That Affair Next Door by Anna Katherine Green (1897)

 

This review is of the Kindle edition.

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. Green has been called "the mother of the detective novel".  (excerpt from wikipedia)

Major characters:

• Amelia Butterworth, spinster detective/narrator/protagonist
• Silas Van Burnam, her neighbor
• Franklin Van Burnam, his elder, responsible son
• Howard Van Burnam, his younger, reckless son
• Louise Stapleton Burnam, Howard's wife
• Isabella Van Burnam, Silas' daughter
• Caroline Van Burnam, Silas' daughter
• Mrs. Boppert, the scrub-woman
• Miss Althorpe, rooming house owner
• Mr. Stone, Miss Althorpe's fiancé
• Ruth Oliver
• Detective Ebenezer Gryce
• Coroner Dahl

Locale: New York City

Synopsis: Amelia Butterworth, spinster amateur detective, lives alone next to the Van Burnam mansion in Gramercy Park, New York City. The mansion is occupied by wealthy Silas Van Burnam and his two daughters, Isabella and Caroline. He also has two married sons: the elder, Franklin, is the responsible one. The younger, Howard, is the "reckless" one - and semi-estranged from the family due to his selection of an improper, lower class woman - Louise Stapleton - for a wife.

The Van Burnams are away and their house is closed. Amelia hears a sound at midnight, and looks out to see a man and woman alight from a cab, and using a key, enter the house. She sees the man emerge ten minutes later and walk away, leaving the woman alone in the house. 

Knowing the utilities are not connected in the mansion, Amelia is concerned for the welfare of the woman inside. In the morning, she sees the scrub-woman, Mrs. Boppert, arrive there and expresses her concern to her and the beat patrolman. The patrolman enters the house with Mrs. Boppert and they find a woman's body under a large fallen cabinet. Detective Ebenezer Gryce is called in.

None of the family can identify the woman. During the inquest, evidence is presented which 1). shows Louise was dead before the cabinet fell - making it a murder case, and 2). forces Howard to reluctantly admit the woman is his wife, Louise. 

The identity of the victim is still hazy. Amelia is sure it is Louise, but Detective Gryce has evidence it may be someone else. Amelia and Gryce are cooperating, but come to different conclusions. The victim had obviously exchanged clothing with someone, perhaps Ruth Oliver.

Review: This story is very engaging and Amelia is crusty and assertive, but very likable. She is like a Mary Roberts Rinehart character, minus the modesty - of which Amelia has none at all, except about her appearance (she had to be fully dressed before looking out her window).

The story could be a modern day one. I got about halfway before I got a little jolting reminder that this was not a modern story, when she mentioned the cab was horse-drawn!

The author is quite meticulous about explaining every little loose end that appears - nothing was unexplained. At times, too much detail is used. The story could be tightened tremendously by editing.

SPOILER AHEAD

I generally do not include spoilers, however, I must do so to complete this review. Throughout the book, suspicion alternates between the Van Burnam brothers. However, at the end, a new character is introduced who turns out to be the murderer. The author is definitely not playing fair with us by leaving this character out of the story until the end - but, in her defense, when she wrote this Knox's Ten Commandments of Fair Play were still 32 years in the future (1929)!

Most of my reading is conventional books - but I do read some older authors which are readily available on Kindle. Anna Katherine Green, Carolyn Wells, Edgar Wallace, Mary Roberts Rinehart, and those of that era are available in bulk very cheaply in the 'Megapack' bundles. Search Amazon Kindle bookstore for mystery megapack, detective megapack or author name + megapack (try this search) and you will be surprised what turns up for either 99 cents or $1.99.