When a Man Marries

Kit is not having a good time. She organized a dinner party, things went catastrophically wrong, and now everyone's laughing at her in the newspapers. To make matters worse, Jimmy Wilson is getting married again which means dealing with his jealous ex-wife Bella, a mysteriously ill household, a Japanese butler who may or may not have vanished, and a foot-square piece of yellow paper that seems to be at the center of everything. Also there's a pearl collar and a box of soap, which sounds incongruous, doesn't it? Written in 1909 by the queen of the American mystery novel, this is Rinehart at her most playful: a glittering comedy of errors where nothing works the way it should and everyone is absolutely certain it's someone else's fault. The wit feels startlingly modern, the social satire cuts both ways, and Kit's exasperated first-person narration is an absolute joy. If you've ever been blamed for something entirely beyond your control while hosting people who absolutely should not be in the same room together, this novel is for you.