Lecture: Dartmoor & Agatha by Victoria Dowd

In this illustrated talk, Victoria Dowd will explore the influence of Dartmoor on Agatha Christie’s life and work. Dartmoor was both an inspiration and a setting for many of Agatha Christie’s books, and she wrote her first published novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles while staying at The Moorland Hotel at Haytor (pictured) on Dartmoor.

Victoria is the award-winning author of the bestselling Smart Woman’s Mystery series. Her novel The Smart Woman’s Guide to Murder won The People’s Book Prize for fiction and was In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel‘s Book of the Year, while Murder Most Cold won the Grand Puzzly award. She has been shortlisted for the CWA Dagger and awarded the Gothic Fiction prize for her short fiction. Victoria sits on the board of the Crime Writers Association and heads its London chapter. Before becoming a writer, she was a criminal defence barrister for many years on the London circuit, appearing at the Old Bailey.

This event is part of the Devon Rural Archive‘s 2026 lecture series. Please follow the signs to the Cafe and Archive upon arrival.

Image credit: Pam Fray / Moorland House, Haytor / CC BY-SA 2.0