
In the sleepy lakeside town of Glenville, mornings begin with the gentle clatter of a school bell and the rustle of children heading toward the old schoolhouse perched on the hill. The village, still modest despite a recent burst of growth, feels wrapped in the quiet rhythm of its willow‑fringed shore and green‑clad hills. Conversations drift between the builders and the local oracle, painting a picture of a community proud of its modest roots.
Yet something feels off when the bell rings a little later than expected and a young boy, Johnny, hesitates at the doorway. The teachers exchange uneasy glances, whispering about possible illness or a mis‑set clock, while the town’s routine seems to wobble on the edge of an unseen disturbance. Subtle hints—an unexplained letter, a whispered rumor of a ghost—begin to surface, suggesting that the everyday peace may be a thin veneer.
Enter a sharp‑eyed investigator, drawn to the oddities that others dismiss. With a keen eye for detail, the detective starts piecing together the odd timings, the cryptic messages, and the town’s hidden rivalries. As the first clues line up, listeners are invited to follow the early steps of a mystery that promises to uncover what truly lies beneath Glenville’s picturesque façade.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (379K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Suzanne Shell, Martin Pettit and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Release date
2011-02-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

A trailblazing mystery writer hid behind a masculine pen name and built a lively career out of detective fiction in the late 1800s. Best known for twisty plots and memorable sleuths, this American novelist helped shape early popular crime storytelling.
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