Dumb Witness

Everyone blames Emily's accident on a rubber ball left on the stairs by her frisky terrier. But the more she thinks about her fall, the more convinced she becomes that one of her relatives is trying to kill her. On April 17th she conveys her suspicions in a letter to Hercule Poirot. Mysteriously, he doesn't receive it until June 28th... by which time Emily is already dead.

Year: 1937
Detective: Hercule Poirot
Location: England

Cast of characters

Hercule Poirot, Captain Hastings. Also: Angus, The Arundell family: Emily, Charles and Theresa, Nurse Carruthers, Dr. Rex Donaldson, Ellen, Dr. Grainger, Wilhelmina (Minnie) Lawson, Caroline Peabody, William Purvis, Dr. Jacob and Bella Tanios, Isabel and Julia Tripp

Publishing history

Publishing: First published in 1937 by William Collins Sons & Co. in London, and as 'Poirot Loses a Client' by Dodd, Mead & Co. in New York. TV: The novel was adapted for television by LWT in 1994.

Notes and reviews

The novel is loved by dog-owners for the affectionate portrayal of 'Bob, a charming wire-haired terrier. The book is actually dedicated to Agatha Christie's own wire-haired terrior Peter "A dog in a thousand".

Murder methods:

Two Poisonings.

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