Audio source: Librivox, Public Domain

1. A Chain of Evidence

Carolyn WELLS (1862 - 1942)

The Mystery: ”Mr. Stone," I began, "if three persons spent the night in an apartment so securely locked on the inside that there was no possible means of ingress, and if in the morning it was found that one of those three persons had been murdered at midnight, would you say that the guilt must rest upon either one or both of the other two persons?” (Carolyn Wells )The solution - who knows? Listen and enjoy. - Summary by Richard Kilmer

Genre(s): Crime & Mystery Fiction

2. The Clue

Carolyn WELLS (1862 - 1942)

Once Carolyn Wells began, or re-invented her writing career, 'The Clue' was her initial book which strayed from children's writings into mysteries and detective stories. It is also when we are introduced to her most famous of detectives, Fleming Stone.

On the eve of her wedding day, Madeleine Van Norman, a beautiful young lady who is soon to come into her family fortune is found dead, apparently stabbed with an ominous blood-stained letter opener found nearby. There is nobody within the household who is not considered a suspect by the police, but how could a killer have slipped through the doors of Madeleine’s locked bedroom? It must have been suicide, as a note was found lying on a table near her body. Or was it? An intriguing mystery ensues which hinges on the discovery of a single, all-important clue. - Summary by Roger Melin

Genre(s): Detective Fiction

3. Deep Lake Mystery

Carolyn WELLS (1862 - 1942)

Imagine, if you will, a murder committed in a sealed room. A room which has been sealed from the inside, that is, with no possible means of exit, excepting a dangerous plunge through a window into a deep, foreboding lake with swirling eddies and rocks abound. Add to that image a wreath of flowers around the head and across the chest of the victim, a crucifix, an orange, a feather scarf tucked in here and there, two crackers, a handkerchief, and a feather duster. And a nail. Oh, and one more item to add to the curious array of arranged paraphenalia - a watch in a water pitcher by the bedside. Now place yourself in a position to solve the mystery behind this obvious murder of a wealthy man who was liked by everyone, and had no known enemies.

Carolyn Wells was a well known author of children's stories, until she began reading mystery stories written by Anna Katherine Green, and from then on she devoted her writings to puzzling mysteries in a similar vein. Summary by Roger Melin

Genre(s): Crime & Mystery Fiction

4. The Gold Bag

Carolyn WELLS (1862 - 1942)

The case involves a millionaire murdered in his study, suspicious servants, a beautiful niece, a private secretary and a will. enamored. A Holmes like detective is brought in to solve the mystery. (Summary by Richard Kilmer)

Genre(s): Crime & Mystery Fiction, Published 1800 -1900

5. The Man Who Fell Through the Earth

Carolyn WELLS (1862 - 1942)

A lawyer is leaving his office on the top floor of an office building. He sees the shadows of two men fighting through the clouded glass of an office door followed by a shot from the office across the hall. He goes to investigate. He finds no sign of either victim or assailant despite the fact that no one could have passed him in the hallway without being seen. A murder has been committed, that of the banker. Who is the murderer? A business associate, the banker’s beautiful ward, or a mysterious woman who had been in the office earlier? And what part, if any, was played by the amnesia victim pulled from the river; a man who insists that his earliest memory is of falling through a hole in the earth? (Summary by Richard Kilmer)

Genre(s): Crime & Mystery Fiction

6. The Mystery Girl

Carolyn WELLS (1862 - 1942)

Was it murder or suicide? All entrances to the study where the body was found were locked from the inside. The future college president and groom-to-be had no known cause for suicide, yet no clues in either direction appeared to make any sense. Was Anita, the Mystery Girl, who had just arrived in the New England college town, somehow been implicated? Had she any reason to ensure of the demise of the well-liked man? Perhaps some love letters between the two that nobody was to know about? And what of the mark of a ring on the deceased man's forehead? The college town was abuzz, and it seemed everyone had their own ideas of what actually happened. - Summary by Roger Melin

Genre(s): Crime & Mystery Fiction, Detective Fiction

7. The Mystery of the Sycamore

Carolyn WELLS (1862 - 1942)

Instead of prison time, former governor, Samuel Appleby, sentences his former rival, Daniel Wheeler to imprisonment on his homestead with a very strange addendum. He then endeavors to convince Mr. Wheeler to endorse his son’s candidacy for governor with a promise of commuting his sentence. In the meantime, Samuel Appleby is murdered in Wheeler’s home. The discovery of the identity of the murderer has many twists and turns filled with love, devotion, gumshoe dialog, and weird circumstances that will delight the listener in a most unusual way. (Summary by Sharon Kilmer)

Genre(s): Crime & Mystery Fiction, Romance

8. Eight Girls and a Dog

Carolyn WELLS (1862 - 1942)

A book about eight girls who are members of the Blue Ribbon Cooking Club. Timmy Loo is their dog, who's always looking for a little scrap of food. He's cute and energetic. The girls decide it's time for a vacation and they all pack up and go to a summer house near Uncle and Aunt. They have many adventures there as they cook and take care of themselves. Delightful book! (Summary by peppersnoodles93)

Genre(s): Action & A

9. Anybody But Anne

Carolyn Wells (1862 - 1942)

Narrated in the first person by Raymond Sturgis, Anne's old high-school beau, the story opens with a lavish house party hosted by the Van Wycks. David Van Wyck has suddenly decided to become a philanthropist and proposes to give away his entire fortune to the building of a new library in the community, thus leaving his family penniless. The morning following his late meeting with the library committee, David is found dead in his locked study. The Van Wyck pearls are missing as is the deed giving away the fortune. But is it murder or suicide? A detective is hired but when he fails to solve the mystery Fleming Stone is called in to wrap things up. The characters are diverse & interesting, not to mention that a few of the men are extremely anxious to become Anne's next husband. - Summary by Celine Major

Genre(s): Detective Fiction