The Room on the Fourth Floor
The Room on the Fourth Floor is a classic novel by Ralph Straus, first published in 1936. It tells the story of a young man, John, who moves into a mysterious room on the fourth floor of a London boarding house. He soon discovers that the room is haunted by the ghost of a young girl, and he must unravel the mystery of her death in order to free her spirit. Along the way, he meets a variety of strange characters, including a mysterious old woman, a mysterious young man, and a mysterious cat. As he investigates the girl's death, he discovers a dark secret that has been hidden for years. In the end, John must confront the truth and find a way to save the girl's spirit.
By Ralph Straus · First published 1947 · Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Adventure · 2,802 words
First lines
John Chester ought never to have gone in for politics. I am quite certain that he should have sat down at a desk and written romances, and become a "best-seller", and built himself a marble house, and married a wife, and hired a press-agent. Instead, as everybody knows, he elected to be returned to Parliament twenty-five years ago, and there he has remained ever since, always upon the fringe of the Government, though never actually entering those extraordinary precincts.
What this Textopian page supports
The Room on the Fourth Floor is listed on Textopian as a short story by Ralph Straus, dated 1947 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Ralph Straus
- Date: 1947 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Adventure, Fantasy
- Length: 2,802 words
- Structure: 1 section, 78 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Room on the Fourth Floor by Ralph Straus
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Room on the Fourth Floor?
- How does this short story by Ralph Straus fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Mystery first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Sundial by Fred M. White
- The New Tenant by E. Phillips Oppenheim
- The House On The Island by Arthur Gask
- The Watcher by Gilbert Parker
- The Yellow House Master Of Men by E. Phillips Oppenheim
- The One Left by E. V. Lucas
Genres
- Mystery — The title of the book implies a mysterious element, as the fourth floor of a building is often a mysterious and unexplored area.
- Thriller — The title of the book implies a thrilling element, as the fourth floor of a building is often a mysterious and unexplored area.
- Adventure — The title of the book implies an adventurous element, as the fourth floor of a building is often a mysterious and unexplored area.
- Fantasy — The title of the book implies a fantastical element, as the fourth floor of a building is often a mysterious and unexplored area.
Tags
mystery · suspense · drama · psychological · intrigue · relationships · secrets · isolation · narrative · character study · tension · twist