A Murder A Mystery And A Marriage Summary?

A Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage is a short story written by Mark Twain in 1876, set in the fictional town of Deer Lick, Missouri. The story revolves around the fortunes of a humble farmer, John Gray, who is determined to marry his daughter to the son of the town’s wealthiest family. When a mysterious stranger, who claims to be French royalty, is found in the snow on the farm and claims to be of French royalty, Gray changes his plans, leading to a murder.

Twain’s original idea was to give a skeleton plot involving a mysterious stranger and a murder to other writers, including Henry James. However, the sudden appearance of a stranger lying unconscious in the snow not only derails Gray’s plans but also leads to a mysterious murder whose solution is revealed. The story is set in the quaint hollow of Deer Lick, a mythical town resembling Mark Twains Hannibal, Missouri.

The story is a must-read for any Twain enthusiast and a perfect introduction to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The story tells exactly what the title is: a murder, a mystery, and a marriage. The novel is a delightful rendition of life (and a disturbing death) in the mythical hamlet of Deer Lick, Missouri, with a mysterious stranger found in the snow leading to a mysterious murder.