Annotated version with a new introduction that includes: a biography of A.E.W. Mason, a literary criticism of the novel and its importance in Golden Age mystery fiction.Aix-Les-Bains, France, 1909. Inspector Hanaud, "the cleverest of the French detectives,” is enjoying a relaxing holiday, but then a wealthy widow is murdered in her villa and suspicion falls on the woman's companion, Celia, who has disappeared--as have the murdered woman's valuable jewels.An old friend of Hanaud's, Mr. Ricardo, convinces Hanaud to look into the case. Mr. Ricardo has befriended a young British man, Henry Weathermill, who is in love with Celia. He's desperate to clear her name.The case intrigues Hanaud, and he's determined to follow the evidence wherever it leads. If you enjoy detectives in the vein of Poirot who examine the evidence, question suspects, and search out hidden motives, all with a bumbling, yet well-meaning sidekick accompanying them, you'll enjoy At the Villa Rose, the first Inspector Hanaud detective novel