{"product_id":"the-circular-staircase-mary-roberts-rinehart-9781434436153","title":"The Circular Staircase","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Circular Staircase\u003c\/em\u003e blends classic gothic elements with early detective fiction as an unlikely heroine uncovers dark secrets buried within a stately home. Combining sharp wit with mounting suspense, the novel helped shape the American mystery genre, introducing readers to atmospheric crime-solving long before it became mainstream. At once chilling and charming, it's a tale of resilience, revelation, and the perilous path to the truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMary Roberts Rinehart - known as \"The American Agatha Christie\" - was born in 1876 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. She started writing as a way to earn income after a heavy stock market loss in 1903. She wrote \u003cem\u003eThe Circular Staircase\u003c\/em\u003e, her first novel, in 1908. The book sold over a million copies and propelled Rinehart to national fame.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA regular contributor to the \u003cem\u003eSaturday Evening Post\u003c\/em\u003e, Rinehart served as the first woman war correspondent to the Belgian front during WWI. In 1929, she helped her sons found the publishing house Farrar \u0026amp; Rinehart, serving as its director. In hundreds of short stories, Rinehart developed enduring series characters like Letitia (Tish) Carberry and Nurse-Detective Hilda Adams (Miss Pinkerton). She is credited with inventing the phrase \"The Butler Did It\" from her novel The Door (1930), and many of her books and plays were adapted into movies, including I Take This Woman starring Gary Cooper and Carole Lombard (1931).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecognizing her long contribution to the mystery field, The Mystery Writers of America awarded Mary Roberts Rinehart a Special Edgar Award in 1954. She died on September 22, 1958, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Mary Roberts Rinehart\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1434436152\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781434436153\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Wildside Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/04\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 202\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.67lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.46d","brand":"Mary Roberts Rinehart","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48174844412159,"sku":"9781434436153","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_67d532a5-4d15-4815-9acb-3f8d6f8b65fa.jpg?v=1771330895","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-circular-staircase-mary-roberts-rinehart-9781434436153","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}