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The Yellow Brick Road
One day Jody was found lying at the foot of a staircase on her way to give a client a beauty treatment. When she recovered and talked of a man with a goat and a yellow-and-black front door, her brother-in-law and Charles, her fiancé, told her she was imagining things. But Jody was unconvinced, and determined to find the man she remembered, leading a small goat.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1960
53 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Cadell
102 books118 followersViolet Elizabeth Vandyke was born on 10 November 1903 in Calcutta, British Raj, daughter of British parents, Elizabeth Lynch and Frederick Reginald Vandyke, a colonial officer. During the Great War she studied music in London, but refused a musical career and returned to India where she married in 1928 Henry Dunlop Raymond Mallock Cadell, and they had a son and daughter. After she was widowed ten years later, she returned to England.
Elizabeth wrote her first book 'My Dear Aunt Flora' during the Second World War in 1946, there after producing another 51 light-hearted, humourous and romantic books which won her a faithful readership in England and America. In addition to England and India, many of her books are set in Spain, France, and Portugal. She finally settled in Portugal, where her married daughter still lived.
She died on 9 October 1989, aged eighty-five.
Elizabeth wrote her first book 'My Dear Aunt Flora' during the Second World War in 1946, there after producing another 51 light-hearted, humourous and romantic books which won her a faithful readership in England and America. In addition to England and India, many of her books are set in Spain, France, and Portugal. She finally settled in Portugal, where her married daughter still lived.
She died on 9 October 1989, aged eighty-five.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 30, 2019
I like British mysteries because they are cosy - there are no hard-fisted, hard-drinking detectives; no despicable mafia dons; no distressing scenes where the third-degree is applied to hapless victims... but there are country houses and boat trips, beautiful heroines and intrepid heroes, and bodies (usually of titled gentlemen) turning up mysteriously in libraries. The whole mystery would be rather like a parlour puzzle which the detective would explain in the end and we, the readers, will be satisfied if we swallowed all the red herrings and missed the big picture completely.
Elizabeth Cadell's novel is a bit different from the usual British fare that there is no whodunit. The story does not start from a murder and move ahead from there - rather, it's about the young beautician Jody Hern who wakes up from a nasty bump on the head while on the way to visit a client. Apparently she has fallen down a staircase. The image of a man leading a goat to a door painted half in yellow and half in black is etched in her mind after the fall - and it frightens her somehow. Jody believes it's a real memory - something she saw just before she had her mishap - but all others including her doctor believe it's a hallucination. Now Jody must prove them wrong and herself right: and this quest lands her in a juicy mystery.
Jody keeps house for her scatterbrained sister Estelle and her husband Michael down in the country. Michael is busy with his school, which is his whole life. Jody is engaged to Charles Vaughn, the science master at the institution. She spends her time shuttling between the country and London, where she works as a beautician, and where her temperamental and brilliant aunt Lady Cleeve is located.
Lady Cleeve is the only person even halfway willing to believe Jody - and it is she who ultimately stumbles on the key to the mysterious vision. This results in Jody meeting Desmond Huntley, sailor on shore leave who becomes besotted with her and wants to help her to further dig into the mystery of her accident - and suddenly, we have a full-fledged thriller on our hands.
***
As mysteries go, this is only average - the concept is a bit lame, and I was able to guess part of it. However, it is well written and moves at a steady clip, with suspense and romance in equal measure; rather like one of Alfred Hitchcock's lighter efforts (in fact, it would have made a good Hitchcock movie). And the writing is enjoyable. A few samples:
Elizabeth Cadell's novel is a bit different from the usual British fare that there is no whodunit. The story does not start from a murder and move ahead from there - rather, it's about the young beautician Jody Hern who wakes up from a nasty bump on the head while on the way to visit a client. Apparently she has fallen down a staircase. The image of a man leading a goat to a door painted half in yellow and half in black is etched in her mind after the fall - and it frightens her somehow. Jody believes it's a real memory - something she saw just before she had her mishap - but all others including her doctor believe it's a hallucination. Now Jody must prove them wrong and herself right: and this quest lands her in a juicy mystery.
Jody keeps house for her scatterbrained sister Estelle and her husband Michael down in the country. Michael is busy with his school, which is his whole life. Jody is engaged to Charles Vaughn, the science master at the institution. She spends her time shuttling between the country and London, where she works as a beautician, and where her temperamental and brilliant aunt Lady Cleeve is located.
Lady Cleeve is the only person even halfway willing to believe Jody - and it is she who ultimately stumbles on the key to the mysterious vision. This results in Jody meeting Desmond Huntley, sailor on shore leave who becomes besotted with her and wants to help her to further dig into the mystery of her accident - and suddenly, we have a full-fledged thriller on our hands.
***
As mysteries go, this is only average - the concept is a bit lame, and I was able to guess part of it. However, it is well written and moves at a steady clip, with suspense and romance in equal measure; rather like one of Alfred Hitchcock's lighter efforts (in fact, it would have made a good Hitchcock movie). And the writing is enjoyable. A few samples:
She pitied, deeply and sincerely, her married friends, especially those among them who, since the disappearance of servants, found themselves in the humiliating position of having to minister to their menfolk. They had been lured into marriage by strange biological urges, and there they were, stuck with husbands. Not for them the delicious little salads of asparagus flanked by two halves of tomato; not for them the charm of quiet evenings passed in satisfying solitude, or the cool, uninvaded bed with its silken hangings and a bedroom whose door was opened only to admit the morning tea. The poor things, however, had made their marriage beds and they must lie on them.This is the kind of book you breeze through on an afternoon, when you are too lazy to do anything else.
***
“It works out,” she said. “If you’ve got any intelligence and if you’re not too starry-eyed about a man, you can sum him up pretty well before you marry him. You take him as he is. Sometimes you’d rather have him changed in this way or in that, but on the whole you’re happy putting up with him as he is. If that isn’t romance, it’s something better: it’s marriage..."
***
The watchword of half the English nation is: don’t get mixed up in it.
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June 1, 2011Stumbled on this at the library and the retro cover caught my eye. Ha! It's not retro, it's a mystery of sorts written back in 1959 by British author Elizabeth Cadell (aka Harriet Ainsworth). I was entranced by this book. It's kind of a "cosy," but not saccharine or corny, which that subgenre seems to be in spades these days. This book has a genteel exterior (it's very British), but an undercurrent of true (if understated) menance. I truly enjoyed it--it reminded me of a good 40s or early 50s crime movie with someone like Jean Arthur or Greer Garson in the lead. I'd definitely recommend it, and will be looking for more novels by Ms. Cadell--she has quite a backlist.
November 6, 2023
Written in the style of the traditional detective story, Cadell combines mystery and romance, much to my delight. Jody feels her sanity is slipping, or at least, that others are trying to convince her that it is. One minute she is on the way to a client's home to deliver a beauty treatment and the next she awakes in a hospital bed. All she can remember is a man with a goat...no wonder no one believes her! How many goats are found in the middle of London? She is also overwhelmed by a feeling of dread! Everyone tries to convince her to leave it alone, but when the man, sans goat, arrives on her doorstep...in true detective fashion, the chase is on! And she discovers that her life is not what it has seemed. She was right to be fearful.
April 11, 2015
Romantic suspense from the 1950s. Jody divides her time between her job as a visiting beautician in London, and providing domestic help in the prep school run by her brother-in-law Michael and her sister. But the story opens with her recovering from a nasty fall down the stairs of a building she was visiting to administer a beauty treatment. The problem is, that Jody remembers shards of images that simply don't fit in with the circumstances of her accident. Where does this vague memory come from of having seen a young man pulling a goat along... in the middle of London? What about the image of door that's half yellow and half black? Jody's family and her fiance, Charles, insist that she should forget all about these hallucinations. Michael is too busy with his prep school, Jody's sister is too busy with her chamber music trio, and her fiance is too busy sailing back and across the Channel, testing out yachts he's considering buying.
Then Jody's aunt overhears a conversation that leads Jody straight to... a goat in the middle of a London garden! The next thing she knows, the young man everybody insisted was a hallucination of a concussed brain, shows up at Jody's aunt's door, and turns out to be a quite respectable naval officer. Jody is now convinced that there is something fishy about her accident. But between her sceptical family members and her absent fiance, the only one who seems to believe her is her new naval friend. Together they follow a trail that involves a beautiful blonde, blood stains on the carpet, the sinister Mr. Kennedy, and various members of the school's staff.
This was a fun read. Some of it was very fifties, such as the repeated and sad statements about how all the great country houses are going to ruin after WWII. Here and there are foreshadowings of the sixties, such as references to young men with too-long hair, and coffee bars where boys and girls mingle freely. I liked the humor as well. Who cannot smile at the image of a man trying to coax a goat along the cobblestones of a London mews? Or at the painful atonal music inflicted on Jody's ears by her sister's beloved musical trio ?
Then Jody's aunt overhears a conversation that leads Jody straight to... a goat in the middle of a London garden! The next thing she knows, the young man everybody insisted was a hallucination of a concussed brain, shows up at Jody's aunt's door, and turns out to be a quite respectable naval officer. Jody is now convinced that there is something fishy about her accident. But between her sceptical family members and her absent fiance, the only one who seems to believe her is her new naval friend. Together they follow a trail that involves a beautiful blonde, blood stains on the carpet, the sinister Mr. Kennedy, and various members of the school's staff.
This was a fun read. Some of it was very fifties, such as the repeated and sad statements about how all the great country houses are going to ruin after WWII. Here and there are foreshadowings of the sixties, such as references to young men with too-long hair, and coffee bars where boys and girls mingle freely. I liked the humor as well. Who cannot smile at the image of a man trying to coax a goat along the cobblestones of a London mews? Or at the painful atonal music inflicted on Jody's ears by her sister's beloved musical trio ?
November 24, 2013
While browsing the library shelves I came across a lot of Cadell's books. Most had bright old-timey covers and still had pockets in the back. I figured if they weren't in the library stacks they must still be getting circulated and worth reading. The Yellow brick road title only refers to following a path to it's conclusion. Hmm not the best title choice. The story involves a "modern" woman Jody who has just had a bad accident. Set in the 1950's, Jody was traveling to an appointment to give a beauty treatment when she apparently fell down a flight of stairs and injured the back of her head.
While recovering at the seaside middle school owned by her sister and brother - in - law own and run, she had some odd thoughts and emotions. Jody had fears of a man with a goat and a door painted yellow and black. Her fears are dismissed by her fiance/school teacher Charles and Michael the headmaster and sister's husband.
Only Jody's aunt a man hating titled Lady gives Jody's story some consideration. They search the area for a yellow and black door to no avail. But her aunt later hears of a goat in London in the area. Jody finds the goat and eventually meets the man who was pulling it. She faints but realizes Desmond Huntley a naval officer was not involved her fall. He is on leave and eager to help Jody solve the mystery. They become friends and eventually the odd story is brought to conclusion with some drama. Desmond thinks Charles doesn't appreciate Jody's beauty or feelings. This was like the Charlotte Armstrong mysteries- mild, a hint of romance - a kiss- and some red herrings. I see other books have a higher rating. I might try one more but this was just dated and very low key British suspense.
While recovering at the seaside middle school owned by her sister and brother - in - law own and run, she had some odd thoughts and emotions. Jody had fears of a man with a goat and a door painted yellow and black. Her fears are dismissed by her fiance/school teacher Charles and Michael the headmaster and sister's husband.
Only Jody's aunt a man hating titled Lady gives Jody's story some consideration. They search the area for a yellow and black door to no avail. But her aunt later hears of a goat in London in the area. Jody finds the goat and eventually meets the man who was pulling it. She faints but realizes Desmond Huntley a naval officer was not involved her fall. He is on leave and eager to help Jody solve the mystery. They become friends and eventually the odd story is brought to conclusion with some drama. Desmond thinks Charles doesn't appreciate Jody's beauty or feelings. This was like the Charlotte Armstrong mysteries- mild, a hint of romance - a kiss- and some red herrings. I see other books have a higher rating. I might try one more but this was just dated and very low key British suspense.
December 1, 2013
Excellent. I was expecting something quite different and was literally blown backwards by how good this story was. Definitely echoes of a 40's mystery. Could imagine Hitchcock doing a movie with this. And I would so love it. How nice to run across a little gem every once in a while. Even though I'm already a huge fan of Elizabeth Cadell. This is a lovely, fun, mysterious departure. I kept trying to imagine who I would cast for the main characters. Lol!
October 29, 2012
Classic Cadell. I'd forgotten how much I lover her dialogue and characters.
September 24, 2024
Weird little mystery but entertaining.
November 24, 2024
Not my favorite of this author.
July 10, 2023
Although this is only my second book by Cadell, and I didn't quite like it as much as the first one I read, I think she is my new jam. I like her style, she is sort of a whimsical B. Pym.
In this book we meet Jody who has taken a tumble, and cannot remember an hour or so of her life. We get some vague clues along the way, an extremely awkward love interest, an absent fiance, and a well to do man hating aunt. Eventually everything gets straighten out and we get our HEA.
Favorite Quote
"Nancy says that falling in love is like shopping—you look at a lot of things and can’t make up your mind, and suddenly... there’s exactly what you want, exactly what you’ve been looking for. And if you’re wise, you grab it and stop looking."
In this book we meet Jody who has taken a tumble, and cannot remember an hour or so of her life. We get some vague clues along the way, an extremely awkward love interest, an absent fiance, and a well to do man hating aunt. Eventually everything gets straighten out and we get our HEA.
Favorite Quote
"Nancy says that falling in love is like shopping—you look at a lot of things and can’t make up your mind, and suddenly... there’s exactly what you want, exactly what you’ve been looking for. And if you’re wise, you grab it and stop looking."
February 17, 2020
I generally enjoy Elizabeth Cadell's writing for her wry wit, and quirky characters. This book, I felt, lacked both. Most of the characters seemed two dimensional - except perhaps the heroine's aunt, Lady Clever. The plot had plenty of twists and turns and a strong element of suspense, I I found it a bit far fetched. Overall, i did not enjoy this one of Elizabeth Cadell's as much as I have enjoyed her others.
July 22, 2018
Nice light mystery/romance. Set in 1950’s London. It is paced well. I felt like I was reading a 1950’s black and white movie. The mystery unfolds slowly but nothing is really figured out until the big reveal at the end.
July 23, 2018
This is the first book by this author that I’ve read (listened to on Audible, really) and I enjoyed it. Sometimes some of the things the characters did didn’t fully make sense to me, but it moved the plot along and I didn’t expected the ending of this mystery.
June 4, 2020
Very enjoyable if improbable. A great deal of it was like a dream or nightmare but for me that’s fine if you go along with it. I couldn’t help thinking that the heroine would wake up at the end (although what she’d wake up to was another matter).
January 2, 2022
I find it hard to believe that I've not entered this book on my shelf when I've read it so many times. This is one of Cadell's books that combines a genteel romance with a mystery. Definitely one of my favorites!
February 11, 2025
Cozy mystery!
She wakes at the bottom of the stairs with a nasty bump on her head. Did she pass out? Was she pushed? Why is she suddenly afraid of a strange man with a goat?!?
Romance, a firecracker spinster aunt, murder!
She wakes at the bottom of the stairs with a nasty bump on her head. Did she pass out? Was she pushed? Why is she suddenly afraid of a strange man with a goat?!?
Romance, a firecracker spinster aunt, murder!
August 26, 2021
3.5 stars
Readable, but dated with an unfathomable plot.
Readable, but dated with an unfathomable plot.
March 19, 2022
Very enjoyable mystery with lots of twists and turns, some interesting characters, and lots of goats. I couldn’t put it down.
April 6, 2022
A rather lame book.
I was hoping for a modern gothic mystery, but this was just not my cup of tea.
I was hoping for a modern gothic mystery, but this was just not my cup of tea.
June 13, 2024
Kind of melodramatic and not very convincing as a mystery/ thriller, but a light, entertaining read, as Cadell’s books usually are.
April 26, 2024
I didn't realise there was a theme of mystery stories running through a few of her books
Its fun but also convoluted..well this one was
A fun journey all the same
Its fun but also convoluted..well this one was
A fun journey all the same
August 9, 2018
I reread Cadell every so often when I want a breeze of uplift with some humor and some suspense. I'm so glad they are on Kindle now. Some titles I haven't read for years.
April 13, 2020
A satisfying, if old-fashioned, romance and a good, if old-fashioned, mystery plus Cadell's trademark wit and interesting characters adds up to a very nice comfort read.
May 27, 2020
Sort of a cross between a cozy mystery and romantic suspense this really was a page turner. In one respect I had a pretty good idea about whodunit - and I was right - but not exactly right which made for a satisfying denouement. Written in 1959 of course it's dated in terms of gender roles but that said Jody, Desmond and Fenella are all fairly up to date in their attitudes so that was refreshing! Highly recommend this vintage Cadell.
December 13, 2016
I normally love Elizabeth Cadell. This story was not one of my favorites. I would read Friendly Air or Corner Shop before this.
The plot twist revolved around a gang who smuggled watches?? Need I say more.
The plot twist revolved around a gang who smuggled watches?? Need I say more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 10, 2017Fun easy read.... I liked all of her books... good bedtime book!
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews