The Red Lamp

By Mary Roberts Rinehart

Book Overview

"The Red Lamp" is a compelling mystery novel that masterfully weaves together elements of suspense, crime, and the macabre. The narrative centers on William Porter, a pragmatic university professor who finds his rational worldview challenged when he becomes embroiled in a series of baffling murders and seemingly supernatural events. Set against the backdrop of a remote coastal house, the story unfolds as a chilling series of deaths occurs, each marked by the presence of a mysterious red lamp. As Porter investigates the local rumors of spiritualism and the occult, he must untangle a complex web of secrets, hidden motives, and atmospheric dread.

Mary Roberts Rinehart delivers a high-stakes plot that keeps readers on edge through intricate pacing and vivid characterizations. "The Red Lamp" explores the thin line between the logical and the inexplicable, providing a rich exploration of early twentieth-century detective fiction. This work stands as a testament to the author's skill in creating immersive, tension-filled narratives that combine traditional whodunit elements with a touch of the uncanny. It remains an essential read for enthusiasts of classic mystery and psychological suspense.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1025325133
• ISBN13: 9781025325132
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 322 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Love Mary Roberts Rinehart , but...Dull

Story moved ,very slowly, just all around dull for me.

Possibly Mary Roberts Rinehart's Best Mystery

I was very surprised to see the only other review for this novel state that it is among the author's worst books. Just goes to show how differently a work of art can hit different people!The Red Lamp is definitely that...a work of art. I've read all of Mary Roberts Rinehart's mysteries, but it is this one - The Red Lamp - that I most frequently pull off the shelf for a fourth or fifth reading.This book is a little creepier than many of the other Rinehart mysteries; it has a subtle undercurrent of the supernatural running through it. The characters are very vivid (especially that of the narrator) and the book manages to make a number of philosophical observations that remain profoundly relevant today.As to the plot, the mystery itself is top-notch, and the killer's motivation one of the most unusual and disturbing I have seen in any "golden age" mystery. This book's overall style reminds my very much of that extremely popular ghost novel of the early 1940s: "The Uninvited" by Dorothy Macardle. To compare the style and plot devices of The Red Lamp to more modern works, I would say it is also similar in structure and tone to those supernatural mysteries written by Barbara Michaels from the 1960s - 1990s (which still remain popular today).I'll close this review with a bit of trivia. While The Red Lamp does not depend on a supernatural killer, it does end with some of its inexplicable events purposely left unexplained. Upon reading the author's autobiography, I learned that she had some genuinely weird experiences, in a summer home she briefly occupied, and these became a partial inspiration for The Red Lamp.