# Wyatt Petrie — The Crime at Black Dudley character guide

> Wyatt Petrie in The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Petrie, Wyatt

**First appearance:** 0002-i-candlelight

## Snapshot

The host's nephew and Abbershaw's young Oxford friend, whose weekend invitation draws the guests into Black Dudley's gloomy orbit.

## Who they are

Wyatt is the good-natured young man whose request brought Abbershaw to his uncle's forbidding Suffolk house, and whose Oxford-bred enthusiasms mark him as one of those interesting chaps with bees in their bonnets. He stands between the guests and the strange household, loyal to family yet uneasy about what the weekend may hold. His invitation sets the whole party in motion and his ties to Black Dudley make him both host and hostage to its secrets.

## Relationships

### [Benjamin Dawlish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/characters/benjamin_dawlish)

_rivalry_

Dawlish and Petrie are at odds, with Dawlish distrusting Petrie's motives regarding Meggie and the events.

### [Benjamin Dawlish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/characters/benjamin_dawlish)

_rivalry_

Dawlish and Petrie are at odds, with Dawlish distrusting Petrie's motives regarding Meggie and the events.

### [Benjamin Dawlish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/characters/benjamin_dawlish)

_rivalry_

Dawlish and Petrie are at odds, with Dawlish distrusting Petrie's motives regarding Meggie and the events.

## In the story

### [The Crime at Black Dudley](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/the-crime-at-black-dudley)

A guest who is implicated in the murder and later confesses.

### [Candlelight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/i-candlelight)

The host, a scholar and minor poet, who arranged the party and resembles the portraits on the wall.

### [II: The Ritual of the Dagger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/ii-the-ritual-of-the-dagger)

Tells the story of the Black Dudley Dagger and its ritual; shows reluctance to play but agrees under group pressure.

### [The Mask](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/v-the-mask)

Found standing in his moonlit room; insists the party stay despite his uncle's death, claiming the house is his and the funeral is arranged.

### [VI: Mr. Campion Brings the House Down](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/vi-mr-campion-brings-the-house-down)

Arrives after the fight, apologizes to Campion, and promises to discharge the butler.

### [VIII: Open Warfare](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/viii-open-warfare)

Announces his uncle's death; confronts Dawlish and Gideon over their demands.

### [IX: Chris Kennedy Scores a Try Only](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/ix-chris-kennedy-scores-a-try-only)

Apologizes for the situation, leads Kennedy to the drinks cupboard, and reads Gideon's note aloud.

### [X: The Impetuous Mr. Abbershaw](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/x-the-impetuous-mr-abbershaw)

Silent about Campion's disappearance; tries to maintain order by leading the group to lunch.

### [XX: The Roundup](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/xx-the-roundup)

Fights ferociously in the brewhouse using a well-scoop, transformed from a scholar into a medieval warrior.

### [XXI: The Point of View of Benjamin Dawlish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/xxi-the-point-of-view-of-benjamin-dawlish)

Morose and silent after the brewhouse incident; grimly confirms that the oak interior will burn like kindling.

### [XXIX: The Last Chapter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/chapters/xxix-the-last-chapter)

Confesses to murdering his uncle Colonel Coombe, motivated by revenge for a girl he loved; plans to enter a Dominican monastery in Spain.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/characters/wyatt_petrie
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_crime_at_black_dudley_se/characters