mercoledì 2 novembre 2022

Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Cornish mystery

EDIT: I checked and according to IMDB the names are: Mr and Mrs Pengelley, Freda and Jacob Radnor, but I can't be bothered to go and correct it all.

 It wasn't bad, not the best but not bad. It's not too difficult to realise the truth, but it is enjoyable nonetheless. Well, the ending is very unticlimatic, but it's not so uncommon in the minor episodes.

It starts with Miss Lemon seeing a woman outside Poirot's office. She won't come in but gave him an appointment outside. The woman tells Poirot that she thinks her husband Edward is poisoning her. 

He is a dentist, with a pretty, young assistant, and Mrs Penghelli thought there was something between them. She has a niece, Frieda, but they're not on the best of terms right now, and a friend, young Mr Rednord, and she swears there is nothing between him and her young niece... in a vehement tone that makes clear right away that she's infatuated with him...

Poirot goes to investigate the matter, but arrives a mere half hour after her death.

The local doctor insists she was ill and not poisoned, but Poirot is not convinced.

Frieda explains that she was at odds with Mrs Penghellii because she (Frieda) is actually engaged to Mr Rednord.  The young man talks to Poirot saying he knows something but it would do noone any good to make a scandal, and he'd like Poirot to "hush it up". Poirot tells him it will be impossible because of vox populi: people talk...

The will leaves some money to Frieda and all the rest to her husband.

Poirot and Hastings go home, and Poirot predicts that Mr Penghelli will be tried for murder very soon and they'll have to save him...

After Edward made public his (new?) relationship with his assistant, people talked even more, and noe he's on trial, just like Poirot predicted.

Japp is of course sure that it was him, but Poirot knows better. He knows it was Jacob Rednord: he wanted her money, and not only the little bit left to Frieda, but all of it, so he had to get rid of both husband and wife. He seduced Frieda but also Mrs Penghelli, so he was always present and poisoned her while the husband was in the house.

Although Poirot knows all this, he actually has no proof whatsoever, so he bluffs and scares him into signing a confession that will free the man.


As always:

Poirot is David Suchet

Hastings is Hugh Fraser 

Japp is Philip Jackson 

Miss Lemon is Pauline Moran 







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