Dumb Witness has been on my Agatha Christie TBR list for a while, so I’m glad I’ve finally got round to reading (well, listening) to it. It is a Hercule Poirot mystery (his 17th outing) and also features Poirot’s friend and partner-in-crime, the very likeable Captain Hastings.
What happened to Emily Arundell?
Dumb Witness has an interesting premise. I love that even after all this time (by that I mean, after having read so many Agatha Christie books) the Queen of Crime can still surprise me with a new set up for a murder mystery.
In Dumb Witness, Poirot receives a letter from Miss Emily Arundell, an elderly lady who, after an accident in her home (falling down the stairs) that could have been fatal, suspects one of her family might be trying to harm her.
The thing is, by the time Poirot receives the letter, almost 2 months after it was written, Emily Arundell has, in fact, died. So he sets off to the small village of Market Basing, to her home, to investigate.
The suspects
The prime suspect in Dumb Witness is… Bob the dog! Well, let me clarify, Emily’s family claim she had her first accident when she tripped over Bob’s ball that he left at the top of the stairs but Emily didn’t think so, hence why she wrote to Poirot.
So Poirot makes it his business to speak to Emily’s family and home help, especially Miss Larson, who ended up being the main beneficery of Emily Arundell’s will…
Like another great Agatha classic, Five Little Pigs, Poirot gathers the POV of all the key players and slightly different versions of what happened start to form.
Poirot must work out who is telling the truth before the murderer strikes again…
I am afraid, Hastings, I am afraid. Let us leave it at that.
A jovial Poirot
I have to say, I loved the mischievous, fun version of Poirot we got in this story. I’ve never known him to just outright lie to gain information, but he was making up stories left, right and centre here. Hastings was the voice of reason, of course, but Poirot had a plan and would not be shaken from it. Even when he was found out, he charmed his way out of it.
There are also other LOL moments including small sections from the POV of Bob the dog, and Miss Larson’s spiritualist friends, the Tripp sisters who refer to Poirot as ‘Mr Parrot’ – all of which adds to the playful nature of the read.
To note: there are elements that mark Dumb Witness of its time (it was originally published in 1937) in terms of the xenophobia expressed by some of the characters.
