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    Three Blind Mice: A Short Story
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    Three Blind Mice: A Short Story
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    Three Blind Mice: A Short Story
    Ebook100 pages1 hour

    Three Blind Mice: A Short Story

    By Agatha Christie

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Previously published in the print anthology Three Blind Mice and Other Stories.

    The patrons and residents of the newly opened guesthouse Monkswell Manor find themselves trapped by a snowstorm and threatened by a psychotic killer. With a finite cast of characters in this "locked room" mystery, it is not long before suspicions are voiced, and, under growing pressure, even newlyweds Molly and Giles each start to suspect the other of being a killer.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateSep 17, 2013
    ISBN9780062302151
    Unavailable
    Three Blind Mice: A Short Story
    Author

    Agatha Christie

    Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.

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    Reviews for Three Blind Mice

    4/5

    334 ratings15 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I didn't realize that this was a re-read (way way back in high school when I swiped one of my grandmother's Agatha Christies off her shelf).

      This is collection of short stories featuring Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and Harley Quinn (only one story though but I never much liked him).

      Again relived some of my favorites: The Third Floor Flat, The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly and Four and Twenty Blackbirds.

    • 4/5
      This book was an anthology of Agatha Christie's short stories. The first story from the title Three Blind Mice which was the longest one. This short story has been the longest continuous running play in London. The story is pretty good. Most of the rest of the stories are split evenly between Poirot and Miss Marple doing their things. The collection is capped off with one featuring Harley Quinn. Lots of fun quick stories to pass the time and a quick read overall. Very enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      There are a couple of original plays in this collection, most notably 'The Mousetrap' - the longest running play in the West End, 'Witness for the Prosecution' and 'Verdict' as well as theatre adaptations of some novels, interesting as a read, but I find Christie's plays haven't stood the test of time as well as her novels.
    • 4/5
      Nine of Agatha Christie's short stories. Miss Marple features most prominently, but Hercule Poirot and Harley Quinn also put in appearances.As far as Dame Agatha's short fiction collections go, this is a good one. It's a nice, tight anthology filled with the very best sort of mystery stories; that is, there are plenty of suspects, tons of clues, and some very satisfying denouements. Each piece is entertaining and cleverly plotted. If you're looking for an introduction to Agatha Christie, this could be a good place to start.A word of caution, though, for veteran Christie fans: all these stories are also available in other collections, so you may already be familiar with them. "Three Blind Mice" itself is a prose version of "The Mousetrap," one of Ms. Christie's popular plays.
    • 5/5
      This is my second book of short stories for the Cool Down with AC read a long this summer. So far I am really liking the short stories and stand alone novels best. This book was one of my favorites in the reading challenge so far. This book includes the play, The Mouse Trap that has been transformed into the short story Three Blind Mice in this book. The Mouse Trap is the longest running play in England. The story uses one of Christie's most famous plot devices, strangers trapped in isolation with a killer as one by one people die. I could not figure out the killer for the life of me. I always get it wrong and Christie's cleverness amazes me every time. In addition to Three Blind mice there are several other short stories included. Other stories include:Strange Jest feature a cameo by Jane Helier last seen in The Tuesday Club Murders. In this story Miss Marple is recruited to help in a quest for treasure. The outcome of the treasure was just like in the Audrey Hepburn movie, Charade. The Tape Measure Murder is also a Miss Marple story. In this story a woman is found murdered and naturally the husband is the obvious suspect. Of course nothing is ever as it seems in a Christie story. The next Miss Marple story, The Case of the Perfect Maid uses a plot device seen in Tuesday Club Murders and the Clocks in which a person impersonates another in order to commit a crime. The final Miss Marple entry, The Case of the Caretaker is shortened version of an idea that was developed into the full length novel, Endless Night which is my all time favorite Christie. The Third Floor flat is a Hercule Poirot story in which he must solve the murder of a woman in her flat. It's an especially clever tale. The Adventure of Johnny Waverly is also a Hercule Poirot mystery reminiscent of the Lindberg kidnapping though of course with a Christie twist. This story is rare in that there is a happy ending to the crime.Four and Twenty Blackbirds is a Hercule Poirot short using the impersonation plot device earlier seen in the Marple story.The final short story is The Love Detectives which has Mr. Satterthwaite who was seen in Three Act Tragedy. The story is very much like the full length novel Murder at the Vicarage, the first book to feature Miss Marple. This is a story where the people who committed the murder are the obvious suspects, the mystery lies in why they would confess to the crime.For anyone who might be uninitiated with Agatha Christie novels as I was at the start of the summer should start with the short stories. I think they are like a sampler platter of Poirot and Marple guaranteed to whet the appetite for more of the Queen of Crime.
    • 4/5
      This story is the basis for the West End play The Mouse Trap which had its first performance in 1952.From Wikipedia The play began life as a short radio play broadcast on 30 May 1947 called Three Blind Mice in honour of Queen Mary, the consort of King George V. The play had its origins in the real-life case of the death of a boy, Dennis O'Neill, who died while in the foster care of a Shropshire farmer and his wife in 1945. The play is based on a short story, itself based on the radio play, but Christie asked that the story not be published as long as it ran as a play in the West End of London. The short story has still not been published within the United Kingdom but it has appeared in the United States in the 1950 collection Three Blind Mice and Other Stories. When she wrote the play, Christie gave the rights to her grandson Matthew Prichard as a birthday present. In the United Kingdom, only one production of the play in addition to the West End production can be performed annually,[2] and under the contract terms of the play, no film adaptation can be produced until the West End production has been closed for at least six months.The story Three Blind Mice was written in 1947, and published in the US in 1950.The story is really a novella and the action slips past very quickly. Once the guest house becomes cut off by a snow storm, the tension builds and a murder takes place. There is a dramatic quality to the events, or is it just that I know that it is the basis of The Mouse Trap? One can imagine these events being played out on a stage.Following the tradition with The Mouse Trap there will be no revealing of how the plot works out here. For the record, I did work out who the murderer was.I am glad I read it.
    • 3/5

      Many of these stories were published in other anthologies so there may be duplication of reviews.

      Three Blind Mice - Residents of a guest home are snowed in, among them is a murderer

      Strange Jest - Marple: Two nephews Edward Rossiter and Charmain Stroud, promised by their Uncle to receive an inheritance, seem to have been left nothing in their uncle's will. Miss Marple intends to investigate

      The Tape-Measure Murder - Marple: Mr. Spenlow's wife is murdered while he is visiting Miss Marple, yet he is a prime suspect

      The Case of the Perfect Maid - Marple: A maid is fired for stealing, but how is it that her replacement is stealing as well?

      The Case of the Caretaker - Marple: While bedridden, Miss Marple reads Dr Haycock's manuscript of an accident which turns out to be murder

      The Third Floor Flat - Poirot: Four young people, accidentally locked out of their 4th floor flat, take the coal trolley up but end up accidentally in the 3rd floor flat and discover the body of a murdered woman

      The Adventure of Johnny Waverly - Poirot: A family threatened with the kidnapping of their 3 year old son take every precaution to prevent the occurrence, unfortunately when the child is taken it becomes apparent that it is an "inside" job

      Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds - Poirot: A man eats the same food at the same restaurant on the same day of the week for 20 years. On the day he changes his meal choice he is found dead.... how can that be?

      The Love Detectives - Mr. Quinn: A messy love triangle, a murder, and the implication of the lovers has Mr. Quinn investigating (Mr. Quinn is another of Christie's detectives that I find to be a refreshing change from M. Poirot & Miss Marple)
    • 5/5
      I can see why this play enjoyed such a long run! Great take on the country home mystery, a new guest house (sort of like a bed & breakfast but serving all meals) opens one winter day, coincidentally when a blizzard is occurring. On the radio as the play opens is the news of a murder in London... I am a Christie fan but for some reason have never read this play before. It is very well done and she manages to make the audience suspect each person in turn and yet the guilty person is still a surprise! Sadly, it might not appeal to today's young people as the plot does depend on the murderer cutting the telephone wire to isolate the house even more -- the prevalence today of cell phones has made this whole subgenre of mysteries obsolete (or at least dependent on exotic circumstances).Note: I read this in the omnibus "The Mousetrap and Other Plays"
    • 4/5
      The title story in this collection is actually a novella, which later became the long-running play, The Mousetrap. I saw the stage production in London two or three times so there wasn't anything about the plot that surprised me. However, I noticed some new things about the characters and setting, such as the importance of post-WW II rationing in the story.Four of the remaining eight stories feature Miss Marple as the detective, three feature Hercule Poirot, and one features Mr. Satterthwaite and the mysterious Harley Quin. The Poirot story and the Harley Quin story had all been published prior to the first publication of this collection. All of the stories are mysteries, but they're not all murder mysteries. The stories are all typical of Christie's country house or village mysteries, and they would make a good introduction for readers who want to sample Christie's work before diving into one of her novels.
    • 5/5
      June 11, 2001 The MousetrapAgatha ChristieI REALLY enjoyed this story. It’s very short. It’s actually an adaptation, I believe, from the original play – never even written as a story. I enjoyed it so much that it made me start seriously craving a trip to London, so I could see it in person. It’s the longest-running play in history, I believe. I was so entranced by the idea of seeing it in person that I even went on a website for it, looking up dates and everything, and wishing ferociously that I could scrape up both the money and the courage to take a vacation to England. I remember talking to Steve on AIM about it, just wishing. Anyway, it’s one of my favorite scenarios, and one Christie is famous for: a bunch of strangers trapped together in an old house in the country, snowed in by a vicious blizzard. Somebody dies, and we have to figure out who did it. I don’t even remember now who did it. This was in a book in Grandpa’s Christie collection, and it was called “The Mousetrap and Other Stories”. I don’t know if I read any of the other stories; if I did, they didn’t leave an impression.
    • 4/5
      The Mousetrap, a play by Agatha Christie opened in London’s West End in 1952 and has been running continuously since then. It has the longest first run of any play and has firmly established that Agatha Christie was not only a superb mystery writer but an excellent playwright as well.The setting is classic Christie, a group of people gather in a large country house cut off by a snow storm. To their horror they discover a murderer is in their midst. One by one their background and identities are established until it become obvious who the murderer is. The twist at the end has long been an open secret but was considered quite shocking when it was originally revealed.Plays are written as a visual art and so I would really love to see this one performed live. As it is I enjoyed The Mousetrap in much the same way as I enjoy Agatha Christie’s short stories, light and tasty but not quite the full meal deal that her novels are.
    • 4/5
      4.5****

      This is a collection of short stories, the title story being the basis for The Mousetrap - the longest running play, ever. It’s a suspenseful tale of a group of strangers trapped in an English Manor House during a blizzard, with an obvious “homicidal maniac” among them. I was certain I had it figured out – twice (with two different culprits) – but Christie surprised me once again.

      The rest of the stories are not quite as good as the title tale, but still show why Christie was named the Queen of Crime. Some of the them feature Miss Marple, whose keen observation of human nature frequently give her insight which the police overlook (but which they DO follow-up upon once she points these things out to them). A few of the stories feature Hercule Poirot, exercising his little grey cells, and astonishing the perpetrators as much as the police. All of the stories challenge the reader to figure out the puzzle before the story ends.

      The entire collection can be read in one day (as I did), but would be great to have handy whenever you wanted a short fix of good mystery writing.
    • 4/5
      Stories in the collection: Three Blind MiceStrange JestThe Tape Measure MurderThe Case of the Perfect MaidThe Case of The Caretaker The Third Floor FlatThe adventure of Johnny WaverlyFour and Twenty Blackbirds The Love Detectives Three Blind MiceAn unknown man has just killed a border named Mrs. Lyon, but why? In a few counties over Molly and Giles Davis have opened up a guest house at Monkeswell Manor. Molly had inherited the home from her Aunt Kathrine and in order to make it worth it, they decided to open it up as a guest house. Their grand opening happens to coincide with a big snow storm so now they and their guest are stuck inside the house with no way out. This may not be an issue typically, but there is a homicidal maniac on the loose! Everyone suspects each other, but there seems to be a clear motive. All the victims are tied to the tragic death of three young children. This was a great quick thriller. I truly did not see the culprit coming and the backstory was very interesting. Strange Jest: Miss Marple is enlisted to help a young couple attempt to find their inheritance. They are convinced it must be buried or hidden somewhere in the house. Their uncle alluded to the fact before he passed. They uncover some interesting letters and some cookery recipes but no inheritance. Leave it to Miss Marple to parallel her own life with this situation to help the couple find what they were looking for. This was the shortest of all the stories, and my least favorite. While not poorly written or terrible in any real way, I felt it was rather frivolous. It did not have the same flair as other Miss Marple mysteries I have read thus far. The Tape-Measure Murder: Mr. Spenlow has been accused of murdering his wife. The main reason being he seems so unaffected by her death. Therefore, he must have done it! Miss Marple has been called to speak to his character. She knows he did not do it, but can she prove who did before he hangs. This was one where I feel the title gives away to easily who committed the crime. You learn early on of a robbery that happened years prior as well, which gives you the motive as well. A good story, but very predictable. The Case of the Perfect Maid: Miss Marple's maid comes to her upset that her cousin has been fired. She was accused of stealing a brooch but denies doing so. After Gladys was let go a new maid arrives at the door to help Emily and Levinia Skinner out. At first, she is too good to be true, she works for less wages and Emily feels she is the most perfect maid. Thanks to quick thinking on Miss Marple's part she was able to determine what was really going on at the Old Hall. I honestly zoned out while listening to this particular story. It did not hold much interest for me, but how they were able to solve the crime was quite ingenious. The Case of the Caretaker: Harry Lexton, has returned home with his stunning new wife. Sadly, shortly upon their arrival back, Louise Lexton dies after falling off her horse. Was this a tragic accident or murder? Dr. Haydock puts the events to Miss Marple to see if she can assist. She confirms this was no accident and helps the Dr. find who the culprit was. Overall, not a bad story, and the how is not easily guessed. Who did it, however, is very easy to determine. The Third Floor Flat:Pat has somehow lost her keys to her flat. Her and friends Jimmy, Donovan, and Mildred have come back to find they are locked out. Jimmy and Donovan offer to climb up through the bell lift in order to get into the flat and let them in. They miscalculated and ended up in the flat below, only to discover a dead body! Lucky Hercule Poirot is nearby! He helps Inspector Rice piece together how this could have occurred. How I love Hercule Poirot! This one has been speculating throughout, and convinced it was someone else until the reveal. Solid detective short! The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly:Hercule Poirot is called in to assist with a kidnapped child case. The child was taken right from under his father’s nose. Little Johnnie is nowhere to be found, and his parental Mr. and Mrs. Waverly are beside themselves. If only they had believed the taunting ransom notes they kept being sent. Can Hercule find the culprit and the boy before any harm comes to him? The ending to this one had my jaw hit the floor. It was so well done. I really enjoyed it and the audio narration on this story in particular was well done. Four-and-Twenty Blackbirds:Hercule Poirot and a friend are sitting down to dinner when he notices a man at another table. The server notes that everyone calls him “Old Father Time” and he comes in like clockwork every Tuesday and Thursday. He has been acting oddly this week though the server notes, and when he stops coming in suddenly there is worry to be had. Hercule believes he knows what occurred and goes on the hunt for answers. As with most Hercule Poirot mysteries I found myself thinking I knew the truth only to be sorely mistaken. A solid quick read with a decent story plot.The Love Detectives: Sir James Dwighton has been murdered by blunt force in his library. Who is to blame? There is no shortage of people claiming they did it. Can Mr. Quin and Mr. Satterthwaite piece the cluses together by looking at the occurrence from a different perspective? I found myself not really paying much attention to this storyline. I think perhaps because it followed so closely with another one Agatha Christie novel, with only the setting being different. Could have been so good if the ending were different.
    • 4/5
      Three Blind Mice Great classic - strangers trapped in an inn during a snow storm Strange Jest, The Tape-Measure Murder, The Case of the Perfect Maid, The Case of the Caretaker I wonder if this was the insparation for the later book Endless Night The Third Floor Flat The Adventure of Johnny Waverly Four and Twenty Black Birds The Love Detectives
    • 4/5
      I didn't realize that this was a re-read (way way back in high school when I swiped one of my grandmother's Agatha Christies off her shelf).

      This is collection of short stories featuring Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot and Harley Quinn (only one story though but I never much liked him).

      Again relived some of my favorites: The Third Floor Flat, The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly and Four and Twenty Blackbirds.