The Circular Study

The Circular Study

By

3.25
(4 Reviews)
The Circular Study by Anna Katharine Green

Published:

1900

Pages:

165

Downloads:

2,727

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The Circular Study

By

3.25
(4 Reviews)

Book Excerpt

task," mused the detective.

Passing on, he came unexpectedly upon a narrow curtain, so dark of hue and so akin in pattern to the draperies on the adjoining walls that it had up to this time escaped his attention. It was not that of a window, for such windows as were to be seen in this unique apartment were high upon the wall, indeed, almost under the ceiling. It must, therefore, drape the opening into still another communicating room. And such he found to be the case. Pushing this curtain aside, he entered a narrow closet containing a bed, a dresser, and a small table. The bed was the narrow cot of a bachelor, and the dresser that of a man of luxurious tastes and the utmost nicety of habit. Both the bed and dresser were in perfect order, save for a silver-backed comb, which had been taken from the latter, and which he presently found lying on the floor at the other end of the room. This and the presence of a pearl-handled parasol on a small stand near the door proclaimed that a woman had been there wi

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3.25
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The octogenarian detective Mr. Gryce and the incurious (so she insists) Miss Butterworth come together again in a case even more far-fetched and bizarre than that of "Lost Man's Lane." Alas, they bring little ingenuity to solving the crime (such as there is seems to be in the hands of a young policeman called Sweetwater) and we don't see nearly as much action or keen repartee between them as in the beginning book of the series, "That Affair Next Door." This one has too much exposition and is far less amusing.
4
I agree this detective story has an unusal start, and the end is very emotional. Not excellent but a good mixture: typical of the mysteries of that time, it needs improbable or extreme conditions to work out, extreme stupidities of youth in this case (suicide and not to know the difference between murder and justifyable homicide).
Not as good as "The Leavenworth case" but still recommendable. For me the problem with this book was that the basis of the plot lies 30 years in the past, which interrupts the story too much.
Still a good read. Apparently inspired by Emile Gaboriau
Odd mystery novel that's kind of a cross between a Sherlock Holmes mystery and "Wuthering Heights". It's told in a variety of formats (i.e. narrative, letters, diaries) by different characters. It was good, but the ending seemed too rushed.