When the Sea Gives Up Its Dead

Book excerpt: When the Sea Gives Up Its Dead: A Thrilling Detective Story (1894) is a novel by Elizabeth Burgoyne Corbett. While she is mostly remembered today for New Amazonia, a feminist utopian novel which depicts the emergence of an advanced society of women in the not-so-distant future, Corbett was also a pioneering detective novelist whose heroine Annie Cory is one of the first female sleuths in literary history. While little is known about Corbett, her surviving novels and stories suggest she was a passionate campaigner for women’s suffrage in an era of conservative politics and traditional values. “‘There has been a robbery of a serious and extensive nature, and you are suspected of being the thief,’ said the detective, carefully watching the face of the stricken Harley. ‘It is my duty to arrest you in the name of the law, and I warn you against saying anything that may be construed against you at the trial.’” Harley Riddell, a trustworthy jeweler, is framed for the theft of priceless diamonds. Arrested and sentenced to five years in a penal colony, he fears that his life will never be the same. But in his darkest hour, Harley’s fiancée Annie Cory remains by his side. With the help of her dog Briny, her father, Harley’s brother, and her formidable aunt, Annie uses her skills as an amateur sleuth to find the real criminals and free her love from prison. Regarded as one of the earliest novels to feature a female detective, When the Sea Gives Up Its Dead: A Thrilling Detective Story is true to its name from start to finish. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Elizabeth Burgoyne Corbett’s When the Sea Gives Up Its Dead: A Thrilling Detective Story is a classic of detective fiction reimagined for modern readers.