The Hound of Death

This short story collection contains 12 stories, most of them having to do with the supernatural in some way. The most famous entry, and one that has no supernatural elements to it, is "Witness for the Prosecution," which was later made into a well-received movie starring Charles Laughton. In it a young man is accused of murdering an elderly woman for her money; he has an air-tight alibi with his mistress, but on the witness stand she turns against him. His lawyer has his hands full, but finally finds a way to prove his innocence. Other good stories include "The Red Signal," about a death warning revealed in a séance; "S.O.S," about a dusty night table and a scrawled message for help; and "The Fourth Man," about a girl with four distinct personalities. Many of the stories were later re-published in a collection renamed after its most famous story, "Witness for the Prosecution." Fans of Agatha Christie's typical crime stories might be disappointed with this story collection, but there are still some interesting selections in it.

What a wonderful collection of short stories. These are very different from Agatha Christie's normal fair! All the stories seem to revolve around the occult or other supernatural occurances! A nice change from what I am use to where Agatha Christie is concerned! My favorite story was Witness for the Prosecution!

Where I know the original magazine publication dates, I have given them. Each story has also appeared in either THE WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION AND OTHER STORIES or THE GOLDEN BALL AND OTHER STORIES. "The Red Signal" (June 1924) Dermot and his uncle Sir Alington West (the famous psychologist) become involved in a discussion of premonitions at the Trents' dinner party. Dermot has had a few in his life - a 'red signal' for danger - while Sir Alington attributes them to subconscious observation. But tonight Dermot feels it again - although the only danger he can see is his love for Claire Trent, his best friend's wife. "The Fourth Man" (December 1925) An Anglican canon, a psychologist, and a lawyer - all very distinguished representatives of the Church, Medicine, and the Law - fall to talking on a night train journey, ignoring the (apparently sleeping) man who also shares their compartment. While the viewpoint of the man in the street may have some merit, surely their own collective wisdom is good enough for the celebrated multiple personality case they're discussing... "S.O.S." (February 1926) The Dinsmead family - pompous father, worn-down mother, and their 3 grown children - moved to a lonely country home rather abruptly upon Mr. Dinsmead's retirement from the building trade. Johnnie is suffering a series of running battles with his father, since he prefers chemistry to building, while his sisters are unhappy at being isolated in a house they think is haunted. Then a stranger (parapsychologist Mortimer Cleveland), stranded for the night by a flat tire, finds a mysterious message written in the dust beside his bed... "Wireless", a.k.a. "Where There's a Will" (1926) Mary Harter's physician was careful to warn both his patient and her nephew, Charles Ridgeway, about her heart condition - that any shock could be fatal, but with care nothing would go wrong. When she then had a lift installed, thoughtful Charles persuaded her to get a radio as well. She enjoyed it at first, until it started giving messages from Beyond... "The Call of Wings" - Silas Hamer was rich and content, a self-made man who had wanted wealth for material comfort rather than power, who believed in nothing that he couldn't see and touch. Then the music of panpipes, played by a strange, legless beggar with a beautiful face, catches his imagination, and he feels a call of immense freedom and wildness - but his money has turned to chains and shackles. "The Gipsy" - Macfarlane (a Celt with a touch of second sight) and his best friend Dickie Carpenter were engaged to two sisters, until Esther dumped Carpenter without warning. But when Carpenter, an inarticulate, unsubtle Navy man, unburdens himself to his friend, he keeps getting off track, talking about his fear of gypsies, and how several times in his life he's literally had a gypsy's warning and disregarded it, only to have disaster strike - as in the case of his breakup, in fact. "The Hound of Death" - Really a science fiction