That Affair Next Door

Description

Anna Katharine Green is often referred to as the Mother of detective fiction, and this novel certainly proves that the nickname fits her like a glove. The chief investigator in this story is Ebenezer Gryce, but he would not be able to decipher the mystery without help from Amelia Butterworth, the nosy spinster who is the prototype of all nosy spinsters in detective fiction, most notably Miss Marple.

The Affair Next Door is the novel that introduces Amelia to the readers. The orderly, fifty-something years old lady is not only nosy – she is also very proud of her logical way of approaching problems and even though she draws a number of conclusions that prove to be wrong, her role in solving the case is instrumental. In the beginning she assists the police in the investigation, but she feels that her contribution is not sufficiently appreciated, therefore she starts her own quest for the truth and she proves her skills, indeed.

The murder she is investigating takes place just across the road where she lives. One evening she sees a man and a woman enter the abandoned mansion next door to her apartment, but only the man leaves the house. Amelia informs the police, they enter the house to find the dead body of a lady inside. This is the starting point of the investigation and there are lots of unexpected twists to follow – Green is famous for her complicated plots, so the readers who expect an intricate story, told in Green’s signature style, will not be disappointed.

The other feature that made Green’s books so special is the legal accuracy behind the stories, and That Affair Next Door is an excellent read in that respect as well – Amelia always interprets the clues and the evidence she comes across in a logical and unsentimental way and, even though she is wrong sometimes, in the end she always finds the right answer.
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