The Bellamy Trial

Devotees of classic courtroom thrillers like Witness for the Prosecution will be enthralled by this reissue in the American Mystery Classics series of a seminal legal drama first published in 1927. Hart (1890–1943) effectively employs a chorus to supplement the proceedings: a veteran male reporter and a rookie female journalist, both unnamed, whose commentary keeps the detailed questioning of witnesses and legal arguments during a sensational murder trial in Bellechester, N.Y., from becoming dry. Stephen Bellamy and Susan Ives are charged with the fatal stabbing of Stephen’s wife, Mimi, a cause célèbre that the male reporter cynically describes as the latest “crime of the century.” According to the prosecution, their motive was fear that Mimi would run off with Susan’s husband, with whom Mimi was once in love. Hart does a good job playing with expectations by first presenting the prosecution’s case against Stephen and Susan before testimony and cross-examination suggest an alternative explanation for Mimi’s murder. Perry Mason fans will rejoice. (Nov.)