Auction News: Rare 1920s Letter Unveils Glimpse into Women’s Changing Roles

A fascinating piece of history is set to go under the hammer next month at Thistlethwaite & Sons, which offers a unique window into the lives of independent women in the 1920s.

The item is a recently discovered letter, part of the correspondence between a lady detective and a lady traveler from the Roaring Twenties. Experts predict this artifact will generate significant interest among historians and collectors specializing in the interwar period.

The letter, penned by a globetrotting Miss Blix Windway to her detective friend Miss Olive Belgrave, not only showcases the adventurous spirit of women in the 1920s, but also touches on a murder mystery set against the exotic backdrop of Egypt’s pyramids.

The letter is reproduced here with footnotes for readers who are interested in learning more about these two fascinating ladies. Fortunately, the case files of Olive Belgrave have been recovered and compiled in novel format.

Reproduction of Lot #295:

January, 1924

Shepheard’s Hotel
Cairo, Egypt

Dear Olive,
What a delight to receive your letter from snowy St. Moritz! And to think what a journey your missive has taken from the crisp Alpine air, across the Mediterranean Sea, to the scorching sands of Egypt.

It seems only yesterday we were gathered around the Christmas tree at Holly Hill Lodge,¹ doesn’t it? What a time that was!

I do hope you are enjoying your winter holiday. However, it sounds as if you’re enmeshed in intrigue yet again. I await a full explanation of your cryptic hints about nefarious doings on the ski slopes.²

I’ve settled in nicely here in Cairo, though the journey has been rather bumpy—and I’m not only referring to the dreadfully rough channel crossing. My initial traveling companion and I did not see eye to eye. Thankfully, I’ve since met the most delightful lady, Hildy Honeyworth, and she’s proven to be excellent company and we rub along well together.

Now, I hope you don’t mind, but I must ask for your advice. Unfortunately, there’s been a murder—among the pyramids,³ in fact —and the British authorities seem utterly uninterested in investigating. Ghastly of them, but here we are.

I know you’re familiar with this type of situation, and given your exemplary detective skills, I wondered if you might have any thoughts on how I should approach the situation? One cannot simply look the other way. Something must be done. Thank you in advance for any advice you can impart.

I do hope you’re having a splendid time in St. Moritz. I’ll look you up when I return to London and perhaps we can meet for tea at the Savoy.

Your friend,
Blix Windway

¹ Murder on a Midnight Clear (Book 6 in the High Society Lady Detective series)
² Murder in the Alps (Book 8 in the High Society Lady Detective series)
³ Murder Among the Pyramids (Book 1 in the 1920s Lady Traveler in Egypt series)

Murder Among the Pyramids, A 1920s Lady Traveler in Egypt Mystery Book 1
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release: October 2024
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Escape on an Egyptian Excursion to the Land of the Pyramids!

Tour highlights include: Hieroglyphics and high tea in the desert, followed by murder after sunset . . .

It’s 1924 and Blix Windway has made a career out of her wanderlust, giving lectures to ladies’ groups about everything from the flora of the American desert to the beauty of the Swiss Alps, but she needs new material for her talks.

She strikes what seems to be an ideal agreement with an eccentric older lady. Blix will be her travel companion during a journey to Egypt, helping to smooth the way through customs and coordinate sightseeing tours. The arrangement will provide Blix with the perfect opportunity to photograph the pyramids and gather material for her next lecture series. But they’ve barely left England before the trouble begins-rough seas and an attempted robbery. Then a murder occurs during a tour of the pyramids.

Despite the attempts of the British officials to sweep the death under the rug, Blix becomes increasingly convinced that one of their tour party is a murderer. Blix’s search for the truth takes her from the posh sporting clubs and lavish gardens of Cairo to the narrow, twisting lanes of the city’s centuries-old bazaar and the vast desert around the Giza Plateau. Can Blix unearth the truth before the killer makes this journey her last?

Join Blix on this classic murder mystery from Sara Rosett, author of the beloved High Society Lady Detective series.

About the author
The author of over 30 novels, Sara Rosett is a USA Today bestselling author who writes mysteries that are the bee’s knees with delightful settings and perplexing puzzles. Sara loves Golden Age mysteries, getting new stamps in her passport, as well as watching foreign-language crime shows, Jane Austen adaptations, and K-dramas. Find out more at SaraRosett.com.