What do you think?
Rate this book
Mr. Gryce #13
The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow
The hour of noon had just struck, and the few visitors still lingering among the curiosities of the great museum were suddenly startled by the sight of one of the attendants running down the broad, central staircase, loudly "Close the doors! Let no one out! An accident has occurred, and nobody's to leave the building." There was but one person near either of the doors, and as he chanced to be a man closely connected with the museum, -being, in fact, one of its most active directors, -he imme-diately turned about and in obedience to a gesture made by the attendant, ran up the marble steps, followed by some dozen others. At the top they all turned, as by common consent, toward the left-hand gallery, where in the section marked II, a tableau greeted them which few of them will ever forget.
332 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1917
About the author
Anna Katharine Green
554 books206 followersAnna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Born in Brooklyn, New York, her early ambition was to write romantic verse, and she corresponded with Ralph Waldo Emerson. When her poetry failed to gain recognition, she produced her first and best known novel, The Leavenworth Case (1878). She became a bestselling author, eventually publishing about 40 books. She was in some ways a progressive woman for her time-succeeding in a genre dominated by male writers-but she did not approve of many of her feminist contemporaries, and she was opposed to women's suffrage. Her other works include A Strange Disappearance (1880), The Affair Next Door (1897), The Circular Study (1902), The Filigree Ball (1903), The Millionaire Baby (1905), The House in the Mist (1905), The Woman in the Alcove (1906), The House of the Whispering Pines (1910), Initials Only (1912), and The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow (1917).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 7, 2021
The last of the series, Mr. Gryce is an old man, suffering from rheumatism. All of us, as we age, slow somewhat, but Mr. Gryce's thought processes in regards to solving crimes seem not to have slowed at all. He doesn't get around as well, however, and is glad to have Sweetwater especially and some others of his staff to do some of the necessary legwork.
In this, a young girl - a teenager, really - is shot and killed by an arrow across an expanse at a New York museum. The less than two dozen people in the museum are carefully placed as they were when the cry rang out. Well, you can be sure it was obvious to me who was the only one who could have done the dastardly deed and I anxiously read on to discover the why. As usual, what was obvious to me was not even a consideration to Mr. Gryce and to Sweetwater and what did I know!
I think the weakness of this was that what Sweetwater and Mr. Gryce decided was revealed soon after the midpoint of the novel. They did have yet to discover the why and that kept me reading. Then the why was known and there was still more to read than would be customary for a mystery. While this was published in 1916, so before such stories were traditional fare at the movies, the last 15%-20% was probably well-suited to that format. A good black and white movie and one scene in particular would have been enhanced with plenty of cigarette smoke. I could easily picture Humphrey Bogart behind the desk.
I enjoy the series and will happily read more of it, especially as several of the titles help to fulfill my 20th Century women's challenge. Still and all, I can't bring myself to find more than 3-stars for this one.
In this, a young girl - a teenager, really - is shot and killed by an arrow across an expanse at a New York museum. The less than two dozen people in the museum are carefully placed as they were when the cry rang out. Well, you can be sure it was obvious to me who was the only one who could have done the dastardly deed and I anxiously read on to discover the why. As usual, what was obvious to me was not even a consideration to Mr. Gryce and to Sweetwater and what did I know!
I think the weakness of this was that what Sweetwater and Mr. Gryce decided was revealed soon after the midpoint of the novel. They did have yet to discover the why and that kept me reading. Then the why was known and there was still more to read than would be customary for a mystery. While this was published in 1916, so before such stories were traditional fare at the movies, the last 15%-20% was probably well-suited to that format. A good black and white movie and one scene in particular would have been enhanced with plenty of cigarette smoke. I could easily picture Humphrey Bogart behind the desk.
I enjoy the series and will happily read more of it, especially as several of the titles help to fulfill my 20th Century women's challenge. Still and all, I can't bring myself to find more than 3-stars for this one.
July 1, 2024
2024
Ah, I had forgotten just how melodramatic Green's works can be. From the witness to the victim's nearest and dearest, they all act ridiculous. The best part of the story is the setting and that's what stuck with me from the first time I read it. An inexplicable murder is set in a crowded museum. I wondered why I couldn't remember who did it, but as I got deeper into the mystery I started to remember crazy parts. Personal loyalty is fine and all, but really, death instead of exposing a villain because of a secret?! Please, I don't care how scared of scandal you are, there is a point of no return for all villains.
It was fun in a shake-your-head-and-wonder-why sort of way. As an example of Victorian mystery fiction, it's not terrible.
A review from the past...
Very delicate where necessary. No foul language. A convenient setup, but fun anyway.
Ah, I had forgotten just how melodramatic Green's works can be. From the witness to the victim's nearest and dearest, they all act ridiculous. The best part of the story is the setting and that's what stuck with me from the first time I read it. An inexplicable murder is set in a crowded museum. I wondered why I couldn't remember who did it, but as I got deeper into the mystery I started to remember crazy parts. Personal loyalty is fine and all, but really, death instead of exposing a villain because of a secret?! Please, I don't care how scared of scandal you are, there is a point of no return for all villains.
It was fun in a shake-your-head-and-wonder-why sort of way. As an example of Victorian mystery fiction, it's not terrible.
A review from the past...
Very delicate where necessary. No foul language. A convenient setup, but fun anyway.
September 30, 2022
I loved this up to the end and then I was so horrified I hated it 😂 good review to come when I reread it someday… lol. But for now… it was a good mystery, just NOT what I expected AT ALL!!!
November 10, 2015
2,5 stars, but wasn't sure whether to round it up or down, but then I decided to give it 2 stars for the reason that the narrative is dragging. The movement is very slow that in some places it feels like it is not moving forward. The perpetrator of the crime has been obvious for a long time before the story finally concludes. The readers are dragged to trudge through the long, dull narrative after that just to read things being repeated over and over again. This repetition has even been started from the beginning.
The start of the investigation is very tedious. The investigators only focus on the situational aspects of the incident; they spend time to determine where people were standing, toward where they were looking, the definite exact position from where the arrow might have been shot. There is no interest shown to find who the victim is, and why she is the victim. For me, the most interesting mystery of crime story, especially of murder, is the motive, which at the end is connected to who the victim and murderer are--in short, the humans. I expected to see the inquiry into this area in the first part of the investigation, but instead I got to see the positions of the visitors of the museum. Not that I say it's not important, but I don't think it needs that many of pages.
When the story finally gets to the persons involved, it is related in such boring way. For some time I had to read some cat and mouse chase that doesn't really further the plot. And the end of the chase doesn't even contribute anything to the investigation. More clue is finally got from another source.
My conclusion, the book is too long. This is a detective story, so the story should be about a crime and its solving, but I think the larger portion of the narrative is for the melodrama instead--and not a great one at that.
The start of the investigation is very tedious. The investigators only focus on the situational aspects of the incident; they spend time to determine where people were standing, toward where they were looking, the definite exact position from where the arrow might have been shot. There is no interest shown to find who the victim is, and why she is the victim. For me, the most interesting mystery of crime story, especially of murder, is the motive, which at the end is connected to who the victim and murderer are--in short, the humans. I expected to see the inquiry into this area in the first part of the investigation, but instead I got to see the positions of the visitors of the museum. Not that I say it's not important, but I don't think it needs that many of pages.
When the story finally gets to the persons involved, it is related in such boring way. For some time I had to read some cat and mouse chase that doesn't really further the plot. And the end of the chase doesn't even contribute anything to the investigation. More clue is finally got from another source.
My conclusion, the book is too long. This is a detective story, so the story should be about a crime and its solving, but I think the larger portion of the narrative is for the melodrama instead--and not a great one at that.
September 23, 2013
It makes a mountain out of a molehill. When the first few pages reveal that a beautiful young girl is shot through the heart while visiting a museum, I was preparing myself for a memorable read. This beginning high point left no where to go but down. I thought it was both slow and longwinded. When the mystery is solved I experienced it as a classical anticlimax. It resembles many other novels of the time but doesn’t afford the reader anything new and memorable. I have no doubt that the reading world has Anna Katharine Green fans but I think they are relative few and far between.
December 28, 2019
4.5 stars
My attention wandered a couple times when the mystery got slightly pedantic over a chart of where all the players in the story were located during the crime, but overall I really loved it and felt so badly for the poor players in the tragedy. I especially wanted to gather up Mrs. Taylor in a big hug and comfort her for what all she went through. As for the villain of the piece, I wanted to wring his neck for the incredible amount of damage he caused others by his selfish greed.
My attention wandered a couple times when the mystery got slightly pedantic over a chart of where all the players in the story were located during the crime, but overall I really loved it and felt so badly for the poor players in the tragedy. I especially wanted to gather up Mrs. Taylor in a big hug and comfort her for what all she went through. As for the villain of the piece, I wanted to wring his neck for the incredible amount of damage he caused others by his selfish greed.
September 18, 2022
A young girl is shot by an arrow at a New York museum. But by whom and why. The museum is quickly closed down to capture the guilty party. Can detective Gryce with the help if Sweetwater discover the truth. Gryce decides before the half way point of the story who the guilty party is, it is then just a matter of why.
Overall an entertaining read if somewhat over long.
Originally published in 1917
Overall an entertaining read if somewhat over long.
Originally published in 1917
May 21, 2016
Not having read this author before, and being very fond of Golden Age Mysteries, I decided to try two books by this author - Mystery of the Hasty Arrow, and The Mill Mystery.
Unfortunately, they didn't work for me. For one, I found the narration style slow and the prose convoluted. The mysteries themselves were not of the same class as many of the Golden Age Mysteries. Dialogues were stilted and character behavior felt unrealistic. Perhaps, they were appropriate for the time they were written.
All in all, a bit of a disappointment.
Unfortunately, they didn't work for me. For one, I found the narration style slow and the prose convoluted. The mysteries themselves were not of the same class as many of the Golden Age Mysteries. Dialogues were stilted and character behavior felt unrealistic. Perhaps, they were appropriate for the time they were written.
All in all, a bit of a disappointment.
October 18, 2013
Mystery set in New York City around the end of the 19th century. A girl in a museum is killed by an arrow mysteriously shot from one gallery into another. The detective assigned to the case is 80 years old and one who has solved many cases. There are many twists as the detective unravels the mystery of what happened made more complicated by characters who really don't cooperate in providing complete and accurate information.
July 15, 2015
This was only okay. I never felt the stamp of the detective's personality, which was disappointing. He is set up in the beginning pages to be an incredible personality, and then he just ends up being colorless and somewhat wishy-washy. The book starts out with an exciting premise, and then trails off into anticlimactic melodrama.
December 27, 2018
A young woman is killed by an arrow in the middle of the museum. An older woman seems to be in shock and huddles next to the girl. Mr. Gryce is an old man now, but he is still sharp of mind. He and his detectives slowly unravel the mystery of who could've have killed the girl and why. It involves a lot of thinking and chasing and interviews. Lots of twists and turns.
A good classic mystery!
A good classic mystery!
October 3, 2014
The only quibble I had was that print copies of the book apparently have a map of where all the characters were standing when the crime occurred. Not having that visual reference, it was hard for me to keep straight who was where. But I enjoy Anna Katherine Green's work, even without the map.
March 10, 2016
Murder in the Museum
The story about a young girl shot dead by an arrow at a museum. Detective Gryce tries to figure out how the killer got away when the doors to the museum were closed as soon as the girl was killed. Long, complicated story but good.
The story about a young girl shot dead by an arrow at a museum. Detective Gryce tries to figure out how the killer got away when the doors to the museum were closed as soon as the girl was killed. Long, complicated story but good.
Want to Read
July 23, 2016Other thoughts/reviews:
The Project Gutenberg Project: http://projectgutenbergproject.blogsp...
The Project Gutenberg Project: http://projectgutenbergproject.blogsp...
Read
June 5, 2013Very good but too long. The information at the end could have been left off or shortened and incorporated in earlier chapters. Good mystery.
July 19, 2013
Excellent! It promotes love, honor, self-sacrifice, unselfishness, and all goodness in its purest form! Plus, the story has the added benefit of full, rounded, intriguing characters ;)
Read
January 7, 2014Surprisingly good for an AKG novel.
June 21, 2021
The plot starts with a fantastic premise. A young girl is suddenly shot by an arrow in a museum. The hour is noon and very few people are around.
In the ensuing outcry, the museum exits are cut off and 22 witnesses / suspects are held till Detective Gryce and the police are called.
After this great start, the book drags on endlessly while they place everyone back in the position they were at the time of death.
After a few chapters, with a sudden jump, the detective suddenly writes the name of the man he suspects (for no reason I could find) on a piece of paper and the book continues with the ensuing investigation of that suspect.
In the midst of this, one woman who can provide key information goes missing and the detectives trail her around endlessly and finally end up getting nothing from her (again just to prolong the suspense).
The mystery still seemed an interesting one and it is a complex story when unraveled. Not content with the confessions made, the book goes back in time to provide the history of the various key characters to explain their motivations.
The story and characters are promising. But would not recommend this tedious book. You can find a better way to spend your time or read other books by this author.
In the ensuing outcry, the museum exits are cut off and 22 witnesses / suspects are held till Detective Gryce and the police are called.
After this great start, the book drags on endlessly while they place everyone back in the position they were at the time of death.
After a few chapters, with a sudden jump, the detective suddenly writes the name of the man he suspects (for no reason I could find) on a piece of paper and the book continues with the ensuing investigation of that suspect.
In the midst of this, one woman who can provide key information goes missing and the detectives trail her around endlessly and finally end up getting nothing from her (again just to prolong the suspense).
The mystery still seemed an interesting one and it is a complex story when unraveled. Not content with the confessions made, the book goes back in time to provide the history of the various key characters to explain their motivations.
The story and characters are promising. But would not recommend this tedious book. You can find a better way to spend your time or read other books by this author.
September 20, 2019
An intriguing mystery from the start. A girl dies in a museum, shot in the heart by an arrow from one of the displays. It is such a mystery that it takes Bryce and Stillwater days of painstaking work to find the clues. When they believe they have discovered who did such a thing, they do not trust their own instincts. So many questions that must be answered to the finest detail because if they are wrong it would be a great public embarrassment.
Bryce is over 80 in this book and finds the case to be an overwhelming physical and emotional strain almost to much to bear.
The reader was extremely ponderous. I listened to the recording at 1.25 speed so as to just get on with the story at a speed more like I would read a book.
Bryce is over 80 in this book and finds the case to be an overwhelming physical and emotional strain almost to much to bear.
The reader was extremely ponderous. I listened to the recording at 1.25 speed so as to just get on with the story at a speed more like I would read a book.
February 9, 2019
At the beginning you're hit with 3 mysteries only to later get even more plus a surprise! To start off you'll wonder who killed the girl, why is her mom acting strange, & did the husband of the witness die as she envisioned? A great mystery story even though it did drag a bit at one point & if I think that even a best friend wouldn't go to such an extreme end. The latter seemed ridiculous which is why I can't give 5 stars.
August 11, 2019
Oh my the disappointment of the ending! I have read other books by this author, so I was prepared for the long-winded style and the slow pace. The murder of an innocent young French woman in a major NY museum, with a varied cast of visitors/suspects, made a promising classic mystery. But, the plot depended on not one, but TWO women who were secretive, self-sacrificing doormats to a degree that would make Middlemarch, Dombey & Son, or Lady Audley's Secret seem like feminist manifestos!
October 1, 2017
Author's usual is interest-keeping, twisty, & melodramatic. Love the vocabulary level of the classics and this author's is better than some. Well narrated by Richard Kilmer, ending ties things up neatly, also author's usual.
November 13, 2019
2.5
You could see several plot tvists early on, but still a rather neat mystery (although a bit slow).
A very bleak start and ending, not a book you leave with a lifted spirit...
You could see several plot tvists early on, but still a rather neat mystery (although a bit slow).
A very bleak start and ending, not a book you leave with a lifted spirit...
January 11, 2020
This 1917 mystery was good though I felt that the big twist at the end was not surprising. I liked Green's octogenarian detective Mr. Gryce.
February 2, 2023
Excellent story. Crappy ending.
March 22, 2024
Just not her best i think. I listened.
Read
May 21, 2020i miss agatha really .am i bad.why i lost here.i love read the crime novel.but this hav'nt keep me along.
July 14, 2019
This is a great old mystery novel. The investigation is quite interesting. The story itself is tragic. Anna Katharine Green was very good in telling stories of police investigation that do not bore or loose the reader's interest. Mr. Gryce is insightful but not infallible. Modern readers should be warned: there is a section toward the end that tells the back story. Old mysteries sometimes had this, and it's common in Green's books, though modern readers will find this annoying. (Remember Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet and The Valley of Fear.) Nevertheless, this is an excellent old mystery book that I recommend very highly.
December 29, 2008
Somewhat overwrought and slow moving in parts, but the bones of the story are good. I recommend this book if you happen to find it on the shelf of the lodge you're staying at on a snowy day with nothing else to read and nothing better to do. A good one to curl up with next to the fire as it doesn't really require your full attention. It might also be a good juvie read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews