{"product_id":"the-circular-staircase-mary-roberts-rinehart-9781434436160","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 \u003cem\u003eThe Door\u003c\/em\u003e (1930), and many of her books and plays were adapted into movies, including\u003cem\u003e I Take This Woman\u003c\/em\u003e 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 1434436160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781434436160\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 Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.00lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.63d","brand":"Mary Roberts Rinehart","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":50663693877503,"sku":"9781434436160","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-circular-staircase-mary-roberts-rinehart-9781434436160","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}