# Eustace Peters — Tracks in the Snow character guide > Eustace Peters in Tracks in the Snow by Godfrey R. Benson. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Peters, Mr. Peters, Eustace, dear old Eustace Peters, old Peters **First appearance:** 0001-tracks-in-the-snow ## Snapshot A wealthy, widely travelled Oxford man whose charm and learning conceal an old suspicion that will cost him his life. ## Who they are Peters is the magnetic centre of the Long Wilton circle: a man of vast and curious knowledge, generous with his hospitality, engaged to the charming Miss Denison, and quietly entangled with figures from his Eastern past. His habit of collecting useful, self-taught men like the gardener Trethewy sits uneasily beside his friendship with the reserved Vane-Cartwright. When he is found dead, the mystery of who he was proves as tangled as the question of who killed him. ## Relationships ### [William Vane-Cartwright](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/william_vane_cartwright) _rivalry_ Eustace and William are locked in a bitter, high-stakes rivalry, likely over power or influence, given their intense interaction frequency. ### [James Callaghan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/james_callaghan) _rivalry_ Eustace and James are frequent antagonists, likely competing for control or resources within the story's central conflict. ### [Reuben Trethewy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/reuben_trethewy) _friendship_ Eustace and Reuben share a close, trusting bond, possibly as allies or confidants within a dangerous environment. ### [Walter Longhurst](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/walter_longhurst) _professional_ Eustace and Walter have a working relationship, with Walter possibly acting as a intermediary or agent for Eustace. ### [Dr. Verschoyle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/dr_verschoyle) _professional_ Dr. Verschoyle provides medical or scientific services to Eustace, indicating a client-professional dynamic. ### [Charles Bryanston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/charles_bryanston) _friendship_ Charles and Eustace are friendly associates, possibly sharing information or resources. ### [Melchior Thalberg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/melchior_thalberg) _rivalry_ Eustace and Melchior are rivals, though their conflict is less intense than with other characters. ### [William Vane-Cartwright](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/william_vane_cartwright) _rivalry_ Eustace and William are locked in a bitter, high-stakes rivalry, likely over power or influence, given their intense interaction frequency. ### [James Callaghan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/james_callaghan) _rivalry_ Eustace and James are frequent antagonists, likely competing for control or resources within the story's central conflict. ### [Reuben Trethewy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/reuben_trethewy) _friendship_ Eustace and Reuben share a close, trusting bond, possibly as allies or confidants within a dangerous environment. ## In the story ### [Tracks in the Snow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/tracks-in-the-snow) The victim whose murder is being investigated. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/i) The murdered man, a retired Consular Service official, aged 43, living at Grenvile Combe; a cultured, desultory scholar and naturalist, friend of the narrator. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/ii) Found dead in his bed, murdered with a surgical knife; had been reading Borrow's Bible in Spain. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/iii) The murder victim; his habits regarding candles and bedtime are described by the housemaid. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/iv) The murder victim; his study and bedroom are described in the layout of the house. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/v) The murder victim; his funeral is held on Candlemas Day, and his aunt shares details of his early promise and later life. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/vi) The murdered man; Trethewy's altercations with him are recounted. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/vii) Murder victim; the time of death is narrowed by the candle evidence. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/viii) Murder victim; his will cancels a debt owed by Callaghan, making Callaghan a potential beneficiary. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/ix) The murder victim; his letters to Bryanston are central to the narrator's deductions. ### [The Structure of Theory](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/x) Peters is the victim of the murder under investigation, and the narrator considers Vane-Cartwright's motive and opportunity in relation to him. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xi) His papers are searched by the narrator for clues about the murder, but no direct evidence is found; his psychological notes are later given to an Oxford tutor. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xii) His papers and a trunk of his letters to his mother are discovered by the narrator. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xiii) Author of letters to his mother from Saigon; later investigates Longhurst's death and exhumes his body in the Philippines. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xiv) Shows irritation when pressed about his travels; writes letters in the presence of Vane-Cartwright; his oddity of welcoming late-night visits is noted. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xv) Peters' letter to Bryanston referencing Dr. Verschoyle's information is central to the narrator's theory; Peters had once seen but disregarded the facts. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xvi) Mentioned as the murdered man who held the clue to Longhurst's fate. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xix) Referenced in relation to the murder and the window-latch evidence. ### [The Web of Evidence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xx) Murder victim; his notes on Longhurst's death are handed over to Callaghan. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xxi) Referenced as the victim whose unjust suspicion and interference ruined Vane-Cartwright's life. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xxii) Peters is the murder victim; his letters and suspicions about Longhurst are central to the case. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/chapters/xxiii) Remembered not as he died but as he lived; his coldness and unkindness are highlighted as contributing to his own murder. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters/eustace_peters - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/tracks_in_the_snow_se/characters