Dead Man's Folly

Agatha Christie

Ariadne Oliver, a mystery author, has set up a new festival game. She has created a murder mystery for the local garden fete at Nasse House. Sir George Stubbs and his foreign wife are the owners of the old English home. Stubbs is noveau riche from the war. He bought Nasse House from Mrs. Folliat after her proud old family had to sell due to death taxes. He allows her to remain in the Lodge as a renter. She still tends to act as the lady of the manor.

Mrs. Oliver has an uneasy feeling about the family and the upcoming fete. She calls her acquaintance, Hercules Poirot, and asks him to come for the weekend. He is puzzled but responds to her call. Once there she explains her vague suspicions. He agrees to stay and give out the prize at the end of the "mystery murder."

Unfortunately, he is unable to act before her suspicions prove true. The young girl playing the body is found really dead instead. Poirot and the local police work on the clues. They cannot solve the murder before Mrs. Stubbs, the foreign wife, also disappears and is presumed dead.

This is one of Christie's later novels. The clues are given obscurely in Christie fashion. As usual, I could not keep up with them. The novel tends to be more surface; there is no real depth to the characters. I don't think Christie ever wrote a bad novel, but some are not as good as others. This novel is one of the lesser books.

I found Dead Man's Folly at a used book store, or you can find it at the local public library.

The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie