The Circular Staircase (1907)

Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1957) was never a critic's darling and both her
short stories and novels were repeatedly dismissed as "low brow junk"--but the
reading public of the early 1900s adored her, and she had a very long and
commercially profitable career.  And although most of her work could be best
described as "romance," it is for her occasional mystery that she is best
recalled today.

Written in 1907 and published in 1908, THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE was among
Rinehart's most popular works.  Wealthy spinster Miss Innes is persuaded by her
two wards--niece and nephew Gertrude and Halsey--to take a house in the country
for the summer.  But no sooner is Miss Innes and her fearful maid Liddy
installed at Sunnyside then things begin to go bump in night, and murder is not
far behind.

THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE is very much of its era:  like many novels of the time it
has a Victorian hang-over that shows in both its highly improbable plot and its
determination to spell out every possible detail.  Not a great stylist, Rinehart
was never really able to shed these issues in any of her works--but if you are
prepared to suspend disbelief and enter into the spirit of the thing THE
CIRCULAR STAIRCASE is actually quite a bit of fun.  There are sounds in the
night, mysterious faces at the window, screaming maids, unexpected visitors, and
all the rest.  And the book would become extremely influential in an unexpected
way.

In 1917 Rinehart joined forces with playwright Avery Hopwood to adapt THE
CIRCULAR STAIRCASE to the stage, and when it opened on Broadway in 1920 as THE
BAT it proved one of the decade's most durable shows, a mixture of mystery and
comic cliche.  The result was a wave of similar novels, plays, and films that
not only cast a long shadow but which are still very much with us today.  So
wait until a dark and stormy night, pour yourself a cup of warm milk, and read
THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE by flickering candlelight...  and if you hear a noise in
the furthermost part of the house, just tell yourself it's only Miss Innes
making one of her ill-advised nocturnal investigations!

For decades Mary Roberts Rinehart was the queen of mystery thrillers -- the
American Agatha Christie.  The Circular Staircase was Rinehart's first published
novel (The Swimming Pool was her last), but it is a well-constructed work in
every way.  Rinehart's special gift was in the evocation of an overlying and
unremitting atmosphere of unease and potential danger and it is under such an
atmosphere of apprehension that she spins her stories.  For some time it has
been fashionable to dismiss the novels of Mary Roberts Rinehart as old
fashioned.  This may apply to superficial details -- such as gas lighting -- but
it definitely is not true of the novels themselves which are timeless in their
ability to hold the reader in a grip of mystery and suspense.  The Circular
Staircase is one of the finest mystery novels ever written.

This is an enjoyable mystery in the classic mode with some deft turns.  But it
is completely unedited and riddled throughout with typos and silly mistakes.
Surely no person at the publishing house read this book before it was released;
I'd go so far as to say no one bothered to use spell-check to detect ludicrous
errors.  In most cases, the correct spelling or usage is fairly easy to figure.
In one, a "Mrs."  should have been a "Mr."  and that caused a bit of confusion.
Readers appreciate these budget-priced editions, but couldn't someone at the
publishing house give them a look after they've been scanned into the computer?
Surely a summer intern in the editorial department might even have a good time
reading this pleasant little mystery.

A wonderful classic mystery, involving bloodless murders without murderer's
intention.  In detail nicely described complicated situations with a pinch of
humor.  Very well connected story dots.  After reading it over 20 times, I still
enjoy it.  I wish they had or (will) make a movie on it.

Wealthy family goes to the country for a rest and gets more than it bargained
for - and it doesn't include much rest!  The narrator is a tart-tongued lady,
the mystery is complicated, and the view of life for the well-off in the early
1900's gives a whole other dimension to this book.  Very enjoyable reading.