A Strange Disappearance

Detective Q narrates a case to his colleagues of a missing girl from the house of a revered diplomat and how it gradually appealed him first of all due to the skittishness of the aged housekeeper who reported it to the police, secondly due to some curious clues at the room of the missing lady. Added to it was the importance of the house from where it happened and some more evidence that Mr. Gryce, superior to Q unearthed, that eluded the narrator during his searches.
Starting thus, with all the goodness of the old world mystery, it actually goes a bit too much in narrating how the criminals are caught. Also the plot finally divides into two with quite a considerable part devoted to something that could have been wrapped up more succinctly to keep the mystery as the focus primarily.

A Difficult Problem

Little did I knew of Anna Katharine Green and her writing when I stumbled upon her name among the list of some of the greatest writers of crime fictions. Infact knowing her and while searching among my possessions of ebooks, I was surprised to find that I had, with me, some of her works but had never went through them. So with the help of Project Gutenberg, I collected several of them and picked up this short story to sample her creation.

A Difficult Problem is less of detection but more of a story where the truth seaker lay down trap to convict the guilt on the perpetrator. Narrated in first person by the detective whose name remains unknown throughout, the story follows him as he tries to convict a person of a murder that on the first, seemed not to be recongnized by the authority. The touch of classic added to the story of revenge, the plot follows a nice pace which never lacks in excitement, thanks to the unique style of the authoress. Reading this, my interest grows more as I look forward to enjoy some more of Green's works.