Mrs McGinty's Dead

''Mrs McGinty's Dead'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in February 1952American Tribute to Agatha Christie
/ref> and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 3 March the same year.Chris Peers, Ralph Spurrier and Jamie Sturgeon. ''Collins Crime Club – A checklist of First Editions''. Dragonby Press (Second Edition) March 1999 (Page 15) The US edition retailed at $2.50 and the UK edition at nine shillings and sixpence (9/6). The Detective Book Club issued an edition, also in 1952, as ''Blood Will Tell''.

The novel features the characters Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver. The story is a "village mystery", a subgenre of whodunit which Christie usually reserved for Miss Marple. The novel is notable for its wit and comic detail, something that had been little in evidence in the Poirot novels of the 1930s and 1940s. Poirot's misery in the run-down guesthouse, Mrs Oliver's observations on the life of a detective novelist and her growing frustration at artistic liberties taken during adaptions of her characters into plays, provide considerable entertainment in the early part of the novel. The publication of ''Mrs McGinty's Dead'' may be considered as marking the start of Poirot's final phase, in which Ariadne Oliver plays a large part. Although she had appeared in ''Cards on the Table'' in 1936, Mrs Oliver's most significant appearances in Christie's work begin here. She appears in five of the last nine Christie novels featuring Poirot, and appears on her own without Poirot at all in '' The Pale Horse'' (1961).

Plot summary

Superintendent Spence visits Poirot to ask him to find evidence that would forestall the execution of James Bentley, recently convicted of killing his elderly landlady, Mrs McGinty, for a meager £30. All evidence points to his guilt, but something about Bentley's dreary acceptance of his fate just doesn't sit right with the experienced Spence. Poirot agrees to go to the village of Broadhinny and investigate the murder. Taking a room in the Summerhayes' guest house, Poirot finds that Mrs McGinty often worked as a charwoman at various village houses. He also discovers that most of the townsfolk believe that Bentley is guilty.

During the course of his investigations, Poirot discovers that, three days before the murder, Mrs McGinty took a clipping from a notorious Sunday newspaper containing an article that showed photos of females who had disappeared after having been involved in decades-old criminal cases. She wrote to the paper, claiming to have found a photo like one of the women, proving a villager was one of the missing women in disguise. However, her terrible spelling had caused the paper to dismiss her as a simple fame-seeker. Poirot and Spence, going by the ages of the people in the town, conclude that someone is either Lily Gamboll, who committed murder with a meat cleaver at 12 years of age, or Eva Kane, a governess who'd had an affair with her employer, Mr Craig, who was later convicted and executed for killing his wife. After being acquitted as an accessory, a pregnant Eva had changed her surname to "Hope" and left the country. Some sources claim she had a child named Evelyn, and several women in the town are the right age to be Evelyn, as well.

Shortly afterwards, Poirot discovers an old sugar cutter with traces of blood on it in the Summerhayes' house; the house is never locked, and the hammer could have been easily accessible to anyone. In an attempt to flush out the murderer, Poirot claims to know more than he does, and is pushed and nearly killed by an oncoming train, proving that the guilty party is still at large. Having acquired originals of the photos used in the article, Poirot shows them to the villagers at a gathering at elderly, wealthy Mrs Laura Upward's house. Mrs Upward claims to have seen the photo of Lily Gamboll, but refuses to say where.

Later, Poirot is contacted by Maude Williams, who had worked at an estate agent's with Bentley in another town before Bentley was laid off. She refuses to believe he is capable of murder, and offers to help Poirot. He accepts, and gets her to pose as a maid in the house of Mrs Wetherby, one of the houses Mrs McGinty cleaned. Poirot notices that Mrs Wetherby's daughter by her first marriage, Deirdre Henderson also believes in Bentley's innocence.

During the maid's night off, Mrs Upward's spoiled son, playwright Robin Upward, goes to the theatre with famed mystery writer Ariadne Oliver, whose novel he is planning to dramatize. When they return home, they find Mrs Upward strangled to death. She has evidently had coffee with her murderer; there is lipstick on a cup and perfume in the air, which point to a woman having committed the crime. Mrs Upward had invited three people to her house that night: Eve Carpenter, Deirdre Henderson, and Shelagh Rendell. Only Henderson came, but she found the house dark, and left. Any of the three women could be someone from the photographs. Additionally, the postmistress's assistant, Edna, saw someone with blonde hair enter the house; Carpenter and Rendell are blonde, and Henderson is brunette.

A book is discovered in the Upward house with Evelyn Hope's signature written on the flyleaf, suggesting that Mrs Upward was actually Eva Kane, further confusing the situation. Poirot then finds a photo in a drawer in the Summerhayes' house and realizes it must be the photo Mrs McGinty saw. It is of Eva Kane, with the inscription, "my mother" on the back. Recognizing the handwriting, Poirot gathers the suspects together and accuses Robin Upward of the murders, startling him into a confession.

Robin Upward is Eva Kane's son, Evelyn Hope; the real Robin Upward had died young. A lonely, childless widow desperately wanting a son, Mrs Upward takes in impoverished, artistic young men, treating them more like a patron a protégé than like a mother. Evelyn Hope had been the most successful of these. Living with her at Broadhinny, most people assume him to really be her son Robin, although Mrs Summerhayes, also an adopted child, suspects the truth. Mrs McGinty finds a photo of Eva Kane while working at the Upward house and assumes it is Mrs Upward as a young woman.

Evelyn, realizing that any scandal would put an end to his use of Mrs Upward's money, steals a sugar cutter to kill Mrs McGinty before she can tell of her discovery. He frames Bentley by stealing £30, assuming Bentley would panic and incriminate himself. On the night of a gathering, Poirot produces the two old photographs and asks if anyone recognizes either of them. Mrs Upward recognizes Eva Kane's photo, but points to the photo of Lily Gamboll instead, to put Poirot off the scent.

Evelyn suspects the truth. Pretending to forget something on the night of his play, he leaves Mrs Oliver waiting in the car, goes back inside and strangles Mrs Upward. He plants evidence of sprayed perfume and lipstick on a cup, then makes three calls in a high voice to make it appear as if a woman had committed the crime. Later, he plants the photo in a drawer at Mrs Summerhayes' house to incriminate her, but Poirot having gone through the drawer earlier, knows there was no photo, thus only Evelyn could have put it there afterwards.

Further revelations are also made: Eve Carpenter wanted to conceal her past from her aristocratic husband, which was why she would not co-operate in the investigation. Spence discovers that Shelagh Rendell has been receiving poison pen letters claiming that her husband murdered his first wife. Poirot suspects that Dr Rendell, not Evelyn Hope, tried to kill him by pushing him under the oncoming train, and Maude Williams turns out to be Maude Craig. Despite the jury's decision, both Maude and the police are convinced her mother was actually murdered by Eva Kane and not James Bentley, who chivalrously took the blame since Eva was carrying his child, and knowing Evelyn's true identity. When Maude finds Mrs Upward's body, she fears she might be accused of murder, and leaves quietly; she admits this to Poirot, who agrees to keep it a secret and wishes her good luck in her life. Deirdre Henderson has money of her own from her father, but was forced by her stepfather to care for her malingering mother. She and Bentley have romantic feelings for each other. Bentley is freed and Spence is convinced they have closed the case at last, much to Poirot's relief.

Characters

* Hercule Poirot - Famous Belgian detective asked to reinvestigate the case.
* Ariadne Oliver - Novelist and old acquaintance of Poirot who is working with Robin Upward on a play.
* Superintendent Spence - An old friend of Poirot's who asks him to look into the case.
* James Gordon Bentley - Former lodger of Mrs McGinty wrongly convicted of her murder
* Mr Scuttle - James Bentley's former employer.
* Maude Williams - A former co-worker of James Bentley.
* Maureen Summerhayes - The inept owner of the Broadhinny guest house Long Meadows. She is adopted.
* Major Johnnie Summerhayes - Maureen's husband. He feels obliged to stay in Broadhinny because of his family history even though he has no skill at farming.
* Guy Carpenter - A businessman with an interest in politics.
* Eve Carpenter - The new wife of Guy Carpenter, formerly an employer of Mrs McGinty as Mrs Selkirk.
* Robin Upward - Playwright working with Ariadne Oliver.
* Laura Upward - Adoptive mother of Robin Upward, who she gave the name of her deceased biological son. She is initially unaware of his past.
* Dr Rendell - Local doctor of Broadhinny, suspected of having murdered his first wife. Poirot believes it was he who tried to kill him by pushing him in front of a train.
* Sheelagh Rendell - Second wife of Dr Rendell who fears Poirot is investigating her husband.
* Mr Roger Wetherby - Overbearing stepfather of Deirdre Henderson who relies on her to keep house while taking advantage of her inheritance.
* Mrs Edith Wetherby - Mother of Deirdre Henderson. She exaggerates her infirmity to force Deirdre to stay and look after her.
* Deirdre Henderson - Daughter of Edith Wetherby and stepdaughter of Roger. She is fond of James Bentley.
* Bessie Burch - Mrs McGinty's niece.
* Joe Burch - Bessie's husband
* Lily Gamboll - Mentioned in Sunday Comet article as having killed her aunt when she was twelve. Suspected of living in Broadhinny.
* Mrs McGinty - Charwoman for: the Rendells, the Upwards, he Wetherbys and the Carpenters, murdered because she discovered a photo of Eva Kane at the Upward house.
* Pamela Horsefall - Editor of the Sunday Comet. Was contacted by Mrs McGinty about the tragic-women-article.
* Michael West - Actor who is acquainted with Robin Upward and knows of his adoption.
* Mrs Elliott - Next door neighbour of Mrs McGinty who discovered her body.
* Constable Albert "Bert" Hayling - Village constable of Broadhinny.

Explanation of the title

The novel is named after a children's game – a sort of follow-the-leader type of verse somewhat like the Hokey-Cokey — that is explained in the course of the novel.

Literary significance and reception

Maurice Richardson of ''The Observer'' of 23 March 1952 thought that Poirot was "slightly subdued" and summed up "Not one of A.C's best-constructed jobs, yet far more readable than most other people's."

Robert Barnard: "This village murder begins among the rural proletariat (cf. ''Death by Drowning'' in '' The Thirteen Problems'' and the excellent London working-class woman in ''The Hollow''), but after a time it moves toward the better-spoken classes. Poirot suffers in a vividly awful country guesthouse in order to get in with the community and rescue a rather unsatisfactory young man from the gallows. Highly ingenious – at this point she is still able to vary the tricks she plays, not repeat them."

References to other works

* When Superintendent Spence arrives to see Poirot, the detective reacts to him as though it has been many years since their last case together, '' Taken at the Flood'', the previous novel, set in 1946, six years previously. Chronologies are difficult to construct, especially with Poirot's career.
* Poirot refers in the first chapter to a case in which the resemblance between his client and a soap manufacturer proved significant, "The Nemean Lion", first published in the '' Strand Magazine'' in November 1939 and later collected in '' The Labours of Hercules'' (1947).
* Mrs Oliver, who is a very amiable caricature of Agatha Christie herself, refers to gaffes in her books. In chapter 12, she mentions one of her novels, (''Death in the Clouds'') in which she had made a blowpipe one foot long, instead of six.
*
Evelyn Hope
�� is the name of a poem by Robert Browning that is quoted in the course of the novel. In ''Taken at the Flood'' Christie had made a character take the alias of " Enoch Arden", a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Adaptations

Film

The novel was adapted by MGM in 1964 as the film '' Murder Most Foul''. However, in an unusual move, the character of Poirot was replaced with Miss Marple (portrayed by Margaret Rutherford), who comes onto the case as a juror in the trial of the lodger who is accused of the murder. She is the only juror to believe the lodger innocent, hanging the jury. The judge rules a mistrial and arranges for a retrial in a week, giving Miss Marple seven days to solve the case.

The film is only loosely based on the novel, altering almost all the characters, subplots, names, and deaths. The motive for the murder remains the same, but the killer's name and role are changed. The film's tone is more playful and light-hearted than the novel, as was characteristic of Rutherford's Christie film adaptations.

Television

British adaptation

A television programme was produced in 2007 with David Suchet as Poirot in the ITV series '' Agatha Christie's Poirot'', first broadcast on 14 September 2008. It was directed by Ashley Pearce, who also directed '' Appointment with Death'' and ''Three Act Tragedy'' for the ITV series. It also starred Zoë Wanamaker returning as Ariadne Oliver (who first appeared in ''Cards on the Table'') and Richard Hope as Superintendent Spence (who first appeared in '' Taken at the Flood''), respectively. The adaptation is reasonably faithful to the novel, with the deletion of a few characters and omitting two of the women from the newspaper article – only focusing on Lily Gamboll and Eva Kane.

The characters of Deirdre Henderson and Maude Williams are merged in the film. Thus it is Maude Williams, the estate agents' secretary (with dark hair instead of blonde), who is in love with Bentley and helps Poirot throughout his investigation. Maude and Bentley are reunited by Poirot in the final scene.At the PBS website for viewing the entire episode, or its various chapters, is the following description of the last scene of the film (Chapter 10: "Secrets of the Past"): "While Poirot and Bentley's colleague Maude Williams wait for Bentley, Poirot reveals her secrets." mphasis added.br>"Secrets of the Past"


, Chapter 10, Hercule Poirot Series IX. PBS. Available only from 29 June 2009 to 12 July 2009; retrieved 29 June 2009. Also, Dr Rendall's secret is not that he is suspected of killing his first wife, but of mercy killing terminally ill patients. It is Mrs Rendall, rather than her husband, who makes an attempt on Poirot's life.

French adaptation

The novel was adapted as a 2015 episode of the French television series '' Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie''.

Radio

''Mrs McGinty's Dead'' was adapted for radio by Michael Bakewell for BBC Radio 4 in 2006, featuring John Moffatt as Poirot.

Publication history

* 1952, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), February 1952, Hardback, 243 pp
* 1952, Collins Crime Club (London), 3 March 1952, Hardback, 192 pp
* 1952, Walter J. Black (Detective Book Club), 180 pp (Dated 1951)
* 1953, Pocket Books (New York), Paperback, 181 pp
* 1957, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollins), Paperback, 188 pp
* 1970, Pan Books, Paperback, 191 pp
* 1988, Ulverscroft Large-print Edition, Hardcover,
* 2008, HarperCollins; Facsimile edition, Hardcover,

In the US, the novel was serialised in the ''Chicago Tribune'' in its Sunday edition in thirteen parts from 7 October to 30 December 1951 under the title of ''Blood Will Tell''.

References

External links

''Mrs McGinty's Dead''
at the official Agatha Christie website
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{{Authority control

1952 British novels
Books about adoption
British novels adapted into films
British novels adapted into television shows
Dodd, Mead & Co. books
Fiction about wrongful convictions
Hercule Poirot novels
Novels first published in serial form
Works originally published in the Chicago Tribune