Mary Roberts Rinehart American author Mary Roberts Rinehart, sometimes known as the American Agatha Christie, was born on August 12, 1876, and died on September 22, 1958. In 1908, she released The Circular Staircase, her debut mystery book, which included the "had I but kown" narrative tense. In her book The Door, she is credited with creating the "the butler did it" story device (1930). Mary Ella Roberts, who is now known as Rinehart, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Allegheny City. She published The Circular Staircase in 1907, the book that made her a household name. She made articles for The Saturday Evening Post that influenced middle-class American taste and behavior. Glen Osborne Borough now has a Mary Roberts Rinehart Nature Park there. Sometimes, Rinehart's business success clashed with her responsibilities as a wife and mother in the home. During World War I, she worked as a war journalist for The Saturday Evening Post, one of her many adventurous pursuits. Rinehart underwent a radical mastectomy as a result of her breast cancer. Her 25-year Filipino cook employee attempted to stab her with knives in 1947. She passed away at the age of 82 at her New York City residence at 630 Park Avenue Read More Read Less