Lost Man's Lane: A Second Episode in the Life of Amelia Butterworth is a detective novel by Anna Katharine Green, published in 1898. It is the second book featuring Amelia Butterworth, a sharp-witted spinster and amateur sleuth who often finds herself entangled in mysterious crimes.
Amelia Butterworth, a wealthy and observant woman, becomes involved in another puzzling case-this time in a secluded area ominously named Lost Man's Lane. The story unfolds with eerie occurrences, possible supernatural elements, and a series of baffling disappearances.
Like Green's other works, this novel blends Gothic atmosphere with methodical detective work, showcasing Amelia's keen intellect and no-nonsense attitude. While not as famous as Green's Ebenezer Gryce series (The Leavenworth Case), the Amelia Butterworth books are notable for featuring one of the earliest female detectives in mystery fiction.
Amelia Butterworth is considered a precursor to later female detectives, such as Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher. Green's writing is known for its intricate plots, legal accuracy (influenced by her lawyer father), and strong female characters.
About the Author
Anna Katharine Green (November 11, 1846 - April 11, 1935) was an American poet and novelist. She was one of the first writers of detective fiction in America and distinguished herself by writing well plotted, legally accurate stories. Green has been called "the mother of the detective novel".
Green was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 11, 1846. She had an early ambition to write romantic verse and corresponded with Ralph Waldo Emerson. When her poetry failed to gain recognition, she produced her first and best known novel, The Leavenworth Case (1878), praised by Wilkie Collins, and the hit of the year. She became a bestselling author, eventually publishing 37 books over 40 years.
On November 25, 1884, Green married the actor and stove designer, and later noted furniture maker, Charles Rohlfs (1853 - 1936). Rohlfs toured in a dramatization of Green's The Leavenworth Case. After his theater career faltered, he became a furniture maker in 1897, and Green collaborated with him on some of his designs. Together they had one daughter and two sons: Rosamund Rohlfs, Roland Rohlfs, and Sterling Rohlfs. Her daughter Rosamund married Robert Twitty Palmer.
Green died on April 11, 1935, in Buffalo, New York, at the age of 88. Her husband died the following year.
In 2002, Buffalo Literary Walking Tours began an annual series of weekend walking tours highlighting authors with local connections. Green is included along with Mark Twain, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Herman Melville, Taylor Caldwell, and others.
Green's short story "The Intangible Clue" featuring Violet Strange was adapted by Chris Harrald for the second series of BBC Radio 4's drama series The Rivals and starred Jeany Spark as Violet Strange. (wikipedia. org)
