Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Green has been called "the mother of the detective novel". She is credited with shaping detective fiction into its classic form, and developing the series detective. Her main character was detective Ebenezer Gryce of the New York Metropolitan Police Force, but in three novels he is assisted by the nosy society spinster Amelia Butterworth, the prototype for Miss Marple, Miss Silver and other creations. She also invented the 'girl detective': in the character of Violet Strange, a debutante with a secret life as a sleuth. Indeed, as journalist Kathy Hickman writes, Green "stamped the mystery genre with the distinctive features that would influence writers from Agatha Christie and Conan Doyle to contemporary authors of suspenseful "whodunits". Table of Contents: Amelia Butterworth Series: That Affair Next Door Lost Man's Lane The Circular Study Mystery Novels: The Leavenworth Case A Strange Disappearance X Y Z: A Detective Story Hand and Ring The Mill Mystery The Forsaken Inn Cynthia Wakeham's Money Agatha Webb One of My Sons The Filigree Ball The Millionaire Baby The Chief Legatee' The Woman in the Alcove The Mayor's Wife The House of the Whispering Pines Three Thousand Dollars Initials Only Dark Hollow The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow Non Detective Novel: The Sword of Damocles: A Story of New York Life Short Stories: The Old Stone House and Other Stories A Difficult Problem and Other Stories Room Number 3 and Other Detective Stories The Golden Slipper and Other Problems for Violet Strange

“The Circular Study” is a 1900 detective novel by Anne Katherine Green. The story revolves around a cryptic message received by Detective Gryce that takes him to a quiet house in up-market New York City where he discovers a dead body laid out delicately in the study. With an apparently insane, deaf, and dumb butler and a bird in a cage as the only witnesses, Gryce must employ the aid of Miss Amelia Butterworth to uncover the mystery of this heinous crime. The third instalment of Green's female detective series “The Amelia Butterworth Mysteries” and also number ten in the "Mr Gryce Series", “The Circular Study” is a riveting murder mystery not to be missed by fans and collectors of classic detective fiction. Anna Katharine Green (1846–1935) was an American novelist and poet. Among the first writers of detective fiction in America, she is considered to be the “mother” of the genre for her legally-accurate and well-thought-out plots. Other notable works by this author include: “The Leavenworth Case” (1878), “A Strange Disappearance” (1880), and “The Sword of Damocles: A Story of New York Life” (1881). Read & Co. Classics is proudly republishing this vintage detective novel now in a brand new edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.

The Mother of Detective Fiction, the American novelist Anna Katharine Green produced well-constructed plots, noted for their sound knowledge of criminal law and accurate realism. Her detective stories would have a lasting influence on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and countless other writers of crime and mystery literature. For the first time in publishing history, this comprehensive eBook presents Green’s complete works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 2) The Amelia Butterworth Series The Novels The Leavenworth Case (1878) A Strange Disappearance (1880) The Sword of Damocles (1881) XYZ (1883) Hand and Ring (1883) The Mill Mystery (1886) Behind Closed Doors (1888) The Forsaken Inn (1890) A Matter of Millions (1891) Cynthia Wakeham’s Money (1892) Marked Personal (1893) Miss Hurd (1894) Doctor Izard (1895) That Affair Next Door (1897) Lost Man’s Lane (1898) Agatha Webb (1899) The Circular Study (1900) One of My Sons (1901) The Filigree Ball (1903) The Millionaire Baby (1905) The Woman in the Alcove (1906) The Chief Legatee (1906) The Mayor’s Wife (1907) Three Thousand Dollars (1910) The House of the Whispering Pines (1910) Initials Only (1911) Dark Hollow (1914) The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow (1917) The Step on the Stair (1923) The Shorter Fiction The Old Stone House and Other Stories (1891) Masterpieces of Mystery (1913) The Golden Slipper and Other Problems for Violet Strange (1915) To the Minute, Scarlet and Black (1916) Uncollected Short Stories The Short Stories List of Short Stories in Chronological Order List of Short Stories in Alphabetical Order The Play Risifi’s Daughter (1887) The Poetry The Defence of the Bride and Other Poems (1882) The Non-Fiction Newspaper Articles

A housekeeper reports the disappearance of a sewing-maid from a wealthy household. She insists that the girl has been abducted. Mr Gryce and a young detective investigate. The missing young woman has a secret. But she is not the only one...