Lost Man's Lane by Anna Katherine Green (1898)

 

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:

• Loreen Knollys, the older sister
• Lucette Knollys, the younger
• William Knollys, their brother
• Hannah, their maid/cook
• Mr. Obadiah Trohm
• Deacon Spear
• Mother Jane, an imbecile*
• Sue and Rob, two crippled* children
• Silly Rufus, disappearance #5
• Amelia Butterworth
• Detective Ebenezer Gryce

Locale: The Berkshires of western Massachusetts

Synopsis: In New York City, Detective Ebenezer Gryce mentions to Amelia Butterworth a puzzling case in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, on the Albany border - about 90 miles north of them. In a small village, four men have disappeared over the course of five years, all while walking alone along a certain country lane, now known as Lost Man's Lane.

Amelia cannot wait to go investigate, using as an excuse a visit to the daughters of her late childhood friend Althea Burroughs Knollys. Amelia arrives by train to find the two daughters, Loreen Knollys and Lucetta Knollys, living in an immense decaying mansion (A), and none too pleased with her arrival. The house is also occupied by their lazy do-nothing brother William Knollys and the maid/cook, Hannah.

At this point a map is introduced:

A - Knollys mansion
B - Obadiah Trohm
J - Mother Jane's shack
M - home of Rob and Sue
L - Window of the same
X - A disappearance occurred here

Gryce has told Amelia that Obadiah Trohm (B) is an ally, and is in the confidence of the police. A strange woman, Mother Jones, occupies a shack opposite (J). A fifth disappearance, that of Silly Rufus, occurs. The Knollys are intent on keeping Amelia out of the house in the daytime, suggesting something nefarious is occurring there.

Review: Well, this book has - or tries to be - everything. It is a mystery, a ghost story, a horror story, and even a romance. As I read along, more and more mysteries are introduced: missing men, a ghostly carriage which is only seen at night, a missing girl, secret passages, a coffin being snuck about. For a long time, nothing is resolved and strange things only added to the pile. A page turner for the first 2/3, but I began to wonder how all this stuff could ever be resolved.

As it turns out, the four - no, five - missing straw men only get a cursory treatment. Four are unnamed, dealt with for no apparent motive, and meet their doom in a rather silly way which is revealed - or suggested - at the end. I had expected more depth  about the four missing men, but the writer let me down.

Mother Jones is an interesting character and perhaps the best one in the book.

A big deal is made of William Knolly's penchant for vivisection, but fortunately, no details of this are provided and this story line is dropped midway.

The surprising turn at the end attempts to make this a love story (but not for Amelia, who even gets proposed to by two different suitors), and we wind up with a wedding and everybody happy. 

*here I am using the language of the writer, noting it is not acceptable usage today.

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.

The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green (1878)

 

Yesterday's Gallery and Babylon Revisited

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". The Leavenworth Case is frequently cited as the first mystery written by an American woman, although The Dead Letter by Seeley Regester was published earlier (1866). (excerpt from wikepedia)

Major characters:

• Ebenezer Gryce, police detective
• Q, police operative
• Everett Raymond, attorney and our narrator*
• Horatio Leavenworth, the victim
• Miss Mary Leavenworth, Horatio's niece and heiress
• Miss Eleanore Leavenworth, Horatio's niece (Mary's cousin)
• James Trueman Harwell, Horatio's secretary
• Katherine 'Kate" Malone, cook
• Molly O'Flanagan, upstairs maid
• Hannah Chester, ladies' maid
• Henry Clavering, a.k.a. Le Roy Robbins
• Amy Belden, a.k.a. Mamma Hubbard

Locale: New York City and environs

Synopsis: Junior attorney Everett Raymond (our narrator) is approached by James Trueman Harwell, private secretary to millionaire Horatio Leavenworth. Raymond's firm of lawyers represented Leavenworth. Raymond is asked to assist the police by detective Ebenezer Gryce, whose bout with rheumatism has left him lame and unable to walk easily.

Leavenworth has been found shot in a locked room of his mansion - the key missing. Initial investigation showed that the house itself was also locked tight, limiting the field of suspects to the family (consisting only of his two nieces, Mary Leavenworth and Eleanore Leavenworth), and employees/servants. The only potential witness, maid Hannah Chester, has gone missing.

It is quickly determined that Leavenworth was in the process of making a new will, and his extant will specified Mary as his sole legatee, while Eleanore is cut off with nothing. This was known, and led to the enmity between the two.  Raymond is developing an affection for Mary, and it is learned that Horatio kept a pistol; and that Eleanore had learned how to use it. Eleanore is also found in possession of the key to the death room.

A suave stranger, Henry Clavering, appears on the scene and seems to be known by both Mary and Eleanore. He hints to Raymond that he has been married - perhaps to one of the nieces. The search for marriage evidence and the missing Hannah leads Raymond to another town, to the home of Amy Belden; known for taking in strangers in need.