Two Little Rich Girls

by Mignon G. Eberhart

When the constant companion of Emmy Van Seidem is inexplicably murdered in her sister Diana's townhouse all evidence points to Diana as the chief suspect.

Genres: Mystery

Audio Cassette

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Mignon Good (1899-1996) was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. She studied at Nebraska Wesleyan University from 1917 to 1920. In 1923 she married Alanson C. Eberhart, a civil engineer. After working as a freelance journalist, she decided to become a full-time writer. In 1929 her first crime novel was published featuring 'Sarah Keate', a nurse and 'Lance O'Leary', a police detective. This couple appeared in another four novels. In the Forties, she and her husband divorced. She married John Hazen Perry in 1946 but two years later she divorced him and remarried her first husband. Over the next forty years she wrote a novel nearly every year. In 1971 she won the Grand Master award from the Mystery Writers of America. She also wrote many short stories featuring banker/amateur sleuth James Wickwire (who could be considered a precursor to Emma Lathen's John Putnam Thatcher) and mystery writer/amateur sleuth Susan Dare.

Reviews

[tortoise dreams]

Eberhart wrote 59 novels, publishing her first in 1929. This from 1971 is not one of her best and is generally disappointing. There are only a few scenes of interest, reflecting the lives of the slowly fading wealthy, who can still fly from Manhattan to Nice for the winter holidays. The mystery is virtually non-existent and oddly is solved off-stage.

[Richard Rogers]

Not my favorite. Almost a DNF.

There's a murder, there are some suspects, the wrong woman gets arrested and convicted. Very little suspense or intrigue or action--or fun, actually.

I liked the main character, but she was so passive she could have been a child, and almost everybody else is painfully selfish and obnoxious. After the conviction, we just follow them around as they sort of have questions but do very little to find the answers. The mystery isn't solved; it just gradually unwinds or falls apart. Nobody is working to put clues together. Nobody is using their money or their connections or ingenuity to get justice. Nobody achieves anything.

Mainly, it's pretty boring. It's a short novel, but really it's a long short story that should have been about 1/4 the length. I suppose you could read it start to finish on a plane ride or at the beach. Maybe it kinda works that way. Pretty thin entertainment, though, IMO.

I gave it 3 stars. That's probably generous.

[Catherine Meza]

Being young, beautiful, and wealthy in mid-century New York is one of the vicarious pleasures of this mystery. Shopping, at Bonwit's, Saks, and Bergdorf, meeting for drinks at the Plaza, going to the theater, leading a life replete with luxurious interiors, loyal servants, quirky relatives, and attentive escorts make this a pleasant read, in spite of the inevitable murder(s). A good summer choice.

[Craig Schlossin]

Maybe a bit better then 3 stars. I got sucked into it and it was a good read, maybe not Agatha Christie but I liked it. A light mystery.

[George]

Nice little mystery set in New York City. An older sister is convicted of a murder and the story centers around how the truth is finally discovered. Much of the story is about the relationships and actions of the two sisters and the members of their family.

[Linda K]

Okay mystery involving two wealthy sisters, one with a dead husband. Wife us accused and throughout the book we are treated to displays of how money affects their lives.