Leave and Bequeath was published in 1943. It was the sixth book published by Winifred E. Watson, but her first attempt at a detective story; some of her other books (which I haven't read) are described as 'rustic bodice-rippers'. After that, although she lived to the ripe old age of 95, dying in 2002, she never published another novel. You might wonder whether the book had some kind of traumatic effect on her literary career, but that wasn't the case. It seems that, quite simply she settled for contented domestic life rather than authorship.
Another curious thing about Winifred. In 1938, she published a novel called Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. This was a success, published internationally, and a musical version was planned. That didn't happen, but the book was rediscovered by the admirable Persephone Books (on whose website the above photo can be found), much to the elderly author's delight, and turned into a film, albeit after her death, in 2008. The stars were Frances McDormand and Amy Adams and the critics loved it. Truly, the fate of books is unpredictable...
So what do we make of Leave and Bequeath? Well, in many ways it's an archetypal country house mystery. A group of young relatives assemble at the home of aged and cantankerous Aunt Julie, who is one of those rich old people who delights in changing her will and disinheriting her nearest and dearest. So far, so cliched.
However, the characterisation is superior and although for much of the book you wonder when the dramatic action is going to start, the slow build-up leads to an impressive pay-off, with a locked room mystery thrown in. For once, the war plays an integral part in the story. In a sense, therefore, this is a novel which represents a kind of milestone - the transition between the classic country house existence and the harsh realities of modern life. I found, almost to my surprise, that I really cared about the characters. Winifred Watson may have abandoned fiction, but she could write it very well. And I'd like to give special thanks to that very amiable podcaster Sherri Rabinowitz for telling me about this little gem. Much appreciated, Sherri!
11 comments:
I always enjoy your forgotten book posts. "Leave and Bequeath" sounds good. Unfortunately a check of the various online sources shows no used copies available. Perhaps you can encourage the British Library Crime Classics to consider this one?
Thank you Martin, I am excited to know more about this mystery. Thank you so much for the shout out, that is so kind of you.
The first play my father had broadcast on radio, in October 1938, was an adaptation of Winifred Watson's debut novel "Fell Top", which he was commissioned to write to mark the opening of the Stagshaw transmitter near Newcastle. In his memoirs he described it as a 'literary melodrama', and going by the extract from the opening narration, printed in the Radio Times, that sounds about right: "...So I thought, as I sat waiting, I would write the story of our life up at Little Todden Farm before Will took me away from its bitter memories. But not that anyone but me, and maybe Will, might see, because of the dark thing that Jonathon, my brother, did..." (I never did ask my father what that dark thing was!) Winifred Watson was a typist working in a local colliery when she wrote her novel, and apparently it caused a bit of a stir at the time.
Thanks, Scott. I can tell you I have done just that, so fingers crossed! (But don't hold your breath...)
Sherri, thanks are due to you for pointing me in this direction!
Thanks, Mike, a very interesting bit of info. What was your father's name?
Good evening, Martin - I don't seem to know how to reply to your reply to my post, so I'll have to do a new one. My father, mentioned earlier, was Patrick Campbell - not the 'Call My Bluff' one, although they often got each other's post forwarded by the BBC (and the occasional cheque!). Among many other occupations he was a radio drama producer in the north region after the war before moving into television in the 1950s. In the crime field he obviously had a thing about Anthony Berkeley's 'Trial and Error' - he wrote a radio adaptation in 1949, and then a 6-part TV version in 1958 under the title 'Leave it to Todhunter'. And he did a radio adaptation of 'Malice Aforethought' in 1948. He also wrote an episode for the very first series of The Avengers (the Ian Hendry series), and for the ITV crime series 'Ghost Squad' and 'Shadow Squad'. I was amazed and delighted to find that two of his episodes of Shadow Squad (written under his pen name of Lloyd Barclay [!]) survived and were included on the DVD issued a few years back. Best wishes, Mike
Thanks, Mike, that's extremely interesting, especially the Berkeley/Iles connection. I suppose it's too much to hope that you still have the scripts?
Sadly, I don't have those scripts. I have some of his work, but a lot of his papers were destroyed in a fire. I am pleased that at least I could find and download the cuttings from Radio Times, including a piece he wrote to accompany the radio adaptation of Trial and Error, about the Pelliozzi case in 1866 which apparently was Anthony Berkeley's inspiration for Trial and Error. Is that something you're familiar with? If I knew how to I'd attach it to this note, but it's in Radio Times edition of 12 November 1948 and this link might work! https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/page/c29cbc78aca94551882f27ed8d06acdc?page=4
Best wishes, Mike
Whoops! Just checked, and realised that in The Story of Classic Crime in 100 Books you do mention the case which inspired Berkeley (but it is a while since I read it, so that's my excuse for forgetting!)
Mike
Thanks, Mike. I couldn't access with that link, but if you could email me with an attachment I'd be most grateful - I'm at martinedwards10@btconnect.com
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