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Three Act Tragedy

Collins, London, 1935
Dodd Mead, New York, 1934 as "Murder in Three Act"

Delicated to
My Friends, Geoffrey and Violet Shipston

Plot

(from HarperCollins "The Agatha Christie Collection" cover)

Thirteen guests arrived for dinner at the actor's house. It was to be a particularly unlucky evening for the mild-mannered Reverend Stephen Babbington, who choked on his cocktail, went into convulsions and died.

But when his martini glass was sent for chemical analysis, there was no trace of poison - just as Poirot had predicted. Even more troubling for the great detective, there was absolutely no motive ...

Contents

First Act - Suspicion
1. Crow's Nest
2. Incident Before Dinner
3. Sir Charles Wonders
4. A Modern Elaine
5. Flight From A Lady
Second Act - Certainty
1. Sir Charles Receives A Letter
2. The Missing Butler
3. Which Of Them?
4. The Evidence Of The Servants
5. In The Butler's Room
6. Concerning An Ink-Stain
7. Plan Of Campaign
Third Act - Discovery
1. Mrs Babbington
2. Lady Mary
3. Re-Enter Hercule Poirot
4. A Watching Brief
5. Division of Labour
6. Cynthia Dacres
7. Captain Dacres
8. Angela Sutcliffe
9. Murial Wills
10. Oliver Manders
11. Poirot Gives A Sherry Party
12. Day At Gilling
13. Mrs De Rushbridger
14. Miss Milray
15. Curtain

Characters

Charles Cartwright, Mr Satterthwaite, Dr.Strange, Miss Milray, Rev.Babbington, Mrs.Babbington, Hercule Poirot

Movie & TV

[TV] Murder in Three Acts, 1986(USA/TVM)
[direct] Gary Nelson; [script] Scott Swanson
[cast] Peter Ustinov(Poirot), Jonathan Cecil(Hastings), Tony Curtis(Charles Cartwright), Dana Elcar(Dr.Strange), Lee McCain(Miss Milray), Diana Muldaur(Angela Stafford), Nicholas Pry or(Freddie Dayton), Lisa Eichhorn(Cynthia Dayton), Emma Samms(Egg), Philip Guilmant(Rev.Babbington), Jacqueline Evans(Mrs.Babbington)
Copyright (C) Kenji Nagata. All rights reserved.