Case of Jennie Brice

Originally published in 1913, The Case of Jennie Brice is a foundational work of American mystery fiction written by Mary Roberts Rinehart. Often cited as the mother of the 'had-I-but-known' school of suspense, Rinehart crafted this novella as a tense, atmospheric murder mystery set against the backdrop of the 1889 Great Flood of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The narrative follows a boarding house landlady who becomes embroiled in the investigation of an actress’s disappearance, effectively blending social realism with the burgeoning genre of the detective novel.

This specific 2015 edition, published via CreateSpace, serves as a modern reprint intended to keep Rinehart’s influential work accessible to contemporary readers. While the original design aesthetic was tied to early 20th-century pulp and serialized magazine layouts, this version focuses on functional readability. Rinehart’s writing was highly regarded in her time for its innovative narrative structure and psychological depth, cementing her status as one of the most successful and prolific writers of the early 1900s.