It's been a few years since I have read an Agatha Christie mystery and based on this one, I should definitely read more of her works that I have missed! This one features Hercule Poirot and his cohort, Captain Hastings and was the 16th novel in the Poirot series. It was originally published under the title Dumb Witness in 1937. In it, Poirot receives a letter from a Miss Emily Arundell two months after the letter was originally written. She is the matriarch of the Arundell family who had gathered at her house the preceding Easter. It is obvious that the relatives (her three nephews and nieces and one of their spouses) desire her money making the Easter dinner tense and unpleasant. Later that night, Emily tumbles down the stairs of her house with the incident blamed on a little rubber ball that is a favorite of her dog, Bob (Bob is the titular Dumb Witness). But Emily suspects there is more to the accident given that Bob was out of the house that night and the ball had been placed in a drawer. So the next day, she writes to Poirot and also contacts her attorneys to change her will thus leaving everything to her companion rather that to her suspect relatives. But when Poirot and Hastings arrive on the scene, Emily has been dead for some time from an apparent attack of jaundice. In addition, the Arundell nieces and nephew have found out that they have been eliminated from the will. So was Emily murdered? And if so, was it by someone who would have benefited from the original will or could it have been by the companion who ended up inheriting her fortune?

As with most of Christie's mystery novels, I really enjoyed this. Her novels always keep me guessing and I was unsure of who the murderer was right up till the end. Not sure why it has been so long since I last read one of hers...probably because I have so many other books to read! Anyway, I'll be hoping to read more of her in the near future and would definitely recommend this one.

Share/Like this Review?

One of the most enjoyable Poirot mysteries. There is nothing spectacular about it -- the setting is Christie's traditional upper crust English countryside, the characters are some of her more common types, Hastings is as dense as he always is as narrator -- but all of the elements come together wonderfully well. Even on rereading, the false trails Christie left led me astray, suspecting two individuals until 50 pages from the end when it was actually a third. In addition, Bob the dog is delightfully recognizable -- so much so that I wish Christie had included a few more animal characters in some of her mysteries.

Share/Like this Review?

A fun read, as most of Agatha Christie's mysteries are. Keeps you guessing until the end, and the plot won't let you down.

Share/Like this Review?