Mary Roberts Rinehart: 1876-1958

Mystery fiction writer and playwright

Born and educated in Allegheny City, she married Dr. Stanley Rinehart and worked as his nurse. She started writing short stories for lady’s magazines. Her first two novels, “The Circular Staircase” and “The Man in Lower Ten” were immediate successes and sold well for many years. She combined suspense, humor and characterization with a style which was widely imitated.