Close cookie details

This site uses cookies. Learn more about cookies.

OverDrive would like to use cookies to store information on your computer to improve your user experience at our Website. One of the cookies we use is critical for certain aspects of the site to operate and has already been set. You may delete and block all cookies from this site, but this could affect certain features or services of the site. To find out more about the cookies we use and how to delete them, click here to see our Privacy Policy.

If you do not wish to continue, please click here to exit this site.

Hide notification

  Main Nav
The Bellamy Trial
Cover of The Bellamy Trial
The Bellamy Trial

“Devotees of classic courtroom thrillers like Witness for the Prosecution will be enthralled by this reissue . . . Perry Mason fans will rejoice.” —Publishers Weekly
 
The trial of Stephen Bellamy and Susan Ives, accused of murdering Bellamy’s wife, lasts eight days. That’s eight days of witnesses (some reliable, some not), eight days of examination and cross-examination, and eight days of sensational courtroom theatrics lively enough to rouse the judge into frenzied calls for order. Ex-fiancés, houseworkers, and assorted family members are brought to the stand—a cross-section of this wealthy Long Island town—and each one only adds to the mystery of the case in all its sordid detail. A trial that seems straightforward at its outset grows increasingly confounding as it proceeds, and surprises abound; by the time the closing arguments are made, however, the reader, like the jury, is provided with all the evidence needed to pass judgment on the two defendants. Still, only the most astute among them will not be shocked by the verdict announced at the end.
 
Inspired by the most sensational murder trial of its day, The Bellamy Trial is a pioneering courtroom mystery, and one of the first of such books to popularize the form. It is included in the famed Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone list of the most definitive novels of the mystery genre.
 
“An ingenious and spirited job, which has clever characterization, strong suspense and real comic relief. The mystery is capitally created and sustained.” —New York Evening Post
 
“An enthralling story.” —The New York Times
 
“A must-read for nostalgia buffs, this seminal tale of legal intrigue holds up remarkably well even for casual fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Devotees of classic courtroom thrillers like Witness for the Prosecution will be enthralled by this reissue . . . Perry Mason fans will rejoice.” —Publishers Weekly
 
The trial of Stephen Bellamy and Susan Ives, accused of murdering Bellamy’s wife, lasts eight days. That’s eight days of witnesses (some reliable, some not), eight days of examination and cross-examination, and eight days of sensational courtroom theatrics lively enough to rouse the judge into frenzied calls for order. Ex-fiancés, houseworkers, and assorted family members are brought to the stand—a cross-section of this wealthy Long Island town—and each one only adds to the mystery of the case in all its sordid detail. A trial that seems straightforward at its outset grows increasingly confounding as it proceeds, and surprises abound; by the time the closing arguments are made, however, the reader, like the jury, is provided with all the evidence needed to pass judgment on the two defendants. Still, only the most astute among them will not be shocked by the verdict announced at the end.
 
Inspired by the most sensational murder trial of its day, The Bellamy Trial is a pioneering courtroom mystery, and one of the first of such books to popularize the form. It is included in the famed Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone list of the most definitive novels of the mystery genre.
 
“An ingenious and spirited job, which has clever characterization, strong suspense and real comic relief. The mystery is capitally created and sustained.” —New York Evening Post
 
“An enthralling story.” —The New York Times
 
“A must-read for nostalgia buffs, this seminal tale of legal intrigue holds up remarkably well even for casual fans.” —Kirkus Reviews

Available formats-
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB eBook
Languages:-
Copies-
  • Available:
    0
  • Library copies:
    0
Levels-
  • ATOS:
  • Lexile:
  • Interest Level:
  • Text Difficulty:


Reviews-
  • Kirkus

    September 1, 2019
    A pair of Long Island society types stand trial for upper-crust murder in this distinguished reprint first published in 1927. Hank Phillippi Ryan, whose introduction pronounces this one of the very first legal thrillers, notes that Hart (1890-1943) drew freely on accounts of the 1922 Hall-Mills murder, the most notorious of her day. But the trial of Stephen Bellamy and Susan Ives for the fatal stabbing of Bellamy's wife would have been sensational on its own. Mimi Dawson had been romantically involved with both self-made stockbroker Patrick Ives and equally eligible Elliot Farwell, and Pat had eloped with Sue Thorne, Elliot's former girlfriend whose wealthy father disinherited her in disgust, only a few days before Mimi married Stephen. The combustible mixture of once and future lovers, linking Pat and Mimi once more despite their marriages to others, boils over when Mimi is found stabbed to death in the gardener's cottage on the grounds of Orchards, the old Thorne estate. The evidence, which places both the accused at the scene around the time of the murder, suggests that Sue Ives stabbed her rival to death with the active encouragement of the victim's husband. But the eight days of the trial bring out an abundance of new evidence, partly at the hands of wily prosecutor Daniel Farr, partly through the dogged research and cross-examination of defense counsel Dudley Lambert, an old family friend of the Thornes who at first seems utterly overmatched. The pace is stately, the oratory ceremonious, and the climax unnecessarily self-serious. But if the tale is unmemorable as a whodunit, it has never been excelled by its long line of progeny as a courtroom drama. Hardly a single witness testifies without some surprising development, and the mystery is admirably calculated to provide successively more revealing peeks at the passions that seethe beneath its decorous surface. A must-read for nostalgia buffs, this seminal tale of legal intrigue holds up remarkably well even for casual fans.

    COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • Publisher's Weekly

    September 16, 2019
    Devotees of classic courtroom thrillers like Witness for the Prosecution will be enthralled by this reissue in the American Mystery Classics series of a seminal legal drama first published in 1927. Hart (1890–1943) effectively employs a chorus to supplement the proceedings: a veteran male reporter and a rookie female journalist, both unnamed, whose commentary keeps the detailed questioning of witnesses and legal arguments during a sensational murder trial in Bellechester, N.Y., from becoming dry. Stephen Bellamy and Susan Ives are charged with the fatal stabbing of Stephen’s wife, Mimi, a cause célèbre that the male reporter cynically describes as the latest “crime of the century.” According to the prosecution, their motive was fear that Mimi would run off with Susan’s husband, with whom Mimi was once in love. Hart does a good job playing with expectations by first presenting the prosecution’s case against Stephen and Susan before testimony and cross-examination suggest an alternative explanation for Mimi’s murder. Perry Mason fans will rejoice.

  • Booklist

    November 1, 2019
    One of the first courtroom dramas, originally published in 1927, this latest in Penzler's American Mystery Classics series was inspired by the 1926 Halls-Mills trial of the century, a connection described in Hank Phillippi Ryan's introduction. Hart's adaptation of the real-life whodunit stars Stephen Bellamy and Susan Ives, on trial for the murder of Stephen's wife, Mimi, whom they are accused of wanting to get rid of so they could continue their love affair without interference (an outrageous revelation in well-heeled 1920s Long Island). The couple alleges that Mimi was having her own affair, but otherwise have little to offer in the way of exonerating facts. The two reporters whose observations frame the story?a simpering girl whose portrayal begins to grate and her Mad Man-esque admirer?reflect the public mood, with all agog as the allegations ping back and forth, especially when an unexpected witness drops a bombshell. As one of the first stories of its kind and as a masterfully written look at genteel scandal, this legal thriller will be a hit with those who know Hart's work as well as fans of today's courtroom-based fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

  • New York Evening Post An ingenious and spirited job, which has clever characterization, strong suspense and real comic relief. The mystery is capitally created and sustained.
  • New York Times An enthralling story.
  • New York Journal of Books Masterful . . . add this fine reissue of The Bellamy Trial to your reading list. It's remarkably written, it's carefully crafted, and it's more than worthy of your time and interest.
Title Information+
  • Publisher
    Penzler Publishers
  • OverDrive Read
    Release date:
  • EPUB eBook
    Release date:
Digital Rights Information+
  • Copyright Protection (DRM) required by the Publisher may be applied to this title to limit or prohibit printing or copying. File sharing or redistribution is prohibited. Your rights to access this material expire at the end of the lending period. Please see Important Notice about Copyrighted Materials for terms applicable to this content.

Status bar:

You've reached your checkout limit.

Visit your Checkouts page to manage your titles.

Close

You already have this title checked out.

Want to go to your Checkouts?

Close

Recommendation Limit Reached.

You've reached the maximum number of titles you can recommend at this time. You can recommend up to 0 titles every 0 day(s).

Close

Sign in to recommend this title.

Recommend your library consider adding this title to the Digital Collection.

Close

Enhanced Details

Close
Close

Limited availability

Availability can change throughout the month based on the library's budget.

is available for days.

Once playback starts, you have hours to view the title.

Close

Permissions

Close

The OverDrive Read format of this eBook has professional narration that plays while you read in your browser. Learn more here.

Close

Holds

Total holds:


Close

Restricted

Some format options have been disabled. You may see additional download options outside of this network.

Close

MP3 audiobooks are only supported on macOS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) through 10.14 (Mojave). Learn more about MP3 audiobook support on Macs.

Close

Please update to the latest version of the OverDrive app to stream videos.

Close

Device Compatibility Notice

The OverDrive app is required for this format on your current device.

Close

Bahrain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen

Close

You've reached your library's checkout limit for digital titles.

To make room for more checkouts, you may be able to return titles from your Checkouts page.

Close

Excessive Checkout Limit Reached.

There have been too many titles checked out and returned by your account within a short period of time.

Try again in several days. If you are still not able to check out titles after 7 days, please contact Support.

Close

You have already checked out this title. To access it, return to your Checkouts page.

Close

This title is not available for your card type. If you think this is an error contact support.

Close

An unexpected error has occurred.

If this problem persists, please contact support.

Close

Close

NOTE: Barnes and Noble® may change this list of devices at any time.

Close
Buy it now
and help our library WIN!
The Bellamy Trial
The Bellamy Trial
Frances Noyes Hart
Choose a retail partner below to buy this title for yourself.
A portion of this purchase goes to support your library.
Close
Close

There are no copies of this issue left to borrow. Please try to borrow this title again when a new issue is released.

Close
Barnes & Noble Sign In |   Sign In

You will be prompted to sign into your library account on the next page.

If this is your first time selecting “Send to NOOK,” you will then be taken to a Barnes & Noble page to sign into (or create) your NOOK account. You should only have to sign into your NOOK account once to link it to your library account. After this one-time step, periodicals will be automatically sent to your NOOK account when you select "Send to NOOK."

The first time you select “Send to NOOK,” you will be taken to a Barnes & Noble page to sign into (or create) your NOOK account. You should only have to sign into your NOOK account once to link it to your library account. After this one-time step, periodicals will be automatically sent to your NOOK account when you select "Send to NOOK."

You can read periodicals on any NOOK tablet or in the free NOOK reading app for iOS, Android or Windows 8.

Accept to ContinueCancel