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

This third Rinehart murder combines a mystery with a boy-girl romance, an old lady stepping out, political payoffs, and more by a woman The New York Times and LA Times both call “The American Agatha Christie” and who outsold Christie in their mutual lives.

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.

"The Amazing Interlude" is a romance by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Excerpt: The stage on which we play our little dramas of life and love has for most of us but one setting. It is furnished out with approximately the same things. Characters come, move about and make their final exits through long-familiar doors. And the back drop remains approximately the same from beginning to end. So Sara Lee Kennedy had a back drop that had every appearance of permanency.

A beautiful girl seeks the help of an attorney when her father vanishes. Soon, her aunt also disappears from a locked house in the dead of the night. The search leads to the infamous White Cat, a nightclub frequented by crooked politicians and now, murder.

"The Man in Lower Ten" is a mystery by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Excerpt from the book: McKnight is gradually taking over the criminal end of the business. I never liked it, and since the strange case of the man in lower ten, I have been a bit squeamish. Given a case like that, where you can build up a network of clues that absolutely incriminate three entirely different people, only one of whom can be guilty, and your faith in circumstantial evidence dies of overcrowding.

The darkening storm of the first World War threatens to tear apart the lives of a group of friends. At the eye of the storm is Clayton Spencer, an ambitious businessman, who must risk everything to be with the woman he loves.

Rachel Innes is a rich lady who has been taking care of her niece and nephew since their father died. The three of them decide to rent a house in the country and although everything seems to be alright in the beginning, strange events soon begin to occur. Her niece disappears then reappears a few days later. There is a murder they are involved in. They hear strange noises. Things fall down the stairs in the middle of the night. Will Rachel solve the mysteries and how will their summer end? Find out in "The Circular Staircase". B. J.

A charming mystery, romance, and more set in an old traditional house in New York City in the late 19th century with servants and all, much like Agatha Christie mysteries set on the 1920s in England. Rinehart was called "The American Agatha Christie" by The New York Times and LA Times, and Rinehart outsold her in their mutual lifetime until Rinehart died in 1958.

Natalie Spencer was giving a dinner. She was not an easy hostess. Like most women of futile lives, she lacked a sense of proportion, and the small and unimportant details of the service absorbed her. Such conversation as she threw at random, to right and left, was trivial and distracted. Yet, the dinner was an unimportant one. It had been given with an eye more to the menu than to the guest list, which was characteristic of Natalie's mental processes.

An essay on writing by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Rinehart, a contemporary of Agatha Christie, was a prolific writer in her time. This essay gives fascinating insight into her process and a glimpse into her thoughts on writing, which is, in fact, work.

Just out of the hospital and totally out of funds, Ralph Leslie jumped at the chance to sign aboard millionaire Marshall Turner's luxurious super-yacht as steward to the passengers lodged in its after house. His job was easy sailing until one sultry summer night the dream voyage suddenly became a nightmare of blood and terror.

Published in 1914, Street of Seven Stars follows the enchanting journey of Harmony Wells, a talented and naive American girl who travels to Austria to pursue her passion for the violin. With dreams of a vibrant music career, Harmony finds herself alone after her friends return home, determined to continue her lessons. In the bustling city of Vienna, she crosses paths with Peter Byrne, an American doctor dedicated to his ambition of mastering surgery. As he cares for an orphan boy in a local hospital, Peter feels compelled to guard Harmony from the darker realities of urban life. Together, they...

In Poor Wise Man, Mary Roberts Rinehart masterfully weaves a tale of romance and suspense against the backdrop of early 20th Century America, rife with political intrigue. As readers delve into the lives of the characters, theyll encounter the strikingly different worlds of Lily Cardew—fresh from her humanitarian efforts with the Red Cross during the war—and William Wallace Cameron, a brave and principled pharmacy clerk navigating the challenges of an industrial town. Their complicated relationship unfolds amidst the contrasts of wealth and poverty, providing a vivid exploration of ...

Join a divorced playboy as he throws an extravagant dinner party, complete with a stand-in wife to appease his wealthy aunt who keeps him afloat. When his chef falls ill with smallpox symptoms, chaos ensues! Add an ex-wife, a dash of mystery, and a sprinkle of romance, and you have a comedic romp that will have you laughing out loud. - Summary by Sharon Kilmer

Step back into the early days of The Great War with Amazing Interlude. Sara Lee finds herself cozily seated by the fire in her aunt and uncles home, knitting a baby afghan, while her heart flutters at the thought of her beau, Harvey, who is ready to propose. But just as the warmth of home envelops her, the scene shifts dramatically. Sara Lee is whisked away into a magical realm, becoming the princess of an enchanting forest filled with adventure. There, she encounters Henri, a prince as peculiar as the woods themselves. Yet, just as swiftly, reality returns, and Sara Lee is back by the fire, ...

Aunt Rachel heard something last night. Gertrude heard it as well. Tonight, shots ring out, and a dead body appears at the foot of the circular staircase. Now it is up to Rachel to piece together what happened, as she weaves her way through the circular statements of paranoid staff, secret passages, and even suspicions of ghosts.

Brought to you by Penguin. A unique collection of the finest Golden Age mystiers - puzzling whodunnits that have entertained and delighted readers for centuries. With Edgar Award-winning Otto Penzler as guide, delve into an irresistible collection of the finest Golden Age American whodunits...

Mary Roberts Rinehart is claimed to have invented the "Had I but known" mystery genre. When Agnes Blakiston rented the old parsonage at Miss Emily's request she soon came to regret it. Was the house haunted? Did Miss Emily have a secret so terrible she would rather die than reveal it? To find the answers you will need to listen.

With all the elements of a timeless mystery, Mary Roberts Rinehart first published The Window at the White Cat in 1910. John Knox is an attorney, not a detective, but Margery turns to him when her father, Allan Fleming, the State Treasurer, does not return home. There are reasons it should not be made known that he is missing. Where is he?

Dangerous Days opens in a still neutral America, though within a year the country will have joined the European alliance against the Central Powers in the first world war. Clayton Spencer, a successful industrialist and owner of a munitions plant, finds himself facing several problems: not only anarchism and German sabotage, but also the prospect of a deteriorating marriage, and of a son who all too often shares his mother's frivolous and essentially self-concerned point of view. How far will America's entry into the war change such views? What will it mean for Spencer, for his family, and for...