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186th out of 212 books
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42 voters
The Man in Lower Ten
Lawrence Blakely, attorney-at-law, sets off by train to deliver valuable documents in a criminal case. His ride will be eventful. Along the way he'll encounter romance, treachery, a train wreck, even a murder in which he'll be implicated. Who's after Blakely and his papers -- why? The first detective novel to appear on national bestseller lists, THE MAN IN LOWER TEN is sti...more
Paperback
Published
December 1st 2002
by Kensington
(first published 1906)
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Lies, murder, romance, a train wreck?
Lawrence Blakeley has a disagreeable task, he has to deliver a statement and some forged bank notes to Pittsburgh.
The lawyer ends up in a muddle of adventure which leads to him being labeled a murderer... First he loses everything, clothes, shoes, and worst of all the bag with the bank notes; and then he finds a murdered man in his berth and guess what, the murder weapon is also found in his possession...
Then there's Ms. West his colleague's mysterious lov...more
Lawrence Blakeley has a disagreeable task, he has to deliver a statement and some forged bank notes to Pittsburgh.
The lawyer ends up in a muddle of adventure which leads to him being labeled a murderer... First he loses everything, clothes, shoes, and worst of all the bag with the bank notes; and then he finds a murdered man in his berth and guess what, the murder weapon is also found in his possession...
Then there's Ms. West his colleague's mysterious lov...more
This is a mystery first published in 1906. It did not seem to be over 100 years old in its style and could have been a recent attempt at a period piece of fiction. The use of certain words that would be considered archaic or politically incorrect (darkey or Jap, for example) reminds the reader that it is from an earlier time.
The story concerns the murder of a passenger on a pullman sleeping car. In the middle of the immediate alarm and investigation the train wrecks and many of the people on th...more
The story concerns the murder of a passenger on a pullman sleeping car. In the middle of the immediate alarm and investigation the train wrecks and many of the people on th...more
I enjoy classic "murder on a train" mysteries, but this one suffered from a predictable love story and a tendency to jump forward and refer back to events that hadn't yet unfolded, as in "Had Harrington slept in his own berth, none of this would have happened" -- before the reader is acquainted with who Harrington is, for example. This got more than a little tiresome.
On the plus side, references to travel and domestic arrangements circa 1909 provided plenty of interest. At one point, the protag...more
On the plus side, references to travel and domestic arrangements circa 1909 provided plenty of interest. At one point, the protag...more
Rinehart, Mary Roberts
Classic Mystery
A confirmed (and proud) bachelor, comfortable in his solitary existence and his modest law practice, Lawrence Blakeley enjoys a humdrum life that is free of female encumbrance (except, of course, for his very formidable housekeeper!) Excitement and adventure are definitely not for him. So, when he boards a train for Pittsburgh with papers of importance to an upcoming case, the last place he expected to find himself was in the middle of a murder mystery and in...more
Classic Mystery
A confirmed (and proud) bachelor, comfortable in his solitary existence and his modest law practice, Lawrence Blakeley enjoys a humdrum life that is free of female encumbrance (except, of course, for his very formidable housekeeper!) Excitement and adventure are definitely not for him. So, when he boards a train for Pittsburgh with papers of importance to an upcoming case, the last place he expected to find himself was in the middle of a murder mystery and in...more
I don’t penalize eras out of my time. "The Man In Lower Ten" was current once and low enjoyment doesn’t mean work isn't good. One needn't like a protagonist if a story is captivating and setting doesn’t matter, if protagonist or writing fascinates us. Even at a 103 year stretch from where I stand, I like extinct language. I can also relate to male protagonists but Mary Roberts Rinehart did not acquaint us with hers and I was not fond of Lawrence Blakely. I found nothing in common with two bachel...more
This author has been referred to as the American Agatha Christie. This book (her first) was published in 1906, while Agatha Christie's first book was published in 1922. The story was from the perspective of "the accused" and there wasn't a significant detective character. So based on the time period and lack of leading detective character, I didn't see the similarity. Perhaps some of her later books are more like Christie's. This book didn't really grab me. The advantage of audiobooks is that th...more
I think by now that everyone knows I'm hooked on Mary Roberts Rinehart. After being introduced to her last year by Yvette of in so many words..., I don't think it's been possible for me to get enough of the twists and turns she develops her mysteries with. I've even found myself rooting for the couples that Roberts pushed together as they faced danger and possible death.
I think it's also safe to assume that most of us realize that just because you love an author, doesn't mean you are going to lo...more
I think it's also safe to assume that most of us realize that just because you love an author, doesn't mean you are going to lo...more
4.5 stars. An intricate, fun old-fashioned mystery! Lawrence Blakely, a lawyer traveling by train with some important documents, is forced by circumstances to go to sleep in the wrong berth, and wakes up in yet another wrong berth to discover that the man in the first one has been murdered, the important documents have been stolen, and he's been left in possesion of only the presumed murderer's clothes, shoes...and murder weapon! Following the wreck of the train, Blakely must join forces with so...more
A stolen berth. Switched clothes. Missing evidence. Mysterious men and even more mysterious women. And....murder. It's business as usual for Mary Roberts Rinehart in The Man in Lower Ten.
This particular novel gives us Lawrence Blakely--confirmed bachelor and dedicated lawyer in the partnership of Blakely & McKnight. Blakely agrees to make a journey from Washington to Pittsburgh to obtain a deposition from a man on the fraudulent nature of bank notes which would serve as exhibit A in the pro...more
This particular novel gives us Lawrence Blakely--confirmed bachelor and dedicated lawyer in the partnership of Blakely & McKnight. Blakely agrees to make a journey from Washington to Pittsburgh to obtain a deposition from a man on the fraudulent nature of bank notes which would serve as exhibit A in the pro...more
In 1909 this book was a top 10 best seller for the year. Famous as the grand dame of the American mystery genre ("the butler did it..." is attributed to Rhinehart), I have stumbled over references to her books and plots a number of times. I was curious to read it and found it an exquisite period piece that allows you to be swept into the world of 1909 America that is modern enough for you to see the rich details and differences with 100 years ago. Mundane descriptions and actions about traveling...more
The style of writing is interesting and the setting of the 1920s takes me back to a time when train travel was the norm. Being a fan of Mary Roberts Rinehart since childhood, I am re-reading her books now and see much more in them that I didn't get before. Solving mysteries is more about inductive reasoning and observation than high tech diagnostics, so the people side of this story is appealing as the depth of the characters is gradually revealed. A good read.
Lawrence Blakely, attorney-at-law, sets off by train to deliver valuable documents in a criminal case. Was he spied upon from the vacant house window across from his when packing his papers? How did he wake up in the number 7 bed when he went to sleep in the number 9 bed on the train? Who has taken all his clothes and more importantly his bag with the documents?
I have just begun this book and already it burgeons with questions that seem to have no answers. So far, so good!
Update: Quite enjoyable...more
I have just begun this book and already it burgeons with questions that seem to have no answers. So far, so good!
Update: Quite enjoyable...more
I mostly enjoyed this very vintage American mystery, although there were a few bits that felt convuluted. And I was rather irked by what a damsel in distress the female character was - although I guess that's the only way the boy gets to be hero. Still, it seemed a wee bit exaggerated, even for the time (and the morals of said time).
Jul 25, 2012
Amblingbooks.com
marked it as to-read
Mary Roberts Rinehart's classic novel about a body found on a train and the investigating detective's attempts to sort through the clues to identify the killer.
Listen to The Man in Lower Ten on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
Listen to The Man in Lower Ten on your smartphone, notebook or desktop computer.
The only other book I read by Rinehart was "The Circular Staircase" and I expected a quasi-equivalent mystery/thriller comparable. In short, I was disappointed; The man in the lower ten was convoluted, confusing, and strangely anti-climatic.
I"ll give her another chance and maybe she really is the "american Agatha Christie"
I"ll give her another chance and maybe she really is the "american Agatha Christie"
Man, the language makes this a hard plot to follow but it's worth reading. Half the time, I had no idea what was going on (also because if the difference in customs and etiquette, not just language) and I waited until the end of the book to have everything laid out for me, ha.
Free download to my kindle.
Go back to the 1910s, when women hid their smarts and men thought they were smart. Good little murder mystery with plenty of suspects that takes place on a train.
Go back to the 1910s, when women hid their smarts and men thought they were smart. Good little murder mystery with plenty of suspects that takes place on a train.
Overall, I found this book enjoyable. But, it was a little too convoluted. The story was interesting, the characters were interesting, the mystery was interesting, but there were so many twists and turns that I wonder how in the world the author managed to keep it all straight herself. It did keep me from guessing who the murderer was, but took away part of my enjoyment in the book. And I have to say that I looked everywhere for her books, most of which have been out of print for years, and I ma...more
Great mystery! It kept me guessing until the end--so many suspects and motives! If I can write a mystery half as good someday, I'll call myself a writer.
A fun who-dunnit, with some clever, amusing characters. There are just so many great pieces in the puzzle. We have a mix up in sleeping compartments, several mysterious women and a missing man, a train wreck, an amusing amateur detective. And of course the woman Blakely’s best friend hopes to marry, who is obviously mixed up in the whole situation, and who Blakely himself quickly falls in love with. Romance, mystery, danger, it’s got it.
Wow! A murder mystery so convoluted that I wonder that the author was able to keep track of all her characters and their actions. I enjoyed it.
I found this story not that great, it was hard to follow and I was mostly just getting through it..
Librivox version and I am SOLD .... I will certainly be listening to more.
A very good cozy mystery.
A very good cozy mystery.
On par with Agatha Christie! Definitely going to read more of her books.
Very good mystery in the classic style. Loved the humor.
Vintage mystery. Good fun, but too confusing.
Sep 10, 2012
Nancy
added it
as much fun as ever--this was a reread
Lots of twists and turns. Fun to read.
Well written and great mystery.
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Mary Roberts Rinehart (August 12, 1876-September 22, 1958) was a prolific author often called the American Agatha Christie. She is considered the source of the phrase "The butler did it", although she did not actually use the phrase herself, and also considered to have invented the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing.
Rinehart wrote hundreds of short stories, poems, travelogues and special...more
More about Mary Roberts Rinehart...
Rinehart wrote hundreds of short stories, poems, travelogues and special...more
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