Customer Reviews

The Witness for the Prosecution: and Other Stories

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Each story herein, except "The Second Gong", has also appeared in either _The Hound of Death_ or _The Listerdale Mystery_. Some of the stories are fantasy fiction rather than mysteries, but don't be *too* quick to assign supernatural causes to anything.

"Accident" (1929) - Evans (formerly Inspector Evans of the CID) recognizes in the six-years-married Merrowdenes the notorious Mrs. Anthony, acquitted of poisoning her first husband - judged to have died of an accidental overdose of arsenic. As a girl, her stepfather accidentally fell to his death from a cliff during a walk. Not looking good for *Mr.* Merrowdene...

"The Fourth Man" (December 1925) As a supernatural story, best appreciated in Christie's fantasy-dominated collection _The Hound of Death_. Three ever-so-superior professional men - minister, physician, and lawyer - begin discussing a famous multiple personality case during a night train journey. Even though they're missing a fourth point of view - that of the man in the street - they ignore the fourth man in their compartment...

"The Mystery of the Blue Jar" (1933) Jack Hartington lives for golf; since he's 24 and has to earn a living, he lives near a golf course where he can practice every morning before work. Then screams no one else hears begin coming from a cottage near the course, every morning at the same time - and whatever's going on centers around the image of a woman holding a blue jar.

"The Mystery of the Spanish Shawl" a.k.a. "Mr. Eastwood's Adventure" (August 1924) Anthony Eastwood is stuck, trying to create a plot for the title "The Mystery of the Second Cucumber", when a mysterious phone call with 1 word - 'cucumber' - entangles him in a *real* mystery.

"Philomel Cottage" (November 1924) Businesslike Alix King expected to marry Dick Windyford, fellow clerk, when they could afford it - but he was too proud to propose when she got a windfall inheritance. Then Gerald Martin swept her off her feet in a whirlwind courtship - a perfect stranger. But like Bluebeard's wives, Alix gets curious about his past...

"The Red Signal" (June 1924) Sir Alington West, a distinguished alienist, has no time for ESP. His nephew Dermot has had a few 'red signals' in his life, but as his uncle points out, he'd seen signs of impending mortal peril and just hadn't consciously put them together. But why should he have it during a party - when the only danger is his hidden love for his best friend's wife?

"The Second Gong" - An early version of "Dead Man's Mirror", written first but published later. I recommend the expanded rewrite in the _Dead Man's Mirror_ collection.

"Sing a Song of Sixpence" (1934) Elderly Sir Edward Palliser, K.C., never expected to see Magdalen Vaughn again after a shipboard romance - let alone to be taken up on his offer to help if she ever needed it! Her family sponged off Great-aunt Lily Crabtree, who has been brutally murdered - and they're the chief suspects.

"S.O.S." (February 1926) The Dinsmead family - pompous father, worn-down mother, and 3 grown children - moved to a lonely country home rather abruptly upon Mr. Dinsmead's retirement from the building trade. They're all unhappy, except the father, who seems to have something up his sleeve. 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...

"Where There's a Will" a.k.a. "Wireless" (1926) Mary Harter's physician, in the style of the old school, was far more blunt about the seriousness of her heart condition to her nephew than to her. Charles, making a parade of his superior knowledge of modern technology, wheedles her into getting not only an elevator, but a radio...which seems to justify all her misgivings about these electrical contraptions when it begins relaying messages from her late husband, saying that he's coming for her...

"The Witness for the Prosecution" (1933) Unlike the Billy Wilder film version, here the viewpoint character and chief investigator is the prisoner's solicitor, Mayherne; the K.C. conducting the court case isn't even named. The information brought out during testimony in the film mostly appears during Vole's interview with Mayherne. The adaptation was faithful, except that here Vole's first meeting with Emily French is more dramatic, and her fluffy-headed eccentric image wasn't translated to film. The ending of the story, though, isn't as trite the movie's.

Anyone familiar with the 1957 Billy Wilder film "Witness for the Prosecution" knows the plot of the title story. The short story, however, is told from an entirely different vantage point. The change in focus doesn't rob the story of any of its sting, and the product is every bit as entertaining as the excellent movie.

Christie tells the remaining stories in a taut, fast-paced, and satisfying manner, and more than once brings the story to a quite unexpected climax.

This is the best of Christie's short stories. They are ingenious works with quick and instant gratification, sometimes the best for those who can't wait. Of course there are a couple of bummers, but if you need short stories these are the best you can get. Philomel Cottage is one I would recommend leaving the lights on for. That thing haunted me for days to come!

This is classic Christie. She builds a suspenseful plot with somewhat compelling characters and then moves towards a great climax. One of her better known works, this has stood the test of time.

Dame Agatha Christie (1890-1976) originally dazzled readers with a series of mystery novels and short stories. Several of these were adapted to the stage. Disliking the results, Christie decided to try her own hand, and during the 1940s and 1950s she created one roaring success after another. Three are particularly famous: TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1944), THE MOUSETRAP (1952), WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1953.)

Based on a short story originally known as "Traitors Hands," WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION differs from most Christie works in that it is more of a courtroom drama than a mystery per se. The play opens in the offices of Sir Wilfred Robarts, who is asked to defend Leonard Vole from a pending murder charge. Leonard's situation is extremely unfortunate. Himself a poor man, he became friendly with a rich and elderly woman. He visited her the same night she was murdered, and her will makes him heir to her estate. Leonard swears he was at home with his wife, German-born Romaine, at the time of the murder. But when Sir Wilfred interviews Romaine, he finds her an extremely unsatisfactory witness. She does not seem to care very much whether Leonard is convicted or not, and she shocks Sir Wilfred when she agrees to appear as a witness--not for Leonard's defense, but for the prosecution.

The first act sets up the basic circumstances; the second act plays out the trial itself, with Romaine giving damning evidence against her husband. Both are meticulously constructed, beautifully written, and abounding with intelligent and witty dialogue and interesting characters. But the great talent of a truly gifted mystery writer is the ability to suddenly gather up the various details of the a story and pull them to an entirely logical but unforeseen and extremely sharp point. This is precisely the case with WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. Having received new evidence, Sir Wilfred is able to discredit Romaine's testimony, and this would seem the end of the play--but not so. In the final minutes of the play, indeed in slightly less than two pages of dialogue, Christie twists the material with a master hand, turning our perceptions inside out twice and then suddenly concluding the play in a manner that has left audiences gasping ever since.

WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION had tremendously successful runs on the London and New York stage; it also received a very fine screen adaptation in 1957. And therein a certain problem lies: it is so widely seen that many know the way in which the play concludes. This, along with the fact that it requires a very large cast and extremely complex series of sets, has tended to put a damper on the play's production ever since. Even so, WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION remains a masterpiece of the genre, a piece that even those who aren't particularly fond of mysteries will find fascinating to the end. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

There are several memorable stories in this collection. The lead story is especially worth reading even for those familiar with the movie version. My personal favorites besides that one are "The Red Signal", "S.O.S.", "Philomel Cottage", and "Accident". Many have touches of the paranormal to them, but few can be taken at face value. Christie is indeed the mistress of the unexpected twist.

Agatha Christie Audio CD (BOOKS ON TAPE) are absolutely wonderful . I have purchased all of mine from Amazon.com and will be purchasing more in the future from Amazon. Her Mysteries of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot and other characters are absolutely wonderful . When listning on CD with head-phones on and your eyes closed you start an unbelievable journey every time . If you love Great Mysteries you have to try these , you'll love every exciting minute of these("SITTING ON THE EDGE OF YOUR CHAIR") stories ! If you want the best price , look no furter than Amazon.com as they have the best prices I have ever seen on these wonderful CD series . You can buy with Confidence and Trust from Amazon , there the Best. Sincerely, Pat Simmons

I'm a big Agatha Christie fan and these stories are just great. Each one has its own special twist. Years ago I remember my dad sending me a video tape he had made of "The Witness for the Prosecution" starring Diana Rigg. I was instantly hooked on Agatha Christie.

This is a collection of short stories by herself, the world's best selling mystery writer. The lead story, The Witness for the Prosecution, a masterpiece, runs only 29 pages and has all the plot elements of both the movie and the play. The movie and the play elaborate on these by introducing a greater complexity and an extraordinary ending, which I will not spoil for you. Some of the stories are quite good. Others are quite bad. Particularly good are the logical and eerie ones concerned with the wife murdering the husband or vice versa. Those are coherent, and fun. The others are hack work with the interesting asides from the author showing that the author knows the story is bunk. The worst story in this collection is another case solved by Hercule Poirot. I admit I dislike the famous detective, the man, his bravo, his gigantic ego, etc. The most annoying thing is his deductions, often inane, always based on flimsy evidence. They make little sense and are likely to be wrong were it not for authorial support from Agatha. All in all, this collection is well worth reading even for someone like myself who does not enjoy short stories (mainly short stories are too short for my taste) both from an historical perspective and from the perspective of a writer who might wish to copy the master. They do have the one redeeming feature of all great literature: They are fun to read.

This collection of short stories are interesting and have ironic twists that surprise the reader. They all illustrate the saying that murder is done for money or for sex, to get it or to keep it. [I found some of the plots to be implausible.]

"Witness for the Prosecution" is the story of Leonard Vole. He befriended a rich elderly woman, whose will left him a great deal of money. He is now the prime suspect in her murder. Leonard is sure his devoted wife will verify his alibi at home. His lawyer finds that is not the case, but she also has a problem.
"The Red Signal" asks if a sixth sense or premonitions exist. Does a subconscious self affect the conscious self? Dermot Wilson has a feeling of danger at the small dinner party. His premonition comes true in a murder that he will be blamed for. Then a surprise ending!
"The Fourth Man" tells of Canon Parfitt's night journey in a first-class carriage, where he meets a lawyer and a doctor. The doctor explains that many illnesses arise from friction between people living in the same house. They discuss "dual personality". Then the fourth man presents his opinions on the subject, base on personal knowledge.

"S.O.S." is set in the bare Wiltshire downs. A family prepares for supper on a windy rainy night, when a stranded stranger knocks on their door. They offer him a room for the night. The visitor has a sense that something is not right. The next morning he finds out the house is said to be haunted. He also learns about an inheritance left to one of the girls, and helps her.
"Where There's A Will" is about Mrs. Harter, a wealthy woman with a heart problem. A shock or over-exertion can kill her. Her young nephew lives with her, and is her heir under her new will. There is another surprising ending.
"The Mystery of the Blue Jar" tells how Jack Hartington was playing golf in the early morning when he heard a woman's voice calling "Help! Murder!". He searched but found nothing. Could this be a hoax? Or his imagination? You'll be surprised by the trick ending.

"Philomel Cottage" tells of poor Alix, working as a shorthand-typist for years. After she inherited money she met a charming stranger and they were engaged and married quickly. Husband Gerald bought an isolated cottage. But some strange events make her afraid of her situation. This story has another surprise ending.
"Accident" starts with an old sea captain and a retired police Inspector discussing an old murder trial. The widow was acquitted because her husband was in the habit of taking arsenic. Will history repeat itself? Can a retired policeman prevent a crime? A fortune teller warns him that a small mistake could cause a death. This has another surprising ending.
"The Second Gong" starts by having Joan Ashby come running at the sound of a gong, the call to dinner. The usually prompt master of the house is in a locked study. They break in and find him dead, a pistol by his hand. The police are called and say it was a suicide. But Hercule Poirot thinks otherwise, and explains how it all happened. They send for the police again. It is unlucky to break a mirror.