The Spend the Summer with Agatha Christie Short Story Read-Along Continues with "Three Blind Mice"

The Cool Down with AC, Summer Read-Along of Agatha Christie continues with the next short story in the story portion of our Agatha extravaganza. I thoroughly enjoyed spending two train rides reading what has been called one of Agatha Christie's best short stories, "Three Blind Mice." The story is the inspiration for the longest-running play in theater history, "The Mousetrap." Indeed, the play is so popular in the UK that "Three Blind Mice" has never been published there, so as not to give away the ending. (source: MysteryNet.com)

This story features neither Miss Marple nor Hercule Poirot and is set just after WWII in a guest house outside London that has just been opened for business by a newlywed couple. As the story begins, a woman is murdered in London and the clues left behind by the murderer include the phrase from the children's nursery rhyme, "Three Blind Mice," along with a note pinnned to the dead woman that reads, "'This is the first." The story moves along at high speed as various guests arrive at Monkswell Manor, followed by the police, who claim that the killer is among them.

I loved how everyone in this story is simultaneously scared at the prospect that a murderer is lurking, yet also goes about their daily lives within the guest house (complaining, eating, playing the piano) as if nothing is happening. One guest, a Mr. Paravicini, even comments on the story-like quality of the predicament they find themselves in, saying, before they know who the killer is, "I always think explanations should be kept to the very end--that exciting last chapter, you know."

When reading the "Tuesday Night Club," the characters almost relish the topic of murder, and you get the sense that they wouldn't mind being at least tangentially involved in a real case. In this story, it may sound strange, but I felt as though this band of travellers had somehow "lucked out" that there was an actual murderer right in their midst. I think it speaks to Christie's skill as a writer that she manages to convey both this sense of play along with a very real sense of danger.

"Three Blind Mice" is a longer short story than "The Tuesday Night Club" - at about 70 pages. If you haven't read it yet, give yourself a treat and do. And if you have read it, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the questions below or any other observations!

1) Was this the first Christie you've read, or the first of her short stories?

2) What did you think of the various characters and how Christie painted them, each a distinctive type?

3) How many people did you guess was possibly the murderer before learning the truth? Were you surprised?

4) I liked how the war played into this story, in terms of its lasting effects on the people who lived through it. It reminded me of Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series. Did you notice that similarity?

I look forward to reading everyone's answers and welcome you back here on August 1st for a discussion of the final short story in our readalong, "Witness for the Prosecution." And be sure to visit these other discussions and giveaways of Christie's books and films going on now and throughout July:

Movie!
July 4th-July 10th: Hallowe'en Party airs on PBS July 3rd on Linus's Blanket

Marple!
July 11th-July 17th: Miss Marple on The Sunday Book Review

Movie!
July 11th-July 17th:  The Pale Horse airs on PBS July 10th on Linus's Blanket

Poirot!
July 18th-July 24th: Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery on Booking Mama

Standalone!
July 25th: And Then There Were None on Devourer of Books

Comments

[Samita @ Book Purring]

It wasn't my first Christie, but it was my first Christie short story and I looooved it!

I have to say both the Wren and Mr Paravicini made me uncomfortable, I kept waiting for one of them to be the murderer! After a while, I began suspecting the husband, when it came time for him to tell what his alibi was at the end of the story, I was kind of mad!

I was really surprised when the murderer's identity is reveal, not only that, I was genuinely scared :( I kind of have a chicken heart. I was glad there is a happy ending... of sorts...

I haven't read any of these Dobbs series, I may check them out :)

[Kay]

I've read the play based on this story. Very, very good and I can see why it has been such a long running one. I'm sure I've read this short story, but not completely sure. I remember the killer from the play and wondered if it is the same person. Sometimes there was a change made between novel or short story and play adaptation. If it is the same as the play, it was very difficult to discern.

AC was a master at the "locked room" mystery. You know, like in AND THEN THERE WERE NONE - marooned on an island or in a country house with a blizzard or somesuch. One of my favorite mystery devices.

I've loved this summer with AC!

[Jennie Blake]

I've always loved Christie's short stories, I think because they tended to let loads of different characters shine since they weren't being dominated by a fascinating personality. I really enjoy Christie's ability to make so many of her characters seem like they "could" be the murderer without making you feel as if they should all be locked up, innocent or not!

[SuziQoregon]

I really enjoyed this story. I loved the way the characters talked about feeling like they were living in a story or play.

1. Not my first, but I've only read The Tuesday Night Club and one of the other stories in that collection. I'm loving having the short stories as my first introduction to Agatha Christie.

2. I liked the variety of characters and they way that none of them were truly above suspicion as the story progressed.

3. I had guessed two others before deciding on the correct murder a couple of pages before the reveal.

4. Yes - the post war setting was clear and I felt it grounded the story in a particular time and place. Havinig read the Maisie Dobbs series it was a familiar setting to me.

[Ariel White]

1. I read The Tuesday Night Club so this is my second book of short stories. I really enjoy the short stories because you get the solution so quickly. I noticed that in the other books I have read the solution is given in usually the last two to three pages so at least for me nothing is clear until the very end of the book. I also like that the short stories are very easy to pick up and put down. With Three Act Tragedy for instance I had to re aquaint myself with everyone when I would pick it up to start reading again. Some of the books have a lot of characters to keep straight where you don't have that problem with the short stories.
2. The characters were very interesting types. It seems to me that she always puts forth a very obvious suspect for the murder and then of course the murderer is the last person you would think of. So far I have not gotten any of the solutions to the mysteries myself but I think that the more I read I more I am starting to catch on to her methods of setting up and progressing through the mysteries.
3. I thought anyone could be the murderer. I thought I was being clever by considering the inn keepers as suspects. I was not even close to getting it right. I liked being surprised though. I think it's fun to have that oh! moment.
4. I did notice the similarity to the Maisie Dobbs especially in the language that was used. One of the workers in Three Blind Mice says he "nipped" around which is a term I remembering Billie Beale from Maisie Dobbs using quite often.
In conclusion I am currently enjoying the Miss Marple books, stand alones, and short stories more than the Hercule Poirot novels. I will see if my opinion changes as the reading progresses.

[carol]

Sorry I'm a little late joining the discussion, but my library didn't have it, so I had to wait for it to come in from another.

1) No, this wasn't the first Christie I've read or her first short story. I actually think I read this one years ago. I didn't remember any details, but it just seemed familiar.

2) I loved all the characters, especially how Christie made it seem like any of them could be the killer.

3) I don't generally guess, and Christie made any of the remaining people a possible killer. I wasn't really surprised, but like I said, I think I've read this before.

4) I haven't read any of the Maisie Dobbs series, but I did think the war references really gave the story a sense of time and place.