Resumen
Resumen de En la Villa Rosa
Para quién es
For readers who enjoy a clever detective at work, with clues laid out on the page. It suits fans of classic whodunits, French and Swiss settings, and a sharp, humorous sleuth paired with a bumbling admirer.
De qué trata este libro
At the Villa Rose is a detective novel by A. E. W. Mason, the English writer best known for adventure stories. It brought the French detective Hanaud to the page, and it sets him to work on a murder in a resort town where fortunes change hands every night.
The story begins in Aix-les-Bains, in the hot weeks of August. A rich and fussy Englishman named Julius Ricardo spends his evenings watching the gamblers. One night he notices a young girl in white satin, restless and close to tears. Two days later a wealthy woman lies murdered in her villa, the girl has vanished, and a young inventor begs the detective to find her.
You follow the case through the eyes of Ricardo, who is eager, vain and always a step behind. Hanaud shares his conclusions only when he chooses. You get footprints, torn paper, a missing pot of cold cream and a motorcar found in the wrong place. You also get a letter from a stranger, a rush to Geneva and a night on the lake. Let us begin with the card tables of Aix.
En este resumen
- 1A girl in white satin at the tablesFree
- 2A newspaper, a plea and a past remembered
- 3Footprints, shoes and a witness at the gate
- 4The salon that troubled Hanaud
- 5Helene Vauquier tells her tale
- 6Hidden jewels and a car in the wrong place
- 7An advertisement, a visitor and a letter
- 8A night rescue on Lake Geneva
- 9Appearances, trust and what the story asks
- 10How Mason tells it
Idea clave 1 de 10
A girl in white satin at the tables
Julius Ricardo spends five or six weeks each summer at Aix-les-Bains, in Savoy. He takes the waters in the morning, drives out in the afternoon and plays an hour at the Villa des Fleurs in the evening. He is a rich widower, nearly fifty, who made his money in Mincing Lane. He likes artists and likes to be seen with them. His friends envy him and laugh at him.
On his first evening this year, he steps out into the garden behind the gaming rooms. A girl in a white satin dress and a big black hat rushes out and throws herself onto a bench. Then she hurries back inside. Ricardo thinks of summer lightning, and a stranger nearby says it is a shame that the little one lost.
Back at the baccarat table, Ricardo sees a young Englishman holding the bank. This is Harry Wethermill, an Oxford man and an inventor who had made a fortune by twenty-eight. A small gloved hand drops a five-louis note onto the cloth. Wethermill gives up the bank rather than play against it. He calls the girl Celia and makes her his partner for the night, and she laughs with delight.
Ricardo cannot place her, yet he is sure he has seen her face before. She seems to live in Bohemia, the loose world of artists and gamblers. She moves from joy to despair in the time it takes to deal a hand. Yet she treats a stout, over-dressed older woman with a child's respect, and the woman calls her Celie.
As they part at the door, Wethermill says he will see her tomorrow. Celia's face clouds, and she says that she and madame have plans. She adds that on the night after, she will want him. Ricardo walks up the hill wondering what plans could trouble her so. He will have good reason to remember the question.
That’s 1 of 10 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about En la Villa Rosa
What is At the Villa Rose about?
It follows a murder in the resort of Aix-les-Bains. A rich widow is found dead in her villa, her young English companion has vanished, and the detective Hanaud sets out to learn what happened, with the Englishman Julius Ricardo at his side.
Who is Hanaud?
Hanaud is a French detective of the Paris Sûreté, stout and cheerful, who is on holiday when the case begins. He is quick, witty and secretive, and he often says he is the captain of the ship, meaning he keeps his own readings private.
Who is Julius Ricardo in the story?
Ricardo is a wealthy, fussy English widower who loves artists, gaming rooms and good dinners. He tells much of the story as an eager but often mistaken helper, and his vanity gives the novel much of its humor.
Where and when is At the Villa Rose set?
It is set in the French spa town of Aix-les-Bains in Savoy, in the August season, with a journey to Geneva in Switzerland. The villa lies on the road to Lac Bourget, and the book was written by A. E. W. Mason as a Hanaud novel.
Is At the Villa Rose easy to follow?
Yes, the plain narration, short chapters and clear clues make it simple to follow. Ricardo's questions stand in for the reader's, and Hanaud's explanations arrive step by step, so you can play along with the detective as the case unfolds.