The Door Mary Roberts Rinehart 9781575663678 Books

The Door Mary Roberts Rinehart 9781575663678 Books
Rinehart was a prolific and popular writer from the time that her first mystery appeared in 1906 until her death in the 1950's. She wrote romances and non-fiction also, but is best remembered for her mysteries. She's frequently compared to her contemporary Agatha Christie, but I think it's an unfair comparison. Christie's interest was in her tightly plotted puzzles and her stock characters are seldom interesting in themselves. Rinehart's love was people and her characters are so fascinating that the crime itself is secondary.This is one of my favorites. The narrator is one of Rinehart's wealthy, elderly spinsters and (like the others) she's conventional but has an unexpectedly adventurous nature. She's also a romantic in a tough-minded way. There are two pretty young women and two romances. When Rinehart started writing, class was a potent factor in American life and young people from wealthy families were expected to marry into similar families. Was this still the case in 1930, when this book appeared? Obviously, Rinehart thought so. Judy's friendship with a handsome young reporter is fiercely opposed by her proud, controlling mother. Mary Martin is lovely and intelligent, but not considered good enough to marry a man from a prominent family.
While ideas about class may have changed, families still operate the same way they always have. A wealthy elderly man in poor health is the center of schemes and plots as those around him angle for a share of his estate. A second wife may resent the child from her husband's first marriage. Half siblings may be close, but they're treated differently. Parents still hope that a son will be a brilliant professional success and that a daughter will make a profitable marriage.
I like the character of Jim Blake, the ageing man-about-town who remains a popular guest although he struggles to keep up appearances on a small income. His sister Katherine Somers is the pampered wife of a wealthy man, but she knows that her safety and her daughter's future are threatened. They're devoted to each other and both are tough, single-minded people who are capable of doing almost anything to protect their family's money and social position. Would they commit murder?
Then there are the servants who are supposed to stay quietly in the background. They're paid to keep the comfortable lives of their employers running smoothly and it's easy to forget that they're humans, too. Nurse Sarah Gittings is a dependable middle-aged woman who serves the extended family as they need her, but her sudden disappearance is the first sign that something is seriously wrong. Joseph Holmes is the quintessential butler - quiet, differential, and efficient. It's a shock to his mistress to realize that she knows so little about the man who has lived in her home for decades.
I think you're either a Rinehart fan or you aren't. Her stories are elaborately told and contain a wealth of detail that I find fascinating. I love the sly humor and the starchy-but-eccentric characters. Her books are novels-with-a-mystery-on-the-side and she was a faithful, talented recorder of life in her era as she experienced it.
This one is of particular interest because it was the origin of a well-known phrase. Apparently, Mrs. Rinehart's readers in 1930 were as surprised to discover the identity of the killer as I was. I feel better.

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The Door Mary Roberts Rinehart 9781575663678 Books Reviews
I enjoy reading the classic mystery authors, many of them women writing early in the 20th century, like Mary Roberts Rinehart. I recently read and liked her The Circular Staircase, so when I came across this one, it seemed like a good bet. I lost that bet.
Oddly enough, a description of the two books would be superficially similar, but there the likeness ends. It's almost as if The Door were written as practice for later, and much better, writing, in regard to both plot and character development. If a reader wanted to put this to the test, of course a few minutes online research would quickly provide the answer, but it would be more fun to read both books, or others of Rinehart's books, and decide for yourself. Oh, one more caveat about Rinehart's style her casual use of racist terms and comments about people of color can make her writing hard to read. You are on notice about this, so if you decide to read her books, grit your teeth.
I thought I read all of Rinehart's books 60 years ago but I was fooled by the murderer in this one. The plot is a little complex but interesting. The characters are well-drawn and likeable.
I will admit to a bias as I have always been a huge Mary Roberts Rhinehart fan, having read her books since I was quite young. There are many books that I liked when I was younger that have lost their appeal, but I still find Mary Roberts Rhinehart enjoyable.
The Door has an unexpected murderer and an unexpected clue as to the conclusion of the case.
I like her writing of this time period and of the passing of a economic time which caused a change in the status of many Americans in that day. Ms. Rhinehart wrote about this period often, and I enjoy them all.
About 100 years ago Mary Roberts Rinehart was considered to be one of the leading women in the field of detective fiction. It is nice to be able, in this reissue of one of her novel, to see how she stacks up against more modern novelists in the mystery field. After making allowances for a plot set in a time when all telephones were landlines not mobile, cars were owned mostly by the well to do, and, much communication was done by telegraph, it is easy to understand why she was held in such high regard. This mysterious killing of two seemingly unconnected elderly women stands up to the best of them. Recommended for lovers of vintage detection.
I am new to Mary Rinehart and really enjoyed this novel. The characters were well constructed and the time period (1930) interesting. I did have a few quibbles, most particularly, the overly complicated plot. Even so, it was so well written that I kept going. My only complaint is that this story definitely needed an epilogue. As others have noted, the murderer is revealed and the book ends. As a result, we have little understanding of motive. But if you are looking for a novel set in a time when making a long-distance call was a big deal and people wrote letters by hand, you will enjoy this story.
Because I was unfamiliar with Mary Rinehart, I went to Wikipedia to read up on her. On her Wikipedia page, the murderer is revealed. So, don't go there until you read the story.
My favorite Mary Roberts Rinehart book because I love the tone and personality of the middle aged spinster who is the chief narrator, with her social and personal conventions and ethical challenges as the story unfolds. I get so drawn into her character and her interactions with her family because other than being a good mystery, it is a wonderful period piece that takes those of us who have never lived as the upper class (who never stay at hotels unless out of dire necessity) into the tightly structured world of the well to do. Great escapist mystery, and for most, the ending is a shocker.
Rinehart was a prolific and popular writer from the time that her first mystery appeared in 1906 until her death in the 1950's. She wrote romances and non-fiction also, but is best remembered for her mysteries. She's frequently compared to her contemporary Agatha Christie, but I think it's an unfair comparison. Christie's interest was in her tightly plotted puzzles and her stock characters are seldom interesting in themselves. Rinehart's love was people and her characters are so fascinating that the crime itself is secondary.
This is one of my favorites. The narrator is one of Rinehart's wealthy, elderly spinsters and (like the others) she's conventional but has an unexpectedly adventurous nature. She's also a romantic in a tough-minded way. There are two pretty young women and two romances. When Rinehart started writing, class was a potent factor in American life and young people from wealthy families were expected to marry into similar families. Was this still the case in 1930, when this book appeared? Obviously, Rinehart thought so. Judy's friendship with a handsome young reporter is fiercely opposed by her proud, controlling mother. Mary Martin is lovely and intelligent, but not considered good enough to marry a man from a prominent family.
While ideas about class may have changed, families still operate the same way they always have. A wealthy elderly man in poor health is the center of schemes and plots as those around him angle for a share of his estate. A second wife may resent the child from her husband's first marriage. Half siblings may be close, but they're treated differently. Parents still hope that a son will be a brilliant professional success and that a daughter will make a profitable marriage.
I like the character of Jim Blake, the ageing man-about-town who remains a popular guest although he struggles to keep up appearances on a small income. His sister Katherine Somers is the pampered wife of a wealthy man, but she knows that her safety and her daughter's future are threatened. They're devoted to each other and both are tough, single-minded people who are capable of doing almost anything to protect their family's money and social position. Would they commit murder?
Then there are the servants who are supposed to stay quietly in the background. They're paid to keep the comfortable lives of their employers running smoothly and it's easy to forget that they're humans, too. Nurse Sarah Gittings is a dependable middle-aged woman who serves the extended family as they need her, but her sudden disappearance is the first sign that something is seriously wrong. Joseph Holmes is the quintessential butler - quiet, differential, and efficient. It's a shock to his mistress to realize that she knows so little about the man who has lived in her home for decades.
I think you're either a Rinehart fan or you aren't. Her stories are elaborately told and contain a wealth of detail that I find fascinating. I love the sly humor and the starchy-but-eccentric characters. Her books are novels-with-a-mystery-on-the-side and she was a faithful, talented recorder of life in her era as she experienced it.
This one is of particular interest because it was the origin of a well-known phrase. Apparently, Mrs. Rinehart's readers in 1930 were as surprised to discover the identity of the killer as I was. I feel better.

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