author
Carolyn Wells
1862–1942
Best known for witty verse and cleverly plotted mysteries, this prolific American writer published across poetry, humor, children’s literature, and detective fiction. Her books helped shape early popular mystery reading in the United States.
63 Audiobooks
Patty's Suitors
by Carolyn Wells
A Chain of Evidence
by Carolyn Wells
Patty Fairfield
by Carolyn Wells
Patty in Paris
by Carolyn Wells
The Jingle Book
by Carolyn Wells
The Gold Bag
by Carolyn Wells
Marjorie at Seacote
by Carolyn Wells
The Re-echo Club
by Carolyn Wells
Ptomaine Street: The Tale of Warble Petticoat
by Carolyn Wells
Patty's Butterfly Days
by Carolyn Wells
Patty at Home
by Carolyn Wells
Patty's Success
by Carolyn Wells
Two Little Women on a Holiday
by Carolyn Wells
Patty's Friends
by Carolyn Wells
Vicky Van
by Carolyn Wells
At the Sign of the Sphinx. Second series
by Carolyn Wells
Children of Our Town
by Carolyn Wells
Patty's Pleasure Trip
by Carolyn Wells
In the Onyx Lobby
by Carolyn Wells
Patty's Summer Days
by Carolyn Wells
Eight Girls and a Dog
by Carolyn Wells
Patty's Social Season
by Carolyn Wells
Marjorie's New Friend
by Carolyn Wells
Marjorie in Command
by Carolyn Wells
Marjorie's Maytime
by Carolyn Wells
Patty—Bride
by Carolyn Wells
Marjorie's Busy Days
by Carolyn Wells
Faulkner's Folly
by Carolyn Wells
Two Little Women
by Carolyn Wells
The Seven Ages of Childhood
by Carolyn Wells
A Phenomenal Fauna
by Carolyn Wells
The Eternal Feminine
by Carolyn Wells
Betty's Happy Year
by Carolyn Wells
The Emily Emmins Papers
by Carolyn Wells
The Room with the Tassels
by Carolyn Wells
Patty and Azalea
by Carolyn Wells
Patty Blossom
by Carolyn Wells
The Lover's Baedeker and Guide to Arcady
by Carolyn Wells
Marjorie's Vacation
by Carolyn Wells
Two Little Women and Treasure House
by Carolyn Wells
The Staying Guest
by Carolyn Wells
Patty's Motor Car
by Carolyn Wells
The Mark of Cain
by Carolyn Wells
The Mystery Girl
by Carolyn Wells
The Come Back
by Carolyn Wells
The Vanishing of Betty Varian
by Carolyn Wells
Raspberry Jam
by Carolyn Wells
The Luminous Face
by Carolyn Wells
Dick and Dolly
by Carolyn Wells
A Point of Testimony
by Carolyn Wells
Patty in the City
by Carolyn Wells
The Curved Blades
by Carolyn Wells
Patty's Fortune
by Carolyn Wells
The Diamond Pin
by Carolyn Wells
The Mystery of the Sycamore
by Carolyn Wells
The Dorrance Domain
by Carolyn Wells
The Man Who Fell Through the Earth
by Carolyn Wells
The Clue
by Carolyn Wells
The Deep Lake Mystery
by Carolyn Wells
Feathers left around
by Carolyn Wells
Spooky Hollow : A Fleming Stone story
by Carolyn Wells
The matrimonial bureau
by Carolyn Wells, Harry Persons Taber
The story of Betty
by Carolyn Wells
About the author
Born in Rahway, New Jersey, in 1862, Carolyn Wells built an unusually varied writing career that ranged from light verse and parody to children’s books and detective novels. Reference sources including Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Poetry Foundation describe her as a notably prolific author, and library and bibliographic records tie her long career to well over a hundred books.
She was especially admired in her own time for humor and nonsense verse, while many readers now remember her for her mystery fiction, including stories featuring the detective Fleming Stone. Her work appeared in magazines as well as books, and she moved easily between playful writing and tightly constructed puzzles.
Wells was also an important book collector. The Library of Congress notes her strong connection to rare books and her collection of Walt Whitman materials, which she bequeathed to the library after her death in New York City in 1942. That mix of literary curiosity, range, and sheer productivity helps explain why her work still interests readers today.