Book Review: The Sittaford Mystery

The Sittaford
Mystery

When the tenants of Sittaford House huddle together for a seance to while away their wintry evening, little did they know of what lay in store for them, as the game ends on an abrupt note with the so-called spirits spelling out a chilling message: 'Captain Trevelyan... dead... murder.' Unfortunately Captain Trevelyan, the owner of Sittaford House, stays a good six miles away, and with layers of snow blocking the roads, it leaves them all a little uneasy. Finally Major Burnaby, a close friend of the Captain, decides to brave the cold and undertake the journey on foot.

What awaits the Major is anybody's guess and the hunt for the culprit forms the rest of the whodunit. Replete with a lot of references to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of Baskervilles, the first-rate 'supernatural' mystery, set in Dartmoor, also involves a prisoner's escapade who, naturally, gets added to the already big list of suspects. At one point, one character even mentions: "... are you doing any sleuthing? If so, can I help? Be the Watson to your Sherlock, or anything of that kind?" Christie, as usual, employs her bamboozling tricks to full effect, and having an immensely likeable character like Emily Trefusis makes The Sittaford Mystery undoubtedly an excellent book to while away your evening!