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A beautiful book. This is one of Cather's best.

This is an enjoyable old Locked Room mystery puzzle. The story becomes increasingly puzzling as it moves along. There are two locked room murders, a main suspect (who is also the main character) who cannot remember what he was doing the night of the murder, and suggestions of supernatural activity. I'd tell more, but I don't want to spoil it. Everything is explained in the last chapter. Recommended.

The was the first of Green's mystery novels to be published and it was quite popular in it's day. It only holds up fairly well. The early chapters depict an old fashioned coroner's inquest, held in the home of the deceased. The book is about the dangers of circumstantial evidence, as the investigation seems to point one way, then another, only to have the real truth turn out to be something else. I thought the romance was rather unsatisfying. But, it's a pretty good first effort for Anna Katharine… (more)

The was the first of Green's mystery novels to be published and it was quite popular in it's day. It only holds up fairly well. The early chapters depict an old fashioned coroner's inquest, held in the home of the deceased. The book is about the dangers of circumstantial evidence, as the investigation seems to point one way, then another, only to have the real truth turn out to be something else. I thought the romance was rather unsatisfying. But, it's a pretty good first effort for Anna Katharine Green, and an introduction to her series character, Mr. Gryce.

This is a good early locked room mystery, written in a very humorous, satirical style. The author had an interest in the social issues of his day. Recommended.

Another fine entry in the Dr. Thorndyke series. Again, as with others in the series, it's more than a whodunnit. It's also a what happened here? type of puzzle. This one is memorable for the creation of the very eccentric, secretive, but not very wise Mr. Penrose character. Recommended.

This book does not belong in the Mystery/Crime category. It belongs in Humor/Satire. Various historical figures travel in a houseboat down the Styx and have several comic encounters. Shakespeare has to defend the authorship of his plays, Dr. Johnson is being shadowed everywhere he goes by Boswell, Demosthenes needs to put pebbles in his mouth to speak clearly, etc., etc. This book has no plot. But, some readers may find it to be an amusing diversion.

Though this is not the first of Freeman's the Dr. Thorndyke novels to be published, it appears to be the first one he wrote, and is the best introduction to the series as a whole. Readers who love Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories should give this book a try. It is written very much in the Conan Doyle style. As with many Freeman novels, coincidence drives the plot. Don't let that bother you. This is a good story in the classic detective traditon, and the very best introduction to the Dr.… (more)

Though this is not the first of Freeman's the Dr. Thorndyke novels to be published, it appears to be the first one he wrote, and is the best introduction to the series as a whole. Readers who love Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories should give this book a try. It is written very much in the Conan Doyle style. As with many Freeman novels, coincidence drives the plot. Don't let that bother you. This is a good story in the classic detective traditon, and the very best introduction to the Dr. Thorndyke series. Freeman wrote many more of these stories, and they are even better than this one.

This is my favorite of the mystery novels of R. Austin Freeman (so far!). It's really a fun read. Freeman wrote very much in the tradition of Conan Doyle, so reader who enjoy the Sherlock Holmes stories, will almost certainly like Freeman's Dr. Thorndyke stories. Though Freeman's books are always good, this one stands out as a real Golden Age detective novel classic. I liked everything about it: the ancient Egyptian background, the very victorian romance, the puzzling mystery plot, the whole… (more)

This is my favorite of the mystery novels of R. Austin Freeman (so far!). It's really a fun read. Freeman wrote very much in the tradition of Conan Doyle, so reader who enjoy the Sherlock Holmes stories, will almost certainly like Freeman's Dr. Thorndyke stories. Though Freeman's books are always good, this one stands out as a real Golden Age detective novel classic. I liked everything about it: the ancient Egyptian background, the very victorian romance, the puzzling mystery plot, the whole thing. While much of the unfolding of the investigation depends upon coincidence, and it is hard to imagine, in the end, a murderer going to quit that much trouble - never mind that! This is a ingenious and fun detective novel in the Sherlock Holmes tradition. Very enjoyable and highly recommended. In fact, I would say, if you read only one of the Freeman novels, let this be the one.

I found this old mystery overly-long and disappointing. At first, I enjoyed the complex sentences (no one would write in this style nowadays) and the set-up of the story. The characters are well drawn and interesting. About half-way through the book, however, Rees introduces his detective, Colwyn - it's all tedious and downhill from there. Colwyn is a preposterous and uninteresting character. Colwyn finally tricks the guilty party into confessing the crime in detail. While I did not like this… (more)

I found this old mystery overly-long and disappointing. At first, I enjoyed the complex sentences (no one would write in this style nowadays) and the set-up of the story. The characters are well drawn and interesting. About half-way through the book, however, Rees introduces his detective, Colwyn - it's all tedious and downhill from there. Colwyn is a preposterous and uninteresting character. Colwyn finally tricks the guilty party into confessing the crime in detail. While I did not like this book, there may be better titles by Rees. He's not a bad writer (in an old-fashioned sort of way) or plotter. But, I do not personally recommend this book.

Very good mystery stories by one of the greatest American mystery writers. For some reason, this collection as readily available on the Internet is a free e-book, though I'm sure it is not the best or most well-remembered of the stories that Post wrote. Nevertheless, they are clever stories, cleverly told. These stories are loosely connected, and feature (in a manner of speaking) the detective Sir Henry Marquis. For example: some of them are stories told by Sir Henry. One of the many things that… (more)

Very good mystery stories by one of the greatest American mystery writers. For some reason, this collection as readily available on the Internet is a free e-book, though I'm sure it is not the best or most well-remembered of the stories that Post wrote. Nevertheless, they are clever stories, cleverly told. These stories are loosely connected, and feature (in a manner of speaking) the detective Sir Henry Marquis. For example: some of them are stories told by Sir Henry. One of the many things that makes Post's writing stand out is the way he plays around with narrative structure. (It reminds me a bit of Joseph Conrad - but not quite that complicated.) These stories are good, but I'm sure there are better to be found. Post is most famous for the stories he wrote that feature "Uncle Abner."

A great introduction to the Lord Peter Wimsey series. Don't miss this one! Highly recommended.

This book is quite melodramatic and the investigation is pretty straightforward. I think this is the second book of Green's that was published. It is not among her best.

This old horror novel holds up pretty well. It was published in the same year as Bram Stoker's Dracula and was more popular in its day. A British politician is being stalked by a weird man/woman/beetle creature. The story is told from several different points of view. There is a strong heroine character. It is quite readable and moves along well. It's a pretty good book, but the ending is disappointing. Recommended nonetheless.

This is very well written and will hold your interest. While this may not be the greatest Rinehart book, it is still very interesting and better than most other mystery writers could do.

This is a great old mystery novel. The investigation is really interesting. The story itself is tragic. Anna Katharine Green was very good in telling stories of police investigation that do not bore or loose the reader's interest. Mr. Gryce, the series detective, is insightful but not infallible.

Modern readers should be warned: there is a section toward the end that tells the back story. Old mysteries sometimes had this, and it's common in Green's books, though modern readers will find this annoying.… (more)

This is a great old mystery novel. The investigation is really interesting. The story itself is tragic. Anna Katharine Green was very good in telling stories of police investigation that do not bore or loose the reader's interest. Mr. Gryce, the series detective, is insightful but not infallible.

Modern readers should be warned: there is a section toward the end that tells the back story. Old mysteries sometimes had this, and it's common in Green's books, though modern readers will find this annoying. (Remember Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet and The Valley of Fear.)

Nevertheless, this is an excellent old mystery book that I recommend very highly.