Dead Man's Folly

Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie (1956) 178 pages

Murder mystery writer Ariadne Oliver has been hired to create a Murder Hunt, one of the activities to be part of a festival on the property of an estate now owned by Sir George Stubbs and his beautiful, but somewhat mentally deficient wife, Lady Hattie Stubbs. Mrs. Oliver creates a cast of characters for the game, including a murder victim. Those who play the game will try to locate clues on the grounds of the estate, and if they are successful, they will find a key to a boathouse, unlock the door, and see a a person pretending to be dead. Mrs. Oliver's concern is that she feels that the people around her on the estate are manipulating the game somewhat. (For instance, she had planned for a young woman to play the role of the deceased, but circumstances changed and now a teenager is to play the role.) Mrs. Oliver's concerns are great enough that she calls Hercule Poirot to come and help make sure all is well, even though she can't quite put her finger on what's wrong.

Poirot arrives by train and gets to know the people on the estate the day before the festival, including Mrs. Folliat, a woman whose family used to own the estate before it was lost to death duties when her husband and sons died. Others on the estate, besides Sir George and Lady Hattie Stubbs, are an architect, the secretary/housekeeper, a young couple who are living nearby in a cottage for the summer, and a few townspeople who are helping with the festival.

Sure enough, in spite of Mrs. Oliver's and M. Poirot's careful attentions, a real murder is committed during the process of the game. Another oddity is that Lady Stubbs goes missing during the festival. It's all a real stumper, and Poirot is still mulling it over several weeks later back at home. He likens the solution to that of a jigsaw puzzle: the pieces don't look anything like what they are, until they are properly arranged.

I'd read this book long ago, and forgot enough that it was new to me. Reading Poirot is always a treat!