The Clue

Wells, Carolyn, 1862-1942Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 371K words
Chapters: 38

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Clue by Carolyn WellsAuthor: Wells, Carolyn, 1862-1942,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 8, 2017

Editor's review

The Clue is an English work by Carolyn Wells, available through Project Gutenberg and classified under American and Canadian literature. Wells was known for detective fiction and mystery writing, and both the title and classification of this book point to puzzle-style storytelling—well suited to readers who enjoy following clues and piecing together the truth step by step. The Gutenberg edition is freely available, and the English original preserves the narrative tone and dialogue style of the early twentieth century, giving it a period feel. Its pleasure lies not in gore or fast pacing but in the intellectual game of planted clues and character interaction. For English-language readers, it is both entertainment and a sample of early detective-fiction technique. Note that the available information provides no specific plot details, so readers should not come in expecting a particular kind of trick; treat it as an old-fashioned mystery novel to be read at an easy pace, and the experience will feel more natural.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy detective puzzles and clue-based deduction
Fans of public-domain mystery fiction with English reading ability
Readers interested in early twentieth-century American popular literature
Those who want light English reading to maintain a reading habit

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer modern fast-paced, high-suspense thrillers
Those who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation
Readers expecting serious literary depth or social critique

Reading tips

Jot down characters and clues as you read so you can keep relationships straight later.
Don't rush to the ending; enjoy the step-by-step reasoning.
Guess unfamiliar words before looking them up to keep your reading rhythm and avoid frequent interruptions.
After finishing, look back over the foreshadowing to appreciate how an old-fashioned mystery is put together.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers new to mystery fiction?

It's worth a try. The work is puzzle-style narrative in the English original; with basic English reading ability, getting started is not difficult. However, old-fashioned novels move at a gentler pace, so readers need a little patience to follow the clues rather than expecting constant twists.

Do I need to read other works by Wells first?

No. The available information indicates this is a standalone work, with nothing suggesting it must be read in sequence with other books. You can open it and start reading without any preparatory reading.

What is the reading experience like in electronic form?

The Gutenberg edition is a free electronic text, easy to read on various devices and to search for keywords. As a public-domain e-book, its formatting may be plain; using reading software with adjustable font size and making good use of bookmarks to mark clue passages is recommended.

Comments

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About the author

Wells, Carolyn, 1862-1942 Author

Carolyn Wells (1862-1942) was an American author. Public information on her life and education is limited, yet the 58 works held in this collection attest to the breadth of her output. Her subjects range widely: detective novels such as A Chain of Evidence, The Room with the Tassels, The Luminous Face, and The Vanishing of Betty Varian, which rely on carefully planted clues and mounting mystery, sit alongside parodic and light-hearted pieces like The Re-echo Club and The Lover's Baedeker and Guide to Arcady, while Rubáiyát of a Motor Car shows her knack for blending humor with popular themes. She was skilled at building suspense and layering twists, writing with wit and briskness, and combining popular entertainment with literary playfulness—earning her a place in the early twentieth-century Anglophone popular literary scene.