Actually, mine is not the paperback edition, but a genuine (albeit pretty banged up) first, complete with onionskin paper over the frontispiece and the lovely illustrations done by Howard Chandler Christy. I needed something a bit tame so I rummaged through my shelves and chose this book, which blends mystery, humor, dark atmospheric moments and romance in the telling and ends up being a satisfying read, meaning I never guessed the "who" at any point in time although my inner armchair-detective self made several attempts. Thank you to Netgalley and Dover Publications for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am interested in reading more of her better known works, such as The Circular Staircase.
Perhaps she hadn't quite come into her own, this being her first novel. While her writing is quite readable and often humourous, this mystery felt overly busy with many people taking trips here and there and my brain didn't stick completely where perhaps it should have in order to keep me totally on par with the unraveling of clues. This is my first reading of Mary Roberts Rinehart, who is sometimes referred to as the American Agatha Christie and who is credited with the phrase "the butler did it". I'm not sure if the gentlemen appear in other books by this author their friendship and teamwork are pretty charming as is the presence of Blakely's controlling housekeeper. Lawyers Blakely and McKnight feature as the main characters, with Blakely the faithful narrator and the character most implicated in the mystery as it was he who was meant to be sleeping in lower ten, the berth in which the dead man is found. Set in the early 1900's, when cars are referred to as "machines" and many unfortunate and outdated racial terms are still employed.
A man murdered in his train berth, stolen forgery notes, an irresistibly beautiful woman who holds the heart of two best friends, a broken and bloody necklace. I have a soft spot for closed door mysteries, and ones taking place on a moving train are extra spine tingling.
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