I am struck after reading this by how a mystery novel written a long time ago can seem so fresh. This book had not been on my radar until this reissue and it really captures New York at a wonderful time period. But it also seems fresh. In the past something from this time period might have not kept my interest but it did until the end.

A classic crime fiction piece that shows the reader how things actually were without going through the efforts to make it more politically correct. Though hard to swallow it shows that this is how people once thought and acted- even though it is a work of fiction. Ultimately the mystery itself was pretty good. It left me a bit amazed that a woman crime writer would even be published in that type of a social climate.

I’m glad that old titles like this are being republished. It’s good to be able to read them. I enjoyed this book and having the perspective of the late 19th century. Not SO very different. It was a solid mystery with good characters. Thank you for the free copy and the chance to read it. I reviewed it on goodreads, but I don’t have the link to add.

Heads up - this was written over a century ago (ie: 1897) AND many may find it not only a little dated but also possibly a little Un-PC. But if you are reading this - like I was - then it is because you are a true aficionado of crime and are more than happy to delve into those story written many years ago.

Many may compare Miss Amelia Butterworth with Christie's Miss Marple (who first appeared in The Royal Magazine of December 1927) but Amelia (and a number of other ladies) made their debut much earlier.

Miss Butterworth is described as an amateur foil to the professional detective - a trope later adopted by Christie. This, however, is the eight Butterworth & Grice outing - the Leavenworth Case (pub 1878) being the first in the series.

I love classic crime so and enjoyed this - I make a point of reading a great deal of the earlier crime novels - you can soon tell which current writers have also!

Give it ago but enjoy it for what it is.

*Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A very entertaining whodunnit written in 1897 with a lady sleuth, Miss Amelia Butterworth who is observant and a nosy parker and who enjoys using her grey cells. The book reads rather well despite having been written over one hundred years ago.

A story first published in 1897, written by a female author, featuring a female amateur sleuth - now, who wouldn't want to read such a book?
Miss Amelia Butterworth sees a man and a woman enter the house next door. Minutes later, the man leaves. Curious to know what happened of the woman, Miss Butterworth goes with a policeman to her next-door neighbour the next morning and finds a woman lying dead under a fallen cupboard. The case takes a turn for good during the inquest and Miss Butterworth is not convinced the accused is the guilty party.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part was really interesting but I cannot say the same about the other two. Taking into consideration the time frame in which this book was written, I must say the story is pretty impressive, even if it was not up to my expectations.

That Affair Next Door introduces Miss Amelia Butterworth, an insightful and observant woman who noticed a man and woman enter the next-door neighbor’s house and saw the man leave minutes later. It was odd enough that she went next door in the morning to check on the woman, getting a policeman to take a look. The woman is dead and at a glance, Miss Butterworth knows she was murdered.

When Detective Ebenezer Gryce comes on the scene, she can’t resist showing off her observation and inductive reasoning. He is impressed, but certainly much more confident in his own famed prowess. Miss Butterworth is determined to show him up.



From the first page of That Affair Next Door, I loved Miss Butterworth and was loving her combination of persnickety snobbery with biting self-awareness. She made me laugh out loud. However, about half-way through the tone shifted. She withheld information pursuing her own leads in order to let Gryce get it wrong and show him up. There was a long exposition from Gryce laying out his reasoning and then from her undercutting it with her findings. This was unnatural and dull and far different from the way the book began. This may have been the fashion in 1897 when the book was published, but the first half feels like it was written by someone today. The second half disappoints, but I am still looking forward to meeting Miss. Butterworth again.

I received an e-galley of That Affair Next Door from the publisher through NetGalley

That Affair Next Door at Poisoned Pen Press
Anna Katherine Green at Britannica

That Affair Next Door is the 8th book in the Mr. Gryce series by Anna Katharine Green. First published in 1897, this reformat and re-release from Poisoned Pen Press is part of the Library of Congress Crime Classics. It's 384 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats (other editions available in other formats). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

Anna Katharine Green is often credited as the first American female to write a mystery novel (there is some doubt about this claim). She was indubitably a prolific and successful writer, especially considered as a female in the late 19th century in a field dominated by male writers.

There are several series published by different publishers re-introducing these long out of print classic mysteries. They all include well written introductions (in this case by Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress - which might be the coolest job title ever) full of interesting historical notes and resources for further background reading. Although listed as the 8th book in the Mr. Gryce series, this book is also the first one introducing Amelia Butterworth, one of Green's more enduring characters. To modern readers, the book does seem quite dated (Ms. Butterworth herself is quite a product of her time period and is quite antiquated in attitude and thoughts). It's written in first person point of view which can be difficult, but the author was technically adept and capable andenough that the book doesn't suffer for that. The language is very clean, the dialogue (if a bit anachronistic to modern ears) is well executed.

Three and a half stars. It's very nice to see these classics (however dated) being re-released for a new generation of fans. I found the introduction and historical notes very well written and informative.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

When Miss Amelia Butterworth finds a dead lady next door, she decides to investigate, and finds herself emotionally involved in the affairs of the wealthy and mysterious family next door. Her investigation leads her into interesting paths, but she finds herself up against the sarcastic and irritating Detective Ebenezer Gryce who seems determined to block her inquiries.



This was an enjoyable detective story, although rather wordy compared with today's mysteries. Amelia is snobbish, proud and rather pleased with herself, but likeable and I certainly wanted her to outwit the annoying Gryce. The mystery is reasonably complicated, but I liked the way that Amelia kept writing her reasoning down and employing logic to solve it. Some readers may be a bit shocked by Amelia's racism, but it wouldn't have been unusual at the time when this early detective story was written.



I will definitely read more books by Anna Katharine Green.



I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I received this book from Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This is the first book in a new series created in partnership with the Library of Congress Crime Classics. In this tale of a mystery and subsequent inquest, Miss Amelia Butterworth is introduced and Detective Ebenezer Gryce takes a back seat from the authors' prior novels, featuring the intrepid detective. A crime has taken place under cover of night and Amelia sees shadowy forms from her window. The way cases are handled may seem bungling to us in a world of forensics and test tube science. In this era, the power of observation is key to finding the culprit and securing safety for the community. Women had their place and crime solving wasn't socially accepted. Observation of trifles was a women's thing and Amelia was good at it. The tenor of the issues of women is interesting to the background social aspects of this novel but should not deter a male reader from enjoyment of the genre, as I feel it actually enhanced the pleasure of the read.

This who dun it is very precise. Miss Butterworth is somewhat older version of Miss Marple but is even more clinical, more logical and again very precise.

Working in tandem with Mr. Gryce a murder of a young woman, the wife of quite wealthy people is one that gets a lot of attention and when the young husband is the chief suspect it gets even more so. Public opinion and the paparazzi even then account and judgements can be swayed by them.

Miss Butterworth of course has different opinions (otherwise there would be no story to entice us) and this she sets out to prove. Written in the language of 1897, this is a classic vintage mystery murder series. Rather slow, a bit convoluted but for those who like the vintage reads, this is a must.

That Affair Next Door by Anna Katherine Green is a intriguing old fashioned whodunnit.

Miss Amelia Butterworth is a high society lady who just happens to observe a young woman and a man entering the house next door to hers.
The curious thing is that the owners are away. Several minutes later the man leaves the house. Next morning with the help of a police officer Miss Butterworth finds out that the girl is dead.
Realizing that police will definitely benefit from her help, Miss Amelia plunges full on into investigation.
Some may consider her a busybody but she believes she has found out her niche.

This book has that old writing style to it, which can be felt in the language, some thoughts expressed in the book as well as the way of life at that particular time.
Well plotted mystery, tinged with humor and cleverly portrayed characters. Main protagonist is slightly older, very inquisitive and snobbish lady who has paved the path for many future amateur sleuths.
Intriguing read.

Amelia Butterworth - Sometime Amateur Sleuth Or Woman Of Nosiness....
Miss Amelia Butterworth, sometime amateur sleuth or woman of nosiness becomes embroiled in murder when a neighbour is discovered dead. Well compiled murder mystery from the Golden Age with an engaging plot and a well observed and colourful cast of characters. Red herrings aplenty and a plethora of clever and rather twee clues appear throughout the tale. A delight. A worthy reissue and the first in the exciting Library of Congress Crime Classics series from Poisoned Pen Press.

I just finished reading That Affair Next Door, by Anna Katharine Green, and I’m not really sure what to make of it.

It was most definitely entertaining, a classic mystery written in 1897. Miss Amelia Butterworth, an unmarried nosy older busybody of a neighbor, happens to spy a young couple enter the house next door at midnight, whereby the man leaves 10 minutes later. Being that the Van Burnams are out of the country, Miss Butterworth seems to think something is amiss, and when a young lady is found murdered in the house the following morning it turns out she was proven correct. But who is the lady? And who was the man, neither of which were seen clearly? How was she killed, and why was a bookcase pulled on top of her?

An older, experienced detective named Ebenezer Gryce (whom was the lead in several other books by Ms. Green) doesn’t place much stock in Miss Butterworth’s help, and so the story turns into the battle of the sexes, the police versus the crafty amateur.

And this is where things get interesting, and a little annoying. Although I appreciate the gender inequality and recognize the societal differences between then and now, I found the interplay between the two a bit childish and irritating, almost two-dimensional. And Miss Butterworth has her issues as well, she’s a bit of a snob and looks down on the poorer, less ladylike women she runs across. And let’s not mention the Chinese stereotypes… But we have a good, complex mystery, with several mistaken identities and red herrings.

Overall enjoyable, though frustrating at times.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

This book was an interesting classic mystery novel. I appreciate it in the sense that Ms. Green had a large impact on the Golden Age of Mystery, and I can definitely see traces of her characterization in the works of Christie, whom she directly influenced. There were some things here that were dated and uncomfortable to read, such as the negative treatment of the working classes and people of color (the scene with the Chinese laundry worker was especially cringe-worthy). Take it as a relic of the times, I guess, and read it if you're interested in 19th century detective fiction; it is what it is.

I think it’s wonderful when the library of Congress releases classic novels that most people might not get a chance to read. This classic mystery published in 1897 is remarkable and that the protagonist of the story is an elderly woman named Miss Butterworth is even more remarkable. This story has all the classic twist and turns that make for a wonderful story. Of course when reading any classic you must take into consideration the time period in which the work was written. I find the language used and the context it’s used in quite fascinating. I highly recommend this book to those that enjoy the classic mysteries of old.

I was a little unsure for the first twenty pages or so because the point of view was so different from what I usually read. I eventually got lost in the story and grew to really appreciate the sometimes stuffy dignity of Amelia. The creativity and cleverness of the mystery is far beyond what I would have expected for when it was written. I now realize what a debt of gratitude that is owed to this writer by the likes of Agatha Christie and Patricia Wentworth. What I debt all lovers of Golden Age mysteries owe to her. What I liked most is that I wasn’t able to figure out exactly what was going on before the reveal. That in itself was a refreshing change and would garner more stars.

A heartfelt thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and for introducing me to the original Grand Dame of Golden Age mystery writers.

Although dated (very dated!), That Affair Next Door still has intriguing characteristics that kept me engaged in trying to discover, along with Amelia Butterworth, “whodunnit”.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This is an interesting study for fans of very early detective stories -- first written in 1897. And the main character Amelia Butterworth was possibly the first female amateur sleuth.

Amelia is an endearing if somewhat annoying character. Nosy but won't admit it. But she has a confidence and a self-regard that is unusual for a women of that time that is admirable.

Amelia witnesses some strange goings-on at the unoccupied mansion next door and then is on hand the next day when a body is discovered. From the first, she has many questions and opinions about what occurred and enjoys sparring with the police detective. The mystery itself is quite complex and the description very detailed, in the style of that era.

We admire her determination and intelligence and enjoy her adversarial relationship with the police. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

That Affair Next Door was first published in 1897 and it is still a cracking read over 120 years later. It has great humour and a brilliant twist at the end that I really didn’t see coming. Apart from the typical prolix and stilted Victorian language and if you substituted “taxi” for “carriage”, it could have been first published this year and still be a best-seller.

Miss Araminta Butterworth (she prefers to style herself Amelia rather than Araminta), although “not an inquisitive woman” watches what happens in the street from her window – to the extent she will hop out of bed to see who’s getting out of a carriage that’s pulled up next door late at night. A man and a woman get out and go into the house next door. Only the man leaves. The woman is found dead the next day.

Miss Butterworth inserts herself into the case and competes with Inspector Gryce (Green’s series detective) to identify the murderer. The book is written in the first person and her determination to out-do the detective is wonderful. I was laughing out loud at some points.

I really didn’t anticipate such an excellent book. I thought I was doing my duty by reviewing a Library of Congress publication, but it has turned out to be the best mystery I’ve read this year. Alright, it’s only March 2020 and the year is young, but I do read a lot of books! Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press, for publishing such an excellent book.