classic 1913 mystery - loved the view of Pittsburgh during that time with periodic flooding and the acceptance of the people who lived there. The writing is excellent, explaining why the author is considered one of the masters of early mystery. Certainly dated, but very interesting and a good read. Download for computer, Kindle or other free at www.manybooks.net ( )

The cover alone caught my eye. The fact the Mary Roberts Rinehart was the author just added to my curiosity. I wasn't disappointed!

Elizabeth Pittman owns a boarding house. She has one regular tenant, Mr. Reynolds, and she rents out to the visiting actors that come to town to perform in the theatre. At this time she is renting to a Mr. and Mrs. Ladley. Mrs. goes by the stage name Jennie Brice. Mr. is an on-and-off actor who is currently writing a play with the idea he will star in it. The are not the perfect couple as shown by the frequent quarrels that is heard from their rooms.

The part of the town this takes place in floods yearly. This means keeping a skiff tied near, or even in the house, for getting to other parts of the town. It is flood time when this tale takes place. Mrs. Pittman is the narrator.

The discovery of the rope that held the skiff tied to the stair rail had been cut and was smeared with blood: Mr. Ladley's late night excursion out to find a pharmacy to get medicine for his wife and then the wife missing the next morning, caused Mrs. Pittman to think murder.

When she met an odd man named Mr. Holcomb and a newspaper reporter named Howell, their points of view further added to the idea that Jennie Brice had been murdered. The problem was there was no body! Mr. Ladley said she'd gone away for a few days but didn't know where. Circumstantial evidence seems to prove it, according to Mr. Holcomb. Mr. Howell disagrees due to there being no body.

When the headless body of a woman washes up from the river, the three characters begin investigating in earnest. Did Mr. Ladley kill his wife? Is the body really Jennie Brice's? If it isn't hers then who is it and where is Jennie Brice.

It isn't a long book, but it does pull you along. ( )

Not as entertaining as the other Rinehart book that I read. It just felt a little disjointed and was a bit confusing at times. But the plot was solid. I just would have liked to have seen it fleshed out a bit more. ( )

This is a vey fine mystery story. It is the first book I read by Mary Roberts Rineheart, and certainly not the last. The writer keeps us in tension until the last chapter and then still surprises us with the real course of events. The book is written in a light and pleasant style, with the "I" person being a simple woman who sees the events from nearby, but hardly understands them. A murder has been comitted, but at first there is not even a body and only some circumstantial evidence. As the story develops the case hardly becomes any clearer until the end of the book. The book gave me some pleasant hours. ( )

Short but nifty mystery set in turn-of-century Pittsburgh. When Jennie Brice, a well-known actress, disappears from her boarding house during a flood, her landlady, an amateur detective and a young newspaperman set out to find out what has happened. The plot twists several times and even the investigators are not entirely who they seem. Neatly plotted, good characters, a lot of fun. ( )