The Mayor's Wife

"The Mayor's Wife" by Anna Katharine Green is a mystery novel written during the late 19th century. The story revolves around Miss Saunders, a young woman seeking employment who becomes embroiled in the troubled domestic life of Mrs. Olympia Packard, the wife of the city's mayor, Henry Packard. As she takes on the role of a companion to Mrs. Packard, she is drawn into a web of secrecy and emotional turmoil, which she is determined to unravel. The opening of the book introduces Miss Saunders as she is selected for a discreet position by Miss Davies, a gatekeeper to opportunities. Soon, she meets Mayor Packard, who reveals that his wife is deeply unhappy without any known cause. This sets the stage for a mysterious investigation into Mrs. Packard's state as Miss Saunders accepts the role of companion, determined to uncover the root of the distress while balancing the intimate complexities of her new environment. As Miss Saunders settles into her new life, she encounters strange phenomena, peculiar neighbors, and a world that is both enchanting and eerie, all while navigating the hidden layers of her charge's melancholy. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Anna Katharine Green 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".