lady of letters & Gucci

 AGATHA

 MS. BRONTE

 DU MAURIER

  ELINOR GLYN

ELIZABETH BARRETT

 JANE

a Case for the Misses Leavenworth

.

detective novels, mysteries- I love them. I've read some or all of titles of Poe, Wilkie Collins , Arthur Conan Doyle Gaston Leroux and of course Agatha Christie & Dorothy Sayers.  To think I had until just this moment missed "the Mother of the Detective Story," Anna Katharine Green- pains me. I have remedied that and if you have had the same fate I suggest The Leavenworth Case.

It seems Anna Katharine introduced her ongoing series of  stories with Detective Ebenezer Gryce solving murders a full nine years be for Conan Doyle did his Sherlock novels.  Fortunately Detective Gryce has help from a gentleman-Raymond- who can traverse the intrigues of New York society where Gryce can not. Gouty Gryce is likeable, but Raymond is more intriguing and it is from his point of view the murder of a distinguished Mr. Leavenworth and the subsequent evidence that is piling up at the door of one of his two nieces. Both Mary & Eleanore are great beauties & the deeper Mr, Raymond delves into the crime the more he becomes emotionally entangled with both the women.

I can't fault  Green's style-a bit stilted- but some how suggestive of Edith Wharton, I was caught up in the plot rather quickly . Perhaps it is the era Green sets her Case in but I couldn't help think of Wharton & the heroines in her novels-trapped by society's dictates with little to recourse but a successful marriage. Green, a Brooklyn native and the daughter of a criminal attorney, published The Leavenworth Case in 1878.  Green married Charles Rohlfs,  an internationally known furniture designer in 1884.  She went on to publish mysteries with female sleuths-a  society spinster Amelia Butterworth, said to be the prototype for Miss Marple & Violet Strange, debutante leading a secret life as a sleuth.
I have to read these of course- I've got a case.

the romantic langour of Albert Joseph Moore's paintings seem to capture the mood of Mr. Raymond as he falls deeper and deeper under the spell of the two cousins.

.

playing Miss Marple

 tonight on pbs Miss Marple returns in the Secret of Chimneys

 prior to her triumphant return, I have been amusing myself with these. Designed by Andrea Kett, our Jane takes on various roles in : Tantalising Tweeds, Naughty Knitwear, Unsensible Shoes and much more. View Ms Kett's Portfolio Here. Her illustrations conjur up other novel characters GIGI & her Aunt Alicia & Cheri's Léa de Lonval.

Read all about Ms. Kett Here
all images are copyright and used with Ms. Kett's kind permission.
visit Agatha Christie's official site Here


.

AAL reprise...you're the top

As for my Summer Reading List- it will continue NEXT Week with two more LISTS-

le style et la matiere (here) and Porter Hovey (here).

I also have two of my friends weigh in on what they are reading, along with more Summer Reading posts- from Beverly Nichols editor- authority Roy Dicks (here) about the reissue of Beverly Nichols' otherworldly garden books and the natty author BN himself.


BUT after over 150 posts- 183 to be exact-I don't like celebrations about what I do- I'm a behind the scenes girl- But again am reminded of why I started my blog- If you didn't read my first post, it was the loss of a dearly dearly loved friend- who this blog links me to EVERYDAY, and for that I am beyond over the moon about and also the words of a beyond-worldly wise blogger.

so to sum it up- A God Send of my Favorites in one 2 minute video- Cole Porter, Diana Rigg, Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot, glamour, and a little German (or maybe I should say a little Belgian)