The Mystery of Mary Rogers (A Treasury of Victorian Murder) [Hardcover]

Rick Geary (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Treasury of Victorian Murder | Publication Date: February 1, 2001

Mary Rogers was a compellingly beautiful lass employed in a cigar store in New York City. Then, she suddenly disappeared, her body recovered in the Hudson off the Jersey side. The press had a field day with all the shocking possibilities. Inspired Edgar Allen Poe’s “Mystery of Mary Roget.”

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Geary (Jack the Ripper) adds to his Treasury of Victorian Murder series, this time retelling a true tale of the disappearance and murder of Mary Cecilia Rogers, which prompted a media frenzy in 1840s New York. Rogers sold cigars in a tobacco store that catered to many of the city's illustrious characters, including Tammany Hall politicos, authors James Fenimore Cooper and Washington Irving, and, most particularly, Edgar Allen Poe, who was so intrigued by the mystery that he wrote a novel based on the story and offered his own theories about the murder. With her "natural vivacity" and "dark smile," Rogers was popular and had many admirers. But after her bruised and bound corpse was found floating in the Hudson, a rushed investigation and hasty burial led to rampant speculation about her character and her murder. There were rumors of a botched abortion and accusations pointing to gangs of ruffians or spurned lovers some observers even suggested that the body wasn't Mary Rogers's at all. Geary comes up with his own twist on the mystery and manages to capture the spirit of a booming and boisterous New York City in the 1840s, a city without a full-time police force at a time when bodies turned up in the city's rivers regularly. Drawing on news accounts of the time and the many fictional accounts surrounding the case, Geary's retelling is detailed and well researched, and his impressive black-and-white drawings depict Victorian New York with great care. The book includes a bibliography and several maps of Manhattan and the Jersey Shore.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This is the "Chronicle of the Disappearance and Murder of `The Beautiful Segar Girl' in July, 1841-a crime which was never solved-and which inspired the sensational tale by Edgar A. Poe." It was not so much Mary's murder that was sensational-bodies were often found floating in the river-but the fact that the victim, who worked in a popular cigar store, had an unusually wide acquaintance among the "gentlemen" of the city. With many suspects and loose ends, each new piece of evidence only seemed to muddy the case further, and Geary tells this twisting and fascinating story with remarkable clarity. His compelling art brings the time and place to life; the black-and-white drawings, varying in style to suit his points, lead readers to discover underlying human truths and predicaments that they will recognize as timeless, even as they marvel at the strangeness of the past. The effect is an undertone of creepiness in which any of a number of equally appalling scenarios (and even one happy ending) might have occurred; readers are left to decide upon a solution. Those familiar with today's New York and the New Jersey shore should be particularly fascinated by Geary's maps and evocations of the area's past. YAs susceptible to a good mystery or true-crime story should relish this book. With its commendable historical accuracy, it would also enliven studies of U.S. history.

Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: NBM Publishing (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561632740
• ISBN-13: 978-1561632749
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #416,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone's your friend in New York City!, September 29, 2002

By 

Brian Almquist "-baa-" (Iowa City, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mystery of Mary Rogers (Treasury of Victorian Murder) (Paperback)

It is very unusual for antebellum New York to get any sort of treatment in popular culture, which is a shame, because the whole space between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War features dramatic changes in the city's popular landscape. Institutions for maintaining public order and safety that we take for granted today were less organized and often appropriated by the underworld for its own purposes.

Scorsese's upcoming movie, GANGS OF NEW YORK, looks like it will offer an interesting look into this time. Readers looking for a little less bombast can take in Rick Geary's tight little graphic exploration of THE MYSTERY OF MARY ROGERS. Geary tells the true tale of a corpse that captured the public imagination in a manner similar to any of today's celebrity victims. He renders useful maps and recreates the known facts of the case with haunting sillhouettes and faces that are remarkably expressive in their cartoonishness. Geary also tosses in a tidy little chunk of social history -- so that we understand the context -- and chronicles the sensationalism that followed this case. As a final service, he puts forth the prominent theories about the case, noting its inspiration of Poe's mystery.

Graphic (as in illustrated) non-fiction is somewhat of an oddity, often represented by simpering auto-bio. True crime stories tend to show up in the BIG BOOK OF ... series. This, however, is a neat and stylistic volume that would put Anne Rule to shame.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of a little-known event, November 16, 2001

By 

Eric Oppen (Iowa Falls, IA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Mystery of Mary Rogers (Treasury of Victorian Murder) (Paperback)

In 1841, Mary Rogers, a well-known resident of the city of New York, was found floating in the Hudson River, dead. The investigation was hampered by jurisdictional disputes and the primitive forensic science of the time, and is officially still unsolved. It was a great stir in its day, and everybody had opinions about it; Edgar Allen Poe based his "Mystery of Marie Roget" on it. Geary gives us the known facts, and proposes a solution in line with the modern thinking on the subject. His evocative artwork makes this book a visual treat. I'd love to see him tackle the alleged murder of Sarah M. Cornell by the Reverend Ephraim K. Avery; it occured at nearly the same time this case did, and is still officially unsolved.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly created graphic novel, May 20, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mystery of Mary Rogers (A Treasury of Victorian Murder) (Hardcover)

Mary Rogers was a lovely cigar store clerk who was found dead and floating on the Hudson River. It was the month of July, 1841, a time before New York City had an official police department, only "freelance" officers living off fines and defending the populace from a proliferation of street gangs. All this is the highly recommended substance of The Mystery Of Mary Rogers, a superbly created graphic novel with absolutely accurate background detail that accurately showcases the an emerging city and the plight of a citizenry in the face of criminal activities. Rick Geary is a master storyteller and a gifted artist.