"At the Villa Rose"

Who murdered the wealthy French woman in her own villa - and then proceeded to rob the house? The evidence - almost overwhelming evidence - points to the woman's young companion, Celie, who has disappeared. Could this innocent-looking young woman be involved in a cold-blooded plot, or is she, instead, one of the victims?

These are the questions which face Inspector Hanaud of the Surete in the landmark mystery novel, "At The Villa Rose," first published more than a century ago, in 1910, but still an amazingly well-plotted and enjoyable read today. "At the Villa Rose" is the subject of this week's review on the Classic Mysteries podcast, and you may listen to the full review by clicking here.

The author, A. E. W. Mason, was a prolific novelist. If you're a fan of old movies, you may remember a classic film about cowardice and redemption called "The Four Feathers," which was based on perhaps the best-known of Mason's books. He wrote several mysteries featuring Inspector Hanaud. "At the Villa Rose" was the first one; mystery scholar Nick Fuller calls it "the first proper detective novel," as Hanaud sorts through a variety of clues (all carefully misinterpreted for us by the book's narrator, a Hastings type called Mr. Ricardo). Interestingly, the solution of the mystery occurs about halfway through the book, with the rest of the book given over to a re-enactment telling the reader what really DID happen at the Villa Rose on that eventful night.

For the reader of vintage mysteries, Mason's "At the Villa Rose" is worth reading for the influence it would have on later writers, such as Agatha Christie. But the intricate plot and marvelous characters make it a book to be recommended to all lovers of the traditional mystery. If you have an Amazon Kindle, there's an e-book edition available for free.

Comments

[Patrick]

Another excellent and intriguing review, Les! I'm mainly familiar with this book by knowing its title is shared with Xavier Lechard's excellent blog, though I have yet to read it. I will definitely have to do so sometime.

[Les Blatt]

Patrick, it's readily available - as I said, the Kindle edition is free, and I'm pretty sure there are other formats available through Project Gutenberg.

[Patrick]

Oh, I've already found a book copy- I prefer the physical feel of a book myself. It's just a few dollars and an attractive Penguin edition. But it'll have to wait until I return. And even then, there's a mountain of unread mysteries beckoning me...

[Bev@My Reader's Block]

Love your reviews, Les! Thanks for keeping them coming for the Vintage Challenge. The only Mason book I've read is actually The Four Feathers...but I have yet to see the movie version.

Sorry I hadn't updated sooner...must be my new bifocals, but I hadn't seen the little prompt telling me I had more comments (just click, Bev) until today. :-)

[Les Blatt]

Mason's detective, Hanaud, is a fascinating character, Bev. Like a lot of early classic detectives, he reveals very little until the end - but his interpretation of clues we are given is usually right on target and very different from what the rest of us are supposed to believe. I love it.