Lord Edgware Dies

• Read: 26 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2026

• Author: Agatha Christie

• Year: 1933

• Pages: 281

• Remarks: Hercule Poirot Series Book 9

• Synopsis:

  • When the glamorous actress Jane Wilkinson sought the assistance of Hercule Poirot to secure a divorce from her tyrannical husband, Lord Edgware, the famous detective reluctantly agreed to intercede on her behalf. Shortly after Lord Edgware was found stabbed to death in his library, witnesses placed his estranged wife at the scene of the crime, yet an array of dinner guests simultaneously confirmed her presence on the other side of London. Faced with a seemingly impossible contradiction and a growing trail of baffling clues, Poirot was forced to navigate a tangled maze of deception and hidden motives to uncover the truth behind the nobleman's murder.

[30 Sep 2026] ‘Lord Edgware Dies’ (1933), by Agatha Christie.

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Reading Background:

• Didn't have much time to read over the weekend, as we were watching the F1 race in Azerbaijan (where McLaren performed badly) on Saturday, then went for our 10km Decathlon Kiprun Race on Sunday (there was bad haze overnight). 

• Back to work now, and as expected, I haven't had as much time to read. Been spending time after work exercising for my running goals, and could only find time to read during commutes and before bed. Even then, I have been feeling tired and sleepy, and struggled to concentrate on reading.

What I enjoyed about the book:

• The thrill.

  • This story had multiple murders! It felt like no one was safe, and anyone could be murdered unexpectedly. This made me want to quickly find out if there were any more victims, and who the perpetrators were!

• The plot twists.

  • The multiple twists along the way and at the end were not what I had expected! There were so many twists along the way, each member of the supporting cast appearing more suspicious than the last. 

What I found less enjoyable about the book:

• The dryness.

  • Somehow I felt the narration to be a bit dry, or maybe I was just getting a little bored with the Poirot books, or maybe I just wanted to quickly find out who the perpetrators were. 

  • I skipped 2 or 3 chapters in the middle, and jumped straight to the last few chapters to find out what had truly transpired regarding the murders. 

My overall thoughts:

• I felt that the plot of this book was good. The story was thrilling with several murders, and the numerous plot twists were excellent. However, the delivery could have been less drawn out. I skipped a few chapters, and could still make sense of the story.

• After reading 6 Poirot books over the last few weeks, I think I am ready to take a break from the series for the time being. Shall move on to another series before another burnout kicks in haha. Still deciding on what to read next though!

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• Chapter 1: A Theatrical Party

  • Captain Arthur Hastings recalled the murder of Lord Edgware in June 1932. The events began at a London theatre where the American impressionist Carlotta Adams performed a series of stage mimickings, including a strikingly accurate imitation of the glamorous American actress Jane Wilkinson, who was married to Lord Edgware. Following the performance, Hercule Poirot and Hastings attended a supper party hosted by Jane at the Savoy Hotel. During the gathering, Jane spoke openly and callously about her hatred for her husband, declaring her earnest desire to get rid of him and even joking that she might have to take a taxi and bump him off herself.

• Chapter 2: A Supper Party

  • At the Savoy Hotel supper party, Jane Wilkinson formally asked Hercule Poirot to assist her in obtaining a divorce from Lord Edgware so that she could marry the wealthy Duke of Merton. Although Poirot explained that divorce negotiations fell outside his customary professional scope, Jane persuaded him to approach her husband by appealing to his intellectual curiosity. Poirot cautiously agreed to arrange an interview with Lord Edgware to assess the situation. The party also featured film actor Bryan Martin and Carlotta Adams, both of whom witnessed Jane's dramatic complaints about her marriage.

• Chapter 3: The Man With The Gold Tooth

  • A few days after the supper party, Poirot received a formal letter from Lord Edgware making an appointment for the following morning at 11 o'clock. Shortly afterwards, Bryan Martin visited Poirot and Hastings, recounting a peculiar story about being followed in America by a suspicious man with a gold tooth. When Poirot questioned him about the man's age, Bryan noted that he was around 30 years old, a detail that Poirot found curiously significant. Before the scheduled meeting took place, Lord Edgware's secretary rang Poirot to alter the arrangement, requesting that he visit Regent Gate at a quarter-past 12 that very day instead.

• Chapter 4: An Interview

  • Poirot and Hastings arrived at Lord Edgware's gloomy residence at 17 Regent Gate, where they were greeted by a remarkably handsome butler named Alton. Upon meeting Lord Edgware, Poirot was struck by the nobleman's cold, secretive, and sinister disposition. When Poirot explained the purpose of his visit, Lord Edgware astonished both men by revealing that he had already agreed to a divorce 6 months earlier in a letter sent to Jane in Hollywood. Poirot expressed utter bewilderment as to why Jane claimed never to have received the letter, while Lord Edgware stubbornly refused to explain his sudden change of heart.

• Chapter 5: Murder

  • On the morning of 30 June, Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard arrived at Poirot's flat with the shocking news that Lord Edgware had been stabbed to death in his library the previous night at around 10 o'clock. Japp stated that both the butler and Lord Edgware's secretary had identified the visitor as Lady Edgware, who had arrived in a taxi, announced her identity, and entered the library. However, Poirot pointed out an item in the morning newspaper which recorded that Jane Wilkinson had been attending a formal dinner party hosted by Sir Montagu Corner at Chiswick at the exact time of the murder.

• Chapter 6: The Widow

  • Poirot, Hastings, and Inspector Japp visited Jane Wilkinson at her suite in the Savoy Hotel, where she was calmly trying on black mourning hats. Jane provided a solid alibi, explaining that she had attended Sir Montagu Corner's dinner party in Chiswick from a quarter to 9 until half-past 11, accompanied by 14 other guests. She admitted that she had initially intended to skip the dinner due to a severe headache, but her maid, Ellis, had firmly persuaded her to go.

• Chapter 7: The Secretary

  • Inspector Japp confirmed that all 14 guests at Chiswick verified Jane's presence throughout the evening, noting only that she had briefly stepped away to answer a telephone call from an unidentified caller who immediately hung up. Poirot and Japp then returned to Regent Gate to re-examine the household. Miss Carroll, Lord Edgware's efficient secretary, insisted that she had seen Lady Edgware entering the library from the upper landing, but Poirot demonstrated that from her vantage point she could only have seen the back of the visitor's head.

• Chapter 8: Possibilities

  • While sitting in Regent's Park, Poirot discussed the extraordinary circumstances with Hastings. Poirot reasoned that someone must have deliberately impersonated Jane Wilkinson, recognising that Carlotta Adams possessed the requisite talent for mimicry. Poirot deduced that the killer had planned to frame Jane, but Jane's last-minute decision to attend the Chiswick dinner had unexpectedly provided her with an unassailable alibi. Furthermore, Poirot pondered who had telephoned Jane at Chiswick to confirm her presence before the murder was committed.

• Chapter 9: The Second Death

  • Sensing that Carlotta Adams might be in grave danger, Poirot rushed to her flat at Rosedew Mansions, only to discover that she had died during the night from an overdose of veronal. Carlotta's maid, Alice Bennett, explained that Carlotta had left the flat at 7 o'clock the previous evening and had returned late. In Carlotta's trunk, Poirot discovered a partially written letter to her sister Lucie in America hinting at a highly lucrative hoax, along with a small gold box containing veronal inscribed with the words "C.A. from D. Paris, Nov. 10th. Sweet Dreams."

• Chapter 10: Jenny Driver

  • Poirot interviewed the attending physician, Dr Heath, who confirmed that Carlotta's death was caused by veronal poisoning, before proceeding to meet Carlotta's close friend, Jenny Driver, who ran a fashionable hat shop called Genevieve. Jenny revealed that Carlotta had spoken of a secret, highly profitable hoax or wager that would yield enough money to bring her sister over from America. Jenny also remembered Carlotta making a remarkably bitter remark about Lord Edgware on a previous occasion.

• Chapter 11: The Egoist

  • Poirot outlined the essential facts of the case to Jenny Driver, explaining how a woman dressed as Jane Wilkinson had visited Regent Gate at 10 o'clock. Poirot and Hastings then returned to the Savoy Hotel to interview Jane again. Jane demonstrated complete self-absorption, showing far more concern for her black wardrobe and her impending marriage to the Duke of Merton than for the murder investigation, while casually suggesting that Lord Edgware's estranged daughter, Geraldine, might have killed him.

• Chapter 12: The Daughter

  • Geraldine Marsh sent an urgent message requesting an interview with Poirot. She arrived at Poirot's flat in a state of severe distress, eager to know what her father had discussed with Poirot prior to his death. Geraldine openly admitted her deep hatred for her tyrannical father, recounting how he had tormented both her and her deceased mother. During their conversation, her cousin, Ronald Marsh, who had just inherited the title of Lord Edgware, unexpectedly entered the room.

• Chapter 13: The Nephew

  • Ronald Marsh admitted to Hastings that he was the young man who had accompanied Carlotta Adams from Jane's supper party a week earlier. Ronald openly celebrated his sudden good fortune, explaining that he had been facing imminent financial ruin prior to his uncle's death. He admitted that he had visited Lord Edgware on the morning of the murder to beg for money, only to be harshly turned away. Despite acknowledging his strong financial motive, Ronald denied any involvement in the murder and mocked the suggestion that he had disguised himself in a blonde wig.

• Chapter 14: Five Questions

  • While driving home, Poirot outlined five crucial psychological puzzles to Hastings: why Lord Edgware had suddenly agreed to the divorce, what had become of the letter he claimed to have sent to Jane, what had caused the expression of rage on Lord Edgware's face after agreeing to the divorce, why a pair of pince-nez was found in Carlotta's handbag, and who had telephoned Jane at Chiswick. Seeking answers regarding the phone call, Poirot and Hastings visited Sir Montagu Corner's residence at Chiswick.

• Chapter 15: Sir Montagu Corner

  • At Sir Montagu Corner's house in Chiswick, Poirot questioned the butler regarding the telephone call received during the dinner party. The butler recalled that an unknown caller had asked whether Lady Edgware was dining there and requested to speak with her, but the line had gone quiet as soon as Jane took the receiver. Afterwards, a young actor named Donald Ross mentioned to Hastings that 13 people had sat at the dinner table and that he had been the first person to rise.

• Chapter 16: Mainly Discussion

  • Inspector Japp visited Poirot to review the latest developments in the case. Japp expressed his belief that Carlotta Adams had acted alone, attempting to blackmail Lord Edgware before stabbing him and subsequently taking her own life with an overdose of veronal. Japp also revealed that Lord Edgware's front door key was missing, along with £100 in French banknotes which Lord Edgware had cashed for his upcoming journey to Paris.

• Chapter 17: The Butler

  • Inspector Japp returned to Poirot's flat in a state of great frustration, revealing that Alton, the handsome butler at Regent Gate, had unexpectedly disappeared. Investigation revealed that Alton had used a false name and possessed ties to criminal night clubs. Meanwhile, Bryan Martin visited Poirot, explaining that the lady he had previously mentioned refused to allow Poirot to investigate her affairs, prompting Poirot to remark that he had fully anticipated this outcome.

• Chapter 18: The Other Man

  • At the official inquests, a verdict of death by misadventure was returned for Carlotta Adams, while Lord Edgware's inquest was adjourned. Police inquiries established that a fair-haired woman had deposited an attaché case at the Euston Station cloakroom at 9 o'clock on the night of the murder and retrieved it at half-past 10. Furthermore, Carlotta had been seen at Lyons Corner House in the Strand at 11 o'clock. Poirot subsequently visited the Duke of Merton, finding him to be a deeply religious, priggish young man completely infatuated with Jane.

• Chapter 19: A Great Lady

  • The Dowager Duchess of Merton visited Poirot, imperiously demanding that he prevent her son from marrying Jane Wilkinson, whom she denounced as an unprincipled murderess. Later that day, Inspector Japp telephoned Poirot with two major discoveries: a taxi driver named Jobson had identified Geraldine Marsh as the young woman he had picked up near Long Acre with a man at 20 minutes to 11 on the night of the murder, and a cabled transcript of Carlotta's letter to her sister Lucie had arrived from New York.

• Chapter 20: The Taxi-Driver

  • The cabled letter from Carlotta to her sister Lucie revealed that Captain Ronald Marsh had offered Carlotta \$10,000 to participate in a secret hoax by impersonating Jane Wilkinson to fool Lord Edgware. Inspector Japp considered this letter to be overwhelming proof of Ronald Marsh's guilt, concluding that Ronald had hired Carlotta to establish an alibi for his own crime.

• Chapter 21: Ronald's Story

  • Poirot, Hastings, and Inspector Japp went to Regent Gate to arrest Ronald Marsh. Ronald voluntarily explained his movements on the night of the murder, stating that while returning from the opera with Geraldine, he had spotted a woman resembling Jane Wilkinson entering 17 Regent Gate. Intrigued, Ronald used his old latchkey to enter the house, found the library quiet, and left immediately without seeing his uncle. He admitted that he had pawned Geraldine's pearls the following morning to cover his debts, but insisted he was innocent of murder. Surprising everyone present, Poirot declared that he believed Ronald's story.

• Chapter 22: Strange Behaviour Of Hercule Poirot

  • Poirot rushed out of his flat in deep distress, leaving Hastings and Japp bewildered. Upon his return, Poirot insisted to Japp that they had made a profound error in arresting Ronald Marsh. Japp remained unconvinced, pointing out that Ronald lacked a solid alibi, whereas Bryan Martin's alibi of dining in Molesey with Jenny Driver was firmly established. Poirot then focused his attention on discovering the identity of the person represented by the initial D in Carlotta's gold box.

• Chapter 23: The Letter

  • Jenny Driver met Poirot and disclosed that Carlotta had actually been romantically interested in Bryan Martin, not Ronald Marsh. Shortly afterwards, Poirot received the original handwritten letter that Carlotta had sent to her sister. Upon carefully examining the physical sheets of paper, Poirot discovered that a page was missing. The corner had been torn out where the name of the man who proposed the hoax was written, revealing that the letter had been manipulated to frame Ronald Marsh.

• Chapter 24: News From Paris

  • Geraldine Marsh visited Poirot in great distress, fearing that her cousin Ronald would be wrongly executed. She explained that on the night of the murder she had spent considerable time upstairs searching for her jewel-case key before finding Ronald in the hall. Later, Inspector Japp informed Poirot that police in Paris had traced the purchase of the duplicate gold box: it had been collected and paid for by a short, middle-aged woman wearing pince-nez.

• Chapter 25: A Luncheon Party

  • Poirot and Hastings attended a social luncheon party hosted by Mrs Widburn at Claridge's. During the gathering, Donald Ross approached Hastings, mentioning that he felt deeply puzzled by a discrepancy regarding Paris and Lord Edgware's death. Ross went to telephone Poirot from his residence to explain his thoughts, but while Poirot was on the line listening to Ross, the connection suddenly went silent. Sensing immediate peril, Poirot and Hastings rushed to Ross's flat.

• Chapter 26: Paris?

  • Upon arriving at Donald Ross's flat, Poirot and Hastings discovered the young actor dead, having been stabbed at the base of his skull. Poirot realised that Ross had been murdered because he had deduced the truth behind the impersonation: at the Chiswick dinner party, the woman posing as Jane Wilkinson had spoken knowledgeably about classical Greek art and Homer, whereas the real Jane Wilkinson was notoriously uneducated and believed Paris was merely the fashion capital. Ross had realised that the woman at Chiswick was Carlotta Adams, meaning the real Jane Wilkinson had no alibi.

• Chapter 27: Concerning Pince-Nez

  • Poirot re-evaluated his five central questions and visited Miss Carroll at Regent Gate. Miss Carroll confirmed that Lord Edgware had travelled to Paris twice during November 1932. As Poirot and Hastings walked home, Poirot was nearly struck by a bus when he overheard a passerby remark that someone should have asked Ellis. The mention of Ellis, Jane Wilkinson's maid, instantly illuminated the entire mystery for Poirot.

• Chapter 28: Poirot Asks A Few Questions

  • Poirot summoned Jane's maid, Ellis, to his flat under the pretext of urgent business. He subtly questioned her regarding her duties and noticed that she walked with a limp. While attending to a minor accident with a flower vase, Poirot observed her features closely and noted her pince-nez. After Ellis departed, Poirot revealed to Hastings that the pince-nez she had left behind were the exact pair discovered in Carlotta Adams' handbag.

• Chapter 29: Poirot Speaks

  • The following morning, Poirot assembled Inspector Japp, Bryan Martin, and Jenny Driver at his flat to explain the truth. Poirot recounted how his initial theories had led him astray, including his temporary suspicion of Bryan Martin. Poirot explained that Alton, the butler, was simply an opportunistic thief who had discovered Lord Edgware's body, stolen £100 in French banknotes from the desk, and fled when the police began investigating his background.

• Chapter 30: The Story

  • Poirot laid out the complete narrative of the crime, demonstrating that Jane Wilkinson was the sole mastermind and murderer. Desperate to marry the Duke of Merton and untether herself from Lord Edgware, Jane had offered Carlotta Adams \$10,000 to impersonate her at Sir Montagu Corner's dinner party. On the night of 29 June, Jane met Carlotta at the Piccadilly Palace Hotel, where Carlotta was staying under the alias Mrs Van Dusen. Jane put on Carlotta's dark clothes and pince-nez, while Carlotta wore Jane's white dress and blonde wig to Chiswick. After telephoning Chiswick to confirm that Carlotta was in position, Jane went to 17 Regent Gate and stabbed Lord Edgware herself. She then met Carlotta, slipped a fatal dose of veronal into her drink, stole the middle page of Carlotta's letter to her sister, and later murdered Donald Ross when he detected the trick.

• Chapter 31: A Human Document

  • Hastings concluded his narrative by noting that Jane Wilkinson was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. While awaiting her execution in prison, Jane wrote a final, extraordinarily vain letter to Poirot. In her letter, Jane expressed immense pride in her own cunning, complained that executions were no longer conducted in public, wondered if she would be memorialised in Madame Tussauds, and declared that she bore Poirot no ill will.