Death and Mary Dazill

by Mary Fitt, Curtis Evans (Introduction)

‘Is it wise to evoke these memories—to raise these ghosts—after all these years?’

After attending a burial in an old country churchyard, Superintendent Mallett and his friends are struck by the sight of two elderly ladies, regally dressed in black and accompanied by their uniformed chauffeur, placing an elaborate wreath on the graveyard’s most imposing monument. The vicar confirms that the Misses de Boulter of Chetwode Lodge have placed fresh flowers on the tomb of their father and brother every week for the last fifty years. In the opposite corner of the churchyard lies the small, neglected grave of one Mary Dazill. In flashbacks, we learn how everything goes wrong in the lives of the two sisters when their father brings the enigmatic Mary home and proposes to marry her. Soon, murder ensues, and a fatalistic mystery with the emotional echoes of a Greek tragedy.

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.

Genres: Mystery

178 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

"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.

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

"No man is an island entire of itself: every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main:"

John Donne's words are entirely apposite anent this most literate of mysteries. Two of the female protagonists are named Lindisfarne and Arran, and, despite their apparent seclusion for for nigh on fifty years, the events of the past in fact connect them to an all too real world of unexplained deaths.

"Only connect!... Live in fragments no longer." E M Forster and "Howards End" kept on coming Into my mind as I read Mary Fitt's excellent tale of the corrosive effect of Mary Dazill on the de Boulter family and on one of their friends. Both books are concerned with social conventions, codes of conduct and relationships, although this one is set twenty years earlier. Neither displays events through rose-tinted lenses.

As Mrs Barratt, the vicar's wife who is the narrator of much of the story says to one of the "detectives" :-

‘You are a romantic, Dr. Fitzbrown,’ she murmured, but in so low a tone that the others did not hear. ‘It’s a very dangerous thing to be—especially about the past. The past has a way of trying to come to life again—at our expense, sometimes.'

The structuring of the story is interesting. Mrs Barratt's mother had been a minor player in the tragedies enacted at Chetwode Lodge and it is her memories and interpretation of events to which we, Superintendent Mallet and Drs. Fitzbrown and Jones are made privy, before the startling revelations of the final part of the story.

The writing is good, very clear and, at times, beautiful without being self-consciously literary. Just one example, on the death of Leonard de Boulter.

‘And now he had gone, as suddenly and strangely as a sunbeam, which one minute is shining in through a window, and the next minute has vanished, leaving only a lack of it, a sense of chill and shadow where there was brightness before.'

There are chill and shadow a-plenty, echoes of M R James, as Curtis Evans points out in his well-considered Introduction.

One of the most effective pieces of detective fiction I have read in a long time. Acute, as Fitt ever is, on the nuances and psychology underpinning family and other relationships.

4.5 stars.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very unusual story, very well told. I had just given up on another novel so I was feeling a little sluggish about starting a new book, but this one drew me in and held my attention! The jumps between past and present are smooth and clear, and the characters interesting and nuanced. Fair warning: you're not going to get a full exposé of all that transpired at the end.

[Austen to Zafón · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling novel, published in 1941, that is a mystery with a gothic bent. It alternates between an old woman re-telling the events around some mysterious deaths in a village family when she was a girl in the Victorian era, and being in the action, as it were, at the time of the events, allowing the author to show us parts of the story that the teller wouldn't have known.

The gothic feel comes from the heightened emotions, hidden secrets, and repression in the family, as well as the emotional collapse of one of the characters.

At the time, a review in In the Liverpool Daily Post gave a glowing review:

"Mary Fitt’s new story ‘Death and Mary Dazill’… may, I suppose, be called a thriller, and it does thrill. Miss Fitt creates an atmosphere which is disturbing: her power in this respect reminds of Mrs. Belloc Lowndes [author of the crime-thriller classic The Lodger and other works]. Mary Dazill is a beautiful, rather mysterious girl, almost a wraith one would call her… she produces a tremendous and tragic disturbance in the house she enters a sort of governess. The nature of the disturbance I must leave the reader to discover. Miss Fitt tells her story with remarkable skill and… she writes with distinction."

I did not guess the outcome, and I enjoyed the big reveal at the end. I read it all in one sitting on an overseas flight and it kept my attention.

[Liz Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting and unique read!

As the reader, you switch between past and present storytelling of the mystery. Sometimes you are in the present with the narrator as she recalls what her mother told her of Mary Dazill and the Boulter family, while for the majority of it you live out the mystery as the narrators mother experienced it. I really enjoyed this aspect of the novel.

I do wish the end had been more fleshed out and less abrupt. You don’t get all the answers you’re looking for so it feels a little undone and rushed, however the novel is clever and keeps you guessing until the very end (like literally the last page).

I would definitely read another book by this author!

[Daisy Madder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly haunting little story

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky but intriguing golden age crime novel.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read about 5 Mary Fitt books which I thoroughly enjoyed. (I was also pleased that the author was a lesbian, which is slightly ridiculous but there you are.)

The books are in some ways old fashioned crime novels, in some ways "women's novels" and in others psychological studies. This one is around secrets and jealousy and has a fascinating clinging atmosphere. I'm also convinced that Dr Fitzbrown and Superintendent Mallet are gay together.

Haven't read a dud one of her books yet. She seems to have been massively overlooked in favour of Christie etc. They are definitely worth a read.

[Anna Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I learned about Mary Fitt (real name Kathleen Freeman) the author's story was so interesting that I was sure her mysteries would be, as well. Unfortunately, this work didn't really grab me. It seemed improbable that one witness could relate the details of a death 50 years prior to a detective with enough clarity that he could determine that it was murder and identify the guilty party... yeah. No. My modern sensibilities were also irritated by the assumption that the child of problematic parents would also be problematic; it smacked of eugenics at its height, which, of course, was when this book was written. Still, it was a unique mystery and a reasonable puzzle, even if the motives and characters feel less authentic 80 years later.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the Audible version of this book. It was a simple story, but well-written and engaging. A classic “whodunnit” in a small English town. The AI narrator made me a little crazy, though. She pronounced Mary’s last name three different ways throughout the book - sometimes two different ways in the same paragraph. Maddening. I’ll make sure to avoid any AI readers in choosing future books.

[Richie Bannister-Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this. A small group attending a funeral notice 2 well to do ladies visiting the grave of their brother and father. Then we hear the story of what led to their demise. Could not put it down. Would highly recommend

[Tammy Cullers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gothic, atmospheric tale that kept me engaged.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Loved the writing style and very entertaining

[Jessie Atack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book that I’ve read by the author Mary Fitt and it won’t be the last. A very enjoyable read, quite short so ideal for a holiday or journey.
The edition I read had a very helpful introduction by Curtis Evans.
Characters are reasonably well drawn and I was intrigued by the plot and what was going to happen but I really want to finish it. However, they just wasn’t enough for me to give it a 5 stars.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I raced through this book, but was somewhat disappointed by the end. The author seems to think that the killer was the "least likely person," but I disagree. There were no least likely characters in the book. And she never really revealed what the title character was like, which was the real mystery in the book.

However, I gave this four stars because of the supremely intelligent writing, which is not something you often find in a detective novel.