Faulkner's Folly

In Short

Set on a lavish Long Island estate, this mystery centers on the sudden murder of artist Eric Stannard, who is killed in his home studio under seemingly impossible circumstances. Detective Bobsy Roberts and famed investigator Alan Ford probe a web of jealousy, altered wills, and missing emeralds. Suspects include the victim's neglected wife, his young muse, his son, and a family friend. Rich with period detail and theatrical turns—including a fake medium and a midnight vigil—the novel endures as an entertaining golden-age style puzzle of secret motives and clever misdirection.

The Story

The tragedy takes place at Faulkner's Folly, a magnificent Colonial-style mansion on Long Island originally built by an architect who lost his fortune, leaving his widow, Beatrice Faulkner, as a guest in her former home. The current master, famous artist Eric Stannard, is found stabbed in the neck with an etcher's needle inside his grand studio. The crime occurs in a brief interval of sudden darkness, preceded by a gasping cry. Because the studio's major exits and windows are either blocked, inaccessible, or under the direct gaze of the footman Blake, the murder appears to be an inside job committed by someone already in the house.

Local police detective Bobsy Roberts spearheads the initial investigation. Suspicion immediately falls upon two women: Joyce Stannard, Eric's coolly dignified wife, and Natalie Vernon, a blonde young woman living at the estate. Joyce admits to having overheard her husband telling another woman that he would give her emeralds but would never divorce Joyce. Meanwhile, a forged change in Eric's will—altering a bequest from seven thousand dollars to seventy thousand—complicates the motives, pointing toward financial greed alongside personal jealousy. Barry Stannard, Eric’s fiercely protective son who is in love with Natalie, attempts to take the blame himself to shield her from arrest.

Adding to the confusion, a mysterious fortune teller named Madame Orienta arrives and performs a dramatic, trancelike séance and sealed-envelope reading, claiming mystic insight into the crime. However, her supernatural display is merely a front. As suspicion bounces between Joyce, Natalie, Barry, and family friend Eugene Courtenay, the household hires the celebrated private detective Alan Ford.

Ford approaches the case with methodical logic. He exposes Madame Orienta’s séance as a parlor trick executed with a hidden pocket flashlight beneath her heavy robes. To solve the crime, Ford insists on spending the night alone in the dark studio to reconstruct the exact physical conditions of the murder. At three o'clock in the morning, the lights flick off, and the gasping groan is heard once more. Ford follows the clues out of the room and up the grand staircase. There, he uncovers the truth: Beatrice Faulkner is the culprit. Driven by an intense, hidden passion and bitter resentment over the loss of her beloved home, she committed the murder and used the house's architecture to manipulate the household. Her guilt revealed, the living members of the estate are cleared of suspicion, leaving Barry and Natalie to build a future together and Joyce to eventually find peace.

How It Unfolds

A sudden death in the studio Eric Stannard is found dying in his studio armchair with an etcher's needle plunged into his neck, moments after the lights mysteriously go out.

The initial interrogation Coroner Lamson and detective Bobsy Roberts question the household, discovering that both Joyce Stannard and Natalie Vernon were near the studio doors when the crime occurred.

Secrets and stolen emeralds Joyce confesses to overhearing her husband refuse a divorce, while missing jewels and a tampered will raise questions about who truly stood to gain from Eric's death.

The mystic's séance Madame Orienta visits Faulkner's Folly to hold a dramatic reading, swaying the household with seemingly supernatural insights into the night of the murder.

Enter Alan Ford Baffled by conflicting confessions and equal motives, the family retains master detective Alan Ford, who immediately sets out to separate theatrical misdirection from physical evidence.

The midnight trap Ford spends the night alone in the studio, recreating the setting of the murder until the lights go out and the killer's path up the main staircase is finally exposed.

The People

• Eric Stannard: A wealthy, charismatic, and mocking artist whose romantic entanglements and sarcastic nature provoke fatal resentment in his household.
• Joyce Stannard: Eric’s dignified wife, who endures his alternating devotion and neglect; her presence near the studio door during the blackout makes her a primary suspect.
• Natalie Vernon: A young woman with a striking face who insists she is burdened by unwanted male attention; she is torn between her affection for Barry and the suspicion surrounding the altered will.
• Barry Stannard: Eric's hot-tempered son, who loves Natalie and is willing to falsely confess to his father's murder to protect her from the law.
• Beatrice Faulkner: The widow of the mansion’s original owner, who remains living at Faulkner's Folly as a guest while hiding dark motives and deep grievances.
• Bobsy Roberts: An eager, intelligent police detective who finds himself stymied by the equal opportunities and motives shared by the key suspects.
• Alan Ford: A physically imposing and brilliantly analytical detective brought in to solve the crime through calm logic and physical deduction.

In Its Own Voice

"A perfectly designed and nobly proportioned staircase is perhaps the finest indoor background for a beautiful woman, but though Mrs. Faulkner had often taken advantage of this knowledge, there was no such thought in her mind just now." Beatrice Faulkner descends the grand stairs while watching a footman peer suspiciously through a doorway.

"It was a clever dodge. You didn't know the women would be implicated, but when they were, however you might regret that, you couldn't confess your own guilt----" Detective Bobsy Roberts confronts Eugene Courtenay with a theory regarding the blackout in the studio.

"You see, if a message is written with ink, and if the paper is slipped, unfolded, into a moderately thin envelope, the writing can be read with ease in the dark by holding an electric pocket flashlight behind the envelope." Alan Ford explains the simple mechanics behind Madame Orienta's seemingly miraculous sealed-letter trick.

What It's Really About

Beneath its classic murder-mystery structure, the book examines the destructive nature of obsession, deceit, and vanity within high society. The grand estate of Faulkner's Folly serves as a symbol of pride and material ruin, having already claimed the life of its bankrupt creator before becoming the backdrop for Eric Stannard's death. The novel contrasts superficial appearances—such as Natalie’s innocent "doll-face" or Orienta's mystical aura—with the calculating truths hidden beneath. It explores how jealousy and possessiveness drive people to extreme acts, while showing how genuine loyalty, seen in Barry's willingness to sacrifice himself for Natalie, can ultimately endure the fallout of a scandal.

Why Read It Today

Fans of early twentieth-century detective fiction will appreciate Faulkner's Folly for its traditional country-house setting and tidy procedural puzzle. Carolyn Wells constructs a classic whodunit filled with period tropes: a sprawling estate with architectural quirks, a locked-room atmosphere, a forged document, and a fake spiritualist. Readers who enjoy unraveling clues alongside investigators will relish the contrast between the straightforward, persistent police detective Bobsy Roberts and the smooth, expert intellect of Alan Ford.

The story moves at an engaging pace, leaning heavily on snappy dialogue, formal interrogations, and dramatic set pieces. While modern readers may find the gender tropes and melodramatic character reactions typical of 1917 popular fiction, the core mystery remains cleverly constructed. The satisfying resolution relies on physical logic and keen observation rather than leap-of-faith guessing, making it an enjoyable, nostalgic read for cozy mystery enthusiasts.