Murder, Mystery and Madness: A Classic Short Story Collection

The Editor Speaks- Female Detectives

Susan Keating Glaspell (July 1, 1876 – July 28, 1948) was an American playwright, novelist, journalist and actress. With her husband George Cram Cook, she founded the Provincetown Players, the first modern American theatre company.

First known for her short stories (fifty were published), Glaspell also wrote nine novels, fifteen plays, and a biography. Often set in her native Midwest, these semi-autobiographical tales typically explore contemporary social issues, such as gender, ethics, and dissent, while featuring deep, sympathetic characters who make principled stands. Glaspell is today recognized as a pioneering writer and America's first important modern female playwright.

"A Jury of Her Peers", written in 1917, is a short story by Susan Glaspell, loosely based on the 1900 murder of John Hossack (not to be confused with the abolitionist), which Glaspell covered while working as a journalist for the Des Moines Daily News. It is seen as an example of early feminism because two female characters are able to solve a mystery that the male characters cannot. They are aided by their knowledge of women's psychology. Glaspell originally wrote the story as a one-act play entitled for the Provincetown Players in 1916. 

The story was adapted from a murder story she covered as a reporter. A farmer, John Hossack, was mortally attacked with an ax while he slept in his bed. His wife was charged and convicted but the verdict was overturned. The second trial resulted in a hung jury, making for an interesting story to fictionalize, women uncovering evidence left unexamined by the law.