Tue 27 Apr 2021
Stories I’m Reading: J. JEFFERSON FARJEON “Secrets in the Snow.â€
Posted by Steve under Stories I'm Reading[5] Comments
J. JEFFERSON FARJEON “Secrets in the Snow.†Short story. Included in Best Stories of the Underworld, edited by Peter Cheyney (Faber & Faber, hardcover, 1942; reprinted 1949). Original publication as yet unknown.
When a Christmas Eve motor-coach gets stuck in a snowstorm, a young woman named Janet, anxious to get to her destination and the house party waiting for her, decides to tag along after her taciturn seat companion, who heads off in the storm in the direction she is going. He tries to dissuade her, telling her that he’s from Scotland Yard and that he’s on a job.
She persists and begins to follow him anyway. Strangely, however, she discovers another set of footprints also on the trail she is following. Both are moving faster than she can, and she is all but lost when thankfully she comes to a small cottage with a fire going in the fireplace and a hot teapot set out on a small table.
She is alone, she thinks, but no, a small wizened caretaker pops his head in. But why he is a carrying a shovel, which has been recently used? Then, as she is changing into a warm set of closing, he disappears into the snow, and she hears a small cry out in the darkness.
Intrigued? If you’re not, you’re a much more a non-curious person than I. Also, if you’ve been reading this blog for a while, this story may remind you of a full-length novel, Mystery in White, which was also written by Farjeon and first published in 1937. A reprint edition came out in 2014, and I reviewed it here.
The mystery in “Secrets in the Snow†is wrapped up neatly and efficiently. It’s a crime story, not a detective tale, so fairness to the reader does not come into play, but its lack of length also means it’s short enough to not wear out its welcome. This one was fun.
April 27th, 2021 at 12:09 am
Farjeon also wrote a story with a similar title, “The Secret of the Snow,” which appeared in the February 9, 1929, issue of Detective Fiction Weekly. That story is said to feature a continuing character named Detective X. Crook, however, which suggests to me that the two tales are not the same.
If not, however, it’s quite possible that it’s yet a third variation on the same opening gambit: that of a train, coach or bus becoming stuck in the snow, with the passengers venturing out in a storm only to find a mysterious shelter waiting for them.
April 27th, 2021 at 12:23 am
I’m discomfited. Can’t visualize a ‘motorcoach’ from that particular year.
April 27th, 2021 at 9:14 am
As far as I know, the term motorcoach simply means a long distance passenger bus, and it is the terms used in Farjeon’s story. It’s the year the story takes place that I can’t tell you, except it’s pre-1942, when it was included in the Cheyney anthology. I don’t think it was original to the book, but it’s possible.
April 27th, 2021 at 7:46 pm
Farjeon was one of the masters of the pre Golden Age style, not always fair play, but always well written with a flair for drama and adventure. He remains one of the most readable writers of the era.
April 27th, 2021 at 8:07 pm
Enough so that when Mystery in White, mentioned in my review, was reprinted a few years ago, it was a huge — and surprising — commercial success.