This is a whodunnit murder mystery written in 1927 and set in Long Island New York. The reader follows the back story as an audience member at the trial of two people accused of murder. There is frequent "colour commentary" on the trial proceedings from a "red-haired" rookie reporter and an older veteran crime reporter. (I saw this as more a distraction from the story-telling than anything else).
It's an interesting structure for the mystery story. Readers need to suffer through the bluster of the prosecutor and a less than skilled defence attorney. Technical accuracy of the trial process does not figure into the story-telling. Despite that the concept is good, it is probably best for a stage or screen presentation, than a book. Shorter chapters would be welcome.
Highlights for me were the "reveal" after the verdict is rendered and the resulting conclusion of the story. It leaves the unanswered question for the reader to ponder: was Justice done? The Introduction by crime fiction author Hank Phillippi Ryan is informative and entertaining. It well worth reading, even if you decide not to read the book.
All in all, it's worth reading this book. The style of the writing is marred by the wordiness of the lawyers' speeches and the sometimes melodramatic prose. As Ms. Ryan wrote in the Introduction, it's "dated". The picture of the "county club" life of some of the characters contrasts with the hard scrabble existence of others, reflecting the 1927 setting. ( )

Madeleine Bellamy was found murdered in a gardener’s cottage on an estate belonging to the family of Susan Ives. Madeleine's husband, Stephen, and Susan are on trial for her murder. Madeleine appears to have been having an affair with Susan’s husband, Patrick, so on the surface it appears that the two jilted spouses put a stop to the affair in the most direct way possible. But is the truth that simple? This novel presents the trial, which lasts eight days, through the eyes of a pair of reporters covering the trial. I found it hard to put this book down. The chapters are long — each chapter covers a day of the trial — but the testimony and dialogue in the book make for an absorbing read. I was less thrilled with the reporters’ interjections, mainly because the male reporter struck me as patronizing (although that is likely accurate for 1927, the year of the book’s original publication). But the interjections did serve as a good way to break some of the tension and change the pace a bit. Otherwise the book would have been heavier going. I’d recommend this book to you if you like courtroom mysteries; this is one of the earliest ones. ( )

The Bellamy Trial by Frances Noyes Hart is an early 20th century courtroom drama focusing on the joint murder trial of Stephen Bellamy and Sue Ives, two of Long Island's "country club" set, accused of the murder of Madeleine Bellamy, Stephen's wife. Amidst a backdrop of wealth, jealousy, and secrets, the trial takes place over the course of eight days with all the juicy details of each witness's testimony displayed to help solve the mysterious case.

With close attention to detail throughout the story and subsequent plot twists and turns, The Bellamy Trial will keep readers guessing to the end. The courtroom setting was unique for a vintage mystery and I enjoyed seeing a glimpse into a arena that wasn't typically featured in older novels. The conclusion of the mystery was quite unexpected, though it did seem slightly hurried.

As far as the characters are concerned, I wasn't a fan of how the characters were introduced and used. The story is essentially told by two narrators, reporters present at the trial, who are unnamed. They didn't have a back story. This creates an unusual circumstance for me. Because I knew so little about them, I felt unconnected to them or their narration. The trial portions of the novel are written as observations with no personal insight into the trial or it's main players. I felt that since I didn't have an "inside" connection to the thoughts and feelings of any of the characters I didn't connect emotionally with the story. I felt as if I were reading a news article at times. Overall, this left me feeling a little underwhelmed and not really caring at times the outcome of the trial.

Despite it's problems, The Bellamy Trial was neat to read as it's one of the first courtroom dramas written. ( )