Mystery

The Wall

The Wall

  • Downloads：9990
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-21 18:16:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Mary Roberts Rinehart
  • ISBN：1613162103
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Marcia Lloyd and her brother Arthur have spent every summer of their lives exploring the grand halls and seaside grounds of their family’s idyllic vacation home， a gorgeous old mansion called Sunset House built by their grandfather。 But when Arthur’s ex-wife Juliette arrives at Sunset to demand alimony from him， things take a dark turn and Juliette disappears—her body found a week later。 What sordid secrets lie within the creaky old manor？ Marcia and the local sheriff Russell Shand must work against the clock to find the murderer in this seemingly utopian upper-class hamlet。


From “the American Agatha Christie” Mary Roberts Rinehart comes a Golden Age murder mystery inspired by her own hauntingly beautiful coastal northeastern home in Bar Harbor; The Wall is both a love letter to quiet waterfront towns as well as a subtle indictment of a wealthy Old New York family attempting to preserve a bourgeois veneer in the shadow of the Great Depression。 But beneath all that lies a timeless tale of a family whose conflicts and passions， long masked by efforts toward respectability， finally rise to the surface with violent results。


Originally serialized in The Saturday Evening Post and published in 1938， this classic small-town cozy was among Rinehart’s most popular titles in her day; reprinted for the first time in over twenty years， its atmospheric setting and memorable characters continue to distinguish it to this day。


Includes discussion guide questions for use in book clubs。

Download

Reviews

Kelly ，

Loved it！ I thought she had too much going on at first， but she managed it！ A little gothic murder。。。perfect start to summer！

Laurie Lemson ，

What a great summer read！ I couldn't put it down and finished it in one day。 Had never heard of this author， "the American Agatha Christie"。 Very popular in the early 1900's。 Hope I can find more of her books。 What a great summer read！ I couldn't put it down and finished it in one day。 Had never heard of this author， "the American Agatha Christie"。 Very popular in the early 1900's。 Hope I can find more of her books。 。。。more

Hitessh Panchal ，

Picked up this book， as someone on twitter， tagged the author as "America's answer to Agatha Christie"I had my doubts， so decided to pick one by the author。The story revolves around estranged wife of Arthur Lloyd-Juliette， who comes to stay with Marcia（Arthur's sister） and wants an lump sum alimony from her husband so she could move out of the country。 The story takes unusual turn， followed by Juliette's murder and some more。 On investigation， it appears Juliette has been a crush for many men an Picked up this book， as someone on twitter， tagged the author as "America's answer to Agatha Christie"I had my doubts， so decided to pick one by the author。The story revolves around estranged wife of Arthur Lloyd-Juliette， who comes to stay with Marcia（Arthur's sister） and wants an lump sum alimony from her husband so she could move out of the country。 The story takes unusual turn， followed by Juliette's murder and some more。 On investigation， it appears Juliette has been a crush for many men and she has been blackmailing few among， which made them possible suspect for murder。 The plot takes you through many twists and turns， and it is really difficult to guess the murderer。-Loved the writing。 -Loved the book。-Will love to read another book by the author。-But was unnecessarily lengthy。Agatha Christie - No ways。 （She would've packed this in half the pages and still made a nail biting mystery）。Goodreads。 。。。more

Diane ，

I liked this one a bit better than The Circular Staircase because the characters were better developed and I enjoyed seeing the house as a character。 The solution to the mystery was well hidden。 Nice romance also。

Ben Williams ，

Fabulous at times。 Vacant at other times。 I’m just ok with Rinehart’s writing。 I see why her books have not survived the test of time versus Agatha Christie’s。 The protagonist was void of depth。 The story lagged often。 The atmosphere of the story was chilly and moved slowly。 However， the resolution is worth the four stars。 Masterfully pieces together in the end。

Joann ，

From 1938， this Mary Roberts RInehart mystery is long and has way too many characters。 Only a couple of the characters are interesting or well developed。 I liked the sheriff， but that was all。 The mystery was complex and had it been about half the length it was， I would have liked it a lot more。

Laura ，

4* The Circular Staircase4* The Amazing Interlude4* The DoorCR The WallTR The Case of Jennie BriceTR The Breaking PointTR Through Glacier Park In 1915TR The Man in Lower Ten （Miss Cornelia Van Gorder， #1）TR The Bat （Miss Cornelia Van Gorder， #3）TR When a Man Marries

Kat ，

Oh yes， that was quite fun。 I liked that one。

Susan ，

Oh my， the bodies were piling up in this one。 The setting is a wealthy summer vacation spot， so it's a fun summer read。 Loved the idea of the big old rambling summer home， with access to the beach， yachts， golf， and endless summer parties and dances being the backdrop to this murder mystery。 Published in 1938， the depression has touched even the wealthy， （though not too badly as they still live in a mansion and have plenty of servants。） The heroine is brave， the dowager grande dame is feisty， th Oh my， the bodies were piling up in this one。 The setting is a wealthy summer vacation spot， so it's a fun summer read。 Loved the idea of the big old rambling summer home， with access to the beach， yachts， golf， and endless summer parties and dances being the backdrop to this murder mystery。 Published in 1938， the depression has touched even the wealthy， （though not too badly as they still live in a mansion and have plenty of servants。） The heroine is brave， the dowager grande dame is feisty， the older brother is beloved， but not too successful， the sheriff has a heart of gold and constantly says "by the great horn spoon，" and the mysterious stranger is well 。。。 mysterious。It is a bit dated， but nevertheless rather entertaining。 If you have to have the latest book and want to gush over the fact the author has made the hero terribly unlikable and drastically flawed， this is not the book for you， but if you want a straight-forward murder mystery then this should suit you。 。。。more

Sylvia Walker ，

Mary Roberts Rinehart wrote in the 1920s， 1930s and 1940s。 Her characters are in the moneyed class， or "newly poor"。 It's like looking through a window， seeing how the author and her characters thought and acted back then， plus her mysteries are cleverly crafted。 I'm enjoyed rereading my collection of her books， as my public library is still closed by Covid 19， and I've returned to my own bookshelves for entertainment and solace。 Mary Roberts Rinehart wrote in the 1920s， 1930s and 1940s。 Her characters are in the moneyed class， or "newly poor"。 It's like looking through a window， seeing how the author and her characters thought and acted back then， plus her mysteries are cleverly crafted。 I'm enjoyed rereading my collection of her books， as my public library is still closed by Covid 19， and I've returned to my own bookshelves for entertainment and solace。 。。。more

MaryJo Dawson ，

This story reminded me of a 1930's film noir with stars like Joan Crawford or Gary Cooper！It was so old-fashioned， centered around the life of the wealthy and priviledged， the ladieseasily fainting with stress， and maids still tucking you into bed at night when you're all grown up！ But the plot was so involved， yet well presented， it absolutely mesmerized me， I had to find out how it all came together and who it was that actually committed the murders。 No， I didn't guess， and you won't either， b This story reminded me of a 1930's film noir with stars like Joan Crawford or Gary Cooper！It was so old-fashioned， centered around the life of the wealthy and priviledged， the ladieseasily fainting with stress， and maids still tucking you into bed at night when you're all grown up！ But the plot was so involved， yet well presented， it absolutely mesmerized me， I had to find out how it all came together and who it was that actually committed the murders。 No， I didn't guess， and you won't either， but admittedly the one clue that might put the reader on to the possibility isn't revealed until the end。 The sheriff is such a likeable character。 He's down to earth but extremely clever and tenacious。 I could almost believe a law enforcement officer who never had to solve crimes of this magnitude before managed to find all the pieces and put them together。 The victim of the 1st murder is so self-centered and unfeeling， using all of her allure and good looks to ruin or at least walk over the countless men who are drawn into her web， that you can't be too sad she finally reaped what was sowing。 That our heroine felt any compassion for her at all is amazing。 Rinehart provided me with a very enjoyable whodunit read。 。。。more

Nolan ，

Arthur Ransom married a young woman from New York who appreciated the finer things of life and insisted that he give those to her。 She was lovely but mostly cheap and tawdry。 The marriage ended soon enough， but not before Ransom agreed to pay serious money to keep her at bay。 With the Great Depression in full swing， and with his second marriage well underway， Ransom found it increasingly hard to make the payments to Juliette。While she hadn’t been heard from in years， she reappears at the estate Arthur Ransom married a young woman from New York who appreciated the finer things of life and insisted that he give those to her。 She was lovely but mostly cheap and tawdry。 The marriage ended soon enough， but not before Ransom agreed to pay serious money to keep her at bay。 With the Great Depression in full swing， and with his second marriage well underway， Ransom found it increasingly hard to make the payments to Juliette。While she hadn’t been heard from in years， she reappears at the estate of Ransom’s sister and insists she’s moving in。 Not long thereafter， she is murdered， and there’s no dearth of suspects。 Before it all ends， other bodies will pile up。While it’s true that a book written in the ‘30s isn’t likely to include profanity and sexual references， this one didn’t include much else。 I fell asleep often。 There’s something about the writing style that felt archaic。 It put me off such that I didn’t even feel the need to celebrate the lack of sexual descriptions and profanity。 Granted， the outcome is one you won’t see coming， so perhaps that redeems it a bit， but only a bit。 。。。more

Martha Morgan ，

My firstMy first of her books， with many twists and turns。 Charmingly written。Certainly a first class mystery writer， underrated author。

Deb ，

Interesting perspective and an enjoyable read to the last ten pages; then a ridiculous ending without any semblance of sense or subtlety。

Louise Pledge ，

My golly， it was so fun to return to the era of Mary Roberts Rinehart who was my favorite author for many years。 Mysteries were much different then; so was the writing style。 I'm not saying one is better than the other， just that it felt so good to go back in time and be reminded。 Police procedurals were， obviously， very different， too， and much more lax。 This was the era in which it was acceptable for people to smoke; nevertheless， I was quite taken aback to read that nearly all （if not all） we My golly， it was so fun to return to the era of Mary Roberts Rinehart who was my favorite author for many years。 Mysteries were much different then; so was the writing style。 I'm not saying one is better than the other， just that it felt so good to go back in time and be reminded。 Police procedurals were， obviously， very different， too， and much more lax。 This was the era in which it was acceptable for people to smoke; nevertheless， I was quite taken aback to read that nearly all （if not all） were regularly lighting up。 It felt like it took forever to get all the way through the book， but was it worth it？ You'd better believe it！ "The Circular Staircase" is my all-time favorite MRR; I need to read it again！ 。。。more

Ivonne Rovira ，

As usual， Mary Roberts Rinehart’s The Wall proves equal parts suspenseful mystery and sly social satire。 Although first published in 1938， today’s readers will thoroughly enjoy it。Arthur Lloyd has suffered a lot。 He married “a cheap girl” who now goes by Juliette Ransom; when she divorced him， she took him to the cleaners， and the hefty alimony payments make his life with new wife Mary Lou and their 5-year-old son Junior very circumscribed， indeed。 So when Juliette leaves New York to impose on A As usual， Mary Roberts Rinehart’s The Wall proves equal parts suspenseful mystery and sly social satire。 Although first published in 1938， today’s readers will thoroughly enjoy it。Arthur Lloyd has suffered a lot。 He married “a cheap girl” who now goes by Juliette Ransom; when she divorced him， she took him to the cleaners， and the hefty alimony payments make his life with new wife Mary Lou and their 5-year-old son Junior very circumscribed， indeed。 So when Juliette leaves New York to impose on Arthur’s 28-year-old little sister Marcia Lloyd and is murdered soon after， suspicion immediately falls on Arthur。Rinehart litters The Wall with lots of twists and surprises， and I never， ever suspected the true culprit。 Another wonderful Rinehart novel！ 。。。more

Virginia Kessen ，

A fine example of 'had I but known' done right。 While I'm not wild about modern mysteries with an historical setting， the manners and attitudes of a book written in the 30's add to the fascination for me。 Looking forward to reading and in some cases re-reading more of these books。 A fine example of 'had I but known' done right。 While I'm not wild about modern mysteries with an historical setting， the manners and attitudes of a book written in the 30's add to the fascination for me。 Looking forward to reading and in some cases re-reading more of these books。 。。。more

Marilyn Saul ，

WOW， I didn't see THAT coming！ Great book， though I admit to scratching my head over the time-frame of the "box"。 Mostly， I found the narrator （Marcia） incredibly annoying。 She was portrayed as a rather weepy， obsequious wealthy socialite。 Well， the book was published back in 1938， so I guess those were the types of women that other women aspired to become。 I firmly believe one must read a book cognizant of the time period and not impose today's standards on the character。 WOW， I didn't see THAT coming！ Great book， though I admit to scratching my head over the time-frame of the "box"。 Mostly， I found the narrator （Marcia） incredibly annoying。 She was portrayed as a rather weepy， obsequious wealthy socialite。 Well， the book was published back in 1938， so I guess those were the types of women that other women aspired to become。 I firmly believe one must read a book cognizant of the time period and not impose today's standards on the character。 。。。more

Robyn ，

Early Bird Book Deal | Sticks to the formula， but still one I liked | This was pretty straightforward， mysteries of the time wouldn't have allowed certain characters to be guilty， so the red herrings were clear and the guilty party （and motive） weren't hard to suss out。 But somehow I enjoyed this more than some of her others。 Could be simply because it was paced better， or because the narrator was less antagonistic toward the police。 Whatever the case， it was enjoyable。 Early Bird Book Deal | Sticks to the formula， but still one I liked | This was pretty straightforward， mysteries of the time wouldn't have allowed certain characters to be guilty， so the red herrings were clear and the guilty party （and motive） weren't hard to suss out。 But somehow I enjoyed this more than some of her others。 Could be simply because it was paced better， or because the narrator was less antagonistic toward the police。 Whatever the case， it was enjoyable。 。。。more

Barbara Hoag ，

I like a good mystery。Story develops slowly， but keeps you engaged。 The final wrap up was a surprise， but after all the facts were know it was logical。 Putting a puzzle together without knowing what the picture looks like。 When that final piece is found it all makes sense。

Debra Hurst ，

This book was a bit long with too much detail that wasn't needed。 However， it did have a very surprise ending。 This book was a bit long with too much detail that wasn't needed。 However， it did have a very surprise ending。 。。。more

Nancy Welbourn ，

This is a very cleverly written detective story。 It is very well described and the actual criminal is so little mentioned and so well covered up that it would take more than an ordinary detective to discover the actual murderer。 The characters are beautifully described and especially that of the hero， Allen Langdon Page。 I liked him the best。 In each chapter， there was always a clue， or a little incident mentioned that gave a kind of mystery to the whole book leaving you in such a suspense that This is a very cleverly written detective story。 It is very well described and the actual criminal is so little mentioned and so well covered up that it would take more than an ordinary detective to discover the actual murderer。 The characters are beautifully described and especially that of the hero， Allen Langdon Page。 I liked him the best。 In each chapter， there was always a clue， or a little incident mentioned that gave a kind of mystery to the whole book leaving you in such a suspense that at the end， you're about ready to burst with excitement。 （view spoiler）[It ends by Marcia， the heroine marrying Allen， the hero。 （hide spoiler）] It is on the whole a simply grand book， well worth the reading。This review is by my grandmother， from her "Books I Have Read" diary， started in 1938。 It is the fourth book reviewed， page 4。Additional detailsPublisher: Farrar and RhinehartBorrowed from: Putnam's Lending Library 。。。more

Claire ，

Though dated a good yarn。

Judy Tetour ，

ClassicI heard of Mary Roberts Rinehart， on course， but had never read her。 I am so glad that I picked up this book！ They call her the American Agatha Christie， but if this book is any indication， she puts Agatha to shame。 Can't wait to read more！ ClassicI heard of Mary Roberts Rinehart， on course， but had never read her。 I am so glad that I picked up this book！ They call her the American Agatha Christie， but if this book is any indication， she puts Agatha to shame。 Can't wait to read more！ 。。。more

Janette ，

This is a great old mystery， loved it！

Dianne ，

I have to admit， this was a pretty engrossing read， in spite of it being one of the most convoluted， detail-filled， confusing mysteries I have read。 A glimpse of how the other half lived in the late 30s， even under constrained circumstances， is entertaining。 Troublemaker Juliette has been a thorn in the side of the Lloyd family for 6 or 7 years， even after her divorce from Arthur Lloyd， and she has many enemies outside the family， too。 When she unexpectedly arrives at the family summer house and I have to admit， this was a pretty engrossing read， in spite of it being one of the most convoluted， detail-filled， confusing mysteries I have read。 A glimpse of how the other half lived in the late 30s， even under constrained circumstances， is entertaining。 Troublemaker Juliette has been a thorn in the side of the Lloyd family for 6 or 7 years， even after her divorce from Arthur Lloyd， and she has many enemies outside the family， too。 When she unexpectedly arrives at the family summer house and quickly turns up dead， there are plenty of candidates for her murderer， and the plot boils with clues， innuendo and red herrings。 Marcia Lloyd， Arthur's sister， tries to defend Arthur against being considered the prime suspect， but the family and the entire village become embroiled in the resulting investigations and further murderous doings。 。。。more

Mare ，

Mary Roberts Rinehart is one of my comfort reads。 This book was as enjoyable as all of the others I've read。 Mary Roberts Rinehart is one of my comfort reads。 This book was as enjoyable as all of the others I've read。 。。。more

Anne ，

I have read others by this author and love her。 I had the who figured out but the why surprised me。 Love all the historic aspect since it was written in 1938。 Enjoyed it。

Barbara Hand ，

Mary R RinehartThis is the first book I have read of author， Mary R Rinehart。 I enjoyed this book。 It kept me interested in "who done it" and I did not figure it out until the end of the book when the sheriff told the main character who the killer was Mary R RinehartThis is the first book I have read of author， Mary R Rinehart。 I enjoyed this book。 It kept me interested in "who done it" and I did not figure it out until the end of the book when the sheriff told the main character who the killer was 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Wall

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Wall&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Wall&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0