The Simple Case of Susan (1908) is a romance novel by Jacques Futrelle. Published at the height of his career as a leading popular detective and science fiction writer, The Simple Case of Susan is unique example in Futrelle’s oeuvre as a lighthearted romantic comedy. Celebrated for his brisk storytelling and mastery of suspense, Jacques Futrelle was lost at sea on April 15, 1912 while returning from Europe on the HMS Titanic. His wife, who survived the disaster, had his last book dedicated to “the heroes of the Titanic.” “This was Susan. Perhaps the stately Mrs. Wetmore described her more tersely when she said she was feather headed. Be that as it may, Susan was Susan―irrevocably, everlastingly, and eternally Susan.” Everyone thinks they know Susan. She was beautiful and free, a desirable young woman in New York’s vibrant social scene. Then she was married, leaving behind her independence for a traditional relationship. When she runs into Dan Wilbur, an old flame, in a shop on Broadway, Susan finds herself reminded of all the men who came before, the broken engagements, disappointments, and near misses that defined her former romantic life. Desperate to leave those days behind, she can’t help feel through Dan’s flirtations a slight pull back to the woman she was, the Susan who lived fast and free
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Jacques Futrelle (1875-1912) was an American journalist and mystery writer. Born in Georgia, he began working for the Atlanta Journal as a young sportswriter and later found employment with The New York Herald, the Boston Post, and the Boston American. In 1906, he left his career in journalism to focus on writing fiction, producing seven mystery and science fiction novels and a popular series of short stories featuring gifted sleuth Professor Augustus S. F. X. Van Dusen. In April 1912, at the end of a European vacation, he boarded the RMS Titanic with his wife Lily. Although a first-class passenger, he insisted that others, including his wife, board a lifeboat in his place. He is presumed to have died when the passenger ship sunk beneath the frigid Atlantic waves.
