menu
cover image That Affair Next Door

That Affair Next Door

Anna Katharine Green. Poisoned Pen, $14.95 trade paper (384p) ISBN 978-1-4642-1295-6

First published in 1897, this cleverly plotted mystery from Greene (1846–1935) introduces Amelia Butterworth, an elderly spinster “of Colonial ancestry and no inconsiderable importance in the social world,” who lives alone in Manhattan’s exclusive Gramercy Park neighborhood. One night, she’s awakened by the sound of a horse-drawn cab pulling up outside the mansion next door. A man and a woman alight and enter the house, which Miss Butterworth knows to be empty. Ten minutes later, the man leaves. She subsequently summons the police, who investigate and find the body of a woman lying crushed beneath “a fallen piece of furniture.” Det. Ebenezer Gryce arrives, and the competition begins: who will solve the murder first? Much of the book’s enjoyment stems from Miss Butterworth’s spirited discussions with the 77-year-old Gryce and her seeming lack of self-awareness. She describes herself as “not an inquisitive woman” and having a “dignified deportment,” while those around her see her as pushy and nosy. This inaugural volume in the Library of Congress Crime Classics series, featuring the first woman sleuth in a series, is a must for genre buffs. (Apr.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the book's title.

close
Details

Reviewed on: 02/06/2020

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Hardcover - 346 pages - 978-1-01-567180-5

Hardcover - 346 pages - 978-1-374-85596-0

Hardcover - 414 pages - 978-1-343-40208-9

Hardcover - 420 pages - 978-1-357-07809-6

Paperback - 312 pages - 978-1-9739-8124-4

Paperback - 232 pages - 978-1-9756-2550-4

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-9838-2969-7

Paperback - 386 pages - 978-1-9869-4612-4

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-7170-2010-9

Paperback - 108 pages - 978-1-5169-9700-8

Paperback - 270 pages - 978-1-5152-5501-7

Paperback - 386 pages - 978-1-5377-4494-0

Paperback - 294 pages - 978-1-4904-2233-6

Paperback - 288 pages - 978-1-5428-0312-0

Paperback - 386 pages - 978-1-5411-4830-7

Paperback - 346 pages - 978-1-01-567591-9

Paperback - 134 pages - 978-1-9765-6601-1

Paperback - 278 pages - 978-93-5794-617-9

Paperback - 332 pages - 978-93-5805-750-8

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-0929-3973-7

Paperback - 432 pages - 978-1-7247-1045-1

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-7257-5714-1

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-9792-3939-4

Paperback - 346 pages - 978-1-374-85595-3

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-9780-0918-9

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-9777-3387-0

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-7187-7949-5

Paperback - 432 pages - 978-1-7247-1045-1

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-7257-5714-1

Paperback - 320 pages - 978-1-5196-5657-5

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-6724-0328-3

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-7061-1628-8

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-6565-1156-0

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-7289-5715-9

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-7955-8618-4

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-0803-0705-0

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-0740-7469-2

Paperback - 290 pages - 978-1-0929-3973-7

Paperback - 182 pages - 979-8-6740-5396-5