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    Lord Edgware Dies: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Lord Edgware Dies: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Lord Edgware Dies: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition
    Audiobook6 hours

    Lord Edgware Dies: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition

    Written by Agatha Christie

    Narrated by Hugh Fraser

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    When Lord Edgware Dies a most unnatural death, detective Hercule Poirot must solve a most confounding conundrum: if the obvious killer, the slain peer’s spiteful wife, didn’t do it, who did? A classic from the queen of mystery, Agatha Christie.

    When Lord Edgware is found murdered the police are baffled. His estranged actress wife was seen visiting him just before his death and Hercule Poirot himself heard her brag of her plan to “get rid” of him.

    But how could she have stabbed Lord Edgware in his library at exactly the same time she was seen dining with friends? It’s a case that almost proves to be too much for the great Poirot.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJul 3, 2012
    ISBN9780062230027
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

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    Reviews for Lord Edgware Dies

    4.5/5

    254 ratings29 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A typically solid entry in the Christie canon, with Poirot acting typically annoying at times. But there's also a solid mystery and a fair number of plot twists to keep the reader guessing.
    • 5/5
      Hugh Jackson is perfect! What He Christie is my absolute favourite author.
    • 4/5
      This was clever, and I enjoyed Hastings as usual. My only problem was keeping the male characters Ross, Marsh and Martin clear in my head.
    • 2/5
      Also: "Thirteen at Dinner"

      American actress Jane Wilkinson (Lady Edgware) is at the theater, M.Poirot is sitting in front of her, watching a young actress, Carlotta Adams, imitate her, as soon as the actress is finished, Jane giver her an excellent round of applause.....

      Later at dinner Jane loudly announces to the room of diners (M. Poirot being one of them) that she will kill her husband, Lord Edgware, and she proceeds to tell everyone in which manner.... Upon espying M. Poirot, Lady Edgware, leaves her dinner companions & invites M. Poirot up to her room. Once there she entreats M. Poirot to take on her case, entreating Lord Edgware to agree to a divorce so that she may marry again.

      Originally, Jane had planned to marry her co-star Bryan Martin, but now she is planning on marrying Duke Merton....

      Upon discreetly visiting Lord Edgware, M. Poirot is informed that his errand was for naught, as Lord Edgware had indeed agreed to the divorce 6 months previously and what is more notified his wife Jane of his decision via post.

      A dinner party for those on the rise and in need of being in favor with the right people is given.... Originally Jane had opted out of attending, but at the last minute changed her mind. Her dinner partner, not knowing did not attend and there were 13 in attendance at dinner.

      During the dinner Jane receives a mysterious phone call..... but is simultaneously seen in Lord Edgwares home, going into his study by both the butler & Lord Edgware's secretary.....

      In the course of M. Poirot's investigation of the murder, two other people are murdered.....

      Meh... I didn't like the characters and the story seemed to be lacking something.....
    • 5/5
      This was one of the best Christie books I've read. Loved the characters the plot went so fast.
    • 4/5
      I had suspicions but still didn't figure this one out. Maybe next time
    • 3/5
      A BBC radio drama performed by a full cast of actors.Jane Wilkinson was once the toast of Broadway, but now she is better known for her advantageous marriage to Lord Edgware. But the marriage isn’t a happy one, and Lady Edgware has another man in mind. Trouble is that Lord Edgware is adamantly opposed to divorce. Jane asks Hercule Poirot to convince Edgware to grant her a divorce. She even somewhat jokingly admits to Poirot that she’d do anything to end her miserable marriage. Which really complicates matters when Edgware is found stabbed in the neck a day later. Thank heavens that Jane Wilkinson was at a dinner party and everyone there can confirm her alibi. Poirot is, as usual, intent on ferreting out the truth. All these suspects! All these conflicting stories! Colonel Hastings is by his side, but he acts mostly as a foil, asking questions that allow Poirot to expound on his thought processes. And those “little grey cells” get a workout! These mysteries are my go-to comfort food of reading. Christie writes wonderful characters, even if she uses stereotypes that are jarring to modern sensibilities. She’s also very good at crafting intricate plot twists. The BBC radio drama is wonderfully acted, but I was glad I also had a text version of the book. I find it interesting that I hadn’t noticed before how much of the action in these mysteries is handled through dialogue.
    • 4/5
      Very engaging plot though not really original. I liked the ending, which provides an interesting glimpse into the murderer's personality. Proud to say I found out their identity long before the end but that's what happens when you read so much Christie!
    • 5/5
      A wonderful masterpiece by the Queen of Mystery. Poirot, as always, at his best. The movie rendition of it, although with the wonderful presence of David Suchet, does not capture the deep intricacies of Mrs. Christie’s perfectly woven story. Another must read—and re-read!
    • 3/5
      Performance was great, but the story is one of Christie’s slowest and most tedious. It is annoyingly drawn out and thus disappointing.
    • 4/5
      In which a nasty old man dies at dinner, and everyone’s a suspect.

      This one's a great example of vintage Christie. The pieces are all in place for a fun, elaborate murder mystery with less contrivances than usual (although it does use one of Christie’s favourite standbys, having actors amongst the suspects, which always increases the confusion and/or red herrings). It’s relatively taut and logical, Poirot gets plenty to do, and Hastings makes one of his final appearances. Robert Barnard comments about some of the anti-Semitism that appears briefly, but thankfully it was the end of such an era for Christie’s works.

      Like many Christie books, the title was changed on first publication in the US. Oddly, though, this is a rare occurrence where it is mellowed, becoming "Thirteen at Dinner". (Every title change we’ve seen thus far has introduced a word implying fatality, and I’m not sure why this change was made.)

      Poirot ranking: 16th of 38.
    • 5/5
      Fabulous tale! Exceptionally narrated! Really enjoyed all the twists and turns!
    • 5/5
      This was my first Hercule Poirot and it was great! The plot is very clever and has some unexpected twists and turns. I had to discard one suspect after the other because they couldn't have been the murderer due to alibis or got killed themselves. A 'whodunnit' at it's best. Well, it's Agatha Christie...
    • 3/5
      A good book that I was curious about the entire way through. It didn't seem to hold my attention as well as some of her previous stories, though. On the one hand, I think it would have done better with fewer characters. In the other, the addition of so many people and locations fostered the sense of confusion and ill-ease which Poirot has for most of the story.
    • 4/5
      Lord Edgware is a cruel man who seems to have a kinky streak in him. His wife is the younger and famous actress Jane Wilkinson, but she left him not long after their marriage and has openly wished for his death so she can remarry. When Edgware obliges, Poirot and Hastings think that Lady Edgware is too lucky and too thrilled.Continuing on with reading A.G. in order of publication. This is one of the more complex plots, with lots of good motives and suspects getting bumped off at a good pace.
    • 4/5
      This is one of my favourites in the long Poirot series of Agatha Christie. What I particularly like about this story is that it gives you more insight in the way Poirot thinks about a case and gets to the truth than in the others. It also really gives a lot of interesting settings and information to the reader to allow him/her to try and find the guilty one himself/herself.

      The characters in this book are well gone into and very likable. The world of London's theatre and film actors and the odd comparison with France (Paris) and the USA make it all the more interesting to read.

      Recommended!
    • 4/5
      This was actually pretty great. I was pleasantly surprised by this one - it's got a good plot, good characters, and some good writing. One star off for the goddamn anti-Semitism because come on.
    • 4/5
      Jane, an actress, dislikes her husband Lord Edgware. The plot is complicated by another actress, and a variety of suspects for two murders. Poirot eventually solve the puzzle, as ever. Lively, and left me guessing until the end. Very cleverly written.
    • 2/5
      All in all a routine and rather uninspiring outing for Poirot. Once again we have Hastings by his side, for no conceivable (or at least well explained) reason. We have a plethora of coincidences and Poirot himself running off this way and that with theories that are no more logical than those of the police. And, in the end, I doubt that the police could have arrested the murderer on the evidence Poirot found and I even more doubt that the murderer would have been hung even if found guilty since there was ample room for doubt.
    • 3/5
      I also listened to Agatha Christie’s Thirteen at Dinner (originally published as Lord Edgware Dies) narrated by Hugh Fraser who has played Captain Hastings in several of the Agatha Christie’s Poirot TV movies which feature David Suchet as Poirot. It’s a typically complicated Christie plot involving the death of a man whose actress wife, Jane Wilkinson, was seeking a divorce from him. Having been reported at Lord Edgware’s house moments before his death Wilkinson was immediately suspected of his murder by Inspector Jap but proved to have a strong alibi. Even Poirot is confused for some time by the presence of impersonators and liars among the potential suspects but when a second then third murder are committed he finally solves the case.

      I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of this story which wasn’t as dated as some of Christie’s can seem and it’s quite nice to see Poirot humbled for a while. I’ve never liked Inspector Jap terribly much but he doesn’t play a huge role and the rest of the characters are interesting. In particular the character of Jane Wilkinson is quite intriguing as she changes over the course of the book.

      I’ve listened to several Christie stories narrated by David Suchet and thought it might be interesting to compare this book narrated by Fraser, especially as this story is told from Hastings’ point of view. Surprisingly, because the Suchet narrated stories are wonderful, I found this narration comparable in quality and again found myself quickly lost in the story. My rating 3.5/5
    • 5/5
      Fun story. Surprising twist, and Hercule Poirot is always entertaining.
    • 5/5
      I love this book, the twist at the end as to who dunnit is superb and is classic Christie.
    • 4/5
      Thank goodness Hastings is as baffled as I am despite having been on as many Poirot adventures as I have. Clearly my little grey cells are not as sharp as the brilliant detective's. Christie is at her best: delightful, funny, clever and ever resourceful in her plot twists.I'm very happy to have found this copy surreptitiously hiding in my library. It was a lovely way of whiling away a winter's weekend.
    • 4/5
      A beautiful but dim American actress seeks out Hercule Poirot to extricate her from her unfortunate marriage to a cruel member of the English aristocracy so she can marry a less-cruel and richer member of the English aristocracy. She swears that if Poirot can't help her, she'll have to kill Lord Edgware. Lo and behold, Lord Edgware dies and the actress is seen in the vicinity. But with her ironclad alibi, she can't possibly be the murderer. So who done it, and why? A nice puzzle with lots of suspects and a satisfying denouement.
    • 4/5
      Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie was originally published in 1933. It features Hercule Poirot and his friend Arthur Hastings as they originally assist an American actress to get her estranged husband, Lord Edgware, to agree to a divorce, but all too soon are investigating his murder. One murder is soon followed by another and by the end of the book three people have been killed.The book is riddled with suspects and alibis that seem to shift and change with every chapter. This case seems to genuinely puzzle Poirot for most of the book, but eventually an inane remark of Hastings helps him to put all the pieces together. Although I am fairly certain that I read this book many years ago under it’s American title of “Thirteen At Dinner”, I was truly surprised at the final outcome. It is unfortunate that this clever mystery held more than a few examples of antisemitism which I found very distasteful as other than that, I found Lord Edgware Dies to be an inventive and clever mystery.
    • 3/5
      Entertaining, but if you've read it before it's a bit screamingly obvious.
    • 5/5
      Published in the UK in 1933 as LORD EDGWARE DIES and in the US in the same year as THIRTEEN AT DINNER.The edition I read was in a Hamlyn omnibus, published in 1969, pages 191-366, 175 pages.The omnibus, Agatha Christie Crime Collection, also contained 4.50 FROM PADDINGTON, and MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA.Lady Edgware, Jane Wilkinson, is an actress, who has been married to Lord Edgware for about 3 years. The marriage has been a failure and now Lady Edgware wants a divorce. She tells Hercule Poirot her husband has refused to agree to a divorce and she asks Hercule Poirot to try to negotiate one for her. When Poirot and Hastings visit Lord Edgware, he claims that to the contrary he has already sent his wife a letter agreeing the divorce. Poirot reports this back to Lady Edgware who is now over the moon because it means she will be able to marry again, and she already has someone in mind.That night however Lord Edgware is killed and the housekeeper and butler both claim that the perpetrator was Lady Edgware. But was it her or Carlotta Adams, a successful impersonator who has been entertaining London clubs with her impersonations of Lady Edgware? On the same morning that Lord Edgware's body is discovered in his library, Carlotta is discovered dead in her flat from a drugs overdose.The tale LORD EDGWARE DIES is told by Poirot's companion Hastings. He tells us that Hercule Poirot regards the solving of the case of Lord Edgware's death as one of his failures. We learn that Poirot made some serious misjudgements in the case with the result that the murderer of Lord Edgware, Carlotta Adams, and another, very nearly got away with it. And yet, Hastings says, it was Poirot's genius that discovered the truth. Hastings says that he is recounting the case to comply with the wishes of a fascinating lady.LORD EDGWARE DIES is Christie's 13th novel, and marks the 7th appearance of Hercule Poirot in novels. It was published in the year following PERIL AT END HOUSE, a case in which Porot was tricked by a young woman to whom he felt great attraction. If Poirot comes over as capable of making critical mistakes, it is very obvious that Arthur Hastings is a person whose judgement simply cannot be trusted. He is, as Poirot points out, not only unobservant, but also easily misled. Sometimes, when we are seeing things through Hastings' eyes, we need to remember that he is often an unreliable witness.I thought that technically LORD EDGWARE DIES was a shade better than PERIL AT END HOUSE. I had begun to suspect the truth within 50 or so pages of the end, but still really needed Hercule Poirot to explain it all to me.
    • 5/5
      This case is one of the most sinister and at the same time funny and exhilarating Poirot stories, superbly read by Hugh Fraser.
    • 3/5
      This is a pleasant cozy mystery. I had read it years ago, and found that I remembered the key clue, and various bits of dialogue and description, but I had it filed in my head as a Josephine Tey book.This is the one with the torn letter, and the murder victim who does impersonations of famous actresses.