The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey..., Bland Simpson
The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey..., Bland Simpson
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The Mystery of Beautiful Nell Cropsey
A Nonfiction Novel

Author: Bland Simpson

Narrator: Bland Simpson

Unabridged: 4 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/01/2022

Synopsis

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.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Randy on October 24, 2020

I hoped this would be something like the murder of Mary Rogers--I just signed up for a talk about her in NJ in November. Instead, there's just a slow "nonfiction novel" based on the truth, but without any supposition of what might have happened to Nell, who, it turns out, wasn't particularly beautif......more

Goodreads review by Hayley on November 24, 2019

Disclaimer: Bland Simpson, the author of this book, was my honors thesis advisor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reading this book brought back memories of Bland telling our class stories as a part of his teaching style. No one loves eastern North Carolina, its landscape and its......more

Goodreads review by Michele on August 06, 2023

DNF for me......more

Goodreads review by Todd on June 09, 2015

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......more

Goodreads review by Avary on November 22, 2009

Interesting to read, particularly since we just visited Hertford and Elizabeth City. It's frustrating that the mystery of her death has not been solved.......more

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