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The Mill Mystery is a novel by Anna Katharine Green, an influential American writer often credited with shaping the detective fiction genre. Published in 1886, this book is one of her many works that blend mystery, romance, and suspense.
The story revolves around a mysterious death at an old mill, where a young woman, Ada Lester, becomes entangled in a web of secrets. The protagonist, a lawyer named Mr. Byrd, investigates the case, uncovering hidden motives, mistaken identities, and long-buried family secrets.
Green's signature style-intricate plotting, psychological depth, and a touch of melodrama-shines through in this novel. Like her more famous works (The Leavenworth Case, 1878), The Mill Mystery features:
A strong female character caught in peril.
A legal or investigative puzzle that unfolds gradually.
Romantic subplots intertwined with the mystery.
Atmospheric settings, such as the eerie mill, adding Gothic undertones.
While not as famous as The Leavenworth Case, The Mill Mystery is a solid example of Green's talent for crafting engaging whodunits. Her influence on the mystery genre is undeniable, and this book remains an intriguing read for fans of 19th-century detective fiction.
About the Author
About the Author
Anna Katharine Green (November 11, 1846 - April 11, 1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Green has been called "the mother of the detective novel".
Green was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 11, 1846. She had an early ambition to write romantic verse and corresponded with Ralph Waldo Emerson. When her poetry failed to gain recognition, she produced her first and best known novel, The Leavenworth Case (1878), praised by Wilkie Collins, and the hit of the year. She became a bestselling author, eventually publishing 37 books over 40 years.
On November 25, 1884, Green married the actor and stove designer, and later noted furniture maker, Charles Rohlfs (1853 - 1936). Rohlfs toured in a dramatization of Green's The Leavenworth Case. After his theater career faltered, he became a furniture maker in 1897, and Green collaborated with him on some of his designs. Together they had one daughter and two sons: Rosamund Rohlfs, Roland Rohlfs, and Sterling Rohlfs. Her daughter Rosamund married Robert Twitty Palmer.
Green died on April 11, 1935, in Buffalo, New York, at the age of 88. Her husband died the following year.
In 2002, Buffalo Literary Walking Tours began an annual series of weekend walking tours highlighting authors with local connections. Green is included along with Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Herman Melville, Taylor Caldwell, and others.
Green's short story "The Intangible Clue" featuring Violet Strange was adapted by Chris Harrald for the second series of BBC Radio 4's drama series The Rivals and starred Jeany Spark as Violet Strange. (wikipedia.org)
