Dumb Witness: Book Review

We decided to revisit one of our favorite authors Agatha Christie to start the new year as we review her novel Dumb Witness. Keep reading to find out what we thought of novel and if you should read it next!

Dumb Witness Summary

Emily Arundell is visited by her family in her Berkshire home as they hound her for money. A fall down the stairs leads Emily in bed and suspecting her family members behind it. She writes to Hercule Poirot but doesn’t send the letter.

Two months later, Poirot receives the letter and decides to investigate the incident. But when he arrives there, he finds out that Emily has died a natural death. Poirot decided to continue to investigate the attempted murder and find out if Emily’s death was natural or did the killer succeed the second time around?

Commentary

Like most Agatha Christie novels, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The plot twist of Poirot’s client being already dead was interesting and a change from her typical novels. Christie feels like she is in her element here and shines bright as she writes another incredible mystery.

Upon release, the novel released mostly positive reviews. But many critics pointed out that this was one of Christie’s weakest plots. After having read some of her more popular works, you can see what they mean. This feels like a calm novel and even when Poirot says that another crime may happen, the novel never makes you feel that is the case.

Christie is a master when it comes to mystery novels but it feels like she wanted to try something different. There is a reason that this novel is one of her least read and one I didn’t even know existed until this week. 

If you are a Christie fan, then you will enjoy it. She wrote this novel in 1937 and has mastered and improved on her writing style. Only a weak plot makes this novel forgettable. 

Conclusion

Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie isn’t a novel you will think about after reading it unfortunately. But it is a great and relaxing read that is easy to read and get interested in. For that reason, I would recommend it to mystery fans. Happy reading!

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