The Dead Letter and The Figure EightDuke University Press, 2003 M08 5 - 388 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 answered Argyll Arthur Miller asked beautiful believe Bertha better Blankville Burton Chateaubriand child companion cousin dark Darling Lily daugh dear detective detective fiction dime novel Doctor Don Miguel door dress Eleanor eyes face father feel felt figure eight gave gaze gentleman George Thorley girl glance gold governess Gram'me Hooker guilty Hampton hand haunted Havana heard heart Henry Moreland hour Inez James John Milton knew lady laugh Leesy Sullivan Lenore light Lillian Lily look mansion marriage married Mary Meredith Place Metta mind Miss Miller Miss Sullivan morning murder never night once parlor passed passion Peekskill person poor Redfield Richard seemed shadow silent smile somnambulist soon Sophie stood tell thing thought told took trembled turned uncle village voice waited walked watch window wish woman young