Part I: The Letter

The Dead Letter

by Metta Victoria Fuller VICTOR (1831 - 1885)

Published in 1866, "The Dead Letter: An American Romance" written by Metta Victoria Fuller Victor under the pseudonym, Seeley Regester, is credited by historians of popular literature to be the first full-length American crime fiction novel. The writing is melodramatic in places and includes opinions typical of the time period, but is an enjoyable, early example of the genre. The novel begins with Richard Redfield, a clerk in the "Dead Letter Office," opening an unclaimed letter. Upon reading the contents, he is convinced that the message relates to the events of a night two years prior when another young man was brutally murdered. (summary by J. M. Smallheer)

Listen next episodes of The Dead Letter:
The Little Guest and the Apparition, part 2 , At Last -- At Last , Eleanor , Embarked for California , Events of a Night , Joining the Missing Links , Moreland Villa , Mr. Burton, the Detective, part 1 , Mr. Burton, the Detective, part 2 , Now for Home Again , On the Trail , Our Visits , Part II: The Letter , The Anniversary, part 1 , The Anniversary, part 2 , The Confession , The Figure Beneath the Trees , The Haunted Grave, part 1 , The Haunted Grave, part 2 , The Little Guest and the Apparition, part 1 , The New Life , The Night in Moreland Villa , The Ripe Hour , The Shadow Assumes Shape , The Spider and the Fly , Two Links in the Chain