About this book
Agatha Webb by Anna Katharine Green opens with a shocking murder that forces a small town to confront secrets, suspicion, and shifting social mores. This classic mystery novel—one of the pillars of late-19th-century detective fiction—follows the investigation of a universally beloved woman’s death as servants, strangers, and the well-connected are drawn into the web of suspicion.
Set against the mores of its day, Agatha Webb balances a meticulously plotted whodunit with sharp observations about class and gender. A determined servant, Miss Page, chafes against the era’s constraints as she tries to help unravel the case and is repeatedly blocked by conservative men; meanwhile, amateur and professional sleuths pursue clues from the empty drawer to the shadowed woods. Anna Katharine Green’s measured prose, procedural detail, and moral unease mark her as a pioneer of the mystery genre and a forerunner in feminist fiction.
Ideal for listeners who love classic mysteries, atmospheric literary crime, and historical stories that interrogate social hierarchies, Agatha Webb delivers intellectual puzzle-play and period insight without modern spoilers—perfect for fans of cozy yet cerebral detective fiction.