Unpunished: A Mystery

Written in the late 1920s and never before published, this mystery by the author of such early feminist classics as The Yellow Wall-Paper is a major literary find. Gilman’s first and only detective novel recounts the murder of a pernicious attorney who has been shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, strangled, and poisoned. Unpunished’s husband-and-wife detective team present a model of true partnership, while the unfolding details of the case offer poignant evidence of the injustice that poor and powerless women can suffer at the hands of a brutal man. Gilman weaves her case for women’s freedom and empowerment into a mystery rich in twists and turns, colorful characters, red herrings, suspense and wry humor.