Wealthy spinster Rachel Innes and her niece and nephew, Gertrude and Halsey, rent a country house called Sunnyside for the summer. Upon arrival, the butler reveals to them that he believes there’s a ghost in the house. During the first night, Rachel is roused from sleep by strange sounds. The next night she’s awakened by a revolver shot, and discovers a dead body at the foot of the house’s circular staircase. The investigation into the murder reveals the house and its owners, the Armstrong family, hold many secrets. The Circular Staircase was published in 1908 and is credited with pioneering the “Had I but known” school of mystery writing, a form of foreshadowing that hints at impending disaster through the narrator’s regrets of their actions. The novel was adapted as a silent film in 1915, and most notably as a hit Broadway play, “The Bat” in 1920. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

The Man in Lower Ten is the first book ever written by Mary Roberts Rinehart, arguably the greatest American mystery writer of her generation. Vividly imagined, it combines adventure, suspense, horror, and mystery at breakneck speed.

Mary Roberts Rinehart’s first two novels “The Circular Staircase” and “The Man in Lower Ten” inaugurate The Essential Rinehart Collection, a new book series destined to entertain readers for many years. “The Circular Staircase” tells the story of how Miss Cornelia Van Gorder lost her mind, deserted her domestic gods in the city, took a furnished house for the summer out of town, and found herself involved in one of those mysterious crimes that keep newspapers and detectives happy and prosperous. “The Man in Lower Ten” is a legal thriller featuring a detective who builds up a network of clues that absolutely incriminate three entirely different people, only one of whom can be guilty. These novels, which combine mystery and adventure, demonstrate Rinehart's tremendously vivid powers as a storyteller. Well-written and fast-paced, these mysteries will leave you eager to read the other volumes in this series.

Known as the "American Agatha Christie," author Mary Roberts Rinehart produced a vast array of top-notch mysteries over the course of her career, with occasional incursions into other genres. The After House is a gripping whodunit that revolves around a series of grisly axe murders. Set on board a ship, this murder mystery is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.

The moving story of her own search for God by the highly-acclaimed author of the bestselling A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam; The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism; and Islam: A Short History. In 1969, after seven years as a Roman Catholic nun -- hoping, but ultimately failing, to find God -- Armstrong left her convent. She knew almost nothing of the changed world she was entering, and she was tormented by panic attacks and inexplicable seizures. Her struggle against despair was fueled by a string of discouragements -- failed spirituality, doctorate and jobs, fruitless dealings with psychiatrists -- but finally, in 1976, she was diagnosed with epilepsy and given proper treatment. She then began the writing career that would become her true calling, and as she focused on the sacred texts of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, her own true inner story began to emerge. She would come to experience brief moments of transcendence through her work -- the profound fulfillment that she had not found in the long hours of prayer as a young nun. Powerfully engaging, often heart-breaking, but lit with bursts of humour, The Spiral Staircase is an extraordinary history of self.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Big Sleep" by Raymond Chandler. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

When it was all over Mr. Sam came out to the spring-house to say good-by to me before he and Mrs. Sam left. I hated to see him go, after all we had been through together, and I suppose he saw it in my face, for he came over close and stood looking down at me, and smiling. "You saved us, Minnie," he said, "and I needn't tell you we're grateful; but do you know what I think?" he asked, pointing his long forefinger at me. "I think you've enjoyed it even when you were suffering most. Red-haired women are born to intrigue, as the sparks fly upward."