The Chief Legatee

by Anna Katharine Green

Anna Katharine Green Rohlfs (1846-1935) wrote detective fiction and was instrumental in helping shape the genre into its current form by introducing a series detective with an amateur sidekick, as well as a young girl detective. She was one of a handful of women writing detective stories at the time.

Genres: Mystery, Classics, Historical

Nook

First published January 1, 1906

About the author

Anna 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).

Reviews

[Lee Bertsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine tale.

[Guillemette Allard-Bares · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty enjoyable Anna Katharine Green book, that kept me hooked pretty constantly all throughout. The plot is quite good and the twists keep the reader invested. A very nice read!

[Daniy ♠ · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst one by AKG
I actually dnf it before but its so short and I usually like them so I just power trough

[Lori Killion · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending made no sense to me. While the reason behind everything is supposed to be an important one AKG didn't explain why. I can't be clearer as I don't want to spoil things in case you decide to listen to this. It's almost as if AKG couldn't think of a decent ending so she wrote what she did but then was either bored or disappointed with her ending so she decided not to go into any real details about it. 2 stars is a generous rating.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars & 3/10 hearts. I enjoyed this story. It was somewhat humorous and very perplexing, and kept me hooked until the very last pages. There was one instance of mild language (good God) that I can remember; also a rather disgusting description of a drowned body. Anitra’s character was superb, and I really like Ransome & the lawyer. Hazen, though, was really terrible and I hated the whole issue at the bottom of the mystery... what an awful, merciless man!

A Favourite Quote: “...the peculiarities of their history since their unfortunate wedding-day were laid bare [in the newspapers] with but little consideration for his feelings or the good name of his bride.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘He would ... sit in the window. If questioned he would say that he was engaged in deciding how he would end the story he was writing; that such contemplation called for darkness but above all for good air; that had the weather been favorable he would have obtained the latter by opening the window; but it being so bad he could only open the door. Certain eccentricities are allowable in authors.”

[Cindy B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot is ok but a distasteful end. Lawyers should be smarter. Long (like a lot of the plots of the era). Well narrated by Tony Oliva.