When a New York high society party ends in murder, a young woman must clear her new fiancé’s name, in this 1905 mystery by a detective fiction pioneer. Having grown up an orphan, Miss Rita Van Arsdale never expected a life of glamour and romance. But when she is invited to an elegant party—she finds herself surrounded by New York City’s crème de la crème—and falling in love with dashingly handsome Anson Durand. Rita’s life later takes a turn when Anson proposes marriage . . . but the evening has more surprises in store. A beautiful woman has been murdered and her spectacular diamond has disappeared. When Anson is named the prime suspect, Rita is determined to prove his innocence. But there are dark secrets lurking beneath the sparkling veneer of New York’s high society, and some are willing to do anything to keep them hidden.

"I was, perhaps, the plainest girl in the room that night. I was also the happiest-up to one o'clock. Then my whole world crumbled, or, at least, suffered an eclipse. Why and how, I am about to relate." Thus begins this mystery told by Anna Katharine Green, one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and renowned for writing well plotted, legally accurate stories.

First published in 1905, The Woman in the Alcove is a thrilling and entertaining mystery. The heroine, Rita Van Ardsdale, falls head over heels in love with Anson Durand. A succession of events leads to her arrest on suspicion of murder and theft. Rita Van Arsdale makes it her mission to clear his name and find the true murderer...

An inspiring, transformative tale... Not so long ago... I found myself balancing precariously on a not-so-wide overpass railing... looking down into oncoming traffic... that which was to be my "savior." It was a Wednesday night... "hump day" was coming to a close... and I was dangling perilously on the backside of the hump... This time, it wasn't about making it to Friday... it was about hanging onto life... and I couldn't do it anymore. Suddenly, I was acutely aware of something next to me... something alive... Whatever this presence was commanded my attention... so much so, I turned my head to look... His appearance didn't seem that important... It was what I felt that captured my attention... warmth... solidity... caring... After what seemed like an infinity... he said, "You look like you could use a cup of tea... Come... have some tea." And with that, he offered his hand... and I took it. For the moment, time stopped... Part of me sat on the overpass railing, poised to jump... pensively eying the traffic below... while another part of me was walking away, hand-in-hand, with some man... whom I'd never met... to an unknown place... to have a cup of tea... Keywords: Soul Metamorphosis, Soul Awakening, Life Worth Living, Empowerment, Hopelessness, Invisibility, Exhaustion, Betrayal, Inspirational, Transformational

Ten stories deal with the ambiguity of human motivation, two estranged sisters, a reunion of lovers, and unresolved tensions in personal relationships.

A history of our time.