A review by jlmb
The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green

3.0

The history of this novel is what drew me to reading it and it is that history which bumps up my ranking from a 2 to a 3 star review. Published in 1878, a decade before Doyle introduced Sherlock Holmes, the idea of a murder mystery novel was new for that era. Now, of course, the book seems dated and obvious to any reader well versed in the mystery genre. I had to keep reminding myself that this was like an Edith Wharton novel, but with shootings and poisonings. Pretty radical plot for such a setting.

The language is overly florid and the sexism eye-rollingly nuts, but it's worth checking out if you are a fan of the mystery genre. If not, then I'd skip it.