Free digital classic
The Corbin necklace
- Reading format
- EPUB in Folarin Bookstore Digital
- Language
- en
About this book
Creators: Henry Kitchell Webster (1875-1932) "The Corbin Necklace" by Henry Kitchell Webster is a mystery novel written in the early 20th century. It follows a prominent Midwestern family on the eve of Judith Corbin’s wedding, when an infamous pearl necklace becomes the center of danger, pride, and intrigue. Narrated by a nearby family friend confined with a broken leg, the story watches sharp-eyed young Punch, reluctant bride Judy, their formidable grandmother, their strained mother Victoria, and returning Uncle Alec as a vanished heirloom exposes hidden loyalties and fault lines. The opening of the novel sets the scene: Punch frets that newspapers have announced the pearls as Judy’s wedding gift, the neighbor-narrator sketches the Corbin dynasty and its iron-willed matriarch, and Judy arrives home ambivalent about her marriage to Bruce Applebury. At The Oaks, Punch discovers the safe once left unlocked; tensions flare between Victoria and Mrs. Corbin over who should have the necklace; Judy hints at her grandmother’s morphine use; and Uncle Alec reappears from the Philippines. On the day the guests arrive, Judy abruptly feigns a sprained ankle after a jolting encounter, and that evening Mrs. Corbin invites her to wear the pearls—but the case proves empty, prompting Victoria to urge secrecy while Alec argues for detectives. The party continues: Judy hides a hastily delivered note in a vase, Punch keeps a nocturnal watch, glimpses a man in torn, pale pajamas heading upstairs, and encounters Miss Digby in the hall, until morning brings Punch a sudden idea about where to look, cutting the opening on a taut cliff. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading Level: Reading ease score: 83.5 (6th grade). Easy to read. Rights: Public domain in the USA. Downloads: 14468