This edition published 14th October 2010 by Harper Collins.
Originally published 1961.
From the cover of the book:
A priest’s death leads to sinister goings-on in an old country pub…To understand the strange goings on at The Pale Horse Inn, Mark Easterbrook knew he had to begin at the beginning. But where exactly was the beginning?
Was it the savage blow to the back of Father Gorman’s head? Or was it when the priest’s assailant searched him so roughly he tore the clergyman’s cassock? Or could it have been the priest’s visit, just minutes before, to a woman on her death bed?
Or was there a deeper significance to the violent squabble which Mark Easterbrook had himself witnessed earlier?
Wherever the beginning lies, Mark and his sidekick, Ginger Corrigan, may soon have cause to wish they’d never found it…
***********
A dying woman makes a death bed confession to Father Gorman, but before he can pass on the information to the police, he is brutally murdered. Hidden in his shoe the police find a list of surnames. Inspector Lejeune knows that some of these people have died from apparently natural causes, but is baffled about how they could have led to murder. He shares his thoughts with police surgeon Jim Corrigan, whose own surname also appears on the list.
Meanwhile, historian Mark Easterbrook is a witness to a fight between two women in a Chelsea coffee bar. He later discovers one of them has died, but thinks nothing more about it until he hears the name 'The Pale Horse' in connection with suspicious deaths. Mark later visits his cousin in the countryside, in the company of novelist Ariadne Oliver, and is invited to the home of three unusual women who live in an old pub called The Pale Horse - his curiosity is piqued when one of them tells him of their supernatural abilities, including the possibility of inducing deaths which look perfectly natural without having ever met the victim.
Coincidentally, Mark runs into Jim Corrigan, who fills him in about the list of names, and possible fate of those on it. Mark is determined to get to the bottom of the affair, with the help of attractive side-kick Ginger Corrigan, whose puts herself directly in the path of danger...
The Pale Horse is one of Christie's 1960's stand-alone mysteries, featuring an appearance from the delightful Ariadne Oliver. I have not read this one before, so was glued to the action as the threads of Father Gorman's death, Inspector Lejeune's investigation, and Mark and Ginger's sleuthing into the goings on around the three modern day 'witches' at the Pale Horse came together.
Essentially, the story revolves around the possibility of inducing death by natural causes at a distance, and Christie piles on eerie supernatural atmosphere by weaving the plot around the paranormal methods to employed by a ruthless gang, who offer to produce miraculous results for a fee. Mark, and his plucky female pal Ginger, are the sleuths of the piece. Unfortunately, the only way they can investigate the dastardly scheme is to pretend that they require the services of the Pale Horse gang themselves, with sinister results.
The solution to these unsettling crimes really kept me guessing, and the journey to enlightenment was very enjoyable - with an intriguing detour via the observational skills of a retired pharmacist keen to prove that an impossible suspect is behind the dodgy game. I did not see the twists coming in this one, especially the slick little number pulled by Lejeune at the climax of the tale!
1960's vibes run through this mystery, as well as rich themes of science vs magic. There is a lovely little romance between Mark and Ginger too. I am less convinced of the attractions of a bacon and banana sandwich though...
This was my September pick for #ReadChristie2025 exploring the prompt of clergymen, and I listened to the excellent audio book narrated by Hugh Fraser.
The Pale Horse is available to buy now in multiple formats.
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