Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 681

Beadle's Dime Library, No. 681 (November 1891): "The Actress Detective's Double Victory: The Romance of the Unknown Dead"

This serial by Albert W. Aiken continues the exploits of detective Joe Phenix. An unidentified young woman's body is discovered washed ashore on the Hudson River near Tarrytown, bearing slight bruises. Phenix, troubled by three recurring dreams of a distressed girl's face in water, travels from New York with his assistant Tony Western to investigate. The body belongs to an evidently genteel woman—well-dressed in fine linen, no jewelry or money—who is a stranger to the district. Phenix dismisses the suicide theory, reasoning she would have no motive to travel to a distant location and noting the absence of belongings suggests foul play rather than drowning. On arrival at Tarrytown, the detective and Western visit the undertaker's shop where the body lies, gathering information from local gossips.