8 h 38 minAudiobook16 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A respectable setting, a murder, a circle of suspects: whose secrets will survive the questions?
In The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley, Louis Tracy brings secrets, suspects, and Scotland Yard into an Edwardian murder mystery, first published in 1914. Its atmosphere belongs to a world of grand houses, clubs, hansom cabs, and newspapers eager for sensation. Against that respectable background, a crime gives you reason to look beneath appearances.
The case bearing Mortimer Fenley’s name invites you to take a place beside the investigators. Scotland Yard represents the official work of detection: questioning witnesses, examining the scene, and tracing movements. Who was where? Who has something to gain? The pleasure lies in weighing clues and watching what people reveal against what they keep back.
What you’ll discover
- Order with secrets beneath Enter an Edwardian world of grand houses and sensation-hungry newspapers, where respectability offers no certainty.
- A circle of suspects Consider people who have reasons to be near the crime and reasons to hold back.
- The work of detection Follow the method of inquiry, where questions and movements matter as much as suspicion.
- A place beside investigators Weigh the clues yourself, keeping an eye on motives and words spoken with confidence.
- The patient puzzle Enjoy an older style of crime writing that makes careful attention part of the pleasure.
Who will love it
Readers who love classic English detective stories, with clues in the mud, rival theories and a pair of witty policemen. It also suits anyone who enjoys a country house, a touch of romance and good talk.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A cheerful painter arrives in Roxton
- The nymph at the lake
- Constable Farrow and the doorstep
- Winter and Furneaux take the case
- Boots, a rock and a family history
- Furneaux finds the artist
- Winter chases leads in London
- Trenholme calls on Sylvia
- Furneaux stirs the pot
- What the story is about and how it is told
Who’s who
- John TrenholmeA young, cheerful painter who sketches the Fenley house and sees more than he knows. He wants good light, good company and a chance to meet the girl in the lake.
- Sylvia ManningMortimer Fenley's twenty-year-old ward, a keen swimmer and dreamer of far places. She wants freedom, and she does not want to marry either Fenley son.
- Superintendent James WinterBig, steady head of the Criminal Investigation Department at Scotland Yard. He reasons from established facts and tries to cut down on cigars.
- Inspector Charles FurneauxA small, sharp-tongued detective of Channel Islands descent who quotes poets and guesses how criminals think. He wants the truth and a good bottle of wine.
- Hilton FenleyMortimer Fenley's elder son, a nervous, sallow man who works at his father's bank. He keeps close control of his words and has a hold on the family's affairs.
- Robert FenleyThe younger son, a loud, spoiled young man fond of motorbikes and whisky. He quarrels with his father and wants to marry Sylvia.
- Police Constable FarrowRoxton's singing village policeman, who sets up the first search of the wood. He wants to be useful and to impress the men from London.
- TomlinsonThe Fenleys' dignified butler, proud of his cellar and loyal to the family. He wants to protect the household and its good name.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 8 h 38 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 16 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Lo strano caso di Mortimer Fenley
by Louis Tracy · 1914
An artist sketching a swimming girl hears a rifle shot, and a banker lies dead on his own doorstep.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley is a murder mystery by Louis Tracy, set in the Hertfordshire countryside in June 1912. It follows a wealthy City banker shot dead on his own doorstep, and the two Scotland Yard men sent to find out who did it.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A cheerful painter arrives in Roxton
The story opens on a bright June morning in 1912 at the White Horse Inn in Roxton, a quiet village in Hertfordshire. John Trenholme, a young artist of twenty-five, wakes to a bar of sunlight across his face. He is tall, easygoing and full of fun, and he has already made friends with half the village in just two and a half days.
His first act of the day is a prank. He carries his alarm clock upstairs and leaves it ringing in the room of Eliza, the stout, sharp-tongued cook. She comes down furious and ready to throw an egg at him. Mary, the kitchen maid, and her butcher boy Jim add to the fun. The scene shows you at once that Trenholme charms people, and that Eliza's bark is worse than her bite.
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What is The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley about?
It tells of a wealthy London banker shot dead at his own front door in Hertfordshire in 1912. A visiting painter, two Scotland Yard detectives and the banker's family and servants all play a part in finding out who did it.
Who are Winter and Furneaux?
Superintendent Winter and Inspector Furneaux are the Scotland Yard detectives sent to Roxton. Winter is large, calm and logical. Furneaux is small, quick and full of quotations and jokes. They are called the Big Un and the Little Un.
When is The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley set, and is it a true story?
It is fiction by Louis Tracy, set in June 1912 in the fictional village of Roxton, with scenes in London and Paris. The narrator looks back from the years of the First World War.
The author
Louis Tracy
1863–1928 · British novelist
Louis Tracy was a British writer who lived from 1863 to 1928. He was born in Liverpool, England, and wrote novels, including mysteries and romances. His books included The Albert Gate Mystery, published in 1904, The Silent Barrier, published in 1910, and One Wonderful Night, published in 1912.
More by Louis Tracy
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