Audiobooks by Anna Katharine Green

Murder, Masks, and Motives: Dark Designs and Dangerous Crimes from the American Past

"Behind respectable faces and polite manners, darker intentions wait. This gripping anthology gathers classic American short fiction where deception is an art, truth is perilous, and crime often wears a human smile. From a real-life axe murder on a lonely New England island to calculated impostures, whispered rumors, political terror, and crimes born of obsession, these stories explore the dangerous motives that surface when masks begin to slip. Edgar Allan Poe dissects illusion with cold logic, Nathaniel Hawthorne reveals the havoc of rumor, Anna Katharine Green exposes crimes hidden within love and marriage, and O. Henry complicates deception with conscience and compassion. Atmospheric tales of storm-lashed lighthouses, midnight betrayals, false identities, and uncanny revelations build toward moments of shocking clarity—and irreversible consequence. By turns suspenseful, unsettling, and psychologically sharp, Murder, Masks, and Motives invites listeners into a past where justice is uncertain, appearances deceive, and every crime leaves a human cost. Once begun, these stories refuse to let go. Featuring the work of renowned authors and hidden gems of classic American fiction, including: Mr. Higginbotham’s Catastrophe, by Nathaniel Hawthorne Maelzel’s Chess-Player, by Edgar Allan Poe Shall He Wed Her? by Anna Katharine Green A Double-dyed Deceiver, by O. Henry The Only Girl at Overlook, by Franklin Fyles Midnight in Beauchamp Row, by Anna Katharine Green A Memorable Night, by Anna Katharine Green The Picture Puzzle, by Edward Lucas White The Woman at Seven Brothers, by Wilbur Daniel Steele A Memorable Murder, by Celia Thaxter"

Anna Katharine Green, Celia Thaxter, Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Lucas White, Franklin Fyles, Nathaniel Hawthorne, O. Henry, RF Media LLC, Wilbur Daniel Steele (Author), Deborah Balm, Jerry Harris, John Hopkinson, Josh Innerst, Laura English, Leah Daniels, Nancy Peterson (Narrator)

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The Golden Age: Mystery and Murder: Seven BBC Radio Adaptations of Classic Crime Mysteries

"A collection of thrilling tales from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, including six full-cast dramas and a short story read by Benedict Cumberbatch In the first half of the 20th century, the detective story exploded in popularity. Innovative authors penned whodunits, whydunits and clue-puzzle stories, and introduced iconic sleuths, creating works that would later become classics. This Golden Age, which reached its height during the 1920s and ’30s, saw the crowning of the ‘Queens of Crime’, the formation of the Detection Club and the laying down of new rules of crime writing – and the fiction produced during this period has had lasting appeal and influence, fundamentally shaping the ‘cosy crime’ novels of today. This collection gathers together seven sensational stories from Golden Age authors – some well-known, others unjustly overlooked – beginning with three by founding members of the Detection Club. The Blue Cross by G.K. Chesterton features the first appearance of one of the best-loved detectives in fiction: Father Brown, as he pursues arch-villain and master of disguise Flambeau. Andrew Sachs stars as the insightful cleric, with Olivier Pierre as his wily nemesis. In The House of the Arrow by A.E.W. Mason, starring Richard Pasco and Moir Leslie, a young woman living in Dijon is accused of murder, leading her lawyer to call in the Sûreté’s best officer, Inspector Hanaud. Narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box by Victor Whitechurch sees daring Edwardian sleuth Thorpe Hazell using his locomotive expertise to solve an ingenious and audacious railway crime. A legendary assassin and vigilante returns from the dead in The Ringer by Edgar Wallace, and Scotland Yard must find him before he exacts his revenge. David Davis stars as the ‘Gaunt Stranger’, and Alexander John as the tenacious Inspector Wembury. In An Unrecorded Instance by Marie Belloc Lowndes, Hetty Mingle ignores her dying mother's advice about fortune hunters – but will she end up regretting it? Starring Mary O’Farrell and Brenda Bruce. The Golden Slipper by Anna Katharine Green finds New York debutante (and reluctant detective) Violet Strange tasked with investigating four rich young women suspected of multiple thefts. Teresa Gallagher stars as the socialite sleuth, with Crawford Logan as her client, Driscoll. Concluding this collection is Miss Pym Disposes by Josephine Tey, which finds psychologist Lucy Pym investigating a death at a women’s physical education college. Starring Julia Foster as Miss Pym and Joan Sims as her friend, headmistress Henrietta Hodge, this dark, engrossing psychological thriller is a late Golden Age gem. First published 1910 (The Blue Cross), 1912 (The Affair of the German Dispatch-Box), 1915 (The Golden Slipper), 1924 (The House of the Arrow, An Unrecorded Instance), 1929 (The Ringer), 1946 (Miss Pym Disposes) © 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

A.E.W. Mason, Anna Katharine Green, Edgar Wallace, G.K. Chesterton, Josephine Tey, Marie Belloc Lowndes, Victor Whitechurch (Author), Alexander John, Andrew Sachs, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brenda Bruce, Crawford Logan, David Davis, Full Cast, Joan Sims, Julia Foster, Mary O'Farrell, Moir Leslie, Olivier Pierre, Richard Pasco, Teresa Gallagher (Narrator)

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Problem IX. Violet’s Own

"Anna Katharine Green was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 11th, 1846.Anna’s initial ambition was to be a poet. However that path failed to ignite any significant interest and she turned to fiction writing. She published her first―and most famous work in 1878―‘The Leavenworth Case’. Wilkie Collins praised it and it sold extremely well.It led to Anna writing 40 novels and to becoming known as ‘the mother of the detective novel.’In helping to shape the genre she brought many other innovations including a series detective: her main character was detective Ebenezer Gryce of the New York Metropolitan Police Force, but in three novels he is assisted by the nosy society spinster Amelia Butterworth, another innovation and a prototype for Miss Marple, Miss Silver and others. She also invented the 'girl detective': in the character of Violet Strange, a debutante with a secret life as a sleuth. Anna’s other innovations included the now familiar dead bodies in libraries, newspaper clippings as "clews," the coroner's inquest, and expert witnesses. Yale Law School once used her books to demonstrate how damaging it can be to rely on circumstantial evidence.Her career was now well advanced and she was much admired. On November 25, 1884, Green married the actor and stove designer, and later noted furniture maker, Charles Rohlfs, who was seven years her junior. They had three children; Rosamund, Roland and Sterling.Although Anna was a progressive she did not approve of many of her feminist contemporaries, and was opposed to women's suffrage.On November 25, 1884, Anna married the actor and noted furniture maker, Charles Rohlfs, who was seven years her junior. They had three children; Rosamund, Roland and Sterling.Anna Katharine Green died on April 11, 1935 in Buffalo, New York, at the age of 88."

Anna Katharine Green (Author), Laurel Lefkow (Narrator)

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The Leavenworth Case: A Lawyer's Story

"INCLUDES PDF OF BOOK! Published nine years before Sherlock's first appearance, this debut novel by the Mother of American Detective Fiction would be credited as changing the mystery genre forever. The Leavenworth Case's dynamic prose and intriguing characters—especially the introduction of Detective Gryce, the first recurring American detective in fiction—would set the stage for all mystery novels written thereafter. Agatha Christie would credit it as one of the books that encouraged her to try her hand at writing mystery in the first place. This edition includes an engaging introduction by Patricia Meredith, author of A Deed of Dreadful Note, the first historical fiction mystery featuring Anna Katharine Green, centering on the events that would lead to her writing of this, her debut novel, an effort that would take six years beginning in 1872, ending with its publication in 1878. 'The Leavenworth Case is admirable. One savors its atmosphere, its studied and deliberate melodrama. Those rich and lavish descriptions of the golden beauty of Eleanor, the moonlight beauty of Mary!… and there is the maidservant, Hannah, so true to type, and the murderer, an excellent psychological study.' —Hercule Poirot in The Clocks (1963) by Agatha Christie 'Have I read The Leavenworth Case? I have read it through at one sitting. Her powers of invention are so remarkable—she has so much imagination and so much belief (a most important qualification for our art) in what she writes, that I have nothing to report of myself, so far, but most sincere admiration.… Dozens of times in reading the story I have stopped to admire the fertility of invention, the delicate treatment of incidents—and the fine perception of the influence of events on the personages of the story.' —Wilkie Collins, author of The Woman in White and The Moonstone"

Anna Katharine Green, Patricia Meredith (Author), Andrew D Meredith (Narrator)

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Dark Hollow

Anna Katharine Green (Author), Jennifer Fournier (Narrator)

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The Little Steel Coils

"A husband’s untimely death is foretold by a newspaper clipping found in his young wife’s bedroom the day before his death. The wife enlists a detective to help solve the puzzle only to find the killer is much closer than she ever imagined. Written by the first female writer of detective fiction in America, this short thriller in two parts showcases the remarkable mind of Anna Katharine Green. Green is widely considered the “mother of the detective novel” and was a contemporary influence on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie."

Anna Katharine Green (Author), Erin Grassie (Narrator)

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[Italian] - Il dottore, sua moglie e l'orologio

"Un uomo ucciso a colpi di arma da fuoco nella sua stanza e un assassino scomparso nella notte senza lasciare tracce. A indagare sul delitto è Violet Strange, la prima donna detective nella storia del mystery. Un racconto dell'autrice americana che rese popolare il genere poliziesco con un decennio di anticipo su Conan Doyle e diventò un modello per molti scrittori a venire. contributori LE Betta Cucci TR Luca Lamberti CU Beniamino Vignola"

Anna Katharine Green (Author), Betta Cucci (Narrator)

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The Golden Slipper and Other Problems for Violet Strange

"One of Author Anna Katharine Green's innovations was the idea of the "girl detective," in the person of Violet Strange. Violet was a 17-year-old high-society debutante who led a double life as a sleuth, working for an unnamed detective agency to discreetly ferret out solutions to mysteries that could not be trusted to the police. The short stories in this collection give us a glimpse into New York society, filled with musicales and teas and ballgowns, but neither the tales nor Violet are light-hearted and fluffy. Happy endings aren't guaranteed, and we're often left with a sense of melancholy. Some of the stories are even a bit macabre. But over a century later, the well-plotted, legally-accurate yarns still satisfy one's desire for solid resolutions to seemingly insoluble mysteries."

Anna Katharine Green (Author), Aimee Lilly (Narrator)

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7 to 12 - A Detective Story: And One Hour More

"These two novellas by seminal crime novelist Anna Katharine Green were first published in 1887. In 7 to 12 the theft of a valuable diamond necklace is reported to the police. Investigation reveals that the circumstances of the crime are not as they first appear as the dark secrets of a wealthy family come to light. One Hour More describes the desperate plight of a female refugee in Paris as she awaits a long-expected reunion with her lover. Production copyright 2022 Voices of Today"

Anna Katharine Green (Author), Erin Grassie (Narrator)

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The Hermit of Nth Street

"The Hermit of Nth Street By Anna Katharine Green Narrated by Bonnie Trost This novella comes from A Difficult Problem, a collection of six mystery stories by pioneer crime novelist, Anna Katharine Green. The plot is a curious reworking of the Bluebeard legend - a naive young woman becomes fascinted with a reclusive neighbour, and is led into a relationship with him. However, the neighbour has a dreadful secret..... Production copyright 2021 Voices of Today."

Anna Katharine Green (Author), Bonnie Trost (Narrator)

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The Bronze Hand

"The Bronze Hand By Anna Katharine Green Narrated by Sara Morsey In this brief crime novel, set in the days of Lincoln's presiedntial election, a man responds to a cry for help from a woman who lives in the same block of apartments. She claims that a ring has been stolen from her finger, and asks the man to assist her in recovering it. Production copyright 2021 Sara Morsey"

Anna Katharine Green (Author), Sara Morsey (Narrator)

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The Mill Mystery

"Love at first sight can be wonderful ... unless you fall in love with a murderer. The local minister dies under mysterious circumstances and Dwight Pollard, indeed the whole Pollard family, are hiding something - something related to the minister. To fulfill a promise to a dying friend, Constance must find the truth behind the minister's death even if that will condemn her love."

Anna Katharine Green (Author), Jennifer Fournier (Narrator)

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Audiobooks by Anna Katharine Green

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