Anna Katherine Green (1846-1935), American writer of detective fiction, is represented by two stories in Victorian Women of Crime. The first is the opening chapter of That Affair Next Door (1897) introducing Miss Amelia Butterworth. She wrote two other mysteries narrated by Miss Butterworth who is financially secure, comes from a good family, and is independent. Although dismissed as a 'busybody' by certain male investigators, nevertheless, she solves the crimes. Think Miss Marple.
The other selection in the book is "The Second Bullet" starring young and wealthy New York socialite Violet Strange. This story was taken from The Golden Slipper and Other Problems for Violet Strange (1915).
Green wrote some 40 books. Perhaps her most famous is The Leavenworth Case (1878) in which she introduced Ebenezer Gryce, detective of the New York Metropolitan Police Force. It is the classic "body in the library" mystery and the one that set her on her career as a writer of detective fiction.
Ebenezer Gryce was featured in several of her books including the three starring Miss Butterworth and in one story with Violet Strange. There are several editions of The Leavenworth Case, That Affair Next Door, and The Golden Slipper available on Amazon. All three, as well as others written by her, are available in free editions for Kindle. Barnes and Noble has the three and others by Green for 99 cents each.
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