Carolyn Wells

Výber piatich príbehov zo začiatku dvadsiateho storočia, keď si detektívky hľadali miesto v literatúre a už ich prvé hrdinky dokázali, že zločin odhalia rovnako dobre, ak nie lepšie, ako ich kolegovia z radov polície, alebo súkromných detektívov.

A locked-room mystery is solved by detective Fleming Stone. Sanford Embury refused to give his wife an allowance of spending cash or even a checking account. He pays all the bills and her store charge accounts. "Eunice found it intolerable to be cramped and pinched for small amounts of ready cash, when her husband was a rich man.""Eunice Embury was neither mean nor spiteful of disposition. She had a furious temper, but she tried hard to control it, and when it did break loose, the spasm was but of short duration and she was sorry for it afterward. Her husband declared he had tamed her, and that since her marriage, about two years ago, his wise, calm influence had curbed her tendency to fly into a rage and had made her far more equable and placid of disposition." Sanford is found dead in bed, alone, with the door of his second-story bedroom bolted shut from the inside. Was his wife a party to the murder, or perhaps did she commit the murder in a fit of rage? Who else had a motive? How does Sanford make all that money? How could the murderer do the deed if the room was locked from the inside? The clue that leads to the discovery of the murderer and the devious method used is — you guessed it — some raspberry jam.

Do you love mystery stories, such as the Sherlock Holmes stories and those of Edgar Allan Poe and Agatha Christie? Do you ever yearn to be a good writer of mysteries?Carolyn Wells was a prolific author of mystery novels. In this detailed book, she teaches the history, types, principles, devices, plots, and structures of mystery writings. She gives advice to would-be authors of this genre, including ghost and riddle stories as well as detective and crime mysteries. This authoritative work begins with a justification of mystery as a legitimate literary art form, with numerous quotations from authorities. Then proceeding systematically through her topics, she explains and illustrates the mystery-writing craft with excerpts from mystery works and quotations of literary critics and notable authors.The lover of mystery will find many authors and stories cited and excerpted in this book, which would be a good resource for finding more material to satisfy the reader's thirst for the genre. Aspiring authors will find insights through the critical eyes of this successful mystery author and of the many authors whom she quotes. This is virtually a miniature course in creative writing of the mystery story.