Showing results by author "Mary Roberts Rinehart" in All Categories

The Birches was one of the grand mansions of the 1920s, with a ballroom, tennis courts, and, of course, a swimming pool. But after the crash of '29, when Lois and Judith's father killed himself to escape his debts, the family turned the summer home into a fulltime retreat from the world. Decades later, Judith is the queen of New York society, a fast-living beauty whose nerves are beginning to fray, while Lois still lives in the dilapidated old mansion, writing mystery novels to pay the bills. She is about to encounter a mystery of her own.

Rinehart's The Man in Lower Ten, the first American detective novel to make the best seller list, follows the investigation of the murder of a man in a sleeping car on a train. In this fast-paced thriller, the investigating detective builds up a network of clues that absolutely incriminate three entirely different people---only one of whom can be guilty.

A young lawyer survives a ghastly train wreck only to be accused of murdering a man who accidentally fell asleep in the wrong berth! This is another whirlwind of a whodunit by the author of The Circular Staircase.

“This is the story of how a middle-aged spinster lost her mind, deserted her domestic gods in the city, took a furnished house for the summer out of town, and found herself involved in one of those mysterious crimes that keep our newspapers and detective agencies happy and prosperous.” So begins The Circular Staircase, a book which has been hailed as the best novel by the most important American woman mystery writer of our time.

The house called Sunset has been Marcia's summer home for her entire life. Both of her parents died there, and she and her brother spent their youth exploring its rambling hallways and seaside grounds. They love the old house, but Marcia's sister-in-law has never taken to it. Juliette loathes the sea, and soon comes to loathe her husband as well. After they divorce, Juliette pays a final visit to Sunset, demanding alimony. She is there for a few tense days before she disappears. It takes them a week to find her body.

As far as Carol Spencer is concerned, the war has spoiled everything. She and Don had been engaged for years and were on the verge of marriage when he was shot down in the South Pacific, leaving Carol on the verge of spinsterhood at 24. She wants to take some kind of job in the war effort, but her invalid mother demands that Carol accompany her to the family's summer home in Maine. But when they arrive at the faded mansion, they find it completely locked up. The servants are gone, the lights are dark - and there is a body in the closet.

Rinehart's first American mystery published in 1908, reminding Agatha Christie fans of her first country-house English mystery, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published 12 years later. This book has servants, a secret room, multigenerational goings-on, and more like Styles did.

In an elaborate house known as the Cloisters, Maud Wainwright rules supreme. The queen of society in the small town of Beverly, she has a table long enough to seat 100, and she keeps an iron grip on the guest list. Her right-hand woman is Pat Abbott, a local girl who is beautiful, innocent, and kind. Pat has no idea how cutthroat high society can be, but she's about to get a deadly first lesson.

Where There’s a Will is Mary Roberts Rinehart’s hilarious comedy involving a health spa, an heir, a would-be princess, and an impostor. The story is told by Minnie, who has essentially run the spa for years and inherited the care of its famous spring from her father. When the old doctor dies and leaves the Hope Springs Spa to his near-do-well grandson with the stipulation that he live on premises for two months in order to inherit, the grandson is nowhere to be found. So Minnie tries to save the spa by enlisting the help of family and friends to trick the lawyer....

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.

Twenty-year-old Halsey and 24-year-old Gertrude, nephew and niece of Rachel Inness, a well-to-do middle-aged spinster, talk Rachel into renting a large country house for the summer. Mysterious happenings occur the first night they are there, something or someone falls down the stairs in the middle of the night. A man is dead at the foot of the circular staircase. Now the question arises as to who he is and why was he in the house.

There are so many kinds of love: romantic, filial, spiritual. The following stories by Mary Roberts Rinehart present all sorts of love. Many of the stories take place in hospitals, and two involve trans-Atlantic steam travel. Many have a light heart at their core, while some may induce the wonderment of social issues of their time and of ours. All end with an element of hope and happiness.

Dive into the thrilling world of Mary Roberts Rinehart, an esteemed American author renowned for her captivating mysteries. Originally published in 1908, The Circular Staircase serves as a perfect example of a classic whodunit, brimming with mysterious occurrences, spine-chilling apparitions, eerie nocturnal noises, and of course, an unsolved murder. Join narrator J. M. Smallheer as he brings this riveting narrative to life.

When a flood sweeps through, it brings more than just muddy waters into Mrs. Pitmans boarding house. It unveils a series of peculiar clues that suggest a sinister crime has occurred within her walls. The vivacious Jennie Brice, known to her friends as Jennifer Ladley, has vanished without a trace. Spurred by the enigmatic Mr. Holcombe, a man with an insatiable appetite for mysteries, Mrs. Pitman finds herself drawn into a thrilling search for the truth. What has happened to Jennie Brice? Join us as we delve into this intriguing enigma. (summary by Wina Hathaway)

Step into the world of mystery crafted by Mary Roberts Rinehart, the creator of the Had I but known genre. Follow Agnes Blakistons eerie journey as she navigates life in the old parsonage she rented per Miss Emilys suggestion. Haunting occurrences and a deeply buried secret of Miss Emilys make her question her decisions. Will she uncover the truth or fall victim to the mysterious happenings? Unravel the mystery by listening to this revealing narrative. (Summary by Annise)

Winter 1914. Sara Lee Kennedy reads the newspaper account of the war in Europe and is appalled. Others in her sheltered Pennsylvania home are interested only in her coming marriage to solid, self-centered, Harvey. Struggling with compassion, Sara Lee feels compelled to help the suffering Belgian Army whose country is overrun by Germans. She defies her parents and travels alone to the front lines to help anyway she can. It is there she meets Henri, a Belgian officer.

Mary Roberts Rinehart, often referred to as Americas Agatha Christie, brings us a riveting tale set in the aftermath of World War I, in a suburban town in New York. Our protagonist, Dick Livingstone, is a successful young doctor who finds himself betrothed to Elizabeth Wheeler. However, a shroud of mystery hangs over his past, a past he feels compelled to decipher before he can commit to marriage. Suffering from a memory loss dating back approximately a decade due to an unknown event, Rinehart, inspired by the theories of the renowned Sigmund Freud, expertly navigates through the concept of ...

Bat is a riveting mystery novel, adapted from a globally recognized play that enjoyed a staggering 867-run show on Broadway and was recreated into three different films between 1926 and 1959. Immerse yourself in this complex narrative, featuring a diverse cast of characters, masterfully brought to life through the narration by Alan Winterrowd.

Immerse yourself in a chilling tale of mystery and suspense that unfolds in a house of murder. A shadowy figure known only as the Bat is spreading terror, the law proving ineffective against this threat. When the formidable Miss Van Gorder refuses to be intimidated, what chilling revelations will she uncover? Experience the thrill of the dramatically read classic The Bat, originally published in 1926. This entertaining mystery, interwoven with suspense and humor, is a snapshot of the eras Asian xenophobia and Prohibition in the United States. The narrative is detailed with a diverse cast of ...

This ghostly, sometimes ghastly, collection includes "The Buckled Bag" by Mary Roberts Rinehart, "The Tapestried Room" or "The Lady in the Saque" by Sir Walter Scott, "The New Catacomb" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and "The Lost Ghost" by Mary Wilkins Freeman.