8 h 38 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 38 minPaperback · 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 enjoy a country house murder with a sharp pair of detectives will feel at home here. It suits anyone who loves witty talk, village gossip, a young love story, and fair clues.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Chance places a painter nearby
- An open account earns trust
- A matching footprint proves little
- A hidden call leads onward
- The sketch opens an honest friendship
- The detectives pretend to sleep
- Wealth leaves the household divided
- Humour lets the clues slip past
- Small acts test a smooth story
Who’s who
- John TrenholmeA cheerful young painter from Paris studios who is sent to sketch Roxton and ends up a key witness to murder.
- Sylvia ManningThe rich, spirited ward of the Fenleys, a strong swimmer who longs for a wider world than her guardian's park.
- James WinterThe big, calm Superintendent of Scotland Yard, who reasons from established facts and loves a cigar.
- Charles FurneauxWinter's small, quick-witted Inspector, who guesses how criminals think and teases everyone, including himself.
- Hilton FenleyThe elder son and secretary to his father, smooth, nervous and clever, who hides much behind a show of grief.
- Robert FenleyThe younger son, a spoiled motorcycle lover whose rifle goes missing and whose temper makes him look guilty.
- Police Constable FarrowThe village constable who sings, takes his time, and quietly guards the one place the investigation needs.
- ElizaThe sharp-tongued cook of the White Horse Inn, who scolds Trenholme and feeds him in equal measure.
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The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley
by Louis Tracy · 1914
An artist sketching a lake in 1912 hears a rifle shot and finds himself the key witness to a banker's murder.
Medium level2–5 hours to read16 languages
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In short
Does a crime send a shadow ahead of itself? That is the question that opens The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley, and the answer begins with a prank.
The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h3 h 55 min fast, 5 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 71,000 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1914by Louis Tracy
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A prank and a swimmer open the day
The book opens with sunshine, not shadows. John Trenholme is twenty-five, trained in Paris, an artist by trade and a vagabond by nature. A magazine has sent him to Roxton to draw the old village before a new railway spoils it.
He leaves his alarm clock ready to ring in the room of Eliza, the stout cook. She storms down in a fury and threatens him with pepper in his coffee. Then she cooks his bacon anyway.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1914
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 5 h 35 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Tracy, Louis. The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-strange-case-of-mortimer-fenley.
Tracy, L. (2026). The strange case of Mortimer Fenley. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-strange-case-of-mortimer-fenley (Original work published 1914)
Tracy, Louis. The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-strange-case-of-mortimer-fenley.
@book{tracy2026strange,
author = {Tracy, Louis},
title = {The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-strange-case-of-mortimer-fenley},
note = {First published 1914}
}
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What is The Strange Case of Mortimer Fenley about?
It follows the murder of a wealthy London banker, shot on his own doorstep in Hertfordshire in 1912. Two Scotland Yard detectives, a village constable and a painter who happened to be sketching nearby all help sort out who did it and how.
Who are Winter and Furneaux?
They are the Scotland Yard pair sent to Roxton. Superintendent Winter is big and methodical, and Inspector Furneaux is small, quick and full of quotations. Together they are known at the Yard as the Big One and the Little One.
Who is Sylvia Manning?
Sylvia is Mortimer Fenley's twenty-year-old ward, a rich, athletic young woman who swims each morning in the park lake. Both of the Fenley sons expect to marry her, and her meeting with Trenholme is the book's love story.
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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