A Difficult Problem

A collection of six short mystery and crime stories by the author of The Leavenworth Case.

Known as “the mother of the detective novel,” Anna Katharine Green invented many of the genre’s most enduring characteristics. In this collection she masterfully combines an American sensibility with well-crafted, legally accurate plotlines.

Set in Baltimore just before the Civil War, “The Bronze Hand” tells the story of a man who answers a beautiful woman’s cry of distress, only to find himself caught in a web of intrigue, conspiracy, and danger. In “The Gray Madam,” a husband and wife wonder if they’ve seen the ghost of a mysterious woman in their home. And in the titular story, a woman seeks the help of a detective after she receives one letter from her husband and another delivering the news of his death.