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Lord Edgware dies - Agatha Christie

The actress Jane Wilkinson asks Poirot to convince her husband Lord Edgware to agree to a divorce. When Poirot does so, Edgware says that he has already agreed to a divorce and written a letter to Jane informing her. When Poirot reports this to Jane, she denies having received the letter. That evening, two things happen. First, Lord Edgware is murdered in his study. Second, in the morning newspaper, it is reported that Wilkinson attended a prominent dinner party the previous evening.

Inspector Japp informs Poirot of the murder at Regent Gate. He reports that Jane Wilkinson went to Regent Gate, announced herself to the butler, was seen from above by the secretary, and entered her husband's study. He is not found until the next day. Jane is described as amoral by her fellow movie actor Bryan Martin, meaning she thinks and cares only about herself.

At the party, there were thirteen guests at the dinner table. One guest mentioned that thirteen people at table means bad luck for the first guest to rise. Guest Donald Ross thought he was first to rise, but Jane Wilkinson was first, when she answered a telephone call. On the morning Lord Edgware's murder is discovered, comedian/actress Carlotta Adams (known for her uncanny impersonations, including one of Wilkinson) is found dead from an overdose of Veronal, a death Poirot hoped he could prevent. A gold case with her initials marked in rubies and filled with the sleeping powder is found among her possessions. The case bears an inscription: "C.A. from D, Paris, November 10th Sweet Dreams".

Inspector Japp takes Lord Edgware's heir into custody; his nephew had needed money, which his cousin helped raise by loaning her pearls to him when they met at the opera the night Lord Edgware was murdered. The butler, who bore a striking resemblance to the actor Bryan Martin, disappeared from the house, as did money cashed in francs the last day of Lord Edgware's life. A few days later, Wilkinson attends another dinner party where several guests talk about Paris of Troy. Jane Wilkinson thinks that the guests refer to the French capital. Ross is confused because Jane was speaking knowledgeably about the Paris of Greek myth at the party on the night of the murder. Ross rings up Poirot about his concern. Before he can say what troubles him, he is stabbed to death at home. Poirot is frustrated waiting on the line, realizing what is happening, wishing Hastings had taken Ross to their flat from the dinner. Poirot pursues a new line of thought when he hears a chance remark from a crowd leaving a theatre about asking Ellis; he interviews the Ellis in this mystery.

Poirot gathers the suspects and details the trajectory of the three murders: With Carlotta Adams impersonating Wilkinson at dinner, the real Jane took a taxi to the Edgware house, where she murdered her husband. Later, Jane and Carlotta met to exchange clothing. Jane promised Carlotta a huge fee for this impersonation. Instead, Jane slipped a fatal amount of Veronal into Carlotta's drink. Jane found a letter Carlotta had written to her sister but not yet posted. Jane tore one page of the letter so it read "he" when Carlotta had written "she", putting blame for the scheme on the last man named in the letter. Jane then put the gold case in a visible spot to encourage the notion that Carlotta was addicted to the drug. Jane had ordered the gold case the week prior under a false name and had her maid go to Paris to pick it up, which Poirot discovered. Poirot realised that its engraving had no meaning. Carlotta had been knowledgeable about Greek mythology, so she talked about the subject easily with other guests at the first dinner party. Jane realised that Ross was a risk, as she watched him pursue Hastings, asking about Poirot at the end of the second dinner party. She heard Hastings say that Poirot would not be home until later. She killed Ross as he was on the telephone to Poirot.

Her motive for killing Lord Edgware was that the wealthy Duke of Merton is a Roman Catholic and would not marry a divorced woman; a widow is acceptable. From prison, she writes a letter to Poirot, remarkably devoid of remorse or anger that her scheme was foiled. She wonders why hangings are not done in public any more, as she perhaps preferred an audience.