The Bride of Newgate
Encyclopedia
The Bride of Newgate, first published in 1950, is a historical whodunnit
story by John Dickson Carr
which does not feature any of Carr's series detectives. This novel
is a mystery of the type known as a whodunnit and also a historical novel
set in 1815 in England. It is generally thought of as the first novel to combine the historical novel and the mystery novel forms.
While Dick waited for the hangman, Lady Caroline Ross, rich, cold and beautiful, prepared a champagne breakfast to celebrate her marriage to him, a marriage which would cost her fifty pounds, and which would be ended an hour after it had begun.
But a shot through a bathroom window, where a lovely lady sat in a tub of milk—a riot in the opera, led by champion pugilists—a pistol duel at dawn—and a mysterious coachman, whose cloak was shiny with graveyard mold changed everything!
As did Napoleon Bonaparte!
John Dickson Carr, a master of the detective novel, now proves himself to be a master of the historical novel (one which includes a fascinating detective puzzle as well) in this thrilling story of London in 1815 and the gaudy characters that made up its world of fashion, and its underworld."
Historical whodunnit
The historical whodunnit is a sub-genre of historical fiction which bears elements of the classical mystery novel, in which the central plot involves a crime and the setting has some historical significance. One of the big areas of debate within the community of fans is what makes a given setting...
story by John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published under the pen names Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn....
which does not feature any of Carr's series detectives. This novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
is a mystery of the type known as a whodunnit and also a historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
set in 1815 in England. It is generally thought of as the first novel to combine the historical novel and the mystery novel forms.
Plot summary
Miss Caroline Ross, in order to inherit a fortune, must be married but, in the London of 1815, such a marriage would turn control of the funds over to her husband. She therefore marries Dick Darwent, a convicted murderer who is to be hanged in Newgate Prison the next day, who agrees to the marriage so that Caroline will settle money upon his mistress, the actress Dolly Spencer. However, when it is learned that Dick has succeeded to the title of the Marquis of Darwent, his trial is invalidated; a peer must be tried by the House of Lords. The commutation of his sentence means that he has made a deadly enemy in the form of Sir John Buckstone, a brutal dandy who is one of Caroline's suitors. Darwent has been framed for murder by a mysterious figure known only as "the coachman". He must sort out his domestic arrangements, which include his wife and mistress under one roof, prove himself innocent of the murder of which he was convicted, and reveal the identity of the evil figure behind his problems.Dust jacket Harper publisher summary and biography from 1950 first edition, (HC, 308 pages).
"Dick Darwent, ex-fencing master, was waiting in a dark cell of Newgate Prison—waiting to be hanged.While Dick waited for the hangman, Lady Caroline Ross, rich, cold and beautiful, prepared a champagne breakfast to celebrate her marriage to him, a marriage which would cost her fifty pounds, and which would be ended an hour after it had begun.
But a shot through a bathroom window, where a lovely lady sat in a tub of milk—a riot in the opera, led by champion pugilists—a pistol duel at dawn—and a mysterious coachman, whose cloak was shiny with graveyard mold changed everything!
As did Napoleon Bonaparte!
John Dickson Carr, a master of the detective novel, now proves himself to be a master of the historical novel (one which includes a fascinating detective puzzle as well) in this thrilling story of London in 1815 and the gaudy characters that made up its world of fashion, and its underworld."