Circular Study by Anna Katharine Green is a gripping mystery novel that follows the investigation of a murder at the English country estate of Miss Butterworth. The story is full of twists and turns as detective Ebenezer Gryce tries to untangle the web of lies and deceit surrounding the crime. The characters are well-developed and the multi-layered plot keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Green's writing is elegant and atmospheric, setting the perfect tone for this classic whodunit. Overall, Circular Study is a must-read for fans of mystery and suspense, offering a compelling and satisfying read from start to finish.

Book Description:
In this well-plotted, character-driven mystery, Detective Gryce receives a cryptic message calling him to the scene of a “strange” crime. He soon finds that the adjective is correct, for in a quiet brownstone house in a respectable New York City neighborhood, he finds the body of a man brutally stabbed to death, yet lovingly laid out on the floor of his study. The only apparent witnesses are a deaf and dumb butler driven mad by the event, and a caged bird that sings out a vital but puzzling clue. Before he solves the crime, with the help of the redoubtable Miss Amelia Butterworth, Gryce must uncover a motive that spans generations and the passions that have kept it alive. Anna Katharine Green was a pioneering writer of detective fiction in the United States. Her first such novel, The Leavenworth Case, was published in 1878. She is credited with changing the genre by making her stories legally accurate. She invented the "girl detective." But her works remained popular because of their lively, twisting plots and the strong characters she developed.