The Millionaire Baby

The Millionaire Baby is a detective novel written by Anna Katharine Green, first published in 1905. Green is often credited as one of the pioneers of the detective fiction genre, and her works significantly influenced later writers like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle.

The novel follows the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy heiress, a little girl named Gwendolen Ocumpaugh, who vanishes from her familys luxurious riverside estate. The case attracts widespread attention, and detective Mr. Gryce-a recurring character in Greens novels-is called in to investigate.

As the search intensifies, suspicions fall on various individuals, including family members, servants, and outsiders. The story is filled with red herrings, hidden motives, and surprising twists, typical of Greens intricate plotting.

While not as famous as Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot stories, The Millionaire Baby is a fine example of early detective fiction. Anna Katharine Greens meticulous plotting and legal expertise (she was the daughter of a lawyer) make her mysteries engaging even today.

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 Greens 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.

Greens short story "The Intangible Clue" featuring Violet Strange was adapted by Chris Harrald for the second series of BBC Radio 4s drama series The Rivals and starred Jeany Spark as Violet Strange. (wikipedia.org)