When a Man Marries

3.5 stars

This was my first Rinehart book. In comedic elements it is reminiscent of Frank Stockton or Harold MacGrath, and a couple times I found myself chuckling audibly. But there's also a strong mystery thread running beneath it, as nine people are quarantined in a house together and a pearl necklace vanishes. The mystery will definitely keep you guessing.

There's also a romantic thread. It's rather funny, as each is baffled by the lies they began to tell at the beginning of the ill-fated dinner party. It's definitely a good lesson on what horrid complications can result from a “tiny bit of help to a friend,” otherwise known as a great lie.

I listened to the Librivox version, and the narrator had some odd opinions of pronunciation. “Excape” for escape, “comferably” for comfortably, “yoomer” for humor, “yowers” for hours...that got on my nerves a bit. Otherwise, I liked her slower Southern voice.