The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey: A Nonfiction Novel
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
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, and the case immediately became a national sensation. Bland Simpson, who first heard the tale as an Elizabeth City schoolboy, weaves this true story into a colorful nonfiction account, told in three first-person voices: Nell's sister Ollie; famous newspaper editor W. O. Saunders, who covered the case as a young reporter; and Jim Wilcox, Nell's beau, who was implicated in the case. Nell and Jim's romance, her disappearance, the great search, the trials, and their aftermath are artfully reconstructed from interviews, court records, and newspaper accounts.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0807844322
ISBN13:9780807844328
Release Date:September 1993
Publisher:University of North Carolina Press
Length:184 Pages
Weight:0.48 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 4.7" x 7.9"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
North Carolina mystery remains unsolved
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Nonfiction' recreation of events surrounding 1901 disappearance of Elizabeth City, NC 19-year-old Nell Cropsey. The facts of the book are nonfiction, with the only apparent fictional recreation some first-person omniscient thoughts by some of the main characters. The mystery, in real life and in the book, is not solved at the end, by the way, which leaves you torn between wanting to know who really did it, and enjoying the speculation about who may have done it and why and how.
A Wondeful Haunting Story from my Adopted Hometown
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
What a great and tragic story Simpson tells! Having moved to Elizabeth City three years ago, I'd heard the history and legend of the Cropsey murder, but this book brought so much life to it. Now when I jog by the old Cropsey place on Riverside, the Courthouse and Baptist Church on Main St, the bend on Road Street where Wilcox took his own life years later, Williams Circle (site of the old Fairgrounds where Nell visited the circus weeks before her death), the story is real and vivid. I also heartily recommend Simpson's "Ghost Ship of Diamond Shoals". Mr. Simpson affection for the North Carolina low-country is contagious. What a treat!
Entertaining, well-written historical murder mystery
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
The most interesting mysteries are those of a different generation. After Bland Simpson learned this simple lesson, he applied it, turning out an absorbing and true tale of murder, love and damning coincidence taken from the Victorian Age. The story takes place in remote Elizabeth City, N.C., and focuses upon the murder of a beautiful young woman and the possible involvement of her spurned lover. It follows the footsteps of those closest to the story and builds to a climax of uncertainty and mystery.
Very well written book. Couldn't put it down.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
I thought this book was very well written. I just wanted to keep reading and reading. I also enjoyed the pictures and maps. Great book. It is definately one I will read again.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
