Mary Roberts Rinehart
This celebrity goo was created by Scott Hardie.
publication date: Saturday, December 27, 2025 (part of December 2025)
category: 
Literature
clue: A famous saying in the murder-mystery genre, identifying the killer as a specific domestic servant, was inspired by this American novelist's work. Seventeen years later, a different domestic servant in her own home tried to kill her with a gun and knives.
explanation: Rinehart's 1930 novel The Door is attributed with introducing the phrase "the butler did it" to the popular imagination, although that exact phrase verbatim does not appear in the book. In 1947, Rinehart's personal chef attacked her but was stopped by other servants. more…
intended difficulty: medium
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, Samir Mehta, Richard Slominsky, and LaVonne Lemler
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