Mary Roberts Rinehart

Mary Roberts Rinehart (August 12, 1876-September 22, 1958) was an American author and the source of the phrase "The butler did it."

Writing

Rinehart wrote hundreds of short stories, poems, travelogues and special articles.

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While many of her books were best-sellers, critics were most appreciative of her murder mysteries.

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The phrase "The butler did it", which has become a cliché, came from Rinehart's novel The Door, in which the butler actually did do it, although that exact phrase does not actually appear in the work. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030926.html

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