Evening star., 1934-10-03
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

MURDER IN THREE ACTS. BY
Agatha Christie. New York:
Dodd, Mead & Co., Inc.
The first act of this dramatic tale
Of mysterious murder takes place at
the Crows Nest, well-built buhga-
low situated OH the cliffs of Loo
mouth, the home of Sir Charles
Cartwright, q retired actor whose
name still thrills the playgoers of
England. Sir Charles is entertain
ing group of house guests and
neighbors. Assembled in a large
room, cleverly designed and decorated
to resemble ships cabin de luxe
for Sir Charles has become interested
in yachting since his retirement from
the stage--are Cynthia Dacres, who
runs an exclusive gown shop and
whose hair for the moment Is a
curious shade Of greenish bronze: her
husband, Capt. Dacres, a dark horse
without visible means of support;
Angela Sutcliffe, woman to whom
men are genuinely attracted: An
thony Astor, a woman playwright
whose real name Is Wills; Sir Bar
tholomew Strange. an eminent Har-
ley street physician; Stephen Bab-
bington, rector of Loomouth, and his
energetic wife; Lady Mary Lytton
Gore and her daughter, Hermione;
Oliver Manders, a bumptious young
man of disagreeable disposition;
Hercule Poirot, Mr.. Satterthwaite and
Sir Charles. Miss Milray, overly
efficient secretary to Sir Charles, re-
fuses to permit dinner to be served
to thirteen and somewhat officiously
invites herself to be the fourteenth
member OF the party.
Sir Charles himself shakes the
cocktails and the maid serves them
from a tray. Mr.. Babbington, un-
used to cocktails, takes a sip of his
and chokes. With an effort he drinks
all Of 1t and few seconds later drops
dead. Sir Charles expresses the fear
that crime has been committed, but
he Is ruled out by the opinions Of the
others, and the fact that an analysis
proves that there was no poison in
the cocktail glass. Death from nat
ural causes Is the verdict, and the
matter is dropped. Sir Charles and
Mr.. Satterthwaite 90 to Monte Carlo
for q vacation and the others return
to their respective daily occupations.
While Sir Charles and Mr.. Satter-
thwaite are enjoying themselves on
the continent a newspaper dispa ch
reveals the death Of Sir Bartholome ".
murdered by nicotine poison, during a
dinner party at his home. He de
while drinking port. Again an analy-
sis Of the glass reveals that there was
no poison, but examination Of the
remains shows nicotine In the Stom-
ach Of the famous physician. Seven Of
those present at the unfortunate affair
at Crows Nest were being entertained
by Sir Bartholomew. Act two is as
suredly murder. and Just as essuredly
was it committed by some one of those
who participated in act one, Though it
occurs some time later and in a diff
ferent part Of England.
Act three takes place in still an
other location. A woman patient in
Sir Bartholomew hospital, unknown
to any of those attending the two din
ner parties, dies suddenly of nicotine
poison, administered in candy received
by the patient from an unknown
source.
Still the great actor, though for q
long time not before the footlights,
Sir Charles becomes the detective. He
has never discarded his belief that
Babbington was murdered and he is
convinced that the three crimes are
connected. Undertaking to solve the
crimes himself, with the aid of Mr..
Satterthwaite and Miss Lytton Gore,
he finally comes to the conclusion that
the advice Of Hercule Poirot might be
valuable and he reluctantly accepts it.
Sir Charles and his associates crave
activity. The dapper little Belgian,
formerly connected with the British
Intelligence Service, indulges them.
While they pursue the elusive criminal
he builds houses of cards and thinks.
The murderer is as much surprised as
the reader at the findings of NJ Poirot
as he unravels the tangled design of
mysterious death which its perpetrator
believed to be unsolvable.
Agatha Christie never disappoints.
The story is dramatic at every stage,
clever in plot and battling to the very
end.