7 h 6 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A killing breaks the calm of Washington society, and a coded message asks you to look beneath its polite surface.
In The Thirteenth Letter, Natalie Sumner Lincoln brings murder into the drawing rooms, offices, and official circles of Washington, D.C. A circle of people has secrets to keep, and a killing gives those secrets new weight. As you follow the clues, each suspect offers another reason to question what respectable appearances might conceal.
At the heart of the mystery is a cipher: a puzzle in writing that invites you to think alongside the investigator. Conversation, observation, and slow discovery carry the story forward. The pleasure is in weighing what you learn, testing your suspicions, and trying to reach the answer before the mystery reveals it.
What you’ll discover
- Secrets behind polite manners Look beneath respectable appearances as a crime brings private troubles into the open.
- A message in cipher Work through a coded puzzle that gives you another way into the mystery.
- Washington beyond its offices Enter a world of officials, diplomats, and families linked by long social ties.
- Clues worth lingering over Follow conversations and observations at a steady pace that leaves room for thought.
- The pleasure of suspicion Weigh the suspects and test your guesses before the answer comes into view.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers who enjoy classic detective fiction, puzzles and ciphers, and period settings in early twentieth century Washington. If you want fast modern thrillers with heavy violence and forensic detail, its older, politer pace may feel slow.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A mystery set in the capital
- Polite society keeps its secrets
- A cipher invites you to think
- How to read a mystery of this age
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La decimotercera carta
by Natalie Sumner Lincoln· 1924
A killing and a cipher form a Washington mystery.
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Language: Español
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 4
A mystery set in the capital
Natalie Sumner Lincoln chose Washington as her home ground. The city was full of government clerks, officials, diplomats, and families with long social ties. That crowd made a good pool of suspects, because everyone seemed to know everyone and everyone kept something back.
A setting like this does real work in a detective story. It gives the writer a closed circle of people who meet at dinners, in offices and at public events. Each meeting can hide a motive or drop a clue. A reader learns to watch who stands near whom and who avoids a certain name.
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The author
Natalie Sumner Lincoln
1881–1935 · American crime writer
Natalie Sumner Lincoln was an American crime writer who lived in Washington, D.C. She was born there in 1881 and died in 1935. She wrote mystery novels in the early twentieth century. Her books include The Trevor Case, The Thirteenth Letter, and The Red Seal.
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Questions about La decimotercera carta
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Who wrote The Thirteenth Letter?
The novel was written by Natalie Sumner Lincoln, an American author of detective fiction who died in 1935. She is known for mysteries set in Washington, D.C., where she drew on her knowledge of the city and its society.
What kind of book is The Thirteenth Letter?
It is a detective mystery of the early twentieth century. Books of this type centre on a murder, a group of suspects with secrets, and clues that the reader can follow, here including a puzzle in cipher.
Where is The Thirteenth Letter set?
The story is set in Washington, D.C. Lincoln often used the capital as her backdrop, with its official circles, drawing rooms and government offices giving her mysteries their atmosphere and their pool of suspects.
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