The Circular Staircase (Dover Mystery Classics) - Softcover

Mary Roberts Rinehart

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486297136 ISBN 13: 9780486297132

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2014

Synopsis

Rachel Innes, a middle-aged spinster, has barely settled in at the country house she has rented for the summer when a series of bizarre and violent events threaten to perturb her normally unflappable nature. A strange figure appears briefly in the twilight outside a window. At night, a rattling, metallic sound reverberates through dark halls, and — most disconcerting of all — the body of a strange man is found lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of a circular staircase.
Before this spine-tingling tales ends, five connected deaths shatter the normally placid atmosphere of the vacation retreat. Rachel's devoted niece and nephew are among the prime suspects in one of the murders; stolen securities and a bank default threatens the young pair's financial security; and Aunt "Ray" ultimately fights for her life in an airless secret room.
Author of more than 60 chilling mysteries, Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876–1958) is credited with inventing the "Had-I-But-Known" school of detective fiction, which typically involved an attractive heroine caught up in a seemingly endless succession of dangerous predicaments. The Circular Staircase — originally published in 1908 — is considered the first of the genre. A clever blend of intrigue, villainy, and heart-pounding suspense, leavened with traces of wry humor, this immensely popular novel will delight today's crime fiction buffs as much as it galvanized readers almost 90 years ago.

About this title

About the Author

Often referred to as the American Agatha Christie, Mary Roberts Rinehart was an American journalist and writer who is best known for the murder mystery The Circular Staircase considered to have started the Had-I-but-known school of mystery writing and the popular Tish mystery series. A prolific writer, Rinehart was originally educated as a nurse, but turned to writing as a source of income after the 1903 stock market crash. Although primarily a fiction writer, Rinehart served as the Saturday Evening Post s correspondent for from the Belgian front during the First World War, and later published a series of travelogues and an autobiography. Roberts died in New York City in 1958.

From AudioFile

A Gothic mystery unfolds when a spinster arrives at the mansion she's rented for the summer. Plans for a restful vacation are soon interrupted by niece and nephew, ghosts and spirits, murder and mayhem. The complicated plots can make them tough to follow in audio format. The fairly simple story line here is a plus. The mystery is enjoyable for its historical setting, and it doesn't come across as dated. Reading with obvious pleasure, the narrator adds dramatic effect. One can hear the affection in the voices of the elderly mistress and housekeeper, who have an ongoing feud although they're inseparable. Those with a taste for a mystery that's tame but fun will enjoy this recording. B.M.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0486297136
• ISBN 13: 9780486297132
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 178