Bedelia by Vera Caspary
My January book sorting clean out, uncovered this gem, which from the scribbled pencil mark inside the front cover, I picked up for a dollar somewhere.
It was stacked behind some other books (oh, you don’t that too?) and was a tad dusty. So, I’ve had it for awhile. My hardback edition was published in 1945 and doesn’t look at all like the pretty cover to the left. My copy (lousy photo below) shows much wear and tear — and even sports a broken spine. It has been well read and most of its previous readers spilled food and drink upon its pages.
This poor volume almost went into the donation bag but, at the last minute, I rescued it to browse later. I had to see why it appealed to me in the first place…
While I was still in recovery from my recent malady, I picked up Bedelia, crawled under the duvet and read it practically cover to cover. This Goodreads blurb perfectly captures the appeal of this 1940 suspense novel:
Long before Desperate Housewives, there was Bedelia: pretty, ultra femme, and “adoring as a kitten.” A perfect housekeeper and lover, she wants nothing more than to please her insecure new husband, who can’t believe his luck. But is Bedelia too good to be true? A mysterious new neighbor turns out to be a detective on the trail of a “kitten with claws of steel”-a picture-perfect wife with a string of dead husbands in her wake.
Caspary builds this tale to a peak of psychological suspense as her characters are trapped together by a blizzard. The true Bedelia, the woman who chose murder over a life on the street, reveals how she turns male fantasies of superiority into a deadly con.
The story is simple but compelling. Architect, Charlie Horst falls for the beautiful widow Bedelia while on vacation. He quickly marries her and brings her back to his lovely home in Connecticut. He’s besotted (don’t you love that word?) with her, and as they entertain neighbors and friends – everyone else is entranced with Bedelia too. There is one sole exception to Bedelia’s charms — Ben the artist and temporary renter next door. Why is he so skeptical and interested in Bedelia’s past? (Cue suspenseful music…)
Bedelia is the perfect wife: She’s charming, bouncy, dresses to please her husband, she’s the perfect hostess. Other women are jealous – but even they can’t hate Bedelia. She’s too … well, perfect. But, something is surely awry. Then, her past starts surfacing…but that’s all I say. I don’t want to give away any more of the story.
Even though the story is set in 1913 (but written in the 40’s), Ms. Caspary casts the other female characters as career women who discuss men’s lack of respect for working women. They go on and lament that most men would prefer a submissive woman — just like Bedelia. I relished that the weaker woman is the one to be afraid of.
A modern reprint of Bedelia can be found via The Feminist Press through their series called Femmes Fatales: Women Write Pulp.
There was also a 1946 film adaption called Bedelia and starring Margaret Lockwood. Although they changed the setting to rural England.
Ms. Caspary also wrote Laura which was a major film success.
Much of the story is set during a blizzard – making it a great choice to read in a warm bed during a stormy day. Bedelia was fun, suspenseful, and certainly creepy.
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