The Witness for the Prosecution audiobook

LOVE THE ENDING!This one is juicy. A rich old lady is found dead and all signs point toward Leonard Vole, a young man who has been paying her special attention, as she had apparently changed her will and he stands to inherit a good deal of money.Did he kill her?All signs point to yes.But his attorney, Mr. Mayhew, isn't convinced that he's actually guilty. Especially once he pays a visit to Leonard's wife, Romaine. ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

A gold-digging man is accused of murdering a wealthy old woman who took a shine to him. He says he’s innocent but the evidence looks damning. Did he or did he not dunit? His defence lawyer sets out to uncover the truth. This writer - Agatha bloody Christie! - always makes me feel like a fool and I love it! She effortlessly leads me by the nose, taking me exactly where she wants me to go while making me think I’m totally in charge and know where things are going. I thought I knew where the story was headed, just like I do with every Agatha Christie story I read, and then old Aggie pulls the rug out from under me with that terrific final twist. Wrong again, buddy! And, like most twists, it seems so obvious in retrospect but there lies the genius. The Witness for the Prosecution was a thoroughly entertaining murder mystery with some clever misdirection and lots of great dialogue – easy to see why it was adapted for the stage and keeps being made into movies. Dame Agatha the Queen of Crime strikes again!

Oh, that Agatha Christie is one clever, clever girl! Loved it as usual.

I took a break from Christie’s Hercules Poirot novels to listen to Christopher Lee read this Christie short story. I have read some of her stories, but had made the decision not to read all of her Poirot short stories in addition to her novels. I like the novels better. But after reading dozens of these often overlong novels in a row, where you sift through what you know to be more than 200 pages of red herrings, well, sometimes it’s time for a short story, eh? This one, “Witness for the Prosecution,” is one of her best known, and best, I think, though Christie didn’t like the ending, so she changed it when she adapted it for the stage. It was also adapted for a film directed by Billy Wilder, starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Laughton, which I have seen a couple times and love and will see again soon. Leonard Vole is arrested for the murder of Emily French, a wealthy older woman. The evidence seems overwhelmingly damning, which usually means he didn’t do it. The wife of the accuses, Romaine, takes the stand in his defense. Of course I can’t reveal what happens, but you will not be surprised it was adapted for the stage and film. If I think the novels go on too long, I think this story could have been a bit less reported, more enacted, with a bit more actual dialogue, but when you do get dialogue it is very good. And then, I, racing Christie, committed, this time, to outsmarting her, fall short of the finish line once again, and again, three or four times outsmarted in this story! Oh, go ahead, smartie! I challenge you to anticipate what she is going to do to twist your brain inside and out. Oh, I am sure you are [not] smarter than that old stuffy lady mystery writer! Listen to it yourself (it will take only 27 minutes) here:https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/rev...Now wasn’t that great!? Oh, and without the goofy Belgian Poirot, the tone is so different here, with Mr. Mayhew as the solicitor of the accused. It was kind of refreshing not to have Poirot in this one. And horror actor Lee as the reader: Delicious.

The Witness for the Prosecution is one of Agatha Christie's most famous short stories. The story has been adapted for the stage, radio, television and film. The story was originally published in the US in 1925 (Flynn's Weekly as The Traitor's Hands). It was included in The Hound of Death short story collection in the UK in 1933 and in The Witness For the Prosecution and Other Stories (US, 1948). The stage play was published in The Mousetrap and Other Plays (1993). Agatha Christie wrote the stage play version in 1953, and the story was made into a movie starring Marlene Dietrich in 1957. Radio City Playhouse presented a radio drama of the story in 1949. It has been adapted for television multiple times...the latest in 2016. And BBC4 Radio "modernized" the story for a radio drama in the early 2000s. I'm sure there are other adaptations of this story that I have missed, as this tale has been retold many, many times in just about every format possible. I wonder if Christie realized that she was writing a classic when she first penned this story? For a story to be adapted so many times, it has to be good! But...I have to admit that I have avoided reading, watching or listening to this story for a very stupid reason. When I was in high school, I acted and sang in every school production right down the line. I designed sets, helped block scenes, and really put my heart into every production. Then....my junior year, I was so delighted that the drama club was going to put on Witness for the Prosecution! But....the head of the drama department had been replaced by a former English teacher of mine who really didn't like me, and made no attempt to hide it. She really went out of her way to be....horrible. For no reason. I always did my work. I was respectful. I was always active in class. She just (for whatever reason) couldn't stand me. Even fellow students commented on it. And....she was in charge of auditions. I gave my best audition....followed her directions, read every line, discussed why I wanted to be in the play (Christie was my favorite author!). And three days later when cast and crew were posted ---- I was completely left out. Not even on the stage crew. This teacher stood outside her classroom door as I looked at the list and just smiled at me....a catty, nasty smile. And then she laughed. Seriously -- she smiled and LAUGHED. I learned years later that this teacher did not like my mother, and I suppose whatever issue they had trickled down down to me. After being totally left out of the play and that weird animosity from a teacher.....I just avoided this story. Never watched the film....avoided any television episodes....refused to read it. Silly I know.....but the whole event really pissed me off. She even left me off the stage and set crew assignments!!!! So....36 years later....it's time to get over it! People will be people....it was unfortunate, but that's no reason to avoid a classic story by my favorite author! I finally decided to break my boycott of Witness. It's not Agatha Christie's fault that I was slighted when I was 16 years old. I'm so glad I finally read this story! It's excellent! And it definitely has that famous Christie twist! I also watched the 2016 television adaptation. It was very very good! There were some pretty big changes to the story, but they were fleshing it out into an almost 2 hour movie. I have the BBC4 Radio dramatization as well. I haven't listened to it yet....I will amend this review when I have. I will read and review the play once I get to it in my travels through Christie in publication order. Got a couple decades to go first! I do know that Christie changed the ending when she wrote the stage play. She was dissatisfied with how the short story left things....so she revamped the ending for the play. I listened to an audio version of this short story (Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories, HarperAudio). The audio for all of the stories in the collection that were originally published in the Hound of Death story collection were read by Christopher Lee. They were obviously pulled from an audio book of Hound of Death, as Christopher Lee also read all the HOD stories in the audio book of The Golden Ball and Other Stories that I listened to (it even still had Lee's intro before the first story that he was reading Hound of Death by Agatha Christie). So glad that Lee read Christie's strange tales that were collected into HOD -- his voice just caters to horror/supernatural/bizarre stories. While Witness isn't supernatural or bizarre, it is diabolical. Lee was a perfect narrator! On to the next!

Probably best known for the 1957 Oscar-winning film it produced, Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution is fine in its own right, a short story that packs quite a punch. It is easy to see why this had the makings for the big stage and Hollywood, as it relies heavily on moments of suspense and tension, a slow build up to the resolution as we await the verdict in court. There’s also a little misdirection carefully placed by Christie towards the conclusion that, to me, make the mystery and ultimate unraveling of events that much more clever and impressive. As far as the story, it involves a man, Leonard Vole, who comes to an attorney after being charged with the murder of an elderly woman, Emily French. As the case seems to build against Vole, the lawyer begins to call in alibis and evidence that will clear his defendant. He looks for help in Vole’s wife. The story builds up to the trial, but things get a little off the track when an unexpected witness turns up. Witness for the Prosecution is a fine example of Christie’s skill and mastery at mystery in short story form. If you haven’t read her works, this is an excellent place to start. The aforementioned 1957 film is also superb.

5 Stars. One of the most famous short story mysteries of all time. Deservedly so. Concise at 29 pages, but it packs a wallop. It's only after one reads it a second time that Christie's craft becomes evident as she adroitly fashions characters, action, and reader reaction. It comes with lessons that resonate today in both private and public life. Ask yourself, what is a sociopath? Or a pathological liar? What is gullibility? And where does responsibility lie on these points in critical situations? The story opens with a young man, Leonard Vole, meeting with his solicitor, Mr. Mayherne. Vole has been charged with murdering an elderly woman for her money. Miss Emily French. He had rescued her from a possible mishap and befriended her. She had reciprocated by bequeathing her wealth to him. Mayherne initially believes the police have got their man, but he knows his duty to put up a defence. Vole's story may be plausible as he assures Mayherne that his wife Romaine will attest he was home at the time of the murder. The solicitor interviews her but finds her far from supportive. She may even be a witness for the prosecution. Not good. A must read for all. (January 2022)