Hello Crime Writers and dog lovers! Today, in celebration of Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie, we are preparing some treats for our canine friends in the form of some Good Dog Biscuits. For those of you wondering why we are departing from human food, Bob the Dog is an important character in Dumb Witness and, to double down on the dogginess, Agatha Christie dedicated Dumb Witness to her dog Peter whom she calls the
Most fruitful of friends and dearest of companions, a dog in a thousand
This is Bob the Dog as depicted in the Dumb Witness episode of Poirot. What a cutie!
Dumb Witness – The Plot
Miss Emily Arundell is dead. Had it not been for a letter she wrote to Hercule Poirot indicating she was concerned about her safety, her death would have passed for natural causes. Sadly, the letter is not posted until after her death. Poirot accepts the case and begins investigating who might have wanted her dead! Without giving anything away, it wasn’t Bob the Dog, despite the fact that someone set up an “accident” that could have been attributed to him.
So, who is in this motley band of possible assassins? We have:
- Theresa Arundell, Emily’s niece. She is described as “belonging to a young, bright, go ahead set in London – a set that has freak parties and occasionally ends up in the police courts”. I would LOVE to know what Agatha Christie’s idea of a “freak” party was. I would also like an invitation to one.
- Charles Arundell, Emily’s nephew. Charles is the kind of person who, 65 years after the publication of Dumb Witness, would be described by The Libertines as a waster. Terminally broke due to his spendthrift ways, he hits up his aunt Emily for some money and then threatens her when she refuses to give him any.
- Bella Tanios, another niece, Charles and Theresa’s cousin. Bella is married to a Greek doctor. Despite his profession, the Tanios’ are not well off.
- Jacob Tanios, Bella’s husband. This poor man is constantly racially slurred throughout the novel.
- Wilhemina Lawson, Emily Arundell’s companion who Christie describes as Emily Arundell’s slave. Miss Lawson is obsessed with the seances held by The Tripp sisters and is always trying to get Emily to attend
Dumb Witness – The Covers
There are so many covers I want to share today! We have a few featuring Bob, a few depicting Emily Arundell’s fall down the stairs, and a few that are downright bizarre. For its American release, Dumb Witness was renamed Poirot Loses A Client. Let’s have our usual collage of the more normal covers. There is a particularly delightful Magritte spin on Poirot in these:
And now let’s take a look at some that need some special call-outs:
Let’s take these from left to right.
Emily Arundell is an older, if not elderly, woman. She is not a glamourous brunette with a dress cut down to her navel. She is also not stabbed?…in the street and left to die while the killer leaves a trail of bloody footprints in his wake. I love this style of artwork but this really is taking artistic licence to the limit.
Let’s call this next one, “What is the number for the RSCPA?”. I shouldn’t really have to say this but dogs can’t talk. So you don’t have to wrap a piece of rope around their mouths to stop them from talking. I also think it is possibly perilous to wrap a dog’s mouth in rope because dogs pant to regulate their temperature. I’m guessing on the danger factor on that one because I think googling “what happens if you tie a rope around a dog’s mouth?” will land me on some sort of psychopath register.
As for the third? I understand the ball, the hammer and the string. The rest? Absolutely baffling.
The Recipe – Good Boy Biscuits
This recipe comes to us from a very special source – my mum who got it off the lady who ran the training school she took one of her dogs to. I can’t attest to all dogs but my dogs and her dogs love them!
Links to The Christieverse
- Hastings mentions that Poirot has travelled to Syria and Iraq for a few weeks. This refers to the case in Murder in Mesopotamia and his return to Britain via the Orient Express.
- At one point Poirot says “I am reflecting on various people: handsome young Norman Gale, Bluff, hearty Evelyn Howard, the pleasant Doctor Sheppard, the quiet reliable Knighton” referring to the villains in Death in The Clouds, The Mysterious Affair At Styles, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Mystery of The Blue Train.
- If you are struggling to figure out this one, the solution to Peril at End House may point you in the right direction. As might one of the clues in Murder on The Orient Express.
Other Food & Drinks Mentioned in Dumb Witness
- Kidneys for breakfast
- Barley Water
- Port (twice)
- Beef Tea (twice)
- Hot Chocolate
- A meal consisting of “excellent mutton, large slabs of watery cabbage and some dispirited potatoes. Some rather tasteless stewed fruit and custard followed.”
- Brands essence
- Brandy (twice)
- Curry (twice)
- Someone is described as having a face like a scone
- Green apples
- Tea (twice)
- Sandwiches
- Port Wine
- A meal consisting of shredded raw vegetables, brown bread and butter and fruit
- Raw Carrots
- Un bon biftek with fried potatoes and wine
- Chops
- Soup (twice)
- Pot au feu
- Sirloin of Beef
- Sherry
- Omelette
Our next book is a biggie – get ready for Death on The Nile!!!! Hopefully, it will have you jumping for joy!
Have a great week! Happy reading!
