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Dumb Witness
Dumb Witness: A Hercule Poirot Mystery | Agatha Christie
Everyone blamed Emily Arundells accident on a rubber ball left on the stairs by her frisky terrier. But the more she thought about her fall, the more convinced she became that one of her relatives was trying to kill her. On April 17th she wrote her suspicions in a letter to Hercule Poirot. Mysteriously, he didnt receive the letter until June 28thby which time Emily was already dead.
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review
MariaW
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Pickpick

On our way to and back from Liechtenstein we were able to finish this Poirot novel. The fact that Poirot started his investigation due to a dead person asking hom to do so was very interesting. The German title actually gives the “dumb witness” Bob more credit.

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AnneCecilie
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Pickpick

The elderly, unmarried Emily Arundell has invited her nieces, their partners and nephew to her home, The Little Green House, for Easter Celebrations. During their visit she has an accident and falls down the stairs. This has her writing to Poirot who receives the letter several weeks later. He decides to visit the lady - only to find out that she died not long after Easter. So Poirot starts his investigation and I was fooled so many times.

TheSpineView Great job! 1y
Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 1y
DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 1y
63 likes4 comments
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AnneCecilie
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#BookReport

I‘ve started on The Sum of Us

I finished A Spell of Good Things and my audio Dumb Witness

I finished The House of Doors

I‘m currently reading The Fraud and have started a new book on audio; Murder in the Mews, also by Christie.

Cinfhen I bailed on this one 1y
AnneCecilie @Cinfhen I wish I had, I had some trouble getting into the story and I needed to get into story every time I had put it down for awhile 1y
67 likes1 stack add2 comments
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AnneCecilie
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#WeeklyForecast

I want to finish A Spell of Good Things.

I want to read The House of Doors and hopefully get to The Fraud

I like to start listening to my audio of Dumb Witness again

I also want to get a start on The Sum of Us

Cinfhen Super curious about the new Smith!!! Keep me posted 😊 1y
Deblovestoread I‘m waiting on my library to get their copy of The House of Doors as I‘m hold #1. Heard lots of good things. 1y
56 likes2 comments
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AnneCecilie
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#BookReport

I finished no The Pickwick Papers

I finished The Long Weekend

I continued listening to Dumb Witness and has started on A Spell of Good Things

Cinfhen Wow! That was a chunkster! Impressive 1y
65 likes1 comment
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AnneCecilie
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#WeeklyForecast

I hope to finish The Pickwick Papers

Today I started both The Long Weekend and on audio Dumb Witness. I want to continue both, and see if I get to anything else.

Cinfhen The Dickens is HUGE!!!!! 1y
AnneCecilie @Cinfhen You‘re not wrong there - it‘s 800p. Another chunkster 😊 1y
60 likes2 comments
review
Julsmarshall
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Mehso-so

A solid mystery from the master. One element I loved was how she put the “voice” of the dog into words-so clever and funny and spit on. The piece that made it a so so was the consistent racism on the page. About the time a few chapters would pass without anything upsetting, it would pop up again. I realize that this was public in 1937 but ugh. #BookspinBingo #MagnificentMay @TheAromaofBooks @Andrew65

KathyWheeler It‘s always so jarring when you encounter it on the page! The xenophobia is also a bit much as well. I have to steel myself for it when I read her books. 2y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2y
48 likes2 comments
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Julsmarshall
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Love a #readathon with @Andrew65 ! My goals are to read Dumb Witness, Come the Spring, and Alex and Eliza all from #MountTBR. I‘d also like to start Hello Beautiful and finish 2 books on #audio while walking/gardening. Join us and bring on MagnificentMay !

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Julsmarshall
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My May #Bookspin list! Keeping them broad as it seems to really work to keep me reading from my #TBR ! @TheAromaofBooks

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ferskner
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4. The Spiritualist movement was extremely popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries. What did you think of the Tripp sisters and their influence on the case?

#agathachristieclubR2

TheAromaofBooks Honestly loved the Tripp sisters, even if they seemed a little crazy 😂 I like how Christie uses spiritualism gatherings to further the plot of different books - similar to the séance in The Sittaford Mystery. It doesn't seem like Christie was much of a believer herself, as they always seem to have a logical explanation for eerie events! 2y
ferskner @TheAromaofBooks I loved them too! Both the comic relief they add and the slight spookiness to the book. I love whenever Christie deploys spiritualism because it seems so of its time. (If you've seen the adaptation, those elements are extra good!) 2y
30 likes3 comments
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ferskner
This post contains spoilers
show me
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3. When the murderer is revealed in the classic "Poirot explains it all" chapter, she is already dead. Were you okay with that? Did it impact your enjoyment of the reveal at all?

#agathachristieclubR2

TheAromaofBooks I thought the ending was cleverly done and enjoyed the big reveal. I think it's interesting when Christie has Poirot sort of “play God“ by allowing the murderer to make the choice to take their own life - it's not the only time he has done so throughout the series. I have mixed feelings about it, but in the end, it does seem like justice is served? Like I said, I'm conflicted about that aspect. 2y
ferskner @TheAromaofBooks Yeah, I have mixed feelings about it. I don't mind when Poirot chooses to play God - it gives a lot of insight into his character when it happens - but having her already gone seemed a bit....meh? Maybe Christie was trying to pull off another shock ending that reinvents the genre, like with Roger Ackroyd, but I don't think it quite lands. 2y
9 likes3 comments
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ferskner
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2. Bob the fox terrier is the titular "dumb witness" of the book. Did you like having him as a central character? Did you enjoy his dialogue?

#agathachristieclubR2

TheAromaofBooks I'm always here for a dog character, and Bob's a total sweetheart 😂 2y
rubyslippersreads Bob was my favorite character. Maybe Christie should have given him his own series. 😂🐶 2y
ferskner @TheAromaofBooks @rubyslippersreads YES BOB SERIES!!!!! I think I'm another book the dialogue might have annoyed me, but again, I'm here for all the Bob content I can get. 2y
27 likes4 comments
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ferskner
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Woohoo look at me, actually on time with the #agathachristieclubR2 questions for the month!

As always, please tag anyone who has previously commented to keep the conversation going.

1. Did you like this book? Why or why not?

bthegood I am a bit behind - plan to read this in August (I've read Death on the Nile) so then I'm caught up - thx for hosting this - 🙂 2y
TheAromaofBooks I actually did enjoy this one! I felt like it had good was-she-wasn't-she-murdered tension, and I have a big soft spot for Hastings! 2y
See All 6 Comments
Laughterhp Oh wow! I read this one in October 2021! I gave it 4 stars, so I think I liked it! Though I don‘t remember anything about it. 😬 2y
ferskner @bthegood @TheAromaofBooks @Laughterhp this is a personal favorite of mine, 100% because my childhood dog was named Bob and when I saw the David Suchet adaptation as a kid I was so shocked that someone else would think of that name. 🤣 I have read some criticisms of the mystery itself since then, but I still love it! 2y
TheAromaofBooks @ferskner - Unbelievable that someone would steal your dog's name like that! 😂 2y
27 likes6 comments
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ferskner
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He wouldn't look at me for anything.

#agathachristieclubR2

ShelleyBooksie Adorable dog ♡ 2y
Gissy 🐶❤️❤️❤️ 2y
46 likes2 comments
review
suvata
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Pickpick

• Litsy Group Read for July 2022
#AGATHACHRISTIECLUBR2

#StoryGraph: fiction classics crime mystery mysterious fast-paced
256 pages | first published 1937

In Agatha Christie‘s Dumb Witness, Hercule Poirot investigates the very suspicious death of an elderly spinster who, fearing the very worst, had written to the great detective prior to her demise.

What‘s not to like about Agatha?

Ruthiella Nothing! Dame Agatha is awesome! 👍 2y
suvata @Ruthiella I couldn‘t agree more. 2y
36 likes2 comments
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suvata
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• Litsy Group Read for July 2022
#AGATHACHRISTIECLUBR2

Maybe it‘s just me. But from the very first chapter when Bob kept playing with that ball, I had a sneaky suspicion that the ball is going to play a larger part in the mystery.

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ferskner
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#agathachristieclubR2 friends: I'm so sorry for being so late with this info. My hold for Dumb Witness in May came in super late (like at the end of the month) and I'd hoped to read it quickly to keep us on schedule, but there are too many things going on right now for me to be able to get to it. So I'm hoping y'all are okay with holding off until next month instead. I apologize! I miss having reading time.

Librarybelle No worries from me - I myself am so far behind on reading these! 🤦🏻‍♀️ 2y
ferskner @Librarybelle I'm hoping that me being overwhelmed will help you get caught up ;) 2y
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Librarybelle I think I need many, many months to get caught up 😂 I‘m seriously contemplating starting an Agatha Christie book discussion group at the library so I can catch up with this group! 2y
suvata I have decided to join you guys. A little late but better than never. Dumb Witness coming right up… 2y
ferskner @suvata yay!!!! 2y
bthegood No worries. It's on my list for July - thanks - 🌞 (edited) 2y
TheAromaofBooks I'm here for the discussion whenever we get to it!! I also really enjoy having a Christie “assignment“ as I've read all of them before so love having some direction for rereads!! 😂 2y
sarahbellum I‘m a few books behind myself. Next up for me is The ABC Murders, so feel free to take all the time you need 🙂 2y
Emu No worries. I‘m way behind anyway. 🙈 2y
33 likes10 comments
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Sharpeipup
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Quiet time at the pool before it gets hot and crowded - perfect for some Sun, exercise, and reading (of course).

EvieBee Looks super inviting! 2y
Soubhiville That seems like the perfect time to be there! 2y
49 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
ImperfectCJ
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Mehso-so

It must be challenging to think up so many titles for so many novels. That's the only explanation I can think of for the choice of title for this one as it only barely relates to the story at all. I like the dog, but Hastings kind of gets on my nerves in this one. Poirot seems a little snippy this time, so maybe Hastings is annoying him, too. The whole novel feels a little haphazard, like Christie was feeling weary also. Or I might be projecting.

Avanders This is an outdated term that means you cannot speak… if the witness is the dog, maybe… 🤔 2y
ImperfectCJ @Avanders Yes, I'm familiar with “dumb“ used to mean “mute“, I'm just notorious for giving spoilers that I don't think are spoilers, so I err on the side of cryptic and end up saying nothing of substance. I don't recall the dog witnessing the murder, though, which is why I think the title doesn't make a lot of sense (and which is what I was afraid might be a spoiler). (edited) 2y
Avanders Lol ahhhh sorry - I can understand that! 😁 And interesting re the dog! You‘re so right… I was just trying to come up with *some* reason for that title! 😂 (your review made me lol and stop and think 😜) 2y
46 likes3 comments
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peanutnine
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Pickpick

An interesting twist on Poirot's normal murder investigations - he receives a letter from a woman asking for his help but not until after she has died of 'natural causes'. He is not impressed and decides to investigate for murder despite Hastings' confused protests lol
#roaringwolf animal @Roary47 @Littlewolf1
This was also my May #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Roary47 Nice! I‘ll get to this one day. 😊💛 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
37 likes2 comments
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Blackink_WhitePaper
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Pickpick

Another queen‘s mystery completed. It was my April #bookspin choice. I enjoyed this audio narration. Poirot investigates this murder mystery where most of the suspects are family members. But it is not unpredictable. Still it is a good read. I wish Bob ( the dog) should have been included prominently in the story, as it appears in the title. 3.5🌟#bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
46 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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LeahBergen
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Everyone blamed Bob, the terrier, for leaving his ball on the stairs but … was someone trying to kill her?

#JohnnyBergen, the terrier, chose my next read. And I think he‘s trying to tell me something.

Leftcoastzen 😂🐶 3y
MaureenMc 😲😆 3y
rubyslippersreads Make sure Johnny puts away his toys. 🤣 3y
See All 13 Comments
CarolynM 😆🐶 3y
Suet624 How exactly did the selection process take place? Inquiring minds want to know. 3y
ManyWordsLater I love this one!! 3y
Ruthiella I approve of Johnny Bergen‘s taste! 😆👍 (edited) 3y
BarbaraJean No need to read anything into his selection. Yet. Only if he starts leaving his ball lying around in precarious places. 😆 3y
batsy 😆😆🕵🏾‍♀️ 3y
Cathythoughts You better be on the ball ! ( 😬sorry for very corny joke 🤣 (edited) 3y
erzascarletbookgasm 😂 Oh Johnny! This is a good read though. 3y
MemoirsForMe 😂😂😂 3y
86 likes2 stack adds13 comments
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galueth28
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Pickpick

This is another one of my favourite misteries, and my favourite Poirot and Hastings pairing. I really liked how the victims personality shapes Poirot's investigation.

It also features the best sidekick, Bob, the dog 😍💖

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TheAromaofBooks
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Pickpick

Finished this Christie last night. It's not my favorite, but it's a solid mystery. I love the premise of Poirot taking on a case from someone who has already died. Christie is a comfort author for me, so I really enjoyed the mental break of reading one of hers!!

alisiakae Christie is a comfort read for me too. 3y
Nessavamusic Nice job! 3y
See All 8 Comments
Cinfhen I just read a re-imagined book about the disappearance of Agatha Christie in 1926 @TheAromaofBooks It was good 3y
Lizpixie Dame Agatha is my go-to comfort read as well #christiecrimeclub (edited) 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Cinfhen - I saw your review for that one!! It looks interesting! Have you ever read Christie's autobiography? She doesn't talk about that disappearance, but she just ramble on about her life and such and it's great fun. 3y
shanaqui I totally reach for Golden Age crime fic for comfort reading too -- Christie's one of the best, but most of the stuff in the British Library Crime Classics series works for me. 3y
Cinfhen never read her bio, I bet it‘s great!! There was a fictionalized story that I read about her, which was also GREAT 3y
86 likes1 stack add8 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
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Well I didn't achieve my goals for #JoyousJanuary, but we did get the tile set around the bathtub alcove, so I am still counting this weekend as a win!! And since I picked out the tile, unwrapped the packages, and helped clean up the mortar, I'm labeling this a “we“ did it project, even if my husband did all the complicated bits 😂

Thanks for hosting @Andrew65 - I did finish The Eight & get halfway through the tagged book!!

TheAromaofBooks WAIT A MINUTE! I just realized this is the week-long readathon instead of the weekend! I'm still going! I'm going to hit those goals AND have a tiled bathroom! LOL 😂 3y
5feet.of.fury There‘s still time! The tiling looks great! 3y
Laughterhp Oo looks good! I love the floor and tiling! 3y
See All 15 Comments
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Looks great!! 3y
wanderinglynn Your bathroom looks great! 😍 3y
JenReadsAlot That looks great! 3y
Leftcoastzen Beautiful! Tile work is intense. 3y
BookishBelle Wow! 😍 3y
eeclayton Beautiful! BTW whenever my husband does something around the house and I stand next to him watching, I later refer to that as a "we" activity ? 3y
TheAromaofBooks @5feet.of.fury @Laughterhp @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @wanderinglynn @JenReadsAlot @Leftcoastze @BookishBelle @eeclayton - Thank you!!! We've been working on a complete renovation of the bathroom/laundry/main closet for a year, which is a challenge when you only have one bathroom & have to keep everything in it functioning even while working on all the new stuff!!! Things are finally starting to come together, though!!! 3y
TheAromaofBooks @eeclayton - SAME 😂 We've been doing projects on this house since we moved in, and even though I've done my share of, like, painting, Tom has done all the heavy lifting. But whenever I'm showing someone around, my use of “we“ is QUITE generous! 😆 3y
marleed It‘s beautiful! 3y
Andrew65 Looking great 😍 3y
MemoirsForMe Looking great! And I‘m sure you earned a lot of credit to say “we” did it! 😆 3y
87 likes15 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
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I forgot to post my #weeklyforecast yesterday!! Books on the right are the chapter-a-day reads, all of which I am enjoying. I started the tagged book yesterday. I'm planning to read The Fire next. Hopefully I won't be working as much this week and it will not take me as long to read as the first book did!! Not pictured in my windowsill of January "assignments" are two backlog Kindle books I want to read for 22Booksin22 - one of those may be next⬇️

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) after The Fire. The good news is that I'm still really excited about all of these books - I just can't read fast enough!!!

We also got about 5“ of snow last night!!! It's so pretty and I don't have to go anywhere today!!! ❄

@Cinfhen
3y
Cinfhen Yay!! A snow day ☃️enjoy 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Cinfhen - Yes!! And it's still coming down!!! I love it!! 3y
69 likes3 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
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#WeekendReading - I finally finished The Eight!! Now I'm going to read a faster-paced Christie before picking up the sequel. My chapter-a-day reads are still tooling along quite well. Should finish Pinocchio soon. My husband is way inspired to work on our neverending bathroom remodel this weekend, so not sure how much reading I will get done today!! However, we're supposed to get a small pile of snow this evening, so tomorrow should be a cozy day.

Andrew65 Can‘t go wrong with Agatha! 3y
58 likes2 comments
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Laughterhp
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Pickpick

I‘ve been doing a lot of Halloween and scary reading and I just needed a break. Already used up all my Hoopla October borrows. Reading Agatha Christie is like drinking a warm cup of tea, so comforting. I know it doesn‘t get me a ton of points for #Scarathlon2021, oh well.

Now I‘m all caught up on reviews!

#TeamHendrix +6pts
#Screamathon
#LittensListen
#OctoberBookBingo
#LittensDressedinBlood
#SpookoweenReadathon
#Wickedathon

Ruthiella Bob the dog! My favorite character from that particular title. 3y
Laughterhp @Ruthiella Yes! Loved Bob the dog! 3y
Laughterhp *** I did say out loud to myself “ugh Hastings” as I started listening to this one. He wasn‘t too bad in this one. 3y
TheSpineView Love Bob! ❤🐕🧡📖🖤🎃🧡 3y
50 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Jaimelire
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Pickpick

Love all Agatha Christie books, so it‘s no surprise I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Poirot solves another mystery and keeps me amused once again! Now I will watch this episode of the tv show.

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Scochrane26
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Pickpick

Positives about this one—I loved the dog, Bob. I always find Hastings funny, so it‘s good that he‘s in this one. The mystery was interesting, & all the suspects had some unlikeable qualities.
Negatives—Christie sets up the prejudice against Greeks early on amongst the characters, & they‘re annoying in the frequency of their prejudiced statements. Obv, it‘s of the time but part of their unlikeable qualities.

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d_t_r_eeve
Mehso-so

I love Poirot novels but this one, for me, was not Chirstie‘s best work. I found the pace too steady and there were too few twists and turns. There are much better Poirot tales out there.

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MommyWantsToReadHerBook
Dumb Witness (Poirot) | Agatha Christie
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Pickpick

Such a good one - and this may have been a first read for me. I really enjoyed it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

BarbaraJean I really loved the dog in this one. 😊 4y
47 likes1 comment
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rwmg
Pickpick

After falling downstairs, an elderly woman writes to Poirot requesting his help. By the time he gets the letter, she has died having disinherited her family and leaving everything to her companion. Was it murder?

OK mystery, but I could have done without the thoughts of Bob the dog.

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rwmg

We passed a very pleasant evening, though I made the slight mistake of taking Poirot to a crook play. ... Poirot never ceased to complain of faulty psychology, and the hero detective‘s lack of order and method nearly drove him demented. We parted that night with Poirot still explaining how the whole business might have been laid bare in the first half of the first act.

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rwmg
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Rahagan
Dumb Witness (Poirot) | Agatha Christie

A dog is a great promoter of friendly intercourse

1 like2 stack adds
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Rachbb3
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Pickpick

Another great Poirot mystery. 😊

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Tamatha
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Weekend reading! ❤️😊

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MeganAnnabell
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Pickpick

Slowly working my way through all the Poirot books. I didn‘t enjoy this one as much as the others but I was not expecting the ending! #agathachristie

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bobregina
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My cute and cozy cat 🐱 Tarly, I just love watching her sleep! About the cozy book... not Christie‘s best mystery, but entertaining still, just love her fast writing 👑🐶

Sehdcce So cozy and adorable!😊 7y
67 likes1 stack add1 comment
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bobregina
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🕵️👵🐩🇬🇧

49 likes1 stack add
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emtobiasz
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Next on my Agatha Christie binge read, this one features a dog who may or may not have caused a tragic accident by leaving his ball out at the top of the stairs 🎾 Gosh, I can't think of anyone else who might do that, can you?

LeahBergen I think I detect a bit of murderous intent in those eyes. 😂😂 7y
GondorGirl @LeahBergen Yes, quite murderous. 😂😂 7y
emtobiasz @GondorGirl @LeahBergen To be fair, this yellow ball is one of those food-dispensing ones, and beagles are known to be, um, "food-motivated" ? 7y
blondie I wouldn't have even been mad. 😂 That face 💚 7y
54 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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bobregina
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Cozy mystery next 🕵️🐾 #herculepoirot #agathachristie

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skyeharmony
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Pickpick

Enjoyable, lots of possible suspects, and Bob the dog was an adorable part of the story.

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DarcysBookBlog
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Pickpick

This is one of my favorite Christie books, especially as it features Bob the Dog 🐶 I think my favorite thing about it is that Poirot has to solve a murder after receiving a letter from the victim, and having to prove that it was murder.

#maidensofmurder

20 likes1 stack add
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DarcysBookBlog
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"The dog hunts rabbits. Hercule Poirot hunts murderers."

#maidensofmurder

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DarcysBookBlog
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Found a vintage copy I already owned of Dumb Witness. Poirot Loses a Client was its original title.

#vintageagathas #maidensofmurder

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elkeOriginal
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The last of my crazy Christie buying spree in June arrived. The 2 that are larger trim sizes slightly annoy me (I clearly made assumptions. 😣) but these all sound good. Need more time to read ALL the books!
#christiecrimeclub #agathachristieclub #agathachristie #murdermostfoul

MayJasper Why would they print two larger? Annoying 7y
brennahawleycraig They're all so good!! 7y
emilyhaldi Love these covers! 7y
See All 11 Comments
Kalalalatja Why is it so difficult for publishers to keep books the same size?? 🙄 7y
Jess_Read_This 🙌🏼😍❤️❤️❤️Love these!!! Every cover is so pretty. 7y
HKGirl 😍😍😍 The nice thing about Christie is that they're fast reads! 7y
Jaimelire 😍 I'm jealous. 7y
erzascarletbookgasm Love the covers, but oh, annoying sizes! 7y
LeahBergen Oooo!! 7y
Sarah83 I'm still wondering, that some covers are the same in English and German edition and some are so different 🤔 7y
emmaturi All fantastic covers! 7y
74 likes3 stack adds11 comments
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jhod
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Was a bit worried when i got "book with a dog on the cover" this week on #chutesandladderdreadingchallenge. Luckily Agatha came up trumps!

CocoReads I've not heard of this challenge! 8y
jhod @CocoReads From @JenP 's blog - they've just kicked off a new one #marchmadness2017 It was my first ever challenge and now i'm in for life! 8y
CocoReads @jhod I love challenges! I'd been away from them for awhile but I'm back on them this year--it's hard to not do all of them though! 8y
JenP That would have been a tough category for me too! 8y
16 likes4 comments