Dumb Witness (Hercule Poirot)

This is not the first time that Hercule Poirot has received a letter from a woman who fears that her life is in danger, but what makes it strange is that the letter was written some two months before it was sent! The mystery deepens when Poirot goes to see the lady, and finds out that she died one month after the letter was written, and one month before it was sent. It seems that Emily Arundell was a rich lady, who was surrounding by greedy, grasping relatives who wanted her money. Finally, she disinherited the lot, and left her fortune to her companion Miss Lawson. Just who wanted Emily Arundell dead? It is up to the great detective to unravel this mystery! This wonderful little book was first published in the United Kingdom in 1937 under the title, Dumb Witness - later that same year it was published in the United States it was published under the title, Poirot Loses a Client - I don't know why. As with all of the Dame Christie's Hercule Poirot stories, this one is excellent. I enjoyed the deep mystery - I must admit that I did not get who did it until the end of the book, although I did pick up on the one clue (no spoiler here!). So, let me just say that if you like a good mystery, then you will love this book. It really shows off why Agatha Christie is considered to be the queen of the murder mystery!

Emily Arundell is a wealthy spinster with some family members who would like a share of her money. A dangerous nighttime fall down the staircase during a holiday visit of her nephew and nieces raises her suspicions and, while recuperating, she writes to Poirot. Because of a delay in posting the letter, Miss Arundell has died of an illness by the time the letter reaches him. Poirot suspects foul play. Though I've long been a fan of Christie's Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot has never been a favorite. I read a couple of Poirot stories many years ago and thought him an insufferable character -- boorish and arrogant. Having now run out of Miss Marple stories to read, however, I decided to try Poirot again. I'm glad I did. He comes across as much less over-bearing here than I recalled from other books and the story is first-rate. POIROT LOSES A CLIENT is a typically well-plotted and entertaining Christie mystery. If you like a good English whodunit, you've found one here.

A classic wealthy-relative-murdered-for-her-money plot, witty dialogue between Poirot and Hastings, and a gripping denouement make DUMB WITNESS one of the most quintessential of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot detective novels, along with THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES and AFTER THE FUNERAL. Highly recommended.

This book borrows from the premise of The Mysterious Affair At Stlyes (A.C.'s 1st book) in that the premise is very similar: A wealthy woman dies. Her would be heirs become suspects. Emily Arundell has her two nieces and nephew down for an Easter holiday visit. She's suspicious of them in that they all are trying to get their hands on her money. One night, she falls down a flight of stairs, becoming convinced that one of them is trying to kill her. She then writes to Hercule Poirot to help her. Unfortunately she dies of "natural causes" before he receives the letter. Poirot then investigates her "naturally caused" death to unveil foul play. A.C. once again illustrates why she remains to be the world's premiere and undisputed queen of crime. She takes full advantage of the damsel in distress plot, the confined setting, making the most obvious suspect appear guilty, only to shock one w/a surprise yet tragic ending. I was so enthralled w/ this story that not even the wear and tear of my library book could distract me. It was just that compelling of a read. I'd encourage any A.C./mystery fan to read this buried treasure.

In this book Agatha Christie refers to the murderers in Death in the Clouds, the Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Mysterious Affair at Style and the Mystery of the Blue Train, so make sure you have read all of these before you read this one, our your fun will be spoilt!Dumb Witness is one my top ten favourite Agatha Christie novels. Dame Christie has expressed the character of Hastings better here than in any of the other seven novels in which he appears. It is also one of the most amusing.One thing I enjoy about this book is that we are given a fair crack at the whip - everything that Poirot sees we see, there are no last minute envelopes arriving (which often irritates me). His explanation is convincing.Go ahead and read it! But don't forget to read the books mentioned above first.