Metta Victor

Metta Victor (born Metta Victoria Fuller in 1828) was a prolific American writer who helped shape the early detective fiction genre. Her 1866 novel "The Dead Letter" is widely recognized as one of the first full-length detective novels in American literature, predating many works by male authors in the field. Victor wrote over 20 novels and numerous short stories, often under the pseudonym "Seeley Regester," covering themes of crime, romance, and domestic life. She also worked as an editor for the New York Home Journal and other periodicals. Despite her significant contributions to popular fiction, Victor's work was largely overlooked in literary history until recent scholarly reassessments. She died in 1885, leaving a legacy as a trailblazer for women in genre fiction and a key figure in the development of the American mystery novel.