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The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey: A Nonfiction Novel
As compelling as fiction, The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey tells the dramatic story of the disappearance of nineteen-year-old Nell Cropsey from her riverside home in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in November 1901. Bloodhounds, detectives, divers, and even a psychic were brought in to search for her. In the ensuing weeks, the story was taken up by major newspapers from Norfolk, Virginia, to New York City, putting the eastern North Carolina river-port town on the map and turning the case of "Beautiful Nell Cropsey" into a national sensation. Bland Simpson, who first heard the tale as an Elizabeth City schoolboy, weaves this true story into a colorful account told in three first-person voices: Nell's sister Ollie, who blamed herself for the part she played in her sister's fate; famous newspaper editor W. O. Saunders, who covered the case as a fledgling reporter; and Nell's suitor Jim Wilcox, who was implicated in the case. Nell and Jim's romance, her disappearance, the great search, and the community's feelings of excitement, anger, and frustration are artfully reconstructed from interviews, court records, and newspaper accounts. The result is a fascinating retelling of Nell Cropsey's story. But it is also an evocative look at a particular time and place, when the disappearance of a beautiful young girl could rivet the attention of a community and a nation.
Book Details
- Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
- Publish Date: Sep 1st, 1993
- Pages: 184
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 7.94in - 4.72in - 0.54in - 0.47lb
- EAN: 9780807844328
- Categories: • Murder - General
About the Author
Simpson, Bland: - Bland Simpson teaches writing at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is the author of The Great Dismal: A Carolinian's Swamp Memoir and The Heart of the Country, a novel of southern music. He is also a member of the Red Clay Ramblers, the internationally acclaimed string band.
Praise for this book
"Simpson persuasively re-creates the decorously frenzied, boomtown atmosphere of turn-of-the-century Elizabeth City in the grip of a tabloid mystery complete with bloodhounds, anonymous tipsters, and a famous spiritualist."--Kirkus Reviews
"An arresting and elegant meditation on guilt and innocence and the inscrutability of human behavior."--Philadelphia Inquirer
"Simpson weaves a compelling story of beauty and despair."--Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Bland Simpson conveys images for all senses and his characters are powerful and authentic. The story is a haunting one."--Mostly Murder