The Leavenworth Case: A Lawyer’s Story.

Anna Katherine Green

The Leavenworth Case: A Lawyer’s Story.

New York:

G. P. Putnam's Sons

1878

The first popular mystery written by a woman and one of the few detective novels written in the United States after Poe and before the end of the century. It also set many precedents for future detective fiction: a rich person murdered on the verge of signing a new will, the body in the library, a coroner’s inquest, testimony from expert witnesses, a map of the scene of the crime, and an explanatory chapter wrapping up the mystery. Anna Katherine Green had a long and influential writing career. Her detective in this novel is Ebenezer Gryce, a professional. A Haycraft-Queen selection.

From the Collection of Jeffrey Johnson