Dumb Witness by
Agatha Christie
pbk out January 02
(HarperCollins)
at £5.99
This novel opens in typically crisp Christie fashion. Miss Emily Arundell's
death after a short illness did not, we are told, occasion much surprise -
but the provisions of her will gave rise to varying emotions: astonishment,
pleasurable excitement, deep condemnation, fury, despair,anger and general
gossip. And zest is added to the local speculations by the fact that the
will was made only a few days before Emily died. Two months later Hercule
Poirot receives a letter asking for his advice: it too was written by Emily
at around the same time. When Poirot learns that his prospective client
happens already to be dead, his curiosity is aroused and he decides to
investigate further.
Poirot reflects at one point in the narrative on the "delightful
personalities" he has known who turned out to be killers. Oddly, the book
reveals the culprits featured in a number of other Christie novels:
presumably the modest author had no idea that people all around the world
would be reading her collected works avidly more than 60 years after this
story was written. One of the main characters, who plays a significant role
in the plot, is Emily Arundell's wire-haired terrier Bob, the "dumb
witness" of the title. The only flaw is that the suspects are not an
especially memorable bunch. But the puzzle is as neatly contrived as one
would expect, with a suitably unexpected villain.
(
Martin Edwards
- author of the highly acclaimed Harry Devlin Mysteries)
