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    Dumb Witness: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Dumb Witness: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Dumb Witness: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Audiobook7 hours

    Dumb Witness: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Hugh Fraser

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    In Agatha Christie’s Dumb Witness, Hercule Poirot investigates the very suspicious death of an elderly spinster who, fearing the very worst, had written to the great detective prior to her demise.

    Everyone blamed Emily Arundell’s accident on a rubber ball left on the stairs by her frisky terrier. But the more she thought about her fall, the more convinced she became that one of her relatives was trying to kill her.…

    On April 17th she wrote her suspicions in a letter to Hercule Poirot. Mysteriously, he didn’t receive the letter until June 28th…by which time Emily was already dead.…

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 3, 2012
    ISBN9780062229755
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

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    Reviews for Dumb Witness

    4.5/5

    237 ratings39 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Hercule Poirot answers a letter from a potential client, only to discover that the woman died two months ago.I know I'm in the minority here, but this is one of my favourite Christies. I found it absolutely delightful. The mystery itself is unconventional; Poirot must determine whether or not a seemingly natural death was, in fact, a murder. The cast is large and diverse; absolutely everyone is interesting. The ending is sensible, yet I didn't see it coming. I got a big kick out of it.I must confess, though, that I wouldn't have liked this book nearly so much had it not been for Bob, the deceased's terrier. Dame Agatha was very much a dog person, and it really shows here. Her portrayal of Bob is spot on; I especially liked the dialogue Hastings attributed to him. I'm sure other dog lovers will find just as entertaining as I did.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Agatha Christie began writing the Hercule Poirot mysteries in 1920. Captain Hastings narrated many of the short stories Agatha Christie wrote about Poirot and by 1937, when Dumb Witness was published, Agatha Christie had also written 15 novels in which Poirot appeared. In 7 of the novels Captain Hastings is once again the narrator and friend that accompanies Poirot on his cases. But then after Dumb Witness, for the next 38 years and more than 20 books that Christie wrote about Poirot, Captain Hastings does not appear again until the final book, Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case (1975).Hercule Poirot is not an easy man to be friends with and even Captain Hastings becomes irritated with him from time to time. But when all is said and done, Captain Hastings is the only friend that Poirot ever had and as such, Dumb Witness holds a somewhat sentimental place for those that have read a lot of the Poirot mysteries. Many of the things that made all the Poirot/Hastings books special are in this one – Poirot makes fun of Hastings for not seeing what Poirot sees; Hastings becoming frustrated with Poirot for not playing fair when he eavesdrops on suspects or tells lies to get them to give him information, etc. But the thing that Dumb Witness has - as all the previous books have had that Poirot and Hastings appear in together- is that throughout the book it is clear that both men like each other and are truly friends.In the same year that Dumb Witness was published, so was Death on the Nile. Captain Hastings does not appear in that book and the difference is obvious. In Dumb Witness, the reader only sees the story through Captain Hastings eyes. But in Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie has multiple angles that she can tell the story from – not just from Captain Hastings view point. Christie’s ability to add different layers to the story increases and Death on the Nile is a more textured, less claustrophobic story. The mystery in Dumb Witness is a good one and is well told. The interactions between Poirot and Hastings are very good and the plot line and Poirot’s unraveling of the stories that each of the suspects tells is also very believable. The story does bog down with so much talking at times and all of the human characters are somewhat hard to like. The best of the human characters that Christie has in the story, the woman that is killed, is dead before Poirot even gets to the scene of the crime so she is not available to keep all the other characters interesting. The most interesting character in the book is the dumb witness –Bob the “frisky terrier” - that was the murdered woman’s dog. He and Captain Hastings quickly become friends and Hastings can hear what Bob is saying. These encounters are funny and add to the book.Agatha Christie was a dog lover and even dedicated this book to her own dog, Peter. It is only fitting that as Ms. Christie says goodbye to Captain Hastings for what would be 38 years that at the end of Dumb Witness she would have Poirot give Hastings the dog Bob to be his new friend.By letting Hastings go, Agatha Christie gained the ability to tell her stories the way she felt suited her best. But even as Agatha became tired of Poirot in later years (even was quoted as saying he was a “….tiresome, ego-centric little creep”) Captain Hastings never stopped supporting his friend and being someone Poirot could depend on. When it came time to solve his final case, Poirot called for his friend to come and help him and Arthur Hastings came and helped his friend Poirot - as he always had.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Also: Murder After Hours

      Romance, triangles, jealousy, family, secrets from the past, & murder.....

      For some reason I am always surprised when there is romance in Christie's mysteries, not so much as a basis for murder, but when people actually get together & have a life after murder..... In this book there were several romances: past, present, and future. There was also two interlocked triangles and unrequited love, which in part were the basis for the murder.

      M. Poirot is invited to lunch during a family gathering at a neighboring home. When he arrives he finds a dying man, John Christow, laying next to the pool, his wife, Gerta, w/ a gun in her hands. The dying man's last words in the tone of a plea/question (calling the name of his mistress who is standing there)... "Henrietta".

      Henrietta comes to Gerta to comfort her & takes the gun out of her hand, then quite "accidentally" drops the gun in the pool, thus obliterating all fingerprints. As the story moves forward we are privy to the fact that the gun that was dropped in the pool was not the gun that killed John.

      It seems as everyone in the house knows who killed John and is intent on protecting the person.... It take M. Poirot quite awhile before he is able to come to the correct murderer.

      There was only one racial reference (rolling my eyes here), but I didn't like the book. It seemed to be missing something and the characters seemed flat and boring....
    • 4/5
      This book made me want to read Christie's Mary Westmacott novels. I say this because even though this is a Poirot novel, Poirot is a minor character. The main focus of this book is to develop the characters of a very interesting family. I felt that the mystery came in second place to character development. For instance, I very quickly guessed who the murderer was and it turned out I was right. However, I still enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down due to the interesting people. Now I am convinced that I would enjoy reading a Christie novel even if it is NOT a mystery!
    • 5/5
      I hadn't actually read this one, I don't think, before listening to it as an audiobook. I was utterly charmed and really appreciated it. I will look forward to reading it as a book someday, when I've forgotten a bit of the plot. I really appreciated the internal monologues, so different than the rest of her mysteries.
    • 4/5
      This is a fascinating tale with bluff and double bluff centred around a fascinating family. The characterisation in this novel is superb.. The plot is peppered with red herrings, but Poirot gets there in the end.
    • 4/5
      Poor Hercule Poirot. He can't get away from murder, not even at his weekend cottage. His neighbors at the Hollow, the Angkatells, are having a weekend house party, and they've invited Poirot for Sunday lunch. He arrives to find his hosts and their guests gathered around a body by the swimming pool; apparently his hosts have planned a murder game to entertain their guests. Poirot soon realizes that the scene is no game. One of the guests, Dr. John Christow, has been shot. The doctor's wife, Gerda, is holding a pistol, with the other guests surrounding her. Did Mrs. Christow shoot her husband? No one who knows her believes her to be capable of murder. If she didn't do it, who did? His mistress, the artist Henrietta? Edward Angkatell, who's in love with Henrietta? Poor cousin Midge, who's in love with Edward? Or maybe Veronica Cray, a woman from Dr. Christow's past who just happens to be renting a nearby cottage?Christie fills a typical country house party with stock characters (a doctor, an actress, an artist, a brooding student, and a poor relation), but she still manages to find a new twist for the murder. Poirot's best cases are behind him at this point in Christie's publishing career. This is a solid mystery, but not a particularly memorable one.
    • 3/5
      I was surprised by the amount of inconsistencies in the characters' names. Emily Arundell's father is referred to as Charles the first time (he is called John thereafter). Bella's maiden name is first Winter, then Biggs the other several times it is mentioned, and her son's name is Edward a few times, and then John the next few times.
    • 4/5
      A rich elderly woman suspects someone in her family is trying to kill her to get their inheritance a bit early. She writes to Hercule Poirot but due to the letter being mislaid it isn't delivered until a couple of months later — when Miss Emily Arundell has already died and left her considerable fortune to someone outside of the family. Though investigating a possible attempted murder seems moot to that doofus Hastings, given that the target has died of apparently natural causes in the meantime, Poirot persists. He learns that all of the family members (nieces, nephew and assorted spouses) are desperate for money, giving them all a capital (no pun intended) motive. But did any of them actually initiate a fatal action?The "dumb witness" of the title is Bob, Miss Emily's intrepid wire terrier. He doesn't exactly solve the mystery but his actions and inactions are key to unraveling the case. I don't know much about Christie's personal life but I'm going to wager she was a dog lover, judging by the affectionate way she portrays Bob, even going so far as to give him actual dialogue. It's utterly charming and I'm glad Poirot was able to clear him of any wrongdoing in the case.The more Poirot books I read the more I dislike the Hastings character. I realize he's there to provide a handy vehicle for Poirot to explain the clues and solution to the reader, but good grief no one can be that stupid and still be able to tie his shoes. Unlike Watson, who has his own charm separate from Sherlock Holmes, this sidekick has no redeeming characteristics that I can discern. I far prefer the Poirot cases where he is absent in Argentina or wherever, but even he can't keep this one from being a winner.
    • 4/5
      The Hollow is a nice psychological drama set in the English countryside we've all got to know better thanks to Christie's work. I really enjoyed this little piece of work, even though (or perhaps because) it is not a typical Poirot investigation. No, at this murder, Poirot was also a guest amongst others and at a certain point - even if only barely - a suspect.

      I can understand that this work was commented upon by Christie herself as "being ruined by the introduction of Poirot". This mystery indeed didn't need our little Belgian detective at all to have itself unfold to the reader. The theatre adaptation doesn't even feature Poirot at all. I wouldn't, however, go so far as calling it ruined by his character. Indeed, he only plays a small role overall.

      Fun characters, compelling story and interesting mystery all in one. Recommended!
    • 3/5
      Recently read a review touting this as one of Christie's best. I was disappointed. I enjoyed reading another Hercule Poirot mystery but I was never hooked. In this one, he is invited to lunch at a neighbor's in the country and when he arrives he finds a murder has just been committed. It's the typical "Sunday in the country" with lots of houseguests and seems obvious who committed the crime. Obviously, not to be. Poirot curiously does not do any investigating; however, we learn who did it by the people who kept confiding in Poirot over the course of the investigation. I didn't find any of the characters engaging and just finished it to see who was really the culprit. It goes without saying, that Poirot was his usual wonderful character.
    • 4/5
      A houseparty gathers, Poirot is invited to lunch, and inevitably someone is murdered. Investigations lead to increasingly more confusion and clues leading to false trails. So cleverly written that even the second time of reading I had forgotten which clues were real and couldn't guess 'whodunit' until the last moment.
    • 5/5
      The way, as always, The author scoops us up in the tale...right from the beginning to the end, once I start one of her books, it’s hard to put it down until the end I enjoyed it.
    • 3/5
      Sad, not her best mystery, but lovely characterisation,
    • 3/5
      Terrible lady novelist bring us the best ever description of terrible lady drivers.
    • 3/5
      An old maid dies, but her will just recently was changed. What did Emily Arundell discover before her death that made her change her mind concerning her heirs? What a delicious story of a limited number of suspects like the previous story of Cards on the Table. This story presents a better story and with more understanding. Agatha Christie utilizes many quaint phrases such as “nigger in the woodpile” that would be very incorrect today. Poirot must wade through many piles of mud to uncover the most important source of greed. The killer attempts murder by leaving a thread for Miss Emily to catch her foot and fall down the stairs. This attempt fails. So, a second attempt does work, but the doctor states that Miss Emily died from pre-existing conditions and foul play is neglected. Enter Hercule Poirot and all his little tricks and of course, his little grey cells. So utterly delightful. Just wish I could talk with Agatha and find out the significance of the names of her characters.
    • 5/5
      A good Poirot mystery, Hastings is in it, so always a plus. So well read!
    • 5/5
      These are always the best! Love Hugh's voices and Christie mysteries never disappoint.
    • 4/5
      In which Poirot investigates the death of a woman when he gets a letter from her after her death. Interesting.
    • 4/5
      Not one of her best, overall still enjoyable. The book seemed a little bit melodramatic more than her other books. Also the end was a bit rushed.
    • 5/5
      Likeable, quirky characters, banter between Poirot and best friend, the Dog was terrific!! Clean, wholesome, fun dialogue!
    • 4/5
      Poirot gets a long-delayed letter delivery, in which an older lady requests his help because she fears someone in her family is trying to kill her. When the famous detective finally receives the letter it's too late and the woman has died. The doctor has declared it a death by natural causes, but Poirot isn't so easily convinced.Another excellent mystery nicely solved by the little man with the weird facial hair. Once again Christie completely fooled me and I love her for it.
    • 4/5
      Husbeast and I listened to this audiobook on a long drive this past weekend. Was familiar with the story from the Suchet TV show (though that TV adaptation of this one did some very odd things to characterization and some smaller plot points), but hearing how Christie actually put the story together was entertaining anyway. There's some really funny social commentary (send-ups of various English village types, mostly) and the characterization of a dog who is important to the plot is a delight, perhaps mostly because of Hugh Fraser's reading--which was wonderful all around.
    • 5/5
      In this Poirot mystery, Poirot receives a vague letter from a woman that is dated to several months ago. This grabs his attention, so he goes to visit her and find out why she wanted her help – only to find that she died shortly after it was written. Although Captain Hastings is adamant that he should let it rest since she’s dead, Poirot insists he cannot, and investigates further.Again, full of the great sense of mystery and exciting twists at the end. I had no idea who the murderer was until the last chapter; Ms Christie manages to disguise it and keep you interested the whole way through. It was also full of the typical light humour, such as jokes about his moustache and the lies he tells people to get information. These books are a pleasure to read, I love hearing about Poirot’s way with people and his amazing way of reading the ‘psychology of the individual’ to assess the best way to get them to open up and to tell who committed the murder.This was a good, fun, short read (although slightly longer than the last few, at 400+ pages). It took me only a few hours to finish. Not really anything too taxing, but definitely enjoyable and I’d recommend these to anyone. Reading these past few Poirots I can definitely see why Agatha Christie is so revered as the queen of mystery novels!
    • 4/5
      Up to Christie's usual standard in terms of plot. I wouldn't have guessed what the murderer did at the very end, quite out of character if you ask me and what Christie says throughout about women working is frankly strange but the rest was good.
    • 4/5
      Monsieur Poirot is terribly fun as a character. So full of himself. Christie clearly enjoyed her creation yet equally clearly tires of him sometimes. We, the readers, get to luxury of enjoying him at our will. The Hollow will engage your wits and challenge your prowess as a detective.
    • 4/5
      All of Agatha Christie books are good. Almost as good as the Sherlock Holmes books.
    • 2/5
      I read this book mostly in one day. The narrative was one of the easiest and fastest I've ever come across. But the urgency of the murderer's impending doom wasn't present in the fabric of this story. You never had the feeling that all these words were converging to a brilliant denouement. Poirot made literally a guest appearance. He usually does that figuratively. I was bogged down by what the author wanted to pass for character development here. But maybe there was a tad too much of a touch of romance in the air. Romance and melodrama seemed to go hand in hand back then. The couple hasn't aged well though.
    • 5/5
      Poirot receives a two-month-old letter in the post. In her correspondence Emily Arundell tells Poirot of her uneasiness because she suspects that her recent fall down the stairs was not an accident at all but a deliberate attempt by someone in her family to kill her. Intrigued, Poirot and Hastings make their way to Market Basing, only to discover that Miss Arundell has been dead for nearly two months. Poirot smells a rat and begins to investigate.A highly enjoyable and cleverly plotted whodunnit that manages to keep the perpetrator's identity concealed almost until the very end, and the ending, despite Poirot's legendary unveiling of the killer in the company of everyone assembled, is quite unusual. Agatha Christie never lets us forget that we're dealing with humans and their complicated emotions and to that end uses Poirot as the mouthpiece for those who can no longer speak for themselves to arrive at the truth. The only thing that grated a little was Hastings' putting words into the mouth of Bob the dog, but luckily those instances are rare.
    • 5/5
      Love all Agatha Christie’s books. Especially Poirot. Especially liked it because Hugh Fraser (the man who plays Captain Hastings in the Poirot TV shows) narrated it. Made me feel I was watching in if the shows in all their period costumes.