The Dead Letter and The Figure EightDuke University Press, 2003 M08 5 - 396 pages Before Raymond Chandler, before Dorothy Sayers or Agatha Christie, there was Metta Fuller Victor, the first American author—man or woman—of a full-length detective novel. This novel, The Dead Letter, is presented here along with another of Victor’s mysteries, The Figure Eight. Both written in the 1860s and published under the name Seeley Regester, these novels show how—by combining conventions of the mystery form first developed by Edgar Allan Poe with those of the domestic novel—Victor pioneered the domestic detective story and paved the way for generations of writers to follow. In The Dead Letter, Henry Moreland is killed by a single stab to the back. Against a background of post–Civil War politics, Richard Redfield, a young attorney, helps Burton, a legendary New York City detective, unravel the crime. In The Figure Eight, Joe Meredith undertakes a series of adventures and assumes a number of disguises to solve the mystery of the murder of his uncle and regain the lost fortune of his angelic cousin. |
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Acapulco affair affected Argyll Argyll’s Arthur Miller asked beautiful believe Bertha Blankville Burton Chateaubriand child confidence cousin dark detective different Doctor Don Miguel door dress effect effort Eleanor eyes face father feel felt figure finally find fine fingers fire first fixed floor flowers flushed flying gave gaze girl glance governess gram’me Hampton hand haunted heard heart Henry Moreland hour I’ve Inez influence James knew lady laugh Leesy Sullivan Lenore light Lillian Lily look married Mary Meredith Place mind Miss Miller Miss Sullivan morning murder never night o’clock off offered office officer once parlor passed passion Peekskill person Redfield Richard seemed shadow shewas silent smile soon Sophie stood suffered tell thing Thorley thought told took turned uncle uncle’s village voice waiting walk watch window wish woman wouldn’t young