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Dead Man's Mirror | 
 enlarge | Author: Agatha Christie
Creator: Hugh Fraser
Publisher: HarperCollins Audio
Category: Book
List Price: £10.99
Buy New: £3.05
You Save: £7.94 (72%)
New (4) Used (6) from £2.89
Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 621865
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio Cassette
Edition: Abridged Ed
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 5.3 x 4.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 0001056018
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780001056015
ASIN: 0001056018
Publication Date: November 15, 1999
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Great Short Story Well Read October 23, 2007
Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States)
Hercule Poirot is summoned to the estate of aristocrat Sir Gervase Chevenix-Gore. Sir Gervase thinks that someone is trying to defraud him. Despite the fact that Poirot takes orders from no man, he still decides to go and see what the case is all about.
He arrives just before dinner, but he arrives only to find his host dead. Sir Gervase is found in a locked room with a bullet hole in his head. The local police are quick to draw the conclusion that it was suicide, but Poirot is not convinced. After all, Sir Gervase has just wired for Poirot to come. Surely, he wouldn't do that and then kill himself. Is Poirot right? And how can a shattered mirror provide a clue?
This is an audio version of a short story originally published in MURDER IN THE MEWS. It's around two and a half hours long, but very enjoyable. The first two thirds or so are pretty much interviewing the suspects, and each one seemed guilty to me. Yet Poirot manages to bring everything to a logical solution by the end. And, while I did guess a couple of things, the complete solution was a surprise. The biggest problem with the story is the cast of characters. I had a hard time keeping a few of them straight, even by the end.
Hugh Fraser, who played Captain Hastings for A&E's Poirot TV shows, narrates the story. He is fabulous, bringing each character and their emotions to life.
Whether you are a fan of Agatha Christie's works or not, this is a pleasant way to pass some time.
Classic example of the "closed room" genre. January 6, 2007
Mary Whipple (New England)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Also known as _Murder in the Mews_, this unabridged audiobook with Nigel Hawthorne is light entertainment in classic Agatha Christie style. Originally written in 1931, the book reveals the declining country house society and its ways of life following World War I within a clever mystery. Sir Gervase Chevenix-Gore, owner of a sizeable estate, has written to famed French detective Hercule Poirot, demanding that he come to England to meet with him.
Before Poirot arrives, Sir Gervaise is discovered dead, shot in the head, a gun by his hand, and a letter saying "Sorry" on his desk, an apparent suicide. The study and windows are locked from the inside. Numerous relatives, guests, and employees of Sir Gervase are in attendance throughout the weekend, including his ditsy wife, one of his friends (who has always been openly in love with his wife), his adopted daughter, his nephew (the person who will inherit his title) and his girlfriend, a woman hired to write a biography of the family, the estate manager, a private secretary, etc.
As they relate their whereabouts at the time that the shot or champagne cork or car backfire was heard, the immense size and configuration of the estate become clear, and as Poirot investigates the suicide that he is convinced is murder, the listener is struck by the arrogance of Sir Gervase and the expectations of the guests. None have much conception of the outside world, and several have motives for murder. As always, Christie drops small clues, leading the reader to form conclusions about who did what to whom, then springs a surprise ending.
Hugh Fraser does yeoman's service playing all the voices on this recording without overacting, subtly reflecting various class distinctions in the process. His French accent for Poirot is controlled, and his diction is superb. The audio moves quickly, making this a fine, light entertainment. Mary Whipple
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