The Mary Roberts Rinehart Crime Book: The Door / The Confession / The Red Lamp

by Mary Roberts Rinehart

Crime stories based on facts.

Genres: Mystery

505 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Mysteries of the well-known American writer Mary Roberts Rinehart include The Circular Staircase (1908) and The Door (1930).

People often called this prolific author the American version of Agatha Christie. She is considered the source of the phrase "The butler did it," though the exact phrase doesn't appear in her works, and she invented the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing.

Rinehart wrote hundreds of short stories, poems, travelogues, and special articles. Many of her books and plays were adapted for movies, such as The Bat (1926), The Bat Whispers (1930), and The Bat (1959). Critics most appreciated her murder mysteries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ro...

Reviews

[R. C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Roberts Rinehart wrote wonderful mysteries. Her narrators are typically educated, rational people dealing with extraordinary circumstances of crime and mystery. Since there is little violence or bloodshed and the stories are definitely from a civilian, non-police perspective, they could be called "cosy." But they are so much more than the cheery, sometimes silly amateur detective adventures usually classified under that label. Rinehart wrote in the first half of the 20th century, so she depicts a world quite different from ours. But that is part of the charm for me. Well worth reading.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard call on the rating. I can see how the style would have been exciting when written, but nowadays the story development would have been more concise with deeper character development. Good though, especially if you’re interested in mystery/detective fiction.

[Andrea]

The butler did it...

[Cws]

M Rin

[Debbie]

includes The Door, The Confession, The Red Lamp