Initials Only by Anna Katharine Green

On a winter night in Broadway, Laura and George are jolted from ordinary curiosity into a murder mystery when they spot a striking, oddly behaving gentleman washing his hands in snow before a disturbance breaks out at the Clermont Hotel. Inside, they discover that beautiful, wealthy Edith Challoner has collapsed and died in suspicious circumstances, her body found with a letter in hand and blood hidden among the poinsettias. What first seems like a sudden illness quickly hardens into a case of deliberate killing, and George's grave attention suggests he senses the truth before anyone else. As rumors swirl, the couple testifies about the mysterious man they saw outside, only to learn he is Mr. Brotherson, a cultured inventor with a guarded private life. Detective Sweetwater is drawn into the inquiry and becomes fascinated by Brotherson's calm, precise, almost hypnotic presence. When the death is confirmed as a shooting, with the killer likely firing from a concealed place near the staircase and coat-room, Sweetwater begins to suspect that the respectable exterior hides a far darker motive. His bold nighttime experiment finally cracks the case open when Brotherson, asleep, murmurs Edith's name. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.