 Dust-jacket illustration of the US (true first) edition. See Publication history (below) for UK first edition jacket image. | |
| Author | Agatha Christie |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | Dodd, Mead and Company |
Publication date | 1931 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 308 (first edition, hardcover) |
The Sittaford Mystery is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1931 under the title of The Murder at Hazelmoor[1][2] and in UK by the Collins Crime Club on 7 September of the same year under Christie's original title.[3] It is the first Christie novel to be given a different title for the US market. The US edition retailed at $2.00[2] and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6).[4]
Mrs Willett and her daughter host an evening of "table-turning" (a séance) on a snowy winter's evening in Dartmoor. The spirit tells them that Captain Trevelyan is dead. The roads being impassable to vehicles, Major Burnaby announces his intention to go to the village on foot to check on his friend, where he appears to find the prediction has come true. Emily Trefusis, engaged to Trevelyan's nephew, uncovers the mystery along with the police.
The novel was well received, with praise for the character Miss Emily Trefusis. The references to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, no longer alive when the book was published, and the elements of the setting that hearken to The Hound of the Baskervilles (published in 1902) were also noted and appreciated.
- ^ Cooper, John; Pyke, B.A. (1994). Detective Fiction – the collector's guide (Second ed.). Scholar Press. pp. 82, 86. ISBN 0-85967-991-8.
- ^ a b Marcum, J S (May 2007). "American Tribute to Agatha Christie: The Classic Years 1930 - 1934". Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ "Review". The Observer. 6 September 1931. p. 6.
- ^ Wagstaff, Vanessa; Poole, Stephen (2004). Agatha Christie: A Reader's Companion. Aurum Press Ltd. p. 71. ISBN 1-84513-015-4.