3.0
The Dead Letter
ByPublisher Description
A love triangle turns deadly in the first full-length detective novel by an American author
Published a decade prior to Anna Katharine Green’s The Leavenworth Case (1878), The Dead Letter concerns the murder of Henry Moreland, whose body is found just a few steps from the home of John Argyll, Esq. Moreland was engaged to Argyll’s daughter, Eleanor, and suspicion soon falls upon the lawyer’s protégé, Richard Redfield. Desperate to clear his name, Redfield seeks the help of Mr. Burton, a famous New York City detective—but the case has more twists and turns than either of the two men could possibly imagine.
Set against the political turmoil of the Reconstruction Era, The Dead Letter is a fascinating historical document, a pioneering work of genre fiction, and a mystery with a cleverly satisfying conclusion.
This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
Published a decade prior to Anna Katharine Green’s The Leavenworth Case (1878), The Dead Letter concerns the murder of Henry Moreland, whose body is found just a few steps from the home of John Argyll, Esq. Moreland was engaged to Argyll’s daughter, Eleanor, and suspicion soon falls upon the lawyer’s protégé, Richard Redfield. Desperate to clear his name, Redfield seeks the help of Mr. Burton, a famous New York City detective—but the case has more twists and turns than either of the two men could possibly imagine.
Set against the political turmoil of the Reconstruction Era, The Dead Letter is a fascinating historical document, a pioneering work of genre fiction, and a mystery with a cleverly satisfying conclusion.
This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
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3.0
Esvee
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Becky
Created almost 2 years agoShare
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Kathy
Created over 2 years agoShare
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“Written in 1862 and one of the first crime novels published. The writing was tedious and flowery. I’m guessing that was more just a sign of the time and hate to lower the rating for that reason. On an historical level it was interesting and certainly showed how far we’ve come not only in fiction writing but specifically crime fiction.
Also, evidently the concept of discovering who committed the crime must be something that evolved as the genre did! I wondered throughout the entire book if there was going to be a major surprise ending. Nope. The murderer was exactly who he appeared to be from the first chapter!!!”
rachel
Created over 3 years agoShare
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colleenallbooks
Created over 3 years agoShare
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“I was very excited to have the chance to read The Dead Letter, written under the pseudonym Seeley Regester by a woman named Metta Victor. This book, available today, is the newest installment in Poisoned Pen Press’s Library of Congress Crime Classics series and is considered the first full-length American detective novel!!!
This novel reminded me a lot of The Moonstone; it wasn’t quite as over the top, but it had sensational, dramatic aspects. I really got a kick out of the descriptive, heavily emotional language. The narrator, Richard, was my kind of guy: he wasn’t afraid to show his feelings, and he was noble and classy. The detective, Mr. Burton, was portrayed as almost perfect, except for that whole thing where he exploits his daughter’s clairvoyant abilities to the detriment of her own health…
Anyways, this book had tragedy, emotion, adventure across North America, and a lot of tension leading to the denouement, even though I thought the culprit was somewhat obvious. It also contained some racism and prejudice, reminding me how deeply rooted and widespread various prejudices were/are in our culture.
I would definitely recommend this book to my many lovely friends who enjoy older books; I think the style would appeal to them and they would find it interesting to compare this book to other books written in the 1800s. For hardcore mystery lovers, I think this book provides a chance for us to trace our mystery history! This is not a quick, easy read; this book is best for someone who enjoys the descriptive language and loooong sentences of 1800s writing! And yes, I am 100% that person!
Thank you so much, @poisonedpenpress, for sending me this book as part of the #inkedinpoison program!”
About Seeley Regester
Seeley Regester (1831–1885) was the pseudonym of Metta Victoria Fuller Victor, one of the most popular and prolific authors of mid-nineteenth-century America. She published more than one hundred novels in a wide variety of genres, including romance, Westerns, temperance novels, and children’s literature. She is best remembered for The Dead Letter (1867), the first full-length work of crime fiction by an American author. Her abolitionist dime novel, Maum Guinea, and Her Plantation “Children” (1861), was praised by Abraham Lincoln.
Other books by Seeley Regester
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