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The Album
Crescent Place was once a peaceful country green surrounded by five tasteful suburban houses and populated by polite, responsible citizens. But as the city enveloped it, the residents built a gate to keep the world out. With each passing year, the subdivision grew stranger and stranger—until it began to look like a time capsule of the 1890s. In these houses are a husband and wife who fight constantly, and another couple who hasn’t spoken to each other in two decades. There is a widow in permanent mourning and a daughter whom the newspapers call psychotic. And there is a bedridden old woman who is about to be killed with an axe.
When her murder shatters the quiet of the little enclave, the tabloids delight in trumpeting the neighborhood’s peculiarities. But as the search for the killer intensifies, the area’s strangest secrets have yet to be revealed.
When her murder shatters the quiet of the little enclave, the tabloids delight in trumpeting the neighborhood’s peculiarities. But as the search for the killer intensifies, the area’s strangest secrets have yet to be revealed.
651 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1933
421 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
About the author
Mary Roberts Rinehart
532 books416 followersMysteries of the well-known American writer Mary Roberts Rinehart include
The Circular Staircase
(1908) and
The Door
(1930).
People often called this prolific author the American version of Agatha Christie. She is considered the source of the phrase "The butler did it," though the exact phrase doesn't appear in her works, and she invented the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing.
Rinehart wrote hundreds of short stories, poems, travelogues, and special articles. Many of her books and plays were adapted for movies, such as The Bat (1926), The Bat Whispers (1930), and The Bat (1959). Critics most appreciated her murder mysteries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ro...
People often called this prolific author the American version of Agatha Christie. She is considered the source of the phrase "The butler did it," though the exact phrase doesn't appear in her works, and she invented the "Had-I-But-Known" school of mystery writing.
Rinehart wrote hundreds of short stories, poems, travelogues, and special articles. Many of her books and plays were adapted for movies, such as The Bat (1926), The Bat Whispers (1930), and The Bat (1959). Critics most appreciated her murder mysteries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ro...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
August 11, 2015
This novel takes place on a quiet cul-de-sac, shaped like a crescent, where time seems to have stood still. Five families, five (or more) secrets, and someone is killing them slowly.
There is a lot of suspense in this book, and Mrs Roberts seems to have had a knack for story-telling that keeps the reader interested. Her style in this book is in the form of a report written by one of the people who live in The Crescent, and Roberts masterfully uses foreshadowing as an additional tool besides the usual forward narrative.
The cast is varied and very well described, and the identity of the murderer was drawn out in a way that kept me wanting to keep reading until I knew who did it. As the American Agatha Christie, who was actually writing before the British novelist, Roberts succeeds in creating a world full of suspense and intrigue, with a small amount of romance thrown in.
There is a lot of suspense in this book, and Mrs Roberts seems to have had a knack for story-telling that keeps the reader interested. Her style in this book is in the form of a report written by one of the people who live in The Crescent, and Roberts masterfully uses foreshadowing as an additional tool besides the usual forward narrative.
The cast is varied and very well described, and the identity of the murderer was drawn out in a way that kept me wanting to keep reading until I knew who did it. As the American Agatha Christie, who was actually writing before the British novelist, Roberts succeeds in creating a world full of suspense and intrigue, with a small amount of romance thrown in.
July 30, 2018
The Album may be my very favorite Mary Roberts Rinehart novel — and that’s high praise, indeed! In her day, she was more popular than Dame Agatha Christie, and I wonder that Mary Roberts Rinehart’s name isn’t equally well known.
Equal parts suspenseful mystery and sly social satire, The Album is narrated by 28-year-old spinster Louisa Hall, whose selfish mother ended Louisa’s engagement eight years earlier. Louisa lives in the well-to-do cul-de-sac called The Crescent, where the inhabitants of the five houses are as snobbish and as set in their ways as can be. How snobbish and old-fashioned, Louisa explains to a police inspector:
In other words, the Crescent practices twee 19th century manners even though it’s now the Great Depression and the early 1930s.
The Album opens with the axe murder of old Mrs. Lancaster, a long-time bedridden invalid who proved demanding and petulant. The servants and the police believe the house was shut up tight, and, therefore, suspect the husband or one of the two middle-aged spinster daughters. But was the murder really an inside job? Rinehart slips in plenty of twists and surprises to keep readers guessing.
Although released in 1933, this whodunit remains as gripping and slyly clever as it was then, and I believe readers will be loving this book just as much on its 100th anniversary.
Equal parts suspenseful mystery and sly social satire, The Album is narrated by 28-year-old spinster Louisa Hall, whose selfish mother ended Louisa’s engagement eight years earlier. Louisa lives in the well-to-do cul-de-sac called The Crescent, where the inhabitants of the five houses are as snobbish and as set in their ways as can be. How snobbish and old-fashioned, Louisa explains to a police inspector:
We are rather a repressed lot, I imagine. We see a good bit of each other, but no one is particularly intimate with anyone else. We still leave cards when we call after four o’clock….
In other words, the Crescent practices twee 19th century manners even though it’s now the Great Depression and the early 1930s.
The Album opens with the axe murder of old Mrs. Lancaster, a long-time bedridden invalid who proved demanding and petulant. The servants and the police believe the house was shut up tight, and, therefore, suspect the husband or one of the two middle-aged spinster daughters. But was the murder really an inside job? Rinehart slips in plenty of twists and surprises to keep readers guessing.
Although released in 1933, this whodunit remains as gripping and slyly clever as it was then, and I believe readers will be loving this book just as much on its 100th anniversary.
August 21, 2012
I'm trying really hard not to giggle to myself while I'm writing this review. For some strange reason I enjoy listening to Christmas music when it's extremely hot outside. It seems to take my mind of the fact that if I step outside, I'll melt into a puddle. Not something I would really look forward too. So juxtapose the idea of writing a review for a book where not one murder, but 4 murders take place; all the while Dean Martin and Perry Como are singing some of my favorite Christmas songs. Not sure if any of you guys care about that, but it was making me chuckle to myself, so I felt I needed to share.
Now back to the manner at hand. Can I just say how much I love a good murder done with an axe. There is just something so physical about taking an axe to somebody and having a go at it. I really think if I ever go off the deep end, that's the way I'm taking somebody out. It also seems to be a weapon that Mary Roberts Rinehart liked as well. I think this is now the second, maybe third, book that I've read where the killer takes up an axe and chops the victims up like firewood.
Like most of her books, Rinehart gives us a sympathetic character in Louisa Hall. It's Louisa who is giving us the narration, after the fact of course. Louisa is the typical Rinehart heroine. From a good family, who financial situation isn't what it used to be. She has a sense of her place in the world, even if she doesn't quite like what it is. She's fearless and doesn't shirk from danger or from the inevitable love interest that shows up, in this case blown out by a stove. Now the typical Rinehart heroine doesn't really solve the crime, but she does give the clues that allows the "detective" to do the solving.
Once again, I loved the atmosphere that Rinehart builds around her characters. Though the story takes place on a block with five large homes and a huge back lot, she is able to create an air of oppression that hangs heavy in the air. If I can feel the heaviness of it as a reader, I can only imagine the smothering the characters would have felt. They would have been living in fear and desperation, but their gentle manners would never allow them to admit it. Even if I hated Rinehart's characterizations and plot developments, which I don't, her ability to develop the right environment for her characters would keep me coming back for more.
Now back to the manner at hand. Can I just say how much I love a good murder done with an axe. There is just something so physical about taking an axe to somebody and having a go at it. I really think if I ever go off the deep end, that's the way I'm taking somebody out. It also seems to be a weapon that Mary Roberts Rinehart liked as well. I think this is now the second, maybe third, book that I've read where the killer takes up an axe and chops the victims up like firewood.
Like most of her books, Rinehart gives us a sympathetic character in Louisa Hall. It's Louisa who is giving us the narration, after the fact of course. Louisa is the typical Rinehart heroine. From a good family, who financial situation isn't what it used to be. She has a sense of her place in the world, even if she doesn't quite like what it is. She's fearless and doesn't shirk from danger or from the inevitable love interest that shows up, in this case blown out by a stove. Now the typical Rinehart heroine doesn't really solve the crime, but she does give the clues that allows the "detective" to do the solving.
Once again, I loved the atmosphere that Rinehart builds around her characters. Though the story takes place on a block with five large homes and a huge back lot, she is able to create an air of oppression that hangs heavy in the air. If I can feel the heaviness of it as a reader, I can only imagine the smothering the characters would have felt. They would have been living in fear and desperation, but their gentle manners would never allow them to admit it. Even if I hated Rinehart's characterizations and plot developments, which I don't, her ability to develop the right environment for her characters would keep me coming back for more.
September 24, 2016
I think you're either a Mary Roberts Rinehart fan or you aren't. There's nothing in between. She's been ridiculed for her heavy-handed use of fore-shadowing, but she was a fine writer with a feminine eye for detail and personalities. She was prolific, but if any of her books weren't up to standard, I've missed them.
THE ALBUM is one of her best and offers a wonderful look into upper middle class domestic life between the two World Wars. It's difficult today to imagine a time when privacy was valued and genteel people lived by a code that prohibited "Airing your dirty laundry in public." Rinehart (a militantly modern woman) believed that pride and dignity can be carried too far. She also believed passionately that women should have access to education and careers. The female inhabitants of Crescent Place suffer from having no meaningful employment. They direct the servants and gossip. The Roaring Twenties is represented by the one young couple, but the rest of them are (happily or unhappily) stuck in pre-WWI mode.
The brutal killing of an elderly invalid blows the lid off of things and uncovers some secrets that had been carefully buried, but not forgotten. Rinehart's books are unusual for the time in that they never feature a brilliant amateur detective. Murders are investigated as they are in real life - by the police. The narrator (always a woman) is both a by-stander and a participant. And Rinehart had a firm grasp of one fact that many mystery writers overlook. Murder changes everything.
If you're a new-comer to Rinehart, you may be put off by the fact that this Kindle edition opens with some strange-looking portraits and a jumble of text. In the original, this was the cast of characters and it was printed in two columns and the slip-shod person(s) responsible for preparing the Kindle edition didn't care enough to ensure that it was readable in the e-book version. Sadly, we see this all too often when older books are converted to e-books.
THE ALBUM is one of her best and offers a wonderful look into upper middle class domestic life between the two World Wars. It's difficult today to imagine a time when privacy was valued and genteel people lived by a code that prohibited "Airing your dirty laundry in public." Rinehart (a militantly modern woman) believed that pride and dignity can be carried too far. She also believed passionately that women should have access to education and careers. The female inhabitants of Crescent Place suffer from having no meaningful employment. They direct the servants and gossip. The Roaring Twenties is represented by the one young couple, but the rest of them are (happily or unhappily) stuck in pre-WWI mode.
The brutal killing of an elderly invalid blows the lid off of things and uncovers some secrets that had been carefully buried, but not forgotten. Rinehart's books are unusual for the time in that they never feature a brilliant amateur detective. Murders are investigated as they are in real life - by the police. The narrator (always a woman) is both a by-stander and a participant. And Rinehart had a firm grasp of one fact that many mystery writers overlook. Murder changes everything.
If you're a new-comer to Rinehart, you may be put off by the fact that this Kindle edition opens with some strange-looking portraits and a jumble of text. In the original, this was the cast of characters and it was printed in two columns and the slip-shod person(s) responsible for preparing the Kindle edition didn't care enough to ensure that it was readable in the e-book version. Sadly, we see this all too often when older books are converted to e-books.
March 25, 2023
There are five mansions on Crescent Place, which is known as "The Crescent" to those who live on it and to the residents of the nearby city that looks on it with a sort of awe. It is set apart from the city by a Common in the front, and rough ground referred to as No Man's Land in the back. The Crescent existed before the city, which grew around it. That development and the resultant geography has caused time to stand still in the Crescent, where in each household wash day is Monday, the summer menu for Sunday dinner is fried chicken and ice cream, doilies are eschewed as lazy and scandal is forbidden. So it has been, and so it shall continue; nothing - including the ongoing Great Depression or a midday ax murder in one of the stately homes - will disrupt the traditions of the Crescent!
If there is one thing that must be said about Mary Roberts Rinehart, it is this: she knew how to create an atmosphere. This book has that aplenty, from the unique and well-described setting, to the interesting if eccentric characters and an undercurrent of horror...as twist after twist draw a web of chaos around the residents of the Crescent. I see her books as a wild ride; getting there is most of the fun, and if the endings sometimes are a letdown (as in The After House) a good time was still had by all. Thankfully, the ending in this novel is quite satisfactory.
The plot is admittedly complicated, and all of the many, many seemingly disparate events do merge into a rational explanation at the end of the book (I found reading this book over a span of time helped in this regard). Rinehart aids the reader by having the story concisely narrated by one of the residents of the Crescent (Louisa Hall, whose journey in this book makes a societal comment of its own), providing a sketch of the two floors where the mystifying first murder took place and - in my edition at least - including portraits of sixteen of the characters in the story. Yes, there are a few "had I but known" passages, but those have never bothered me. They serve to heighten the tension and get the little grey cells working on trying to solve the riddles.
So buckle up, grab onto the safety rail and enjoy the ride.
If there is one thing that must be said about Mary Roberts Rinehart, it is this: she knew how to create an atmosphere. This book has that aplenty, from the unique and well-described setting, to the interesting if eccentric characters and an undercurrent of horror...as twist after twist draw a web of chaos around the residents of the Crescent. I see her books as a wild ride; getting there is most of the fun, and if the endings sometimes are a letdown (as in The After House) a good time was still had by all. Thankfully, the ending in this novel is quite satisfactory.
The plot is admittedly complicated, and all of the many, many seemingly disparate events do merge into a rational explanation at the end of the book (I found reading this book over a span of time helped in this regard). Rinehart aids the reader by having the story concisely narrated by one of the residents of the Crescent (Louisa Hall, whose journey in this book makes a societal comment of its own), providing a sketch of the two floors where the mystifying first murder took place and - in my edition at least - including portraits of sixteen of the characters in the story. Yes, there are a few "had I but known" passages, but those have never bothered me. They serve to heighten the tension and get the little grey cells working on trying to solve the riddles.
So buckle up, grab onto the safety rail and enjoy the ride.
September 29, 2018
در اصل (2.5)
بیشتر از جنایی بودن داستانی و طولانی تر از حدی که باید میبود.
سرگرم کننده و اگه نویسنده داستان رو طولانی نمیکرد میشد گفت جذاب.
بیشتر از جنایی بودن داستانی و طولانی تر از حدی که باید میبود.
سرگرم کننده و اگه نویسنده داستان رو طولانی نمیکرد میشد گفت جذاب.
April 27, 2015
Good read, confusing ending
Overall I found this to be a pretty good mystery. As it started off it felt kind of Sherlock Holmes-ish with the seemingly "perfect crime" that seemed impossible to solve. I don't want to ruin the ending but I will say that I was somewhat let down. There was so much going on and so many characters to keep up with that I couldn't focus on what was actually happening.
Overall I found this to be a pretty good mystery. As it started off it felt kind of Sherlock Holmes-ish with the seemingly "perfect crime" that seemed impossible to solve. I don't want to ruin the ending but I will say that I was somewhat let down. There was so much going on and so many characters to keep up with that I couldn't focus on what was actually happening.
August 1, 2015
Intriguing scenario. Read it because of that plus I recall hearing of the author as one of the popular classics. It was disappointing due to the sheer number of suspects, schemes, interrelated characters (revealed only as the story unfolds further mudding the storyline), unclear back story connections, and victims. It was just overdone and too confusing to be enjoyed to the fullest extent. I didn't dislike it but am not interested in reading her other works.
June 1, 2015
This was a good mystery with lots of twists and turns. I liked the writing style. The narrator was re-telling the events of the week and when different pieces of information were learned. It jumped around a lot and there was a lot of foreshadowing which got you hooked. I would definitely read another book by this author.
September 21, 2013
Mary Roberts Rinehart is still one of the best mystery/thriller writers out there. Does it matter that these books were published in the early twentieth century? No. The mysteries are still good and spooky and the heroine smart and resourceful.
December 31, 2013
This story is told by "Lou" in bits and pieces as she sees or learns about events. A crazy person with a psychotic heart kills a lot of people once her original plan goes awry. The narrative is deliberately choppy and really builds the suspense.
March 23, 2015
At least I think I read it. I had no idea what was going on half the time. Maybe I just wasn't paying attention.
May 3, 2016
Единственный позитив: автору удалось привязать к сюжету всех героев книги, включая совсем незаметных.
Долго жует сопли, делая многообещающие подсказки.
"Кто бы мог подумать, что старый хрен окажется ключом к происшедшему той ночью..."
Никто. Порой лучше жевать, чем говорить.
Долго жует сопли, делая многообещающие подсказки.
"Кто бы мог подумать, что старый хрен окажется ключом к происшедшему той ночью..."
Никто. Порой лучше жевать, чем говорить.
February 9, 2015
A bit on the long side - and twists and turns just kept coming, probably long after they should've - but still quite enjoyable in the way that I've come to expect from Rinehart's books.
May 16, 2015
Not a fast read, but worth every minute!
June 18, 2015
Not my favorite Mary Roberts Rinehart novel, but I still love her work in general.
May 22, 2015
Terrific
Old-fashioned, old speech, old customs, old society.. but still a wonderful and complicated story. Will read this author again for certain.
Old-fashioned, old speech, old customs, old society.. but still a wonderful and complicated story. Will read this author again for certain.
August 8, 2015
I love to be surprised by a book! Did not expect to enjoy this story so much! A different style, but worth the effort!
September 19, 2021
3.5 stars. Exactly what it says on the tin: a small, self-cloistered community that has shut its gates to the outside world suddenly finds itself the center of attention as, one by one, its residents are picked off, seemingly at random, and for different reasons. The walls are closing in; their servants are leaving in droves; they're starting to suspect each other, and wonder if they'll make it out alive. It makes for quite a delicious sort of mystery!
The narrator, Lou Hall, is a pragmatic young spinster, who knows everyone on the Crescent and more or less keeps her head about her as the two-week rein of terror marches on around her. She becomes friends with a criminologist who is working on the case; their awkward romance is shoe-horned into the affair and is really annoying, but mercifully doesn't take up much space. That's reserved for the incredibly convoluted plot, which twists and turns around two major crimes: the murder of an old woman supposedly confined to her bed, and the hoard of gold she kept under said bed, which was missing when her body was found.
This was much easier to read than the other Rinehart novel I read (who knew having a competent narrator made such a difference!), and though the motives sort of, eventually, made sense, it was all unnecessarily drawn out and implausible. The sharp dividing line between the "haves" and the "have nots" of Crescent Place made everything twice as difficult to understand, because of course these halves never actually conversed with each other. If but all rich people understood that their servants know all about them and their tawdry little secrets!
The importance of the titular photo album is especially lost to irreverence today, and its hard to believe that no one removed the incriminating photo before anyone was killed. But, judging this novel for what it is (and the time it came from), it's a good yarn, especially if you are a fan of "had I but known" mysteries. I find that they get on my nerves, so I'm not likely to pursue this particular subgenre.
The narrator, Lou Hall, is a pragmatic young spinster, who knows everyone on the Crescent and more or less keeps her head about her as the two-week rein of terror marches on around her. She becomes friends with a criminologist who is working on the case; their awkward romance is shoe-horned into the affair and is really annoying, but mercifully doesn't take up much space. That's reserved for the incredibly convoluted plot, which twists and turns around two major crimes: the murder of an old woman supposedly confined to her bed, and the hoard of gold she kept under said bed, which was missing when her body was found.
This was much easier to read than the other Rinehart novel I read (who knew having a competent narrator made such a difference!), and though the motives sort of, eventually, made sense, it was all unnecessarily drawn out and implausible. The sharp dividing line between the "haves" and the "have nots" of Crescent Place made everything twice as difficult to understand, because of course these halves never actually conversed with each other. If but all rich people understood that their servants know all about them and their tawdry little secrets!
The importance of the titular photo album is especially lost to irreverence today, and its hard to believe that no one removed the incriminating photo before anyone was killed. But, judging this novel for what it is (and the time it came from), it's a good yarn, especially if you are a fan of "had I but known" mysteries. I find that they get on my nerves, so I'm not likely to pursue this particular subgenre.
February 3, 2025
Omg I've missed MRR!! truly the queen of American mysteries. The comfort books of all comfort books (and always the cutest romances 😭). And the best thing about having no book memory is that I can reread all her books and be just as mystified as the first time! And now I would like to do just that please.
October 27, 2019
Not a super bad read but if it weren't for a book club read I wouldn't have continued on. Parts seemed to ramble, I never warmed up to any characters and from out of nowhere Lou and Herbert at in love?
April 26, 2023
The copy I read was the 2023 reprint- Otto Penzler Presents American Mystery Classics- The Album.
The nice thing is that there is a bio of Rinehart at the start then an introduction into the amazing output of this woman.
I’ve read two of her other novels and this one is the best so far. The narrator: Louise Hall is such a wonderful person to follow along in this fairly terrifying spree of murders in a small close knit group. You are traveling along a story that is a nightmare caused by repression of life in general. And in Louise (Lou) is a younger woman who is trapped but still dreams of more- and her telling you about the people and the situations are both insightful and humorous. She excepts people as they are and she is quite frank in her observations.
The strange sealed up group of The Crescent, while not a sealed room or “locked-room,” is more a group of people who are sealed together. And once the tipping point breaks and the first murder happens, the chase of so many threads of information unfolds rapidly.
Luckily there is a “independent” investigator to help the police and together they do a lot of real discovering. It is also Lou, observant woman and ear for people to talk with, who is able to collect some gems of information.
Really wonderful book, a very intricate mystery, and the telling of the story is fabulous.
The nice thing is that there is a bio of Rinehart at the start then an introduction into the amazing output of this woman.
I’ve read two of her other novels and this one is the best so far. The narrator: Louise Hall is such a wonderful person to follow along in this fairly terrifying spree of murders in a small close knit group. You are traveling along a story that is a nightmare caused by repression of life in general. And in Louise (Lou) is a younger woman who is trapped but still dreams of more- and her telling you about the people and the situations are both insightful and humorous. She excepts people as they are and she is quite frank in her observations.
The strange sealed up group of The Crescent, while not a sealed room or “locked-room,” is more a group of people who are sealed together. And once the tipping point breaks and the first murder happens, the chase of so many threads of information unfolds rapidly.
Luckily there is a “independent” investigator to help the police and together they do a lot of real discovering. It is also Lou, observant woman and ear for people to talk with, who is able to collect some gems of information.
Really wonderful book, a very intricate mystery, and the telling of the story is fabulous.
January 1, 2024
The Album is a blend of classic American mystery and social satire set in a small, wealthy suburb where an irritable and sickly widow is murdered in broad daylight and one of her younger neighbors has to track down the killer. The task is made more complicated by the paranoia and privacy demanded by the families in the suburb, who all have secrets they don't want brought to light.
I ended up picking this up after getting it in a book trade and it was such an interesting blend of classic whodunnit and Jane Austen's sly social commentary. It's definitely on the slow-paced side and the first half is a slow reveal of the various personalities and motivations in the neighborhood before events really start accelerating in the second half.
I really liked the social commentary and dry humor, particularly regarding the lives of women in the neighborhood. The story is set in the 1930's but the families are so reclusive and wealthy that they seem out of touch and more a part of the 19th century than the 20th. So a lot of the commentary is on how trapped some of the people are in this insular neighborhood. There's also definitely some commentary of its time here, with casual racism towards some of the non-white characters in the story. Not unusual for one of these mysteries but just know going in.
I didn't mind the slow build to the second half and the acceleration in the second half definitely kept me entertained all the way up to the conclusion. I hadn't heard of Rinehart before picking this one up but I would definitely add her to my list with Agatha Christie of Golden Age mystery authors I'd like to read more from.
I ended up picking this up after getting it in a book trade and it was such an interesting blend of classic whodunnit and Jane Austen's sly social commentary. It's definitely on the slow-paced side and the first half is a slow reveal of the various personalities and motivations in the neighborhood before events really start accelerating in the second half.
I really liked the social commentary and dry humor, particularly regarding the lives of women in the neighborhood. The story is set in the 1930's but the families are so reclusive and wealthy that they seem out of touch and more a part of the 19th century than the 20th. So a lot of the commentary is on how trapped some of the people are in this insular neighborhood. There's also definitely some commentary of its time here, with casual racism towards some of the non-white characters in the story. Not unusual for one of these mysteries but just know going in.
I didn't mind the slow build to the second half and the acceleration in the second half definitely kept me entertained all the way up to the conclusion. I hadn't heard of Rinehart before picking this one up but I would definitely add her to my list with Agatha Christie of Golden Age mystery authors I'd like to read more from.
January 15, 2024
This book had me totally baffled. I had not read any of her books before, and will try more. It was very complicated, and I'm still not sure how everything ended up the way it did. However, it was an enjoyable read.
February 4, 2023
Interesting mystery.
March 23, 2016
Good God, was this a confusing slog. I'd never read Rinehart before, and many aspects of this book aligned with what I'd heard about her work: multiple murders, a female protagonist, and lots of foreshadowing. I lost count of how many times the protagonist remarked: "If we'd only known..." or "When we found the truth out later..." or "That would only make sense when we discovered...". All the murders were telegraphed beforehand; there was no surprise in their discovery. This story, which concerns four murders on a remote cul-de-sac, involves four families, missing gold and hidden secrets. As people keep dying, the focus is not-too-deftly placed on various suspects. By the time the actual killer was revealed I was long past caring. I still don't quite understand all the various machinations and deceptions.
May 26, 2015
Set during prohibition, the narrator is a twenty-seven-year-old spinster. While the world around her is changing rapidly, the neighborhood she lives in is set in their ways, still clinging to a world that was all but gone. Every day, every week is exactly the same. Which is what makes the murder of one of the residents all the more astonishing. As are the secrets (like the fact that the victim was hording gold) all the more interesting.
The internal dialogue in Louisa's (Lou, the narrator) mind meant that we as readers really get to know her, and to see her grow.
Definitely a product of its time with some language that would be considered very un-PC today.
The internal dialogue in Louisa's (Lou, the narrator) mind meant that we as readers really get to know her, and to see her grow.
Definitely a product of its time with some language that would be considered very un-PC today.
November 25, 2024
Catching up on my "vintage" mysteries, I found The Album. This one will not be a favorite. Even with a cast list and house maps, the storyline is confusing. This is not helped with each chapter ending in "if I had only known...."
Another thing about these older books is the casual racism thrown around constantly. I lost count of the mentions of the servant class and racial slurs. The story wasn't all the great anyhow, and this behavior lost two more stars.
Another thing about these older books is the casual racism thrown around constantly. I lost count of the mentions of the servant class and racial slurs. The story wasn't all the great anyhow, and this behavior lost two more stars.
May 27, 2015
I hadn't realized this author was more of a contemporary of Agatha Christie (or, actually, a bit earlier) when I started reading the book, so the style of writing was a bit of a surprise! I've actually already essentially forgotten the ending, but things like this leak out of my head easily. I enjoyed nibbling away at this one each night.
August 1, 2022
This was a fun read. I loved the comments the author made about women breaking out of their traditional mold in the 30's. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. There were so many people involved and so many that were suspected of the murder. Ends up there were more than one murder and murderers. I have a collection of books by her and I'll have to pick it up again soon
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