The Circular Staircase
Rachel Innes, a comfortable middle-aged spinster, rents a country house called Sunnyside for a quiet summer with her niece and nephew. Quiet is the last thing she gets. Strange noises echo through the halls at night, a stranger turns up shot dead at the foot of the circular staircase, and the tangle of missing bank funds, hidden identities, and family secrets only deepens as the household grows fearful. Rinehart tells the whole affair in Rachel’s dry, self-deprecating voice, a device that helped launch the Had I But Known style of American mystery. First published in 1908, it made Rinehart a bestselling name almost overnight. Free PDF and EPUB edition available.
About the Author
Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876 to 1958) was an American writer often called the American Agatha Christie, though her mysteries came first. A trained nurse turned bestselling novelist and wartime correspondent, she popularized the Had I But Known narrative style and the crime-solving spinster heroine.
See all books by Mary Roberts Rinehart →
Listen to The Circular Staircase Audiobook Free
Listen to The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart free online. The full audiobook (7 hr 40 min, 34 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
The Circular Staircase (1907) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I TAKE A COUNTRY HOUSE | 14:29 | |
| 2 | A LINK CUFF-BUTTON | 14:06 | |
| 3 | MR. JOHN BAILEY APPEARS | 9:23 | |
| 4 | WHERE IS HALSEY? | 10:10 | |
| 5 | GERTRUDE'S ENGAGEMENT | 10:35 | |
| 6 | IN THE EAST CORRIDOR | 11:30 | |
| 7 | A SPRAINED ANKLE | 11:26 | |
| 8 | THE OTHER HALF OF THE LINE | 17:43 | |
| 9 | JUST LIKE A GIRL | 15:10 | |
| 10 | THE TRADERS BANK | 16:43 | |
| 11 | HALSEY MAKES A CAPTURE | 11:05 | |
| 12 | ONE MYSTERY FOR ANOTHER | 16:44 | |
| 13 | LOUISE | 23:57 | |
| 14 | AN EGG-NOG AND A TELEGRAM | 12:30 | |
| 15 | LIDDY GIVES THE ALARM | 10:49 | |
| 16 | IN THE EARLY MORNING | 10:05 | |
| 17 | A HINT OF SCANDAL | 14:31 | |
| 18 | A HOLE IN THE WALL | 12:10 | |
| 19 | CONCERNING THOMAS | 10:24 | |
| 20 | DOCTOR WALKER'S WARNING | 12:39 | |
| 21 | FOURTEEN ELM STREET | 21:23 | |
| 22 | A LADDER OUT OF PLACE | 9:24 | |
| 23 | WHILE THE STABLES BURNED | 10:43 | |
| 24 | FLINDERS | 10:27 | |
| 25 | A VISIT FROM LOUISE | 15:49 | |
| 26 | HALSEY'S DISAPPEARANCE | 18:25 | |
| 27 | WHO IS NINA CARRINGTON? | 12:11 | |
| 28 | A TRAMP AND THE TOOTHACHE | 12:14 | |
| 29 | A SCRAP OF PAPER | 17:34 | |
| 30 | WHEN CHURCHYARDS YAWN | 11:52 | |
| 31 | BETWEEN TWO FIREPLACES | 10:14 | |
| 32 | ANNE WATSON'S STORY | 11:26 | |
| 33 | AT THE FOOT OF THE STAIRS | 20:09 | |
| 34 | THE ODDS AND ENDS | 12:02 |
Prefer reading? Read The Circular Staircase online free or download the PDF and EPUB above.
