6 h 6 minAudiobook8 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 6 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In Washington’s polished drawing rooms, a murder turns good manners into a thin cover for suspicion.
The Trevor Case by Natalie Sumner Lincoln brings a murder puzzle into the careful world of Washington society. A death disturbs a circle of families, officials and servants, pulling a private household into public view. In a city of grand houses, social calls and guarded reputations, the crime puts polite life under a harsh light.
Lincoln sets out facts for investigators to sift and readers to weigh. The invitation is simple: follow the clues, test your suspicions and try to reach the answer yourself. Alongside the puzzle lies a world where appearances matter, silence carries a cost, and nearly everyone has something they would rather keep hidden.
What you’ll discover
- Washington behind closed doors Enter a capital where grand houses and careful reputations form the setting for murder.
- A household under scrutiny Follow a crime that brings private lives into public view and unsettles a polished circle.
- Your turn as detective Weigh the facts alongside the investigators and enjoy the challenge of forming your own suspicions.
- The strain of appearances Look beneath good manners at the pressure to protect a name and keep secrets.
- A classic puzzle to follow Find the pleasure of guessing as clues and suspicion draw you through the mystery.
Who will love it
If you enjoy closed-room puzzles, clever clues, society gossip, quick-witted grandmothers and a love story woven through a murder inquiry, this Washington mystery will suit you.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A burglar opens a safe and meets the dead
- A doctor finds the wound under the lace
- Washington society gathers to talk of murder
- The inquest tests every story told
- A quarrel, a ring, and a jury's verdict
- Peggy's challenge sends Dick into the case
- A blackmail secret, a hatpin, and a midnight chase
- A cuff link and an old coin point to a name
- The story asks who looks guilty and why
- How the book is told and what to watch for
Who’s who
- Dick TillinghastA young newspaper reporter who loves Peggy and takes up her challenge to find Mrs. Trevor's real murderer.
- Peggy MacallisterA warm, quick granddaughter of a society hostess who keeps her friend's secret box and sets the challenge.
- Mrs. Van Zandt MacallisterThe sharp-tongued grande dame of Washington society who loves a mystery and guards her granddaughter's happiness.
- Beatrice TrevorThe Attorney General's proud, reserved daughter, who refuses to explain her quarrel with her stepmother.
- Edmund TrevorThe Attorney General, a devoted husband whose wife is found dead in his private safe.
- Donald GordonA Navy officer and presidential aide whose class ring is found in the dead woman's hand.
- Alfred ClarkThe handsome confidential secretary who knows the safe's combination and seeks Beatrice's favor.
- James HardyA military-minded detective who builds a case from a ring, a note, and a handkerchief.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer, once the book texts are online.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
The Trevor Case
by Natalie Sumner Lincoln · 1912
A burglar opens a Washington safe at night and finds a dead woman crouching inside, staring back at him.
Medium level5–10 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
- Read or listen
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
What would you do if you opened a safe in a sleeping house and found a dead woman staring back at you? That is how The Trevor Case begins.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A burglar opens a safe and meets the dead
The story opens in darkness. A hand reaches through a cut windowpane, disconnects the burglar alarm, and lifts the sash. A man drops into the Attorney General's house on Massachusetts Avenue and creeps down to a private office.
He is a skilled safecracker. It takes him three quarters of an hour to work out the combination. The heavy door swings open, and his torch shines on something crouched just inside. For one second he sees it clearly, and then the light goes dark in his shaking hand. He shuts the door and slips away.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 8 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1912
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 55 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Lincoln, Natalie Sumner. The Trevor Case. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-trevor-case.
Lincoln, N. S. (2026). The Trevor case. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-trevor-case (Original work published 1912)
Lincoln, Natalie Sumner. The Trevor Case. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-trevor-case.
@book{lincoln2026trevor,
author = {Lincoln, Natalie Sumner},
title = {The Trevor Case},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-trevor-case},
note = {First published 1912}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about The Trevor Case
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Trevor Case about?
It follows the murder of the Attorney General's wife, found dead in his safe in Washington. A reporter named Dick Tillinghast sets out to clear the suspects, and finds secrets, clues and a larger plot.
Who wrote The Trevor Case and when?
Natalie Sumner Lincoln, an American mystery writer who died in 1935, wrote it in the early twentieth century. It is a work of fiction set among real Washington places and social customs.
What is the hatpin in The Trevor Case?
The doctor says the wound came from a thin piece of steel like a hatpin's end. The pin becomes a key clue, because a similar one is traced to a young woman in the story.
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.
More by Natalie Sumner Lincoln
All 3 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
