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The Album
Series: An American Mystery Classic
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Check link for latest rating. ( 925 ratings, 119 reviews)
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
In this twisty whodunnit from "the grand dame of American crime fiction" (CrimeReads), the murder of a wealthy widow brings the secrets of her aristocratic neighbors to light
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Description
Even in the early 1930s, Crescent Place is a neighbourhood out of the past. The five Victorian mansions and the remote patch of pasture placed between them have the air of the 1890s, even as the city—once miles away from this idyllic retreat—encroaches and surrounds the enclave. But while these rarified residences may appear calm on the outside, their isolated interiors contain dark secrets, prolonged feuds, and generations of high-toned trouble.
In these houses are a husband and wife who fight constantly, and another couple who hasn't spoken to each other in two decades. There is a widow in permanent mourning and a daughter whom the newspapers call psychotic. And there is a bedridden old woman who is about to be killed with an ax.
When her murder shatters the well-mannered quiet of the cul-de-sac, the tabloids delight in trumpeting Crescent Place's peculiarities. But as the search for the killer intensifies, it becomes clear that the area's strangest secrets have yet to be revealed.
A suspenseful mystery enriched by sly social satire and set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, The Album is a memorable whodunnit from one of the most beloved and best-selling authors of the Golden Age era.
Series: An American Mystery Classic
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Sometimes, the police aren't the best suited to solve a crime. Depending on the case, you may find that a retired magician, a schoolteacher, a Broadway producer, or a nun have the necessary skills to suss out a killer. Or, in other cases, a blind veteran, or a publisher, or a hard-drinking attorney, or a mostly-sober attorney… or, indeed, any...PaperbackSold Out
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
The book is praised as an outstanding addition to Mary Roberts Rinehart's impressive mystery repertoire. Reviews commend its engaging complexity and memorable, quirky characters, while highlighting the psychological depth and atmosphere of Crescent Place, which adds a significant dimension beyond the typical mystery format. The novel is celebrated as a classic whodunit deserving revival and appreciation, securing its place among American Crime Classics.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781613163610
Publisher: Penzler Publishers
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 06 December 2022
Country: United States
Imprint: American Mystery Classics
Contributors:
- Series edited by Otto Penzler
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 38.0mm
Width: 145.0mm
Height: 211.0mm
Weight: 584g
Pages: 336
About the Author
Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958) was the most beloved and best-selling mystery writer in America in the first half of the twentieth century. Born in Pittsburgh to the owner of a sewing machine factory, she wrote fiction in her spare time until a stock market crash sent her and her husband into debt, forcing her to lean on her writing to pay the bills. Her first two novels, The Circular Staircase (1908) and The Man in Lower Ten (1909), established her as a bright young talent, and it wasn’t long before she was a regular on bestseller lists.Among her dozens of novels were The Amazing Adventures of Letitia Carberry (1911) and The Bat (1932), which was among the inspirations for Bob Kane’s Batman. Today, Rinehart is often called an American Agatha Christie, even though she was much more popular than Christie during her heyday. Otto Penzler, the creator of American Mystery Classics, is also the founder of The Mysterious Press (1975); MysteriousPress.com (2011), an electronic-book publishing company; and New York City’s Mysterious Bookshop (1979). He has won a Raven, the Ellery Queen Award, two Edgars (for the Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection, 1977, and The Lineup, 2010), and lifetime achievement awards from NoirCon and The Strand Magazine. He has edited more than 70 anthologies and written extensively about mystery fiction.
Also by Mary Roberts Rinehart
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The Album
Even in the early 1930s, Crescent Place is a neighbourhood out of the past. The five Victorian mansions and the remote patch of pasture placed between them have the air of the 1890s, even as the city—once miles away from this idyllic retreat—encroaches and surrounds the enclave. But while these rarified residences may appear calm on the outside, their isolated...PaperbackSold Out -
The Haunted Lady
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