In this elegant drama, Anna Katharine Green, one of the greatest mystery writers of all time, weaves a narrative with her usual consummate skill, and portrays her characters with exceptional sympathy. On the New England seacoast, not far from Boston, lies a staid, picturesque village called Sutherlandtown. In these tranquil surroundings, Agatha Webb and her servant are found murdered. The task of unraveling the mystery begins at once, and suspicion points to a number of persons. Agatha herself had a tragic and troubled past. She suffered the loss of six of her children who died in infancy; some of the people of the village suspected her of complicity in these deaths, while others looked upon her as a victim. Adding to the complexity of the situation, a wealthy local man is being blackmailed by someone who believes that he is guilty of Agatha's murder. The solution of the puzzle is uncovered in an intensely dramatic court scene. In addition to the attraction of the mystery, there is a love story. The character of the main detective in the case, Caleb Sweetwater, possibly had his first incarnation as Q, the intelligent and capable policeman / narrator in Green's earlier work, A Strange Disappearance (1880). Here, the details of his interesting life story are revealed. We learn that he was raised in Sutherlandtown, maturing into a talented violinist, but constrained to supporting his mother with limited means. He relinquishes his musical career in order to become a detective. Sweetwater becomes the courageous hero who ultimately solves the crime in Agatha Webb. He appears again in several other Green novels as Inspector Gryce's assistant in the New York Police Department.
