The Bellamy Trial

Published in 1927 by author Frances Noyes Hart (1890 - 1943), the book is ostensibly based on a notorious murder trial in the 1920's, although I have been unable to locate information on that. There is general agreement that Hart's book was a pioneer in this genre of a book based on a courtroom trial, which has now become quite common (e.g., Perry Mason, John Grisham). Hart worked as a translator for the Navy during WWI and was a "canteen worker" in France, which she documented in her book My AEF: A Hail and Farewell. She wrote short stories which were published in popular magazines of the day (Saturday Evening Post, Scribner's, Ladies' Home Journal) and then collected in Contact and Other Stories (1923). She won a Pulitzer for this book, which is considered a classic murder mystery and was later (1929) made into a silent film (cinematography by Arthur C. Miller).

A young woman, Mimi Bellamy, is found stabbed to death in an empty gardener's cottage on an old estate that's no longer occupied.  Her husband, Stephen Bellamy, and a wealthy socialite, Sue Ives, are charged with the murder because they were seen near the cottage and both have motives. We read about the 8 days of the trial and hear from various witnesses--staff, friends, family members--some of whom are reliable and others with their own agendas. With each testimony, the story gets more complicated. Were Mimi and Sue's husband, Pat Ives, having an affair? Or was there something more sinister going on in this small Long Island town where everyone knows everyone else, for better or worse? Each day of the trial is a separate chapter and the story is carried by a novice red-haired female reporter from Philadelphia and a more experienced local reporter, who function, as one reviewer suggested, like a sort of Greek chorus. It is somewhat dated--not surprising given that it was written almost 100 years ago. For example, the jury is all men; all women are "girls" until they are grandmothers. Nevertheless, the story revealed through testimony will keep most readers guessing until the mystery is solved--AFTER the verdict has been delivered.