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The Banquet Ceases
‘Call Bernard! I’ll see him—and you—in hell first!’
It is 1947 and a sumptuous banquet at Fairfield Manor is underway to celebrate Bernard Smith-Wilson’s recovery from a serious illness. Among the guests are Bernard’s childhood friend Rupert Lavering and his wife Louise. A war veteran and recipient of the Victoria Cross, Rupert has had trouble adjusting to peacetime, and was given a loan by Bernard to get started as a stockbroker six months previously. The wealthy Bernard is obsessed with Louise and uses the evening to separate the couple, threatening to ruin Lavering’s new business unless she agrees to divorce Rupert and marry him. Louise refuses and Bernard takes action, but the next morning he is found poisoned in his study. Circumstances initially point to Rupert, but it turns out several of the guests at Fairfield Manor have grievances against Bernard Smith-Wilson, and that anyone in the house could have accessed the atropine that killed him.
Mary Fitt was the pseudonym of Kathleen Freeman (1897–1959), a classical scholar who taught Greek at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire in Cardiff. Beginning in 1937, Freeman wrote twenty-nine mysteries and a number of short stories as Mary Fitt, and was elected to the Detection Club in 1950. Aside from her detective novels, Freeman published many books on classical Greece, scholarly articles and children’s stories. She lived in St Mellons in Wales with her partner Dr Liliane Marie Catherine Clopet, a family physician and author.
It is 1947 and a sumptuous banquet at Fairfield Manor is underway to celebrate Bernard Smith-Wilson’s recovery from a serious illness. Among the guests are Bernard’s childhood friend Rupert Lavering and his wife Louise. A war veteran and recipient of the Victoria Cross, Rupert has had trouble adjusting to peacetime, and was given a loan by Bernard to get started as a stockbroker six months previously. The wealthy Bernard is obsessed with Louise and uses the evening to separate the couple, threatening to ruin Lavering’s new business unless she agrees to divorce Rupert and marry him. Louise refuses and Bernard takes action, but the next morning he is found poisoned in his study. Circumstances initially point to Rupert, but it turns out several of the guests at Fairfield Manor have grievances against Bernard Smith-Wilson, and that anyone in the house could have accessed the atropine that killed him.
Mary Fitt was the pseudonym of Kathleen Freeman (1897–1959), a classical scholar who taught Greek at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire in Cardiff. Beginning in 1937, Freeman wrote twenty-nine mysteries and a number of short stories as Mary Fitt, and was elected to the Detection Club in 1950. Aside from her detective novels, Freeman published many books on classical Greece, scholarly articles and children’s stories. She lived in St Mellons in Wales with her partner Dr Liliane Marie Catherine Clopet, a family physician and author.
256 pages, Paperback
Published May 28, 2024
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About the author
Mary Fitt
50 books5 followers"Mary Fitt" was the pen-name used for her crime novels by Dr. Kathleen Freeman, who for several years was Lecturer in Greek at the University of Wales at Cardiff.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 8, 2026
I've read a few latter-day country-house mysteries recently. This is another, republished by Moonstone Press in a beautiful paperback edition with an interesting introduction by Curtis Evans. (Also on Kindle.)
The book is about people living in the aftermath of WW2, including extremely wealthy businessman Bernard Smith-Wilson and his glamorous best friend Rupert, a war hero who is now struggling with everyday life. Rupert and his wife, Louise, are invited to a banquet to celebrate Bernard's recovery from a serious illness. But Bernard is in love with Louise and determined to persuade her that her marriage is a mistake.
Several other tensions between guests at the banquet add to the dangerous atmosphere and it all leads to murder. I quite enjoyed the book, which has some interesting characters, particularly Rupert, but I found it a bit slow and thought the actual mystery plot wasn't all that strong. Also the series detective, Supt. Mallett, was rather colourless. I may read more by this author but I wasn't absolutely blown away by it.
The book is about people living in the aftermath of WW2, including extremely wealthy businessman Bernard Smith-Wilson and his glamorous best friend Rupert, a war hero who is now struggling with everyday life. Rupert and his wife, Louise, are invited to a banquet to celebrate Bernard's recovery from a serious illness. But Bernard is in love with Louise and determined to persuade her that her marriage is a mistake.
Several other tensions between guests at the banquet add to the dangerous atmosphere and it all leads to murder. I quite enjoyed the book, which has some interesting characters, particularly Rupert, but I found it a bit slow and thought the actual mystery plot wasn't all that strong. Also the series detective, Supt. Mallett, was rather colourless. I may read more by this author but I wasn't absolutely blown away by it.
June 18, 2024
The title here comes from a poetic work by the 18th century writer and landscape gardener William Shenstone and I assume that the details of the gardens of Fairfield Manor are inspired by his work.
The novel has a slightly artificial feel to it and, much of what concerns the reader is to do with behaviour and manners rather than murders and detection, with relationships and interactions rather than clues and alibis. Indeed much of what happens is either engineered or contrived by Bernard Smith-Wilson or is a consequence of his conniving.
Fitt’s skill is shown in the way she draws us first into sympathy with Bernard then to a growing realisation of his egotism, evil nature and abuse of position and wealth. Skilful too is her depiction of women who are fundamentally stronger than, and superior to, the men they love.
Although overall I found the narrative absorbing, and the writing as sharp and focused as ever, the denouement was very unsatisfying,with the solution given in a rather unusual confession.
Recommended, but by no means my favourite in this marvellous series of reprints.
3.5 stars.
The novel has a slightly artificial feel to it and, much of what concerns the reader is to do with behaviour and manners rather than murders and detection, with relationships and interactions rather than clues and alibis. Indeed much of what happens is either engineered or contrived by Bernard Smith-Wilson or is a consequence of his conniving.
Fitt’s skill is shown in the way she draws us first into sympathy with Bernard then to a growing realisation of his egotism, evil nature and abuse of position and wealth. Skilful too is her depiction of women who are fundamentally stronger than, and superior to, the men they love.
Although overall I found the narrative absorbing, and the writing as sharp and focused as ever, the denouement was very unsatisfying,with the solution given in a rather unusual confession.
Recommended, but by no means my favourite in this marvellous series of reprints.
3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews