The Witness For The Prosecution by Agatha Christie

 

The Witness For The Prosecution by Agatha Christie.

This edition published 1st September 2011 by Harper Collins. Originally published 1925.

From the cover of the book:

When wealthy spinster Emily French is found murdered, suspicion falls to Leonard Vole, the man to whom she hastily bequeathed her riches before she died.

Leonard assures the investigators that his wife, Romaine Heilger can provide them with an alibi. However, when questioned, Romaine informs the police that Vole returned home late that night covered in blood.

During the trial, Ms French’s housekeeper, Janet gives damning evidence against Vole, but as Romaine’s cross-examination begins her motives come under scrutiny from the courtroom.

One question remains, will justice out?

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Wealthy spinster Emily French has been found murdered in her home, after she was overheard arguing with an unknown man by her maid. Suspicion has fallen on Leonard Vole, who recently befriended the old lady after doing her a good deed, especially as she changed her will in his favour shortly before her death.

Leonard is arrested, and charged with murder, but insists he is innocent of the crime - and his solicitor, Mr Mayhew believes him. When discussing his defence for the forthcoming trial, Leonard assures Mayhew that his wife, Romaine Heilger, will confirm he was at home when Emily was murdered. However, when Mayhew visits Romaine, she tells him that Leonard arrived home late on the night in question, and was covered in blood.

The plot thickens when a mysterious, scarred woman comes forth with letters that cast doubt on the veracity of Romaine's testimony. Is Leonard guilty or innocent?

Short and bittersweet, The Witness for the Prosecution was written by Christie in 1925, published as Traitor's Hands (subsequently becoming the more familiar title in 1933, when it was published as part of a short story collection). 

The story concerns a man called Leonard Vole, who is charged with the murder of a wealthy old woman to get his hands on her considerable fortune. He insists he is innocent, but his alibi is thrown into question by the damning testimony of his wife. And that is about as much as I can divulge, for fear of spoilers, except to say that Mayhew has to navigate surprising twists and turns before he learns the truth - hinging on salacious letters about Romaine. 

The story ends abruptly, with a revelation that neither Mayhew, nor I, saw coming. Interestingly, Christie was dissatisfied with her original, jaw dropping conclusion to the story, and later rewrote this as a court room drama - adding in extra characters and content. The story is perfect for adapting into play format, and I would love to see the current, long-running adaptation at County Hall in London (date for the 2026 diary!).

This was my October pick for #ReadChristie2026 exploring the prompt of Lawyers in her work.  I very much enjoyed discovering it through the excellent audio book narrated by the legend, Christopher Lee, which I can highly recommend.

The Witness for the Prosecution is available to buy now in paperback (as part of an anthology), ebook and audio formats.

About the author:

Agatha Christie is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. Her books have sold over a billion copies in English with another billion in over 70 foreign languages. She is the most widely published author of all time and in any language, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. She is the author of 80 crime novels and short story collections, 20 plays, and six novels written under the name of Mary Westmacott.