The Parlor PI's discussion

It's discovered that Rudi Scherz was not who he claimed to be, and actually a petty criminal of sorts. Did someone hire him? Who would want to murder Letitia Blacklock? She has no idea!

Inspector Craddock questions the party guests and Mitzi. He believes that Mitzi probably is a liar, but decided she's most likely telling the truth when she says that she saw Phillipa meeting a man in the summerhouse, but what reason would she have to meet Rudi there? Mitzi's a little paranoid, but probably with cause considering she's a refugee. The dummy door is discovered and lo and behold it's been oiled recently. Hmmmm, any connection?!?

We learn that Letty is due to inherit a fortune when Belle Goedler dies, and that seems imminent. But why would someone want to bump her off BEFORE Belle passes away? The only ones to (seemingly) benefit would be Pip and Emma, the children of Randall's sister Sonia, who he'd cut ties with. Are Pip and Emma in Chipping Cleghorn? If so are they together? Are they Patrick and Julia? Miss Marple points out that they very well could be because in the present day (post-war) no one really knows who anyone else is.

It's discovered that anyone can walk into anyone's home undetected, which doesn't help matters either, as they're all bartering back and forth (I'm sure this is historically accurate!!).

Inspector Craddock heads up to Scotland to speak with Belle who gave him more background on Sonia, but didn't know much about Pip and Emma. Belle is very concerned for Letitia's safety.

Happy birthday to Bunny!!! Dora enjoys her day - she receives gifts and a lovely party. Too bad she had a headache and needed aspirin after all the fun. More importantly, too bad her aspirin bottle was missing and she had to take some from Letty's bedside table which unfortunately turned out to be poisoned!

It turns out that Phillipa, Patrick and Julia seem to be who they say they are. If Pip and Emma are in Chipping Cleghorn who could they possibly be?!? Inspector Craddock interviews Letty again this time asking if she'd recognize Sonia if she saw her again. Maybe she's there instead of Pip and Emma! She's not sure and they go to look through old photograph albums but it seems as if every single photo of Sonia has been removed. Why?

Nice progression in this part of the mystery, lots of things happening and in true Christie fashion clues and red-herrings abound!

There's a slight hole (maybe there isn't) concerning the scene with Dora's birthday party resulting in her death due to taking Letty's aspirins when her own bottle turned up missing. We all know that Miss Blacklock poisoned Dora. Obviously the aspirin trick was a perfect way to knock Dora out of the picture; I assume she was proned to headaches. But how would Letty KNOW that her friend would turn up with a headache at the party? That's IF Letty hoped for it to happen at that time. But it could have occurred at any other time. Or was the party and Dora's headache the perfect opportunity that benefited Letty, though she wasn't positive that a headache would occur at that point?

LM - I agree with you. I'm going with Letty betting on Dora having a headache because of all the excitement. I'm also guessing that went into Dora's room and took/hid her bottle. And I absolutely think she planned it happening that night which is why she went to all the trouble of making the cake, giving her jewelry, etc....

Nicole wrote: "LM - I agree with you. I'm going with Letty betting on Dora having a headache because of all the excitement. I'm also guessing that went into Dora's room and took/hid her bottle. And I absolutely t..."

So it's probably safe to say that Miss Blacklock knew that Dora was prone to headaches whenever there was excitement and if she had one at any other time, Letty planned not to put her plan into action until that party where she would give Dora the cake, the jewelry, not to mention having the same neighbors of Chipping Cleghorn that arrived the night of the shooting expanding the suspicion pool. I know that Letty had to get rid of Dora out of fear but I think part of her didn't want to do it but was needed or else her friend would expose too much. In her own mind, Letty thought she was softening the blow by giving her that party, cake and gifts. I mean she could have easily poisoned Dora any other time. That party served Letty a manifold of purposes.

The cake 'Delicious Death' offered at Dora's birthday party is described by Christie as a chocolate cake. In the Joan Hickson version, I don't recall the cake being chocolate though I do recall it have raisins which the cake in the book contained.

I was cogitating over the poisoned pill in the aspirin bottle, and I agree that Bunny would eventually, soon have a headache. What I was wondering about is were ALL the pills the poisoned one? Did one look different from the other? How could Miss B count on Dora taking the right one?

Mark Pghfan wrote: "I was cogitating over the poisoned pill in the aspirin bottle, and I agree that Bunny would eventually, soon have a headache. What I was wondering about is were ALL the pills the poisoned one? Did ..."

Hmmm, very good question. Great to have another perspective, because I didn't consider that. Eventually, it would have came to mind but would have taken longer to notice. Good question, Pghfan! I don't think the text mention whether all the pills in the bottle were poisoned or whether there was one in the mix of regular tablets. I'd probably guess that they were all poisoned. That would make the most sense to me. I'm sure Miss Blacklock isn't THAT much of a betting woman to think Dora would take the poisoned tablet versus all the regulars in the bottle. It's already enough of a risk counting on Dora getting a headache at that party!

In the book there were only 3 aspirins left in the bottle by Letitia's bed. Dora took two and left one.

Thanks, Nicole. I didn't remember that, even though I just re-listened to the unabridged book!

Mark Pghfan wrote: "Thanks, Nicole. I didn't remember that, even though I just re-listened to the unabridged book!"

You're welcome! I didn't remember it either, but just went back and checked my ebook edition! :-)

So were all 3 of the so-called aspirins in the bottle poisoned or just the two that Dora took?

LovesMysteries wrote: "So were all 3 of the so-called aspirins in the bottle poisoned or just the two that Dora took?"

That's a good question - I'm going to guess all three of them were poisoned.

Nicole wrote: "LovesMysteries wrote: "So were all 3 of the so-called aspirins in the bottle poisoned or just the two that Dora took?"

That's a good question - I'm going to guess all three of them were poisoned."

I went to look it up the answer. The one tablet left in the bottle was sent to the doctor to be analyzed and from the looks of it he was definite that it wasn't an aspirin. The autopsy will then confirm the doctor's diagnosis.

LovesMysteries wrote: "Nicole wrote: "LovesMysteries wrote: "So were all 3 of the so-called aspirins in the bottle poisoned or just the two that Dora took?"

That's a good question - I'm going to guess all three of them ..."

Oh, now I remember that! Thanks!!!

A Murder Is Announced, I believe, is one of Agatha Christie's best written mysteries and has everything I think a mystery buff would want: a plethora of red-herrings and complications, great characterization that doesn't lean into soap opera like some of these modern mysteries do, and a rich setting, which also contributes to the solution (which is a plus!).

Speaking of characters, who are your favorite characters from the book?

I have to say I liked Mitzi the best. Wild and out of place in the village, self-important but came through in the end with something difficult and dangerous!

What a question! I'm going with Mitzi, too - for the same reasons that Mark already listed. :-)

Mitzi made me laugh! I love the name of her cake although I don't know how I feel about having raisins in chocolate cake.

NicoleG wrote: "Mitzi made me laugh! I love the name of her cake although I don't know how I feel about having raisins in chocolate cake."

Mitzi sure doesn't like it when Patrick calls her cake "Delicious Death". Funny, I was thinking about raisins in a chocolate cake the other day and looking at photos of what it would look like, it sure looks appetizing. Yum!

LovesMysteries wrote: "NicoleG wrote: "Mitzi made me laugh! I love the name of her cake although I don't know how I feel about having raisins in chocolate cake."

Mitzi sure doesn't like it when Patrick calls her cake "D..."

It does sound yummy!

On some Facebook page or other there was once a recipe for Delicious Death. I'll see if I can find it. (I've never made it and wondered about the raisins as well. It must be a central European thing, I guess.)

I imagine it as a yellow cake with raisins topped by chocolate frosting but I'm probably completely wrong, lol!

I don't think the Joan Hickson film adaptation presented Delicious Death as a chocolate cake.

LovesMysteries wrote: "I don't think the Joan Hickson film adaptation presented Delicious Death as a chocolate cake."

I remember Miss Blacklock pulling all the ingredients out of a box. I want to go back and look tonight. :-)

It is a dense chocolate cake, with raisins. And a chocolate glaze on top.

Look what I found!!! https://d43fweuh3sg51.cloudfront.net/...

The cake will be very dense with no flour and only ground almonds. And very rich as well!

But yummy, I'm sure! ;-)