not approve of many of her feminist contemporaries, and she was opposed to women's suffrage. Her other works include A Strange Disappearance (1880), The Affair Next Door (1897), The Circular Study (1902), The Filigree Ball (1903), The Millionaire Baby (1905), The House in the Mist (1905), The Woman in the Alcove (1906), The House of the Whispering Pines (1910), Initials Only (1912), and The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow (1917).
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 1, 2024
The Filigree Ball is a slow-burn, murder mystery, written way back in 1902 before Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and all of our great mystery writers had a chance to create their signature detectives. Anna Katherine Greene is considered the "mother of detective novels." I've reviewed her work previously, but this one is significant for its realistic portrayal of police procedure within the American milieu circa 1900. It is truly a classic in such a regard.
Here, our MC police officer, relays a weird mystery that he participates in the investigation, telling it in first person, where he witnesses the flash of a light in a manse that is shuttered due to its poor reputation. Several individuals have met their end within its doors. As he moves through the house, he finds that the house has claimed another victim. The dead body is of Veronica Moore, the owner of the house who had recently married within the walls.
The mystery navigates a complex plot involving the socialite who's wedding had been complicated by the discovery of a previous dead body. There are, of course, the usual trappings of a murder mystery, but she initiates some of what become mystery tropes herself like red herrings, courtroom questions and answer drama, and a confrontation ripe with intrigue.
Christie focused on illuminating British aristocratic culture. Green was focused on affluent American political culture. I found the story a definite slow crawl, but worth the narrative creep with intentional investigatory exploration via the q & a process. The novel unfolds through testimony and evidence to reach a satisfactory and unique (to me) conclusion. Good read.
Here, our MC police officer, relays a weird mystery that he participates in the investigation, telling it in first person, where he witnesses the flash of a light in a manse that is shuttered due to its poor reputation. Several individuals have met their end within its doors. As he moves through the house, he finds that the house has claimed another victim. The dead body is of Veronica Moore, the owner of the house who had recently married within the walls.
The mystery navigates a complex plot involving the socialite who's wedding had been complicated by the discovery of a previous dead body. There are, of course, the usual trappings of a murder mystery, but she initiates some of what become mystery tropes herself like red herrings, courtroom questions and answer drama, and a confrontation ripe with intrigue.
Christie focused on illuminating British aristocratic culture. Green was focused on affluent American political culture. I found the story a definite slow crawl, but worth the narrative creep with intentional investigatory exploration via the q & a process. The novel unfolds through testimony and evidence to reach a satisfactory and unique (to me) conclusion. Good read.
August 1, 2021
Set in Washington, DC, this started out on a dark night when a light was seen in the window of an empty mansion. There is also a shutter loose and flapping a bit. "Oh no," I thought, "I'm not sure I'm up for gothic." But this quickly loses its gothicity, though, and turns into a decent police procedural. I say 'decent' but only because this was first published in 1903. For example, the policeman measures fingers in the dust, but no finger prints.
It is said of Anna Katharine Green that she writes well-plotted and legally accurate mysteries. I have read some of her series fiction and obviously am willing to come back to her time and again. Still, this is very early detective fiction and one should not expect from her what we demand in the novels that come much later. I thought there were a few more coincidences than is reasonable. I will say, though, that the ending/solution was entirely unexpected, and also completely fit the characters.
I was very interested in the progress of this story, and for the fitness of the ending especially, I'm giving it 4-stars. I admit that might be one star more than it's actually worth.
It is said of Anna Katharine Green that she writes well-plotted and legally accurate mysteries. I have read some of her series fiction and obviously am willing to come back to her time and again. Still, this is very early detective fiction and one should not expect from her what we demand in the novels that come much later. I thought there were a few more coincidences than is reasonable. I will say, though, that the ending/solution was entirely unexpected, and also completely fit the characters.
I was very interested in the progress of this story, and for the fitness of the ending especially, I'm giving it 4-stars. I admit that might be one star more than it's actually worth.
October 26, 2022
Credo di aver scoperto una nuova autrice gialla del cuore.
Ho scelto di acquistare questo libro per la pubblicità fatta dall'editore, per il loro aver indicato Anna Katharine Green come autrice prolifica fonte di ispirazione per grandi nomi del genere del calibro della mia amata Agatha Christie o di Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, eppure la sua fortuna in Italia non è quella che ci si aspetta da un nome del genere!
Mi sono immersa nella lettura ispirata da questo periodo dell'anno: ricercavo un giallo vecchio stampo dal sapore misterioso e perso in un passato dove, forte della mancanza della tecnologia attuale, tutto sembrava più spettrale e la tendenza a ipotizzare un'origine malefica e ultraterrena delle disgrazie di una casa o una famiglia appariva ben più plausibile. Non sono rimasta delusa!
La prima cosa che ho adorato di questo testo è la voce narrante. Al contrario di molti testi del genere, soprattutto quelli più antichi, ci troviamo dinnanzi a una prima persona, il romanzo infatti è il resoconto che un ispettore fa a noi lettori degli avvenimenti circa il delitto e l'inchiesta che videro protagonista casa Moore, nel cuore di Washington DC. La rappresentazione di questo protagonista per me è magistrale: entriamo nella sua testa con estrema facilità, compartecipando alle sue paure, ambizioni e anche ai sentimenti più o meno positivi nei confronti dei suoi colleghi. Alla fine del testo ci sembrerà di conoscere intimamente questo personaggio, di avere una chiara idea della sua visione del mondo, del lavoro in polizia e dei sentimenti che lo legano al caso, eppure NON conosciamo nulla di lui, nemmeno il suo nome! La penna magistrale di questa autrice ci permette di indagare l'animo di un protagonista molto interessante e di rendercelo con estrema chiarezza senza dover per forza indugiare sulla sua vita privata, i suoi sentimenti differenti da quelli nei confronti del suo lavoro e altre emozioni che normalmente vengono utilizzate per farci provare maggiore empatia nei confronti di un personaggio. Io lo ritengo un chiarissimo esempio di bravura.
Secondo aspetto che mi ha rapita è la capacità di descrivere della Green, una caratteristica propria degli autori del suo periodo e che qua ho colto con estrema chiarezza. Questa abilità l'ho vista espressa principalmente nella parte iniziale quando per la prima volta ci troviamo di fronte a casa Moore, questa grande dimora storica sede di atroci e misteriosi delitti e detta da molti infestata. L'aura di mistero e superstizione che l'avvolge è pressante e le parole scelte per accompagnare il nostro protagonista nel primo ingresso nella dimora ne sono pregne. Per chi ama la descrizione di grandi case possibilmente infestate e desidera provare un brividino nella lettura di un romanzo giallo non resterà deluso da questo testo.
Spesso inoltre ho sentito che svariate persone non apprezzano i romanzi di genere giallo dal momento che gli autori tendono a rivelarti alla fine la soluzione di un caso senza permettere a te lettore di farti delle vere ipotesi e avvicinarti anche solo minimamente alla verità, beh carissimi non è questo il caso! Attenzione: non sto dicendo che la soluzione è scontata o che arriverete alla verità in men che non si dica. L'autrice è bravissima a farti cogliere indizi, tralasciare di parlarne e poi tirarli fuori un centinaio di pagine dopo come elementi fondamentali che si sono tralasciati, ti pone davanti diverse piste di indagine che vengono di volta in volta accolte e poi scartate e alla fine tu, come il nostro protagonista, arriverai ad ipotizzare espedienti e scenari che potranno risultare in fine corretti o errati ma mai avrai, come in altri autori del genere, un investigatore geniale che tirerà fuori dal cilindro qualcosa che nessuno sapeva dando la soluzione finale. Ci arriverai pian piano seguendo la storia, gli indizi e lo svolgersi delle indagini proprio come il nostro ispettore.
Consiglio vivamente questo giallo agli amanti del genere più classico, a chi ama i polizieschi e una lente puntata verso le indagini, chi apprezza i personaggi ben delineati e chi ama pure un brividino dato dalle ambientazioni ottocentesche. Da non perdere!!
Ho scelto di acquistare questo libro per la pubblicità fatta dall'editore, per il loro aver indicato Anna Katharine Green come autrice prolifica fonte di ispirazione per grandi nomi del genere del calibro della mia amata Agatha Christie o di Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, eppure la sua fortuna in Italia non è quella che ci si aspetta da un nome del genere!
Mi sono immersa nella lettura ispirata da questo periodo dell'anno: ricercavo un giallo vecchio stampo dal sapore misterioso e perso in un passato dove, forte della mancanza della tecnologia attuale, tutto sembrava più spettrale e la tendenza a ipotizzare un'origine malefica e ultraterrena delle disgrazie di una casa o una famiglia appariva ben più plausibile. Non sono rimasta delusa!
La prima cosa che ho adorato di questo testo è la voce narrante. Al contrario di molti testi del genere, soprattutto quelli più antichi, ci troviamo dinnanzi a una prima persona, il romanzo infatti è il resoconto che un ispettore fa a noi lettori degli avvenimenti circa il delitto e l'inchiesta che videro protagonista casa Moore, nel cuore di Washington DC. La rappresentazione di questo protagonista per me è magistrale: entriamo nella sua testa con estrema facilità, compartecipando alle sue paure, ambizioni e anche ai sentimenti più o meno positivi nei confronti dei suoi colleghi. Alla fine del testo ci sembrerà di conoscere intimamente questo personaggio, di avere una chiara idea della sua visione del mondo, del lavoro in polizia e dei sentimenti che lo legano al caso, eppure NON conosciamo nulla di lui, nemmeno il suo nome! La penna magistrale di questa autrice ci permette di indagare l'animo di un protagonista molto interessante e di rendercelo con estrema chiarezza senza dover per forza indugiare sulla sua vita privata, i suoi sentimenti differenti da quelli nei confronti del suo lavoro e altre emozioni che normalmente vengono utilizzate per farci provare maggiore empatia nei confronti di un personaggio. Io lo ritengo un chiarissimo esempio di bravura.
Secondo aspetto che mi ha rapita è la capacità di descrivere della Green, una caratteristica propria degli autori del suo periodo e che qua ho colto con estrema chiarezza. Questa abilità l'ho vista espressa principalmente nella parte iniziale quando per la prima volta ci troviamo di fronte a casa Moore, questa grande dimora storica sede di atroci e misteriosi delitti e detta da molti infestata. L'aura di mistero e superstizione che l'avvolge è pressante e le parole scelte per accompagnare il nostro protagonista nel primo ingresso nella dimora ne sono pregne. Per chi ama la descrizione di grandi case possibilmente infestate e desidera provare un brividino nella lettura di un romanzo giallo non resterà deluso da questo testo.
Spesso inoltre ho sentito che svariate persone non apprezzano i romanzi di genere giallo dal momento che gli autori tendono a rivelarti alla fine la soluzione di un caso senza permettere a te lettore di farti delle vere ipotesi e avvicinarti anche solo minimamente alla verità, beh carissimi non è questo il caso! Attenzione: non sto dicendo che la soluzione è scontata o che arriverete alla verità in men che non si dica. L'autrice è bravissima a farti cogliere indizi, tralasciare di parlarne e poi tirarli fuori un centinaio di pagine dopo come elementi fondamentali che si sono tralasciati, ti pone davanti diverse piste di indagine che vengono di volta in volta accolte e poi scartate e alla fine tu, come il nostro protagonista, arriverai ad ipotizzare espedienti e scenari che potranno risultare in fine corretti o errati ma mai avrai, come in altri autori del genere, un investigatore geniale che tirerà fuori dal cilindro qualcosa che nessuno sapeva dando la soluzione finale. Ci arriverai pian piano seguendo la storia, gli indizi e lo svolgersi delle indagini proprio come il nostro ispettore.
Consiglio vivamente questo giallo agli amanti del genere più classico, a chi ama i polizieschi e una lente puntata verso le indagini, chi apprezza i personaggi ben delineati e chi ama pure un brividino dato dalle ambientazioni ottocentesche. Da non perdere!!
June 2, 2023
Un giallo godibile, uno dei primi scritti da una donna in realtà, antecedente la più celebre giallista Agatha Christie, ma che per qualche sorta di oscuro motivo è rimasto celato ai lettori italiani.
L'arco temporale della narrazione, propone al lettore moderno un passato dove la suggestione raggiungeva auree spettrali, come quella - fosca e celata - che si riversa su casa Moore, magione di famiglia dove molti hanno trovato la morte.
Una lettura ispirata ed un'ottima penna, sicuramente leggerò anche l'altro titolo della Green proposto dall'editore.
L'arco temporale della narrazione, propone al lettore moderno un passato dove la suggestione raggiungeva auree spettrali, come quella - fosca e celata - che si riversa su casa Moore, magione di famiglia dove molti hanno trovato la morte.
Una lettura ispirata ed un'ottima penna, sicuramente leggerò anche l'altro titolo della Green proposto dall'editore.
May 27, 2012
I am always amazed how this author came up with so many different plots and all great reads this being no exception. Loved it!
April 28, 2012
I don't know how this book got into my hands and the title in English sounds nothing like the one translated in my language. Now, seeing the original title, I feel like I have read the story of some real life conspiracy and I wasn't even aware of it.
It was pretty easy to read, interesting, lots of action but a little SF at the end (to be taken as a minus).
It was pretty easy to read, interesting, lots of action but a little SF at the end (to be taken as a minus).
September 27, 2008
My favorite of the 10 or so books by Green that I've read. Kind of creepy, and very clever plot though a bit unrealistic.
October 11, 2023
È il 1903 quando Anna Katharine Green pubblica La maledizione dei Moore - o meglio, The filigree ball - ma noi italiani lo possiamo leggere solo dal 2022, grazie ai bellissimi tipi di Abeditore con la traduzione Marialuisa Ruggiero e le loro sempre splendide illustrazioni.
Veronica Moore, giovane ereditiera, due settimane dopo aver sposato Francis Jeffrey viene trovata morta nella casa di famiglia. Ha una pallottola in petto e una pistola legata al polso. Suicidio, direte voi. Però il suo non è il primo cadavere ad essere rinvenuto nella biblioteca, accanto al camino. Già il giorno del matrimonio uno sconosciuto ha trovato la stessa fine, nello stesso posto, e vari altri prima di lui, negli anni precedenti. È un giovane poliziotto a voler cercare una spiegazione, come pure gli indizi, andando anche oltre quella scienza forense che si sta proprio allora affacciando. È lui a raccontare questa storia in prima persona, dove a farla da padrone (come al solito, nelle storie della Green), sono le relazioni tra Veronica, Francis, Miss Tuttle, lo zio David e la loro psicologia, i segreti che nascondevano e quelli di cui sono a conoscenza. Come anche quelli celati all'interno di Casa Moore.
"Benché sia sempre sfuggita all'inflazionato epiteto di casa 'infestata', le famiglie che vi si trasferivano impiegavano ben poco a uscirne, adducendo come motivazione che la felicità vi era bandita e che dormire sotto quel tetto era impossibile. Che vi fossero delle buone ragioni per tanto mancato riposo tra mura depositarie di tragiche reminiscenze bisogna ammetterlo. La morte era spesso passata di lì e, sebbene lo si possa dire della maggioranza delle vecchie abitazioni, di rado si può affermare, com'è questo il caso, che sia sempre sopraggiunta in maniera improvvisa e sempre con la stessa modalità."
Questa scrittrice riesce sempre a tenermi agganciata alla storia e alle sue pagine, con una dinamica narrativa che alterna molto bene i plot twist - che spesso possiamo ammirare durante le inchieste giudiziarie, che di solito sono procedimenti legali così noiosi... e invece no, non lo sono con la Green. È qui che i protagonisti, messi alla sbarra, sovvertono i fatti, la percezione che avevamo del delitto.
Che bellezza leggere le sue storie.
Veronica Moore, giovane ereditiera, due settimane dopo aver sposato Francis Jeffrey viene trovata morta nella casa di famiglia. Ha una pallottola in petto e una pistola legata al polso. Suicidio, direte voi. Però il suo non è il primo cadavere ad essere rinvenuto nella biblioteca, accanto al camino. Già il giorno del matrimonio uno sconosciuto ha trovato la stessa fine, nello stesso posto, e vari altri prima di lui, negli anni precedenti. È un giovane poliziotto a voler cercare una spiegazione, come pure gli indizi, andando anche oltre quella scienza forense che si sta proprio allora affacciando. È lui a raccontare questa storia in prima persona, dove a farla da padrone (come al solito, nelle storie della Green), sono le relazioni tra Veronica, Francis, Miss Tuttle, lo zio David e la loro psicologia, i segreti che nascondevano e quelli di cui sono a conoscenza. Come anche quelli celati all'interno di Casa Moore.
"Benché sia sempre sfuggita all'inflazionato epiteto di casa 'infestata', le famiglie che vi si trasferivano impiegavano ben poco a uscirne, adducendo come motivazione che la felicità vi era bandita e che dormire sotto quel tetto era impossibile. Che vi fossero delle buone ragioni per tanto mancato riposo tra mura depositarie di tragiche reminiscenze bisogna ammetterlo. La morte era spesso passata di lì e, sebbene lo si possa dire della maggioranza delle vecchie abitazioni, di rado si può affermare, com'è questo il caso, che sia sempre sopraggiunta in maniera improvvisa e sempre con la stessa modalità."
Questa scrittrice riesce sempre a tenermi agganciata alla storia e alle sue pagine, con una dinamica narrativa che alterna molto bene i plot twist - che spesso possiamo ammirare durante le inchieste giudiziarie, che di solito sono procedimenti legali così noiosi... e invece no, non lo sono con la Green. È qui che i protagonisti, messi alla sbarra, sovvertono i fatti, la percezione che avevamo del delitto.
Che bellezza leggere le sue storie.
February 24, 2024
Recensione di “La maledizione dei Moore” di Anna Katharine Green edito Abeditore
📚📚📚📚📚
Potete anche pensare che sia di parte ma i libri Abeditore sono unici!
Le trame non sono mai banali, per nulla scontate. Protagonisti singolari con anime combattute e personalità molto marcate. Non esiste il bianco e il nero ma tantissime sfumature.
La maledizione dei Moore è un giallo ambientato nella Washington dei primi del ‘900 quando l’unico modo per trovare gli assassini era la capacità degli investigatori di trovare indizi e di unire i tasselli del puzzle. E quando tutti pensano a un suicidio e un giovane poliziotto vuole scoprire la verità non rimane che affidarsi alle pagine del libro e cercare di dipanare il mistero.
La Green è veramente la “madre del mistery” e grazie a Abeditore noi possiamo leggere questi piccoli tesori.
Una trama ricca di colpi di scena, gli attori della storia incredibilmente interessanti l, l’edizione curata nei minimi dettagli rendono questo romanzo fondamentale per tutti coloro che amano il genere.
Da leggere!
📚📚📚📚📚
Potete anche pensare che sia di parte ma i libri Abeditore sono unici!
Le trame non sono mai banali, per nulla scontate. Protagonisti singolari con anime combattute e personalità molto marcate. Non esiste il bianco e il nero ma tantissime sfumature.
La maledizione dei Moore è un giallo ambientato nella Washington dei primi del ‘900 quando l’unico modo per trovare gli assassini era la capacità degli investigatori di trovare indizi e di unire i tasselli del puzzle. E quando tutti pensano a un suicidio e un giovane poliziotto vuole scoprire la verità non rimane che affidarsi alle pagine del libro e cercare di dipanare il mistero.
La Green è veramente la “madre del mistery” e grazie a Abeditore noi possiamo leggere questi piccoli tesori.
Una trama ricca di colpi di scena, gli attori della storia incredibilmente interessanti l, l’edizione curata nei minimi dettagli rendono questo romanzo fondamentale per tutti coloro che amano il genere.
Da leggere!
October 10, 2025
Our young and naive protagonist, the Fair Maiden, makes a mistake at a young age. She marries the Waiter. Sadly she didn’t know better at the time, that one should marry men of ‘quality�� and not waiters. Alas!
Let us make a little note here: considering that there are black’s quarters (black is me putting that politely) in the Manor, I will not take offence that my colleague the Waiter, is considered a man of no quality since he is… shudder… a waiter.
Off goes the Waiter to make his fortune in Klondike, with hopes he will come back to the Fair Maiden rich and worthy of her. Or was it… rich which equals worthy of her? Hmm… no matter. Onwards!
Enter a man of quality. You know, the type that hasn’t worked a day in his life like a proper man of quality should. The Fair Maiden realises the mistake she made but WOOOOEEE TO HER! She is already married to the Waiter slaving away at the gold mines. But she has a glimmer of hope! What if while slaving away in unsanitary conditions, without enough to eat and horrible healthcare this man of low quality dies?
What if?
May she dream?
And lo! In the newspapers she reads ‘Waiter dies! His last words were: the Waiter!’ Oh joy! Oh happiness! She cannot stop laughing! Finally this beautiful gentille girl of refined feelings can wed the prince of her dreams. So she say ‘yes’ to her beloved and off they go to set a wedding date.
But while she is shopping for… lace I believe, she read another article. Apparently when the dying man said ‘the Waiter’ with his last breath he wasn’t giving instructions for the inscription on his tombstone. Nope! What he mean was ‘My brother the Waiter is on the road further down dying! Go save him please!’
You see? Even the brother was of no quality. His dying words should have been more eloquent and he should have said ‘please’. Mostly the rascal should not have confused the Fair Maiden who now realised that the Waiter has possibly not died. And… she may be still be married to a living breathing human. The horror!
How, oh how? She thinks to herself. His brother was stronger. Why couldn’t the bastard- Apologies, a lady of quality would never say such a word. Why couldn’t this low life individual just pass away so she can enjoy her life with the prince of her dreams? Meningitis? A snowstorm? Malnutrition? Maybe a nice little local plague? How can he just go on living when all his stronger relatives have dropped dead?
But since there is no explicit mention of this individual still being alive, our Fair Lady hopes!
Dysentery maybe.
Aaaanyway, the wedding day approaches. On her way to the Manor, she spies… the Waiter! Oh the horror! Her day is ruined! She feels trapped! What an embarrassment this will be! She runs up and locks herself in the Colonel’s study.
Now then… let us roll back a little. Two points. Firstly, the Manor where the wedding takes place, in our girl’s family for generations has apparently made a bad name for itself. People seem to die of a stroke or a heart attack while sitting in the library armchair. Yup, that specific. It’s been going on for generations since the time of the Colonel. Same guy who gave his name to the study our heroine finds herself in.
Second. There is a medallion handed down from generation to generation. This medallion is handed down with the following instructions ‘If you find yourself in a really, reaaaaally desperate situation where all hope is lost, open the medallion. Use the item that you find in the medallion with the portrait in great great great greaaaaat grandpa Colonel’s room.
She opens the medallion.
Inside it is a magnifying glass. On the portrait there is a hidden text that can only be read with it. Now, this hidden text is two pages so yours truly fails to see how it could in any way be ´hidden’ but let’s ignore that little fact.
Gramps has written a thesis about how he solved a problem that haunted him. His best friend thought that Gramps should get out of politics because he was a corrupt politician. So Gramps decided to double down and add murder to corruption.
He invited his friend over and offered him The Chair in the library. Then he snuck up to his study and used a mechanism that released a heavy ball -masquerading as ceiling decoration- straight unto the unsuspecting man on the chair. After the man was dead, and Gramps’ problem happily resolved, Gramps retracted the ball with a crank.
But Gramps was haunted by the guilt to the end of his days. He decided to confess and hide his sins in a way only his descendants would ever learn about this dark, dark moment of his life. A cautionary tale to the generations to come if you will. The generations to come alas thought it was an instruction manual.
So up and down, up and down went the ball over the ages. Into the library went the various family ‘problems’. Out of the library on a stretcher went corpse after corpse.
Let us make one last parenthesis. Throwing balls on people’s heads seems a mighty unreliable murder plan to me. There was a peephole, just to make sure you got the ball-gravity-head alignment properly but what if the man bent down to scratch that itch on his ankle? How would you explain the ball on a string landing behind his back? What if the guy had a hard to break head and one ball just didn’t do it? And what if… IF… the doctor pronounced the dreaded words ‘Blunt force trauma’???!!!
I get that the book was written in 1903 but if you have come this far do chime in. Were the doctors of the time so clueless that a ten ton ball to the cranium and a stroke didn’t really look that much different? Or is it our author who was clueless of the medical advancements of the day? Though it seems to me that you didn’t need much medical advancements for that. Some Neatherdal somewhere must have said ‘Grog have big bump on head. Grog hit on head with big club.’ Aaaanyway….
Let us return to our heroine who has just found the instruction manual above. And right on time because the horrible Waiter is at the door, asking to speak with her.
‘Show this person to the library, Jeeves!´ she says to the butler. ‘And make sure he is comfortable on Gramps’ armchair’.
The rest is history. Sadly our heroine speaks in her sleep. Not the usual mumbling that the average low class people do. She gives a detailed account of the whole thing to her new husband because… why not?
And then she kills herself. Mainly cause she can’t live her love with her Prince. The Waiter was there somewhere as a footnote but mainly the prince.
The above account is read by the narrator and the Prince and others. Tears come to their eyes. The poor, poor Fair Maiden. So young. So innocent. So misguided. It would be a shame if her reputation were tarnished. She was after all a lady of quality that made one youthful mistake.
I am now weeping as I write this reader. I can not write much longer. My heart breaks for our tragic heroine. Read if you can this heartbreaking tale of love and loss and hope denied.
Adieu!
Let us make a little note here: considering that there are black’s quarters (black is me putting that politely) in the Manor, I will not take offence that my colleague the Waiter, is considered a man of no quality since he is… shudder… a waiter.
Off goes the Waiter to make his fortune in Klondike, with hopes he will come back to the Fair Maiden rich and worthy of her. Or was it… rich which equals worthy of her? Hmm… no matter. Onwards!
Enter a man of quality. You know, the type that hasn’t worked a day in his life like a proper man of quality should. The Fair Maiden realises the mistake she made but WOOOOEEE TO HER! She is already married to the Waiter slaving away at the gold mines. But she has a glimmer of hope! What if while slaving away in unsanitary conditions, without enough to eat and horrible healthcare this man of low quality dies?
What if?
May she dream?
And lo! In the newspapers she reads ‘Waiter dies! His last words were: the Waiter!’ Oh joy! Oh happiness! She cannot stop laughing! Finally this beautiful gentille girl of refined feelings can wed the prince of her dreams. So she say ‘yes’ to her beloved and off they go to set a wedding date.
But while she is shopping for… lace I believe, she read another article. Apparently when the dying man said ‘the Waiter’ with his last breath he wasn’t giving instructions for the inscription on his tombstone. Nope! What he mean was ‘My brother the Waiter is on the road further down dying! Go save him please!’
You see? Even the brother was of no quality. His dying words should have been more eloquent and he should have said ‘please’. Mostly the rascal should not have confused the Fair Maiden who now realised that the Waiter has possibly not died. And… she may be still be married to a living breathing human. The horror!
How, oh how? She thinks to herself. His brother was stronger. Why couldn’t the bastard- Apologies, a lady of quality would never say such a word. Why couldn’t this low life individual just pass away so she can enjoy her life with the prince of her dreams? Meningitis? A snowstorm? Malnutrition? Maybe a nice little local plague? How can he just go on living when all his stronger relatives have dropped dead?
But since there is no explicit mention of this individual still being alive, our Fair Lady hopes!
Dysentery maybe.
Aaaanyway, the wedding day approaches. On her way to the Manor, she spies… the Waiter! Oh the horror! Her day is ruined! She feels trapped! What an embarrassment this will be! She runs up and locks herself in the Colonel’s study.
Now then… let us roll back a little. Two points. Firstly, the Manor where the wedding takes place, in our girl’s family for generations has apparently made a bad name for itself. People seem to die of a stroke or a heart attack while sitting in the library armchair. Yup, that specific. It’s been going on for generations since the time of the Colonel. Same guy who gave his name to the study our heroine finds herself in.
Second. There is a medallion handed down from generation to generation. This medallion is handed down with the following instructions ‘If you find yourself in a really, reaaaaally desperate situation where all hope is lost, open the medallion. Use the item that you find in the medallion with the portrait in great great great greaaaaat grandpa Colonel’s room.
She opens the medallion.
Inside it is a magnifying glass. On the portrait there is a hidden text that can only be read with it. Now, this hidden text is two pages so yours truly fails to see how it could in any way be ´hidden’ but let’s ignore that little fact.
Gramps has written a thesis about how he solved a problem that haunted him. His best friend thought that Gramps should get out of politics because he was a corrupt politician. So Gramps decided to double down and add murder to corruption.
He invited his friend over and offered him The Chair in the library. Then he snuck up to his study and used a mechanism that released a heavy ball -masquerading as ceiling decoration- straight unto the unsuspecting man on the chair. After the man was dead, and Gramps’ problem happily resolved, Gramps retracted the ball with a crank.
But Gramps was haunted by the guilt to the end of his days. He decided to confess and hide his sins in a way only his descendants would ever learn about this dark, dark moment of his life. A cautionary tale to the generations to come if you will. The generations to come alas thought it was an instruction manual.
So up and down, up and down went the ball over the ages. Into the library went the various family ‘problems’. Out of the library on a stretcher went corpse after corpse.
Let us make one last parenthesis. Throwing balls on people’s heads seems a mighty unreliable murder plan to me. There was a peephole, just to make sure you got the ball-gravity-head alignment properly but what if the man bent down to scratch that itch on his ankle? How would you explain the ball on a string landing behind his back? What if the guy had a hard to break head and one ball just didn’t do it? And what if… IF… the doctor pronounced the dreaded words ‘Blunt force trauma’???!!!
I get that the book was written in 1903 but if you have come this far do chime in. Were the doctors of the time so clueless that a ten ton ball to the cranium and a stroke didn’t really look that much different? Or is it our author who was clueless of the medical advancements of the day? Though it seems to me that you didn’t need much medical advancements for that. Some Neatherdal somewhere must have said ‘Grog have big bump on head. Grog hit on head with big club.’ Aaaanyway….
Let us return to our heroine who has just found the instruction manual above. And right on time because the horrible Waiter is at the door, asking to speak with her.
‘Show this person to the library, Jeeves!´ she says to the butler. ‘And make sure he is comfortable on Gramps’ armchair’.
The rest is history. Sadly our heroine speaks in her sleep. Not the usual mumbling that the average low class people do. She gives a detailed account of the whole thing to her new husband because… why not?
And then she kills herself. Mainly cause she can’t live her love with her Prince. The Waiter was there somewhere as a footnote but mainly the prince.
The above account is read by the narrator and the Prince and others. Tears come to their eyes. The poor, poor Fair Maiden. So young. So innocent. So misguided. It would be a shame if her reputation were tarnished. She was after all a lady of quality that made one youthful mistake.
I am now weeping as I write this reader. I can not write much longer. My heart breaks for our tragic heroine. Read if you can this heartbreaking tale of love and loss and hope denied.
Adieu!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2025
English 152 book: solid mystery read but the ending was disappointing because you find out she actually did commit suicide after killing the brother of the man whom she thought she was still married to. Here is my NYT Book Review that I submitted for class.
As an avid detective novel enthusiast from Washington, D.C. who grew up with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, The Filigree Ball seemed right up my alley: a 1903 murder mystery set in early 20th century Washington, D.C. written by a contemporary of Doyle’s. Filled with familial and romantic tension and told from the perspective of a nameless, slightly bumbling and biased detective, Anna Katherine Green’s novel spent months on the bestseller list when first published, but has since faded into obscurity, overshadowed by serial detectives like Holmes and Poirot. Green writes with a masterful hand, including several routine mystery tropes such as red herrings, multiple motives, and the solution revealed at the close of the novel, yet for me, her whodunnit fell short of engaging my excitement the way Doyle does, and the way modern authors like Anthony Horowitz and Lucy Foley can. The disappointing, predictable, and convenient ending, and the messiness of the first-person narrative from the detective’s point-of-view fail to make The Filigree Ball a worthwhile read.
Green’s mystery centers around the death of newlywed society girl Veronica Moore, who is found dead in her family’s seemingly haunted old house in Washington, D.C. Surrounded by detectives and police, Moore’s husband Mr. Jeffrey, sister Miss Tuttle, and Uncle David become the prime suspects.
A good murder mystery means that I’m leaving the light on next to my bed while I’m falling asleep and double- and triple-checking that I’ve locked my doors. Green’s Filigree Ball, while containing some twists and turns, is resolved when the detective learns that the originally proffered explanation is the correct one: Veronica Moore committed suicide. The excitement of the mystery, to which Green devotes much less page space, is that Veronica committed suicide after murdering the brother of her previous husband, Mr. Pfeiffer. Eager to marry fiancé Mr. Jeffrey, Veronica mistakes a visitor on her wedding day to be her previous husband, Mr. Pfeiffer, not realizing it is in fact his brother; thus, Veronica tragically commits an unnecessary act of evil.
However, instead of focusing the novel on the dual deaths, Green’s detective spends most of the novel oscillating between three major suspects in Veronica’s death: Mr. Jeffrey, Ms. Tuttle, and Uncle David. The detective’s desperation to convict a criminal and solve his maiden murder mystery to ascend the ranks is the primary reason for his heavy biases against the family. Reading the story from his first-person narration felt like an endless cycle of finger-pointing, disrupted only when a letter penned by Veronica explaining everything is found in the library. The convenience of the ending felt lazy, without room for shock as readers realized that the detective had been following red herrings throughout the course of the novel and really had not done any of the intellectual legwork to solve the case.
The disappointment of the ending feels akin to if the conclusion of every Scooby Doo episode was that the criminal is always the first suspect the gang meets. Occam’s Razor, or the idea that the simplest explanation is usually the best, is a staple of real detective work. Detective fiction, on the other hand, is all about detectives solving complicated crimes with half-clues, brainpower, and a witty sidekick. Sherlock has Watson, Poirot has Hastings, and yet Green’s detective is nameless and solo, save for a forgettable woman named Jinny. Holmes is a brilliant man who uses superior powers of observation and deduction to learn about his suspect’s drinking habits, dominant hand, and lying tendencies. Green’s detective is decidedly ordinary, and compounded with the bias of his first-person narration, The Filigree Ball is less entertaining and engaging than first-person accounts told by the sidekick (in the case of Watson and Hastings), or even third-person limited accounts (like Nancy Drew).
Mystery and detective fiction are often satisfying because they can elicit active reading: readers solving the case alongside or prior to the detective, and because the conclusions often include sharp twists and a shock ending. When Holmes discovers the murderer in The Hounds of Baskerville, it is because the dog is trained not to bark upon seeing his owner. In Murder on the Orient Express, Poirot determines that the murder was committed by every suspect, a seemingly ridiculous and unpredictable ending. While not required for an excellent detective novel, Green having Veronica Moore commit suicide is predictable, making The Filigree Ball a passive reading experience knowing that the correct answer is offered within the first ten pages.
I began with the acknowledgement that Anna Katherine Green writes with a masterful hand; she understands the nuance of mystery tropes and excels at revealing clues slowly throughout the novel. However, in the case of The Filigree Ball, she fell short in crafting a masterful murder mystery. The detective’s unreliability led me astray and felt tedious to get through, and learning that Veronica did, in fact, commit suicide makes the whole endeavor feel slightly pointless. Not only that, but finding that out because of a three-page letter which described the entire solution felt to me like Green ran out of ideas and wanted to wrap up the mystery quickly, neatly, and conveniently. All this to say, there is a reason Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot have stood the test of time, while The Filigree Ball’s brief flame in 1903 burned bright and fast.
As an avid detective novel enthusiast from Washington, D.C. who grew up with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, The Filigree Ball seemed right up my alley: a 1903 murder mystery set in early 20th century Washington, D.C. written by a contemporary of Doyle’s. Filled with familial and romantic tension and told from the perspective of a nameless, slightly bumbling and biased detective, Anna Katherine Green’s novel spent months on the bestseller list when first published, but has since faded into obscurity, overshadowed by serial detectives like Holmes and Poirot. Green writes with a masterful hand, including several routine mystery tropes such as red herrings, multiple motives, and the solution revealed at the close of the novel, yet for me, her whodunnit fell short of engaging my excitement the way Doyle does, and the way modern authors like Anthony Horowitz and Lucy Foley can. The disappointing, predictable, and convenient ending, and the messiness of the first-person narrative from the detective’s point-of-view fail to make The Filigree Ball a worthwhile read.
Green’s mystery centers around the death of newlywed society girl Veronica Moore, who is found dead in her family’s seemingly haunted old house in Washington, D.C. Surrounded by detectives and police, Moore’s husband Mr. Jeffrey, sister Miss Tuttle, and Uncle David become the prime suspects.
A good murder mystery means that I’m leaving the light on next to my bed while I’m falling asleep and double- and triple-checking that I’ve locked my doors. Green’s Filigree Ball, while containing some twists and turns, is resolved when the detective learns that the originally proffered explanation is the correct one: Veronica Moore committed suicide. The excitement of the mystery, to which Green devotes much less page space, is that Veronica committed suicide after murdering the brother of her previous husband, Mr. Pfeiffer. Eager to marry fiancé Mr. Jeffrey, Veronica mistakes a visitor on her wedding day to be her previous husband, Mr. Pfeiffer, not realizing it is in fact his brother; thus, Veronica tragically commits an unnecessary act of evil.
However, instead of focusing the novel on the dual deaths, Green’s detective spends most of the novel oscillating between three major suspects in Veronica’s death: Mr. Jeffrey, Ms. Tuttle, and Uncle David. The detective’s desperation to convict a criminal and solve his maiden murder mystery to ascend the ranks is the primary reason for his heavy biases against the family. Reading the story from his first-person narration felt like an endless cycle of finger-pointing, disrupted only when a letter penned by Veronica explaining everything is found in the library. The convenience of the ending felt lazy, without room for shock as readers realized that the detective had been following red herrings throughout the course of the novel and really had not done any of the intellectual legwork to solve the case.
The disappointment of the ending feels akin to if the conclusion of every Scooby Doo episode was that the criminal is always the first suspect the gang meets. Occam’s Razor, or the idea that the simplest explanation is usually the best, is a staple of real detective work. Detective fiction, on the other hand, is all about detectives solving complicated crimes with half-clues, brainpower, and a witty sidekick. Sherlock has Watson, Poirot has Hastings, and yet Green’s detective is nameless and solo, save for a forgettable woman named Jinny. Holmes is a brilliant man who uses superior powers of observation and deduction to learn about his suspect’s drinking habits, dominant hand, and lying tendencies. Green’s detective is decidedly ordinary, and compounded with the bias of his first-person narration, The Filigree Ball is less entertaining and engaging than first-person accounts told by the sidekick (in the case of Watson and Hastings), or even third-person limited accounts (like Nancy Drew).
Mystery and detective fiction are often satisfying because they can elicit active reading: readers solving the case alongside or prior to the detective, and because the conclusions often include sharp twists and a shock ending. When Holmes discovers the murderer in The Hounds of Baskerville, it is because the dog is trained not to bark upon seeing his owner. In Murder on the Orient Express, Poirot determines that the murder was committed by every suspect, a seemingly ridiculous and unpredictable ending. While not required for an excellent detective novel, Green having Veronica Moore commit suicide is predictable, making The Filigree Ball a passive reading experience knowing that the correct answer is offered within the first ten pages.
I began with the acknowledgement that Anna Katherine Green writes with a masterful hand; she understands the nuance of mystery tropes and excels at revealing clues slowly throughout the novel. However, in the case of The Filigree Ball, she fell short in crafting a masterful murder mystery. The detective’s unreliability led me astray and felt tedious to get through, and learning that Veronica did, in fact, commit suicide makes the whole endeavor feel slightly pointless. Not only that, but finding that out because of a three-page letter which described the entire solution felt to me like Green ran out of ideas and wanted to wrap up the mystery quickly, neatly, and conveniently. All this to say, there is a reason Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot have stood the test of time, while The Filigree Ball’s brief flame in 1903 burned bright and fast.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2025
"The Filigree Ball" by Anna Katharine Green is a 1903 Victorian mystery novel combining family secrets, hidden rooms, and enough red herrings to fill a fish market. As someone who doesn't really read mystery novels – much less historical ones – I was surprised by how much this story pulled me in. The book centers on Moore house itself as the core fascination, a spooky mansion harboring dark secrets and family mysteries behind every shadowy corner.
*POTENTIAL SPOILER* The dual mystery structure – following both the deaths of Veronica Moore and the man from Denver – was extremely effective for me, keeping me engaged in the investigation. The Denver murder reveal stood out as one of the story's better plot twists – tying together the architectural mystery of the Moore house in a way that brought all its secrets to a satisfying conclusion.
However, Green often reveals some of the book’s biggest twists through letters or long dialogue, which really takes away from their impacts. Instead of letting these dramatic moments breathe and build tension, they're almost lost in pages of back-and-forth dialogue or buried in a written confession. What should have been shocking revelations end up feeling more like footnotes. Also, the meandering story and heavy focus on the atmosphere of the D.C. social scene may have had early 1900s readers hooked, these parts made my eyes glaze over.
And, honestly, the final ending was a letdown for me. After such an intricate build-up, the final explanation of Veronica Moore's death felt underwhelming.
This book could be a good fit for anyone who enjoys historical or architectural mysteries. While I won't be diving into any more Victorian mysteries anytime soon, I can see why this mystery, with its intriguing Moore house and setting amongst D.C.’s social elite, could have been a page-turner for its original audience.
*POTENTIAL SPOILER* The dual mystery structure – following both the deaths of Veronica Moore and the man from Denver – was extremely effective for me, keeping me engaged in the investigation. The Denver murder reveal stood out as one of the story's better plot twists – tying together the architectural mystery of the Moore house in a way that brought all its secrets to a satisfying conclusion.
However, Green often reveals some of the book’s biggest twists through letters or long dialogue, which really takes away from their impacts. Instead of letting these dramatic moments breathe and build tension, they're almost lost in pages of back-and-forth dialogue or buried in a written confession. What should have been shocking revelations end up feeling more like footnotes. Also, the meandering story and heavy focus on the atmosphere of the D.C. social scene may have had early 1900s readers hooked, these parts made my eyes glaze over.
And, honestly, the final ending was a letdown for me. After such an intricate build-up, the final explanation of Veronica Moore's death felt underwhelming.
This book could be a good fit for anyone who enjoys historical or architectural mysteries. While I won't be diving into any more Victorian mysteries anytime soon, I can see why this mystery, with its intriguing Moore house and setting amongst D.C.’s social elite, could have been a page-turner for its original audience.
October 20, 2025
The unraveling of a scandalous crime told by a delightfully eccentric, if self-deprecating, anonymous narrator!
Anna Katharine Green's The Filigree Ball is a mystery which, in my opinion, stands the test of time. What I mean by this is not that it is without its faults; there are definitely some problematic stereotypical characters and tropes (WOMEN ARE MORE THAN JUST THEIR FEELINGS, PEOPLE), but I do think that this book gives us the opportunity to dig even deeper into our more progressive analyses of them because of their inclusion.
In all fairness, most of the mysteries I've read are of the contemporary variety (sorry to disappoint, but this does indeed mean I have not read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works), but there is something to be said about the format the unfolding of the crime takes in this story as well. Until this book, I had yet to read a story that spends as much time with characters in a tribunal environment—courtroom and all—as this one does, which provided the mystery with an added layer of excitement.
Likewise, it was the detective whose eyes we view the crime through who kept me reading. Even if by the end of the story we are reminded as to why the famed "unreliable narrator" has become so well known in the literary world. That, and the prose. I've seen some reviews on here critique the long-form sentences and heavy exposition, but I personally didn't mind either since it differs from the kind of prose I usually read on the day to day. This is likely due to the time in which the book was published.
SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING: I was also pleasantly surprised by learning exactly how the title of the book would come to factor into the story itself. Nothing could have prepared me for that reveal, but more importantly the message behind it, when we learn that encased in the filigree ball—something meant to represent the grandeur of the upper echelon of society—is a truth which reminds readers that the complexities of humanity do not see class, and neither do they conform to its rules. Just magnificent in its symbolic imagery.
All in all, this was a solid 4 star read.
Anna Katharine Green's The Filigree Ball is a mystery which, in my opinion, stands the test of time. What I mean by this is not that it is without its faults; there are definitely some problematic stereotypical characters and tropes (WOMEN ARE MORE THAN JUST THEIR FEELINGS, PEOPLE), but I do think that this book gives us the opportunity to dig even deeper into our more progressive analyses of them because of their inclusion.
In all fairness, most of the mysteries I've read are of the contemporary variety (sorry to disappoint, but this does indeed mean I have not read any of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works), but there is something to be said about the format the unfolding of the crime takes in this story as well. Until this book, I had yet to read a story that spends as much time with characters in a tribunal environment—courtroom and all—as this one does, which provided the mystery with an added layer of excitement.
Likewise, it was the detective whose eyes we view the crime through who kept me reading. Even if by the end of the story we are reminded as to why the famed "unreliable narrator" has become so well known in the literary world. That, and the prose. I've seen some reviews on here critique the long-form sentences and heavy exposition, but I personally didn't mind either since it differs from the kind of prose I usually read on the day to day. This is likely due to the time in which the book was published.
SLIGHT SPOILER WARNING: I was also pleasantly surprised by learning exactly how the title of the book would come to factor into the story itself. Nothing could have prepared me for that reveal, but more importantly the message behind it, when we learn that encased in the filigree ball—something meant to represent the grandeur of the upper echelon of society—is a truth which reminds readers that the complexities of humanity do not see class, and neither do they conform to its rules. Just magnificent in its symbolic imagery.
All in all, this was a solid 4 star read.
April 26, 2020
A story from the point of view of a policeman only named as F. He is called out to Moore House, a house owned by Mrs Jeffrey nee Veronica Moore. A house with a bad reputation, because so far three bodies have been found. The latest was at the wedding of Miss Veronica Moore to Mr Francis Jeffrey. Since then only several weeks have passed and now when a light is seen in this uninhabited house F investigates and finds a body. Is it suicide or murder. F is sure that it is murder and looks for the evidence. But what could be the motive, who are the suspects and what about the filigree ball.
An interesting crime story, originally written in 1903
An interesting crime story, originally written in 1903
April 22, 2024
Piacevole da leggere, ho apprezzato come l'autrice ha dipanato la trama Non mi è piaciuto il protagonista, l'ho trovato saccente e antipatico. Gli altri personaggi invece sono interessanti.
Il libro è in prima persona, con molti dialoghi e descrizioni minuziose dell'ambiente e delle azioni compiute dai personaggi (penso per dare l'opportunità anche al lettore di avere tutti gli indizi); questo, soprattutto all'inizio, rallenta la lettura, ma rende allo stesso tempo il libro ideale per venire rappresentato in un film.
Il libro è in prima persona, con molti dialoghi e descrizioni minuziose dell'ambiente e delle azioni compiute dai personaggi (penso per dare l'opportunità anche al lettore di avere tutti gli indizi); questo, soprattutto all'inizio, rallenta la lettura, ma rende allo stesso tempo il libro ideale per venire rappresentato in un film.
June 12, 2023
Free | About average for the author | Contains the usual amount of racism endemic to the time it was written, no truly awful slurs and few references to people of color but those that are made aren't great. All hangs on the idea that throughout the line of descent of a family, every father, whether they themselves are a murderer or not, still thinks it's a good idea to make sure their child can easily become a murderer if they want to, and that seems beyond far-fetched.
September 7, 2022
2 sisters , one recently came back after being married and thinking her husband is dead , other in love with the new fiance of her sister [nither the man , nor the sister know , that the elder had been married once]
Great book for people who want to read about mystery manors
It's about a library with a hidden mechanism for killing and,
Great book for people who want to read about mystery manors
It's about a library with a hidden mechanism for killing and,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2019
This was a good story that had me guessing. I am glad I listened as I did enjoy it. The rating is compared to other AKG books that I like more, such as That Affair Next Door, which is one example. If I hadn't read several of her books already I may have rated this a tad higher.
January 11, 2025
3.5 stars
***spoiler***
I was gonna lower my rating to only 3 stars and complain that Anne Katharine Green always only show women as innocent creatures that could do no harm, but then the murderer was found out and I am not complaining anymore.
***spoiler***
I was gonna lower my rating to only 3 stars and complain that Anne Katharine Green always only show women as innocent creatures that could do no harm, but then the murderer was found out and I am not complaining anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
July 7, 2021Not as wonderful as the Leavenworth Case, but Green never lets the reader down.
July 17, 2025
Tanti dettagli e belle atmosfere. Un giallo vecchio stile!
December 27, 2025
Got bored and moved on, despite really liking the author’s other works
March 18, 2023
I had to think a bit before I wrote a review of The Filigree Ball. I wanted to be fair to the book considering the time it was written (1903). One early scene in the book comes to mind to demonstrate the time: the lead character, a policeman, blows his whistle on a darkened street in Washington, D.C. and another officer hears it and quickly arrives. At first I thought that was silly, but then it occurred to me how quiet even a city must have been at night in 1903 without the hum of electricity that permeates our lives. Think about when the power goes out for a long time...how eerily quiet everything becomes.
But I digress. Perhaps the most unusual facet of this book is the fact that the lead character I mentioned above is never named over nearly four hundred pages. He is a policeman, and the story is told from his point of view. He has a lot to prove, and sets out to do so when a young newlywed is found shot to death in her family home...a house with a legendary history of untimely deaths. Did she kill herself, as some believe, or did something far more sinister occur in the Moore library?
I did enjoy this book and the unraveling of the mystery that occurred in the Moore house. The one thing I would advise a reader is what I put in the first paragraph: you must set yourself in the time period in which it was written. A time when men did their best to be gentlemen and ladies, particularly ladies in society, received endless admiration...where people moved at night by candlelight, be it to search for a missing loved one or to commit the most heinous act possible. The plot might move too slowly and be too drawn out for those used to the fast and colorful pace of modern novels, so come armed with a bit of patience.
The author, Anna Katherine Green, is probably one of America's first detective writers (not to mention quite possibly the first female detective novelist). I enjoyed the moody scenes she set and the manner in which she deftly used her somewhat flowery prose to convey the hearts of the characters in her story. At some point, when I wish to travel in time again, I'll pick up another of her works.
But I digress. Perhaps the most unusual facet of this book is the fact that the lead character I mentioned above is never named over nearly four hundred pages. He is a policeman, and the story is told from his point of view. He has a lot to prove, and sets out to do so when a young newlywed is found shot to death in her family home...a house with a legendary history of untimely deaths. Did she kill herself, as some believe, or did something far more sinister occur in the Moore library?
I did enjoy this book and the unraveling of the mystery that occurred in the Moore house. The one thing I would advise a reader is what I put in the first paragraph: you must set yourself in the time period in which it was written. A time when men did their best to be gentlemen and ladies, particularly ladies in society, received endless admiration...where people moved at night by candlelight, be it to search for a missing loved one or to commit the most heinous act possible. The plot might move too slowly and be too drawn out for those used to the fast and colorful pace of modern novels, so come armed with a bit of patience.
The author, Anna Katherine Green, is probably one of America's first detective writers (not to mention quite possibly the first female detective novelist). I enjoyed the moody scenes she set and the manner in which she deftly used her somewhat flowery prose to convey the hearts of the characters in her story. At some point, when I wish to travel in time again, I'll pick up another of her works.
April 6, 2020
A great murder mystery by this very prolific writer. Held me to every page and I couldn’t put it down. Complex plot, very vivid passages ( at times it felt like I was present) and entertaining. All of this written more than 100 years ago. I was lucky to find this original book in an old lake cabin my folks bought in the 1970s. A rare find indeed. Worth searching it out.
librivox-read
February 8, 2018I quite enjoyed this mystery. I listened to it on audio book and looked forward to it every evening.
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