Dead Man Manor

Mr. Horace B. Treadgold #1

by Valentine Williams

"Dead Man Manor" by Valentine Williams. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1935

About the author

Aka Douglas Valentine (1 work)

George Valentine Williams (1883 - 1946) was the son of G Edward Williams, Chief Editor of the Reuters News Agency. After being privately educated in Germany, he joined Reuters as a sub editor in 1902. In 1909, Williams became a reporter for the Daily Mail (then the most popular British newspaper and the first to achieve a daily circulation of one million copies). In this capacity, he reported on international events such as the Portuguese Revolution of 1910 and the Balkan Wars of 1912 - 1913. During the early stages of the First World War, reporters were not permitted direct access to the Western Front. Williams therefore obtained a commission with the Irish Guards in December 1915. He saw action during the Battle of the Somme, where he was seriously wounded in 1916, and was awarded the Military Cross. Williams then joined the small group of accredited war correspondents based at British General Headquarters and continued to serve as the accredited correspondent for the Daily Mail until the end of the War. After the War, Valentine Williams was in charge of reporting the Versailles Peace Conference in 1919 for the Daily Mail. In addition to journalism, Williams also became a popular writer of mystery fiction, publishing a series of 28 books from 1918 until his death in 1946.

Reviews

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Horace "H. B." Treadgold,tailor and partner in a long-established off-Fifth Avenue establishment, has arrived at the remote French-Canadian fishing-camp of St. Florentine, ostensibly for rest and relaxation in the more out-of-the-way place he could find. In reality, a friend of his has told him of a certain Monsieur Ruffier, shop keeper and mayor of the little village, who just might have some fine old stamps that Treadgold could buy for his collection. So, he reserves a cabin at the camp--which he will share with a young doctor by the name of George Wood--and pretends interest in fishing, all the while planning to visit the village at the earliest opportunity to get a look at those stamps.

He asks for walking directions to Ruffier's shop and when told he'd better take his car rather than walk through the woods as planned. He can't understand why. Apparently, there is an abandoned house in the woods, name of Dead Man Manor, and the locals believe it to be haunted. He pooh-poohs this idea and insists on walking--the brisk exercise and fresh air is just what he needs. What he doesn't need is a nasty-looking character peering at him from the bushes while he's looking at the Manor. He learns later that the man is "One-Eye," a drunken poacher who has appointed himself the overseer of the abandoned Manor. He's sure that anyone who shows an interest in it must be plotting to take it away from its rightful owner, an absent nobleman.

It isn't long before the Manor becomes a focus of attention--to Treadgold, the young doctor, and, eventually...the police. The absent nobleman, an elderly gentleman, and his granddaughter have returned to the house (with no one the wiser), but the gentleman has a bad heart and Dr. Wood winds up treating him. He warns the granddaughter that Seigneur de Remy must stay in bed and be protected from shocks for at least three weeks, but by the next night she has sent for him again because her grandfather got out of bed and collapsed. Seigneur de Remy dies...but he isn't the only dead man in the manor. One of Treadgold's fellow campers, a man named Adams who had a run-in with the drunken tramp, is found dead in another part of the house--stabbed with a triangular-shaped instrument. More deaths follow and as the local officials focus on the poacher as suspect and a young detective from Quebec casts his suspicions on the granddaughter and the de Remy's (either separately or in cahoots), Treadgold suspects that someone else may be subtly directing the official investigation. So, Treadgold decides to conduct his own investigation.

It took me a little bit to get into this one. The opening descriptions of Treadgold, the fishing camp, the locals, and fellow campers are all very good and interesting. And the first chapter or so would make a fine traditional novel. But then he seems to be going for a gothic, spooky vibe here (speaking of the doctor once he hears about the haunted house):

A haunted house! He'd have to see that!...It was dusk and already the bats were skimming between the trees.

Further description of the abandoned house and the dark woods surrounding it, give a definite ghost story feel. It's like Williams wasn't quite sure what he wanted to write yet. Once he settles down to a good, old-fashioned mystery, he does a very good job. There are definitely clues for an observant reader to pick up (I didn't get them all, but I got enough to spot the villain of the piece). Treadgold makes for an intelligent and likeable amateur detective. At one point he strikes a very Holmesian note: pipe, dressing gown, and telling Dr. Wood not to talk to him. "I'm not fit for human society tonight!" This, just before he sits down for a really long think about the case. The romance between Dr. Wood and Mademoiselle de Remy is handled well--integrated into the mystery nicely so it doesn't seem extraneous. Oh and those stamps? You might keep them in mind if you track this one down and decide to read it. ★★★ and 1/2 [rounded up here]

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Treadgold purports to be on holiday at a fishing camp near St Florentin in French Canada. In reality he is pursuing one of his hobbies, stamp collecting, and, inadvertently, ends up pursuing his other interest, the detection of crime.

There is mystery surrounding the abandoned local manoir and the death of the local miller. When a holidaying lawyer is found stabbed to death, the forces of the law roll into action.

One area of interest to the British reader lies in the different legal system and the methodology used by Sergeant Bigoury who leads the official investigation. His personality complements and contrasts nicely with that of Treadgold. The love interest between Dr Wood and Adrienne de St Remy is well-handled and the people of the village including the mayor, priest and notary come to life vividly.

This was entertaining and interesting.The mystery is fairly-plotted and there are clues from quite early on for the vigilant reader.

[William Underhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicely written, very classic small town detective book !

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was cool. Set in Quebec. Valentine Williams is completely capable of setting his stories in the American Adirondacks or a deeply isolated hamlet in Quebec. He seems to have been a quick study of culture, voice, tone, and social and political byways. I was completely content to go along for this rather unusual ride. Particularly like the interactions between the two detectives: Treadgold, the erstwhile New York City tailor, is a complete charmer. Are there more, I wonder?

[Abdullah Alhomoud · Rating 5 out of 5]

تقييم دار النشر: أسوا دار نشر بالعالم والسبب (المصداقية والأمانة المهنية).

((ملاحظه على اسم الكتاب والكاتب))
أُستخدم إسم أجاثا كريستي في غلاف الكتاب وتم تلفيق هذا الكتاب ل أجاثا كريستي (باللغه العربيه) ومن الناشر (المركز الدولي في لبنان) ولكن هذا خطأ وكذب
(بعد البحث) اتضح ان الكتاب يرجع للكاتب فالينتاين ويلليامز والرواية اسمها الأصلي بالإنجليزي Dead Man Manor. أغلب الظن بأن دار النشر (سنه ١٩٨٥) رأت بأن تستخدم إسم اجاثا كريستي (كاتبه روايات بوليسيه مشهورة) وكذب على القرّاء للتسويق.

كتاب إلكتروني: رواية بوليسية جميله جدا حدثت في كندا في قريه من مقاطعه كويبك الفرنسية قريبة من جدود نيويورك الامريكية. قضية قتل + شهود + تحقيق + قضاء + اعادة نظر + موت + اتهام + كل الشخصيات من المحتمل ان تقتل ..... روعه في القصه والحكبه.

ملاحظة ايجابية:
من القصص المفضلة لدي.

ملاحظة سلبيه:
- دار نشى ما احترمت الكاتب ولا القارئ (ترجمة كتاب من اللغه الانجليزي ولفقتها لكاتب آخر باللغه العربيه)
- عندي كتب كثيرة الكترونيه من هذه الدار ومن المحتمل ان اعيد واشيك واراجع المصدر .

[Merle Peirce]

Not too bad. Williams reminds me stylistically of Seamark, who I like a lot, although he seems to go on a bit. This is not considered one of his best works,m but I found it enjoyable.

[Ron Kastner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and imaginative.

[Karen Jenkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent read.