Additional information
by Metta Victoria Fuller Victor (Author), Mint Editions (Contribution by)
The Dead Letter (1867) is a detective novel by Metta Victoria Fuller Victor. Published under the pseudonym Seeley Regester, The Dead Letter is the first full-length work of crime fiction in American literature. "I paused suddenly in my work. Over a year's experience in the Dead Letter office had given a mechanical rapidity to my movements in opening, noting and classifying the contents of the bundles before me [...] Young ladies whose love letters have gone astray, evil men whose plans have been confided in writing to their confederates, may feel but little apprehension of the prying eyes of the Department." Richard Redfield is accustomed to boredom in his role as inspector at the post office's dead letter department. Tasked with reviewing the contents of undeliverable letters, Redfield is shocked to discover a clue to the death of his friend two years prior. With the help of Detective Burton, Redfield sets out to uncover the truth, which he hopes will provide belated justice for Henry and peace for his bereaved fiancée Eleanor.
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Back Jacket
For a year, Richard Redfield has worked in the Dead Letter department of the post office. Accustomed to days of quiet tedium, he is shocked to discover a cryptic letter that seems to reference the death of his friend two years prior. Filled with twists and suspicious characters, Metta Victoria Fuller Victor's The Dead Letter is a pioneering crime fiction novel.
