Mystery in white A Christmas crime story

Age has not diminished this wintry tale, originally published in 1937, from British crime novelist Farjeon (1883-1955), whose Number 17 was the basis of the Hitchcock film of the same name. A train leaving London's Euston Station is stalled indefinitely by heavy snow. The occupants of a third-class train compartment opt to strike out on foot for nearby Hemmersby. Edward Maltby, of the Royal Psychical Society, goes first, followed by a group of four comprised of David and Lydia Carrington (brother and sister), clerk Robert Thomson, and chorus girl Jessie Noyes. Leaving singly are elderly bore Hopkins and a cockney calling himself Mr. Smith. They find a house unlocked and unoccupied but obviously ready for company. The house holds many secrets that will be revealed only at a high price. By the time the storm ends, four people will have been murdered, and the survivors, not the police, will deliver justice in the satisfying ending. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.