An Agatha Christie novel is always a fun time, so when I got to Advanced Prompt #4, the 24th book of an author, Agatha Christie was an easy choice. I was also excited that it was a Poirot novel. I enjoy Miss Marple, but there’s something special about Hercule Poirot and the “little grey cells”. Dumb Witness did not disappoint. Hercule Poirot is hired by Emily Arundell to investigate what she believes to be attempted murder, but which her family and employees believe to be an accidental trip on the ball of her fox terrier, Bob. The only thing is, the letter hiring Poirot arrived in June, but was dated mid-April. And Emily Arundell has since died, from completely natural causes. Or so we’re told.
What follows is a very enjoyable romp through the English countryside and London as Poirot and his companion Hastings attempt to unravel what, exactly, happened to Miss Arundell. Both regarding the incident of the dog’s ball, and her subsequent death a few weeks later. We meet the cast of characters early on: Teresa Arundell, her niece, a young woman of society engaged to the local doctor; Charles Arundell, her nephew, a young man full of charm but lacking character; Bella Tannios, her niece, devoted mother of two and wife of the Greek Dr. Tannios; and Minnie Lawson, her paid companion, who ended up inheriting everything after a last-minute revision to Emily Arundell’s will. Everyone’s motives swirl and shift, and accounts of what happened and who did what vary depending on who’s telling the story. Poirot first has to figure out what actually happened the night of Miss Arundell’s accident, and then find out who the murderer is – before they realize he knows it was a murder and strike again.
Dumb Witness was enjoyable, and my first introduction to the narrator Arthur Hastings. He’s the everyman to Poirot’s genius, and his uptight English sensibilities are amusing when offended by Poirot’s lying to witnesses, eavesdropping, and other actions which he deems unsporting. And of course there’s Bob. Bob the terrier is not in the book as much as the cover and description would have you believe, but he’s delightful when he appears. And Hastings’ translations of Bob’s barks and behavior is quite funny. Overall the book is a very fun read.