That Affair Next Door

By: Anna Katherine Green

Narrated by: Tara Mackinnon Dow

Originally published in 1897, That Affair Next Door is Anna Katherine Green’s eighth book featuring the series detective Ebenezer Gryce and the first to feature the society spinster, Amelia Butterworth. Many consider the nosy Miss Butterworth to be the precursor to Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple or Patricia Wentworth’s Miss Silver.

The story is told from Miss Butterworth’s perspective as she relates the story of a murdered young woman and how she sets out to unravel the mystery.

Public Domain (P)2019 Audio Tattoo

So good that I bought the audio!

classic-crime, NYC, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, sly-humor, 1890s

First published in 1897.
Delightful! First you have the problem of syntax and idioms of over a hundred years ago as well as the attitudes of people from one income bracket to another, but it's the telling of what we now call a cozy mystery that makes it a really good classic. The story is told by Miss Butterworth whose observations are very much tongue-in-cheek if not downright snarky. The characters are exceptionally well drawn and their quirks add to the fun. While it may seem a bit longwinded according to the page count, that does include some explanations of idioms and whatnot that are unknown today rather than reinterpreting the original. It's a great story with a totally unpredictable resolution and I hope that more of her books will be on offer soon!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
Then I bought the audio! Tara MacKinnon Dow is great in her audio interpretation!