The Leavenworth Case
by Anna K. Green
Genres: Crime, MysteryPages: 368
Rating:
Synopsis:THIS DETECTIVE STORY CLUB CLASSIC is introduced by Dr John Curran, who looks at how Anna Katherine Green was a pioneer who inspired a new generation of crime writers, in particular a young woman named Agatha Christie.
When the retired merchant Horatio Leavenworth is found shot dead in his mansion library, suspicion falls on his nieces, Mary and Eleanore, who stand to inherit his vast fortune. Their lawyer, Everett Raymond, infatuated with one of the sisters, is determined that the official investigator, detective Ebenezer Gryce, widens the inquiry to less obvious suspects.
The Leavenworth Case, the first detective novel written by a woman, immortalised its author Anna Katharine Green as 'The Mother of Detective Fiction'. Admired for her careful plotting and legal accuracy, the book enjoyed enormous success both in England and America, and was widely translated. It was republished by The Detective Story Club after Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, speaking at the 1928 Thanksgiving Day dinner of the American Society in London, remarked: 'An American woman, a successor of Poe, Anna K. Green, gave us The Leavenworth Case, which I still think one of the best detective stories ever written.'
I’m glad I got round to reading Anna Katharine Green’s The Leavenworth Case, because it’s one of the early detective novels, and one of the rarer female voices that hasn’t been totally forgotten from the early years of the genre. That said… I’m glad I read it via Serial Reader, and thus in small bites, because it’s pretty tedious at times — overwrought, and of course, sexist.
Even with a female author, you ask? Yes: the detective ultimately says he didn’t really suspect a woman because (drumroll) a woman would never clean a pistol after firing. All the women are beautiful angels with amazing manners (though Mary Leavenworth does show a bit of spirit and isn’t totally vilified for… well, I won’t spoiler, even at this late date).
Really, it’s just very much of its time. The culprit was fairly obvious to me, and it was a bit excruciating how long it took to gather up the evidence.
In the end, glad I read it, but glad it’s finished.
Rating: 2/5
Funny, I listened to it only 3 years ago. I gave it 5 stars at the time, but only took notes in the middle of it. Never wrote a full review. Even after rereading my notes,I can’t really remember a thing about it. so I guess it was actually not that good!
https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/10/30/sunday-post-68-10-30-2022/
It perhaps doesn’t help that I’ve read a lot of classic crime, and studied it at university, so I have a lot of big opinions! Sometimes that spoils my enjoyment. But mostly I didn’t like the sexist elements.