Before there was Sherlock Holmes, there was Ebenezer Gryce. The character first appeared in Anna Katharine Green’s 1878 novel The Leavenworth Case, which has long been cited as instrumental to the development of the mystery genre. The book traces the fallout of the death of a wealthy New York philanthropist named Horatio Leavenworth, and accompanies Gryze as he investigates the man’s untimely and suspicious end. Though readers are likely more familiar with Arthur Conan Doyle and Holmes than with Green and Gryce, Green’s impact on mystery books is wide-ranging. She introduced essential building blocks of the genre through plots inspired by her knowledge of criminal law and legal proceedings. And in Agatha Christie’s 1977 autobiography, she wrote that The Leavenworth Case was one of the novels that spurred her own desire to write detective fiction. —Annabel Gutterman
More from TIME
Buy Now: The Leavenworth Case on Bookshop | Amazon
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- How Far Trump Would Go
- Why Maternity Care Is Underpaid
- Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
- Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
- Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
