THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY
US title: MURDER AT HAZLEMOOR
UK publication: 1931 (Collins)
US publication: 1931 (Dodd, Mead)
Detective: Emily Trefusis
Genre: Novel
Plot
summary and comments: A mystery without any of Christie's regular heroes,
in which a young woman named Emily Trefusis is engaged to a young man
who is arrested for the murder of his uncle, Capt. Trevelyan. She is convinced
of his innocence and sets out to unmask the real culprit, which she does
with the help of the police inspector in charge of the case. The answer
is related to the mysterious arrival of Mrs. Willett and her daughter
in the village of Sittaford (the Hazlemoor of the US title is the house
in which Trevelyan dies), and the bleak setting on Dartmoor contributes
to the plot. Emily is another of Christie's "adventurous young lady"
heroines.Courtesey of: http://stout.physics.ucla.edu/%7eyoder/mystery/christie.html
::READERS REVIEWS::
"Ahhh.
This is more like! A mystery reader/fan must, every now and then, return
to the books of the great Dame Agatha. Yet, it becomes harder and harder
to find one that perhaps hasn't been read for a while. It's important
also, not to get sucked into a recently read title now masquerading under
a new name.
I'm sure that at some time in my past, I've read The Murder at Hazelmoor, but not recently enough to have given the subsequently-named The Sittaford Mystery a familiar aura. S'wonderful, indeed.
No one captured the thirties quite so eloquently as did Christie, and this book is a prime example of her art. There is no Miss Marple or Hercule Poiret in this episode, however. Rather we have an intrepid young woman named Emily Trefusis, who has the misfortune to be engaged to the nephew of a man who is found murdered, after his death had been exposed by a 'table turning.' This is a version of the Ouija Board, which was enormously popular in the first decades of the 20th century.
Captain Trevelyan, who was rather fond of money, had been prevailed upon to let out his own Sittaford House to a widow and her daughter, apparently just arrived from South Africa. Never married, the Captain had few heirs: one sister and the three children of another, now deceased. It is James Pearson, one of this latter group, who has captured the fair Emily, and finds himself in jail under suspicion of having done in his uncle.
Emily knows better, however, and with the aid and assistance of a live-wire newspaper reporter, Charles Enderby, sets out to prove his innocence. Emily and Charles quite put in me mind of Tommy and Tuppence with their humorous bantering. (Perhaps they were the inspiration for Dame Agatha, as well.)
The prevalence and importance of trains and their schedules take one back to that time when almost no one owned an auto of their own, and walking twelve miles (round-trip, to be sure) for a visit was hardly any kind of bother at all. If one was fit, that is.
Village life along the moors is captured perfectly, along with the various eccentrics who reside there. It's a cracking good puzzle, with all the clues neatly laid out for the intrepid sleuth. A visit to Agatha Christie's England is good for us all every now and then. I'm looking forward to the next one! "
"This
is a classic mystery novel.This book has everything. A Great setting,great
characters,and the perfect season. this is a gripping and wonderful Christie
classic."
"It
was a thrilling book that kept you wanting more.Once you get past the
beginning you can't put it down.The characters were realistic and the
story was believable.There's enough information for you to guess the killer
but it's not obvious.I would recommend this book to mystery lovers."
::YOUR OPINION::
