Overview

Courtroom mysteries were rare in 1925 when Agatha Christie wrote ""Witness for the Prosecution."" But it was ""The Bellamy Trial,"" published two years later, that was ultimately listed in the prestigious ""Haycraft-Queen Cornerstones of Detective Fiction."" Sue Ives and Stephen Bellamy are charged with the murder of Stephen's wife Mimi, found stabbed in an uninhabited cottage on a Long Island estate. The eight-day trial introduces a trove of witnesses (some reliable, some not); an avuncular defense attorney who may be incompetent; a wily and relentless prosecutor; and the voracious members of the press and public captivated by a crime that lays bare the intrigues and jealousies of the country club set. Two of the reporters, a veteran, and a rookie attending her first murder trial, act as a Greek chorus commenting on unfolding events. Keeping an eye on the often theatrical proceedings is a wise and stern judge. Also present are the stereotypes of the 1920s: a boisterous Irish landlady; an effusively comic Italian caretaker; and a seductive French maid. Since women at that time were not allowed the privilege or responsibility of serving, there was an all-male jury. Like the peeling of an onion, each witness provides a revealing layer of the story. And like any good mystery, there is, of course, a surprise twist.

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Frances Newbold Noyes Hart (August 1890 - October 25, 1943) was an American writer whose short stories were published in Scribner's magazine and others. She was a translator with the US Navy during World War I. The Bellamy Trial won the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière International Prize, France's most prestigious award for crime and detective fiction. Anne Hancock began her career with the Library of Congress's National Library Service (NLS) Talking Books Program, where she has narrated more than 300 audiobooks in a variety of genres. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner, she has lived in France and the Netherlands and uses her training in the languages of both countries in her narration. In addition, she has successfully narrated books with English and Irish accents.

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