''The Dancing Druids'' is a 1948

mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

by the British writer

Gladys Mitchell Gladys Maude Winifred Mitchell (21 April 1901 – 27 July 1983) was an English writer best known for her creation of Mrs Bradley, the heroine of 66 detective novels. She also wrote under the pseudonyms Stephen Hockaby and Malcolm Torrie. Fête ...

. It is the twenty-first in her long-running series featuring the

psychoanalyst PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: + . is a set of Theory, theories and Therapy, therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a bo ...

and amateur detective Mrs. Bradley.Reilly p.1089 The title refers to a group of

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

stones whose appearance resembles dancing

druid A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

Synopsis

In the

West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Gloucesters ...

cross country runner Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

stumbles across a mysterious scene, and calls in Mrs. Bradley who arrives with her various assistants.

References

Bibliography

* Craig, Patricia & Cadogan, Mary. ''The Lady Investigates: Women Detectives and Spies in Fiction''. Orion Publishing Group 1981. * Klein, Kathleen Gregory. ''Great Women Mystery Writers: Classic to Contemporary''. Greenwood Press, 1994. * Reilly, John M. ''Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers''. Springer, 2015. 1948 British novels Novels by Gladys Mitchell British crime novels Novels set in England British detective novels Michael Joseph books {{1940s-crime-novel-stub