That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Greene

Description

That Affair Next Door by Anna Katharine Greene published in 1897 another book in the Det Gryce Mystery Series featuring Miss Butterworth.

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.

The Acrobat Reader PDF, text and WORD version of the story is included in the zipped file for your personal use. The file size is 1.6MB