Other editions of book The Circular Staircase

The Circular Staircase is a mystery novel by American writer Mary Roberts Rinehart. The story follows dowager Rachel Innes as she thwarts a series of strange crimes at a summer house she has rented with her niece and nephew. The novel was Rinehart's first bestseller and established her as one of the era's most popular writers. The story was serialized in All-Story for five issues starting with the November 1907 issue, then published in book form by Bobbs-Merrill in 1908.

"The Circular Staircase" book has a beautiful glossy cover and a blank page for the dedication. "This is the story of how a middle-aged spinster lost her mind, deserted her domestic gods in the city, took a furnished house for the summer out of town, and found herself involved in one of those mysterious crimes that keep our newspapers and detective agencies happy and prosperous. For twenty years I had been perfectly comfortable; for twenty years I had had the window-boxes filled in the spring, the carpets lifted, the awnings put up and the furniture covered with brown linen; for as many summers I had said good-by to my friends, and, after watching their perspiring hegira, had settled down to a delicious quiet in town, where the mail comes three times a day, and the water supply does not depend on a tank on the roof."

This is the story of how a middle-aged spinster lost her mind, deserted her domestic gods in the city, took a furnished house for the summer out of town, and found herself involved in one of those mysterious crimes that keep our newspapers and detective agencies happy and prosperous. For twenty years I had been perfectly comfortable; for twenty years I had had the window-boxes filled in the spring, the carpets lifted, the awnings put up and the furniture covered with brown linen; for as many summers I had said good-by to my friends, and, after watching their perspiring hegira, had settled down to a delicious quiet in town, where the mail comes three times a day, and the water supply does not depend on a tank on the roof.And then—the madness seized me. When I look back over the months I spent at Sunnyside, I wonder that I survived at all. As it is, I show the wear and tear of my harrowing experiences. I have turned very gray—Liddy reminded me of it, only yesterday, by saying that a little bluing in the rinse-water would make my hair silvery, instead of a yellowish white. I hate to be reminded of unpleasant things and I snapped her off."No," I said sharply, "I'm not going to use bluing at my time of life, or starch, either."Liddy's nerves are gone, she says, since that awful summer, but she has enough left, goodness knows! And when she begins to go around with a lump in her throat, all I have to do is to threaten to return to Sunnyside, and she is frightened into a semblance of cheerfulness,—from which you may judge that the summer there was anything but a success.

Fans of golden-age mystery fiction, you're definitely in for a treat. This novel has it all: skillful writing, a drum-tight plot, and snappy, witty dialogue. The Circular Staircase is about Rachel Innes, a well-to-do woman of a certain age. Her Pittsburgh manse is in need of an overhaul, so she decides to spend some time at the country home of a friend to escape the hustle and bustle of the remodeling process. But what appears at first to be a quaint rural outpost soon reveals itself to be the epicenter of a beguiling puzzle.

FIRST PAPERBACK EDITION, Dell Mapback #585, published April 1952. Originally released in serialized form in ‘All-Story Magazine’ in November 1907. Original hardcover published by Bobbs-Merrill © 1908. Cover art by Robert Stanley. Crime map on back cover of 3-part floor plans of Sunnyside country house owned by Paul Armstrong, rented by Rachel Innes; near the village of Casanova (NY or NJ). Map of first floor originally appeared in the 'All Story Magazine’ release. A complete and unabridged edition. Cover blurb: “Night after night strange noises, ghostly visitations, DEATH…” Original 25¢ cover price. Disc: Paperback, 224 pages, 16 cm.

The Circular Staircase is a mystery novel by American writer Mary Roberts Rinehart. The story follows dowager Rachel Innes as she thwarts a series of strange crimes at a summer house she has rented with her niece and nephew. The novel was Rinehart's first bestseller and established her as one of the era's most popular writers. The story was serialized in All-Story for five issues starting with the November 1907 issue, then published in book form by Bobbs-Merrill in 1908.