Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Review of the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling.

Published by Little, Brown Book Group, 31st July 2016

Cost: £20.00 2016 (On offer £9.00 various UK suppliers)

ISBN:978-0-7515-6535-5 (Hardback Edition - 330 pages)

Book dedications read:

J.K. Rowling: To Jack Thorne who entered my world and did beautiful things there.

John Tiffany: For Joe, Louis, Max, Sonny and Merle … wizards all …

Jack Thorne: To Elliott Thorne, born 7^th April 2016. As we rehearsed, he gurgled.

Firstly, I think I should state that this is not a new novel by J.K. Rowling; it is a script in book form, for the play currently running at the Palace Theatre in London.

The play is in two parts; with Act One and Two in Part One and Acts Three and Four in Part Two. There are Nineteen scenes in Act One, Twenty scenes in Act Two, Twenty-one scenes in Act Three and Fifteen scenes in Act Four.

So, from the above, you can get the idea that there is a lot happening in the story, some scenes are very short, but are there to develop the story line, others are flashbacks that help the character understand his or her thoughts.

I do not intend to present any spoilers from the story line, but it would be impossible to discuss the script without some mention of the action that takes place.

If you are thinking that the script will be full of descriptions and give details of the settings then think again, there little or no description of the locations, the characters or atmosphere, everything you need to get your imagination going is from the spoken words of the characters as they act out the tale of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

At the start of the script we are told that Harry is a thirty-seven-year-old man, with him are two boys, James Potter and Albus Potter, on his shoulder is his daughter Lily and his wife Ginny is with them. The boys are off to Hogwarts and this is Albus’ first year; he is worried about being the son of such a famous person and how he will cope at the school of magic. He understands that making friends is very important.

For fans of the Harry Potter series, this tale is one that will have the reader reminiscing about the growing up of Harry Potter and the antics that he got himself into. The reader will rediscover all those familiar places, spells, teachers, and activities that Harry experienced, but can now relive through the eyes of Albus Potter. There are some new places where the action takes place, that were briefly visited in Harry’s time, but as the years have moved on, they need to be ‘spoken of’ in more detail. Remember, this is not a story, it is a script for a play. I have already started to reread the script, but my favourite piece is the bookshelf in the office of The Minister of Magic; it is very visual and it is a scene where the characters are very active so even reading the script it is a scene that presents itself well for the reader.

This is a wonderful script and having read it, I want to go and see the play being performed. Would I have preferred the tale to be another story in the Harry Potter series, yes, there is so much that could be done with the visual descriptions that as in script form must be left up to the reader. I have read and heard that there is a twist in the tale at the end of the script, I disagree, something happens and as an avid Harry Potter fan, I think the particular scene was only to be expected, and I would have been disappointed if it had not.

The story is all about a ‘Cursed Child’ and you will have to decide who that person is, do not think the obvious, even while reading the script. Does this tale give the opportunity for a further tale about Harry Potter, I think it must, that aspect is in J.K. Rowling’s hands?

A must read for all Harry Potter fans. Rating: 5 stars

Dr James Sheppard

2 August 2016

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

 

Review of the novel The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie.

Published by Collins Crime Club, 30th October 1930

Cost: £6.99 1995

ISBN: 0-00-712085-0 (Paperback Edition - 379 pages, starts on page 7)

Christie's dedication in the book reads: "To Rosalind".

(Note: Rosalind was Agatha Christie’s daughter with Archie Christie from her first marriage.)

The Murder at the Vicarage is Miss Jane Marple’s first appearance in a full-length story, however, she was introduced in December 1927 in a short story entitled, The Tuesday Night Club which was published in The Royal Magazine. Five further short stories followed over the next five months. In total thirteen short stories were published in 1932 as a collection entitled The Thirteen Problems in the UK and The Tuesday Night Club in the USA. In these short stories, we learn of Miss Marple’s knowledge of St Mary Mead and its residents and how she uses this insight to solve crimes of murder and mystery.

The Murder at the Vicarage is narrated by the vicar of St Mary Mead, Len Clements, who lives at the vicarage where the murder takes place. The story opens:

It is difficult to know quite where to begin this story, but I have fixed my choice on a certain Wednesday at luncheon at the vicarage. The conversation, though in the main is irrelevant to the matter in hand, yet contained one or two suggestive incidents which influenced later developments.

The problem with the vicar narrating the story is that we see the tale through his eyes, and for me, there are aspects to the mystery that seem to be missing and may have helped the flow of the story and the reader to understand more about the village of St Mary Mead.

The vicar and his young wife, Griselda, have different thoughts about Miss Marple who is due to tea at the vicarage at four-thirty, very early on in the story. The vicar begins the conversation:

          ‘I rather like Miss Marple’, I said. ‘She has, at least, a sense of humour.’

‘She’s the worst cat in the village,’ said Griselda. ‘And she always knows every single thing that happens – and draws the worst inferences from it.’

And so sets the scene of the story. However, to help the reader understand the locations in the village, where much of the action takes place, the reader is provided with three maps, early in the book: a map of St Mary Mead; a map of the vicarage and surrounding properties; and a map of the study at the vicarage, where the murder takes place.

A few pages into the book, Christie describes the scene that will play a significant part in the story; ‘when the vicar lifts his head up from the table in his study, he notices the clock on the writing table pointed to a quarter to five, a sign that it was really half-past four, he makes his way to the drawing-room’ and we are given the first description of Miss Marple:

‘Miss Marple is a white-haired old lady with a gentle, appealing manner – Miss Wetherby is a mixture of vinegar and gush. Of the two Miss Marple is much more dangerous.’

Later when the vicarage is apparently empty, it is the vicar that discovers the body in his study and he describes the situation, but as we might expect from Christie, there is little gore in the description of the deadly scene:

Colonel Protheroe was lying sprawled across my writing table in a horrible unnatural position. There was a pool of some dark fluid on the desk by his head, and it was slowly dripping on to the floor with a horrible drip, drip, drip.

In this story, Christie introduces Inspector Slack as the police officer assigned to the case, and he is described for the reader’s benefit by the vicar:

All I can say of Inspector Slack is that never did a man more determinedly strive to contradict his name. He was a dark man, restless and energetic in manner, with black eyes that snapped ceaselessly. His manner was rude and overbearing in the extreme.

No matter Slack’s manner, he is soon to value the thoughts of Miss Marple.

As the story progresses, Christie describes the village and its characters and entwines more than one plot into the story, revealing just enough to let the reader be led astray, yet providing sufficient clues and red-herrings to keep the reader guessing and wanting more. We discover further details about Miss Marple, as she has been observing a golden crested wren through binoculars from her garden. I wondered why Christie had introduced this particular bird, rather than any other. A little research provided the following information: ‘Pine forests are the best places to see goldcrests, but they range around in flocks of other small birds during the autumn and winter. They’re widespread and common across the whole of the UK; in autumn, large numbers arrive on the east coast from Scandinavia and make their way across dunes to more suitable habitat – rspb’. Is Christie trying to tell us something about the location of St Mary Mead?

Understandably, Christie is keen not only to introduce Miss Marple, her new detective, but the village of St Mary Mead and it villagers. We learn, through the interaction of the villagers, about the murdered Colonel Protheroe, his character, and pompous nature. It is the young lovers and a mysterious archaeologist, that Christie manages well, and I ask myself if she has put a little of herself into the story. The age difference between the vicar and his wife results in faltering conversations when they interact, and the question is, are they really in love or is Griselda just a tease? However, it is the ability of Miss Marple to observe people and their behaviour in the village that adds a further dimension to the story; one such example is when she discusses the activities of one of the villagers:

‘My dear Colonel Melchett, you know what young women are nowadays. Not ashamed to show exactly how the creator made them. She hadn’t so much as a handkerchief in the top of her stocking.’

As Miss Marple interacts with the other characters we discover her ability to recall historical incidents that have taken place in the village and relate them to the current story line, thus enabling her to see the solution to the murder that most others have missed. We learn of Joe Bucknell, Major Hargreaves, Miss Hartnell, Elwell’s daughter; the list continues. But it is Christie that wants the reader to return to the appearance of Miss Marple on more than one occasion. The vicar describes her towards the end of the story:

She had a very fine Shetland shawl thrown over her head and shoulders and was looking rather old and frail.

However, it is Miss Marple that is given the opportunity to set up a plan to trick the murderer to reveal him/herself and solve the murder at the vicarage. The solution is more than a surprise to a number of individuals and Miss Marple is left to explain her solution.

This is a great story and introduction to the much-loved Miss Marple. In this story, Christie has used a very different approach to that of her other detective Poirot, and presented a leading character that her readers have warmed to for almost 90 years.

A must read for all Agatha Christie fans. Rating: 5 stars

Dr James Sheppard

11 July 2016

The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie

The Mystery of the Blue Train

Review of the novel The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie.

Published by Collins Crime Club, 29^th March 1928

Cost: 1s 6p 1949 [£2.50 1995]

ISBN: 0-00-675134-2 (Paperback Edition - 232 pages *starts on page 7)

Christie's dedication in the book reads:

"To the two distinguished members of the O.F.D. - Carlotta and Peter".

This is Hercule Poirot's sixth full-length story. The novel also features the first description of the fictional village of St. Mary Mead, the home of Christie's detective Miss Marple – introduced in December 1927 in the short story, The Tuesday Night Club.

The Mystery of the Blue Train is based around a murder that takes place on the fabulous Blue Train, officially known as the Calais–Paris–Nice Express. It is the train for the wealthy to travel from London to the French Riviera. The first time we are introduced to Poirot is on page 67, when he talks to Katherine Grey, who is having her first winter out of England, after having inherited a huge sum of money. They chat about the detective story Katherine is reading;

‘Perhaps they give one the illusion of living an exciting life,’ she suggested.

He nodded gravely.

‘Yes; there is something in that.’

‘Of course, one knows that such things don’t really happen,’ Katherine was continuing, but he interrupted her sharply.

‘Sometimes, Mademoiselle! Sometimes! I who speak to you – they have happened to me.’

She threw him a quick, interested glance.’

‘Some day, who knows, you might be in the thick of things,’ he went on. ‘It is all chance.’

A short while later, Katherine is helping the police with their enquiries regarding the death of Ruth Kettering, who has been strangled and the renowned ruby necklace known as ‘The Heart of Fire’ has been stolen.

There is an intrigue of lovers, rogues and a dealer who trades in priceless jewels. The French Police Commissioner believes the murder is a simple case of robbery by the dead girl’s lover, but Poirot is not convinced. Before long it is the husband of the dead woman who is tried and found guilty of the murder. Once again Poirot is not convinced and continues with his own investigation. With the help of Katherine and those around her, Poirot is able to solve the crime but has little interest in the finding of the necklace (although he declares where he has recently seen it).

The novel is based on the short story The Plymouth Express, which had previously been published in a periodical. Expanded into a full-length novel, five years later, The Mystery of the Blue Train, has a very similar plot, but with names and details changed.

Christie plays with the idea, which she uses in a number of her stories, that nobody takes looks at a servant. They are able to act discreetly in the background and carry out dastardly deeds!

The novel, The Mystery of the Blue Train, was written at a low point in Christie’s writing career; in 1926, the death of her mother, her husband's infidelity and her breakdown and ten-day disappearance. She felt she needed to start a new life on her own. She and her daughter, Rosalind, take a holiday, staying at the Hotel Oratava in Tenerife in the Canary Islands in 1927, and make significant progress with the full-length novel. Christie writes in her autobiography; ‘Really, how that wretched book came to be written I don’t know. … I was driven desperately on by the desire, indeed the necessity, to write another book and make some money.’ She suddenly became aware that to generate an income she would now have to become a professional writer for a living. Christie states: ‘I have always hated The Mystery of the Blue Train, but I got it written and sent it off to the publishers. [However] I cannot say I have ever been proud of it.’

I enjoyed reading the story, but with the tale of The Plymouth Express in my mind, this fuller story did not captivate me as I might have hoped. Christie gets into her stride with clues for the reader and some miss direction, but, as she states, it is not one of her best stories. The character of Poirot is not fully utilised to what we later welcome during his investigations. Other characters lack the full Christie detail, as does the Blue Train and its compartments. I feel the need to quickly get back into reading one of her more famous novels. Rating: 3 stars

Dr James Sheppard

11 May 2016

Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie

Elephants Can Remember

Review of the novel Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie.

Published by Collins Crime Club, 6^th November 1972

Cost: £1.60 1972 [£3.50 1975]

ISBN: 000612649 (Paperback Edition - 218 pages *starts on page 9)

I was playing badminton the other day and sitting on the side-lines, when another player asked me about this book and I felt it was time to re-read it and express my thoughts.

This is the last book that Hercule Poirot appears in, with the exception of the publication date of Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case. Poirot is contacted by Mrs Ariadne Oliver, an authoress that has appeared in six Christie novels, and asked to investigate the death of the parents of her god-daughter. The story is based around the death of General Alistair Ravenscroft and his wife Lady Ravenscroft, twelve years previously. They were both found on a cliff near their manor house, where they had been shot. The police believed it to be suicide and were unable to tell if the wife shot her husband and then shot herself, or whether the husband shot his wife and then shot himself.

The investigation in the story is shared between the two leading characters, Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver, with perhaps more taken on by Mrs Oliver under the guidance of Poirot. The style of this story is similar to five others, in the sense that it is reviewing a murder mystery that has already taken place. There lies the problem. Rather than the normal interaction between characters and descriptions of locations where the deaths took place, this book has a very few characters, and when brought into the story, each tries to remember what took place twelve years ago. “People like talking about the past”, says Mrs Oliver. There are pages of individuals recalling the events, which have no dialogue, paragraphs, or interaction – it’s not always enjoyable reading, particularly when the events are retold to Poirot, although briefly.

What does make this story enjoyable is the impression that the reader gets from the words spoken by Ariadne Oliver, particularly at the beginning of the story; it’s almost as though Christie speaks the words herself. In this instance, Mrs Oliver has accepted an invitation to a literary lunch and as she dresses for the occasion she discusses the event with her home help, Maria, who suggests she will make a lovely speech:

‘No, I shouldn't,’ said Mrs Oliver. ‘I know what I can do and I know what I can’t. I can’t make speeches. I get all worried and nervy and I should probably stammer or say the same thing twice. I should not only feel silly, I should probably look silly. Now it’s all right with words. You can write words down or speak them into a machine or dictate them. I can do things with words so long as I know it’s not a speech I'm making.’

The book’s title is tied in with words spoken by Mrs Oliver in her rambling conversation with Poirot:

‘So I thought that what we've really got to do is to get at the people who are like elephants. Because elephants, so they say, don’t forget.’

‘That’s the point you see. Elephants remember. What I've got to do is – I've got to get in touch with some elephants.’

This mention of elephants runs throughout the story, being cited many times and I'm not sure if it adds to the story. As Mrs Oliver tries to understand the tales people recall, she says: ‘Like many elderly people, Mrs Carstairs could remember voices better than she did faces.’ Their conversation continues for another eight pages, and Mrs Carstairs comments:

‘Anyway, it [is] wonderful how women get a sort of second wind. You know, when they are forty or fifty or that sort of age and they suddenly want to begin a new life. Women do talk in a very silly way, you know, when they are referring to love-affairs when they get on in life. About how it’s never too late.’

As Poirot conducts most of the investigation from his apartment, we get to know a little more about George, his manservant; he knows exactly what Poirot requires and how the activities in the apartment should be managed. The faithful Miss Lemon is still carrying out secretarial duties for the ageing Poirot, but in this story she appears very briefly, on page 121, speaking only seven words. Miss lemon is given a letter to reply to the sender:

Miss Lemon reminded him of two appointments which he already had, but agreed that left plenty of hours vacant and she would arrange something as he wished.

‘Something to do with the Zoological Gardens?’ she enquired.

We hear no more from, or about, Miss Lemon.

To aid him in his enquiries Poirot calls upon the services of Superintendent Spence, who has appeared in three previous stories. Spence introduces the retired Chief Superintendent Garroway, who was the officer in charge of the investigation at the time of the shooting. At this point Christie states: ‘Hercule Poirot very nearly said “Elephants do remember,” but checked himself in time.’

Garroway discusses a number of the items from the case that Poirot feels need further investigation and at this point Christie provides her reader with clues that the reader could easily miss. Specifically mentioned are the realisation that Lady Ravenscroft had a twin sister; she also had four wigs, each to be worn on a specific occasion; and they had a dog that adored Lady Ravenscroft. The mention of twins is of interest to me, as I am a twin, (Yes there are two identical Dr. Sheppards, which can only be told apart by their initials!). Christie suggests that there is a special link between twins that result in them experiencing the same awareness of the world in which they live, and she gets Poirot to present her thoughts.

When Poirot is unable to carry out his own investigation into the crime he calls on Mr Goby - in this book a private investigator, but previously a detective at Scotland Yard. Poirot calls on Mr Goby services twice, with great success and timely speed.

Christie states:

Mr Goby was celebrated all over London, indeed possibly all over England and even further, as a great purveyor of information. How he performed these miracles nobody ever really quite knew. He employed a not excessive staff. Sometimes he complained that his legs, as he sometimes called them, were not as good as they used to be. But his results were still able to astonish people who had commissioned them.

Finally, at the end of the story, Poirot calls together a small gathering of people close to the investigation, and standing on the cliff top where the original murders took place, he explains his findings, revealing what happened on that fateful night twelve years previously.

I enjoyed reading the story again, but the long passages without interaction between characters detracts from the plot. Published in 1972, Christie had just turned 83 and I feel that she was reflecting back on her life. Talking through Ariadne Oliver, Christie had some marvellous thoughts, which are well worth reading in their own right. However, I am not a lover of the stories that that use ‘Murder in Retrospect’ as a method of murder mystery investigation, particularly the approach used in this story. In conclusion, this is an Agatha Christie novel and there are very few that will not enjoy another of her tales. Rating: 3 stars

Dr James Sheppard

20 April 2016

Crooked House notes by Agatha Christie

Christie Chronicle

The International Agatha Christie Festival 2016

The International Agatha Christie Festival 2016

English Riviera Tourism Company:

Please note that changes are being made to the operation of the Festival from this September.

Moving forwards the International Agatha Christie Festival is to become a bi-annual event.

This means that there will be no weeklong festival in September 2016.

In its place, a special Agatha Christie Day to celebrate Dame Agatha Christie’s birthday on 15^th September is to be staged, which will also become a bi-annual event (see below for programme).

http://www.agathachristiefestival.com/

EXCITING FUTURE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL AGATHA CHRISTIE FESTIVAL

April 13, 2016 10:44 am

Torbay’s globally-popular International Agatha Christie Festival (IACF) is set to build on the success and growth of its recent celebrations of the Devon-born author’s works, times and legacy, following a successful application to The Charity Commission for it to become a registered charity.

For full article see: http://www.agathachristiefestival.com/exciting-future-for-iacf/

Any tourism operators that normally provide supporting events alongside the festival are of course allowed to continue promoting these for September 2016, but these events are not part of the International Agatha Christie Festival programme.

The official days are: Wednesday 14^th September to Saturday 17^th September, however, there are other activities going on during the week.

The 2016 Programme (as at July - updated)

Friday 9^th September

·         Wallingford Museum: At Home with the Queen of Crime exhibition

·         Wallingford: Walk the Agatha Christie Trail

·         Cholsey Drama Group: Who Killed the Vicar – Wallingford’s Corn Exchange.

Saturday 10^th September

·         Wallingford Museum: At Home with the Queen of Crime exhibition

·         Wallingford: Walk the Agatha Christie Trail

·         Cholsey Drama Group: Who Killed the Vicar – Cholsey’s Great Hall.

·         Cholsey Church: Guide on hand to show visitors the Mallowan grave and the church.

·         Wallingford / Cholsey: Travel on 1964 vintage Red Routemaster double decker bus.

Sunday 11^th September

·         Wallingford Museum: At Home with the Queen of Crime exhibition

·         Cholsey Church: Guide on hand to show visitors the Mallowan grave and the church.

·         Wallingford / Cholsey: Travel on heritage steam train.

Monday 12^th September:

·         TOADS Theatre Company, Torquay: A Murder is Announced

·         Princess Theatre, Torquay: Rehearsal for Murder £13.90 - £38.90

·         Palace Theatre, Paignton: Murder on The Nile £12.00

·         Dartmouth Steam Railway, Paignton: Murder Mystery Dining £75

Tuesday 13^th September

·         TOADS Theatre Company, Torquay: A Murder is Announced

·         Princess Theatre, Torquay: Rehearsal for Murder £13.90 - £38.90

·         Palace Theatre, Paignton: Murder on The Nile £12.00

·         Burgh Island: Agatha Christie in character lunch & cream tea £82

Wednesday 14^th September

·         TOADS Theatre Company, Torquay: A Murder is Announced

·         Princess Theatre, Torquay: Rehearsal for Murder £13.90 - £38.90

·         Palace Theatre, Paignton: Murder on The Nile £12.00

·         Dartmouth Steam Railway, Torquay: Murder Mystery Dining £75

Thursday 15^th September

·         TOADS Theatre Company, Torquay: A Murder is Announced

·         Princess Theatre, Torquay: Rehearsal for Murder £13.90 - £38.90

·         Palace Theatre, Paignton: Murder on The Nile £12.00

·         Torre Abbey, Torquay: Agatha Christie Birthday Celebrations: £15 & £25

Programme of Events:

1.30pm: Agatha Christie stamps on sale at Torre Abbey
2.30pm: Mathew Prichard reads The Witness for the Prosecution
3.45pm: Sophie Hannah on Closed Casket
5.00pm: Devonshire Cream Teas
6.00pm: Royal Mail Agatha Christie stamp launch event with Jim Sutherland (stamp designer) & Helen Cumberbatch (Royal Mail)
7.15pm: Closing speech and birthday toast to the Queen of Crime

Friday 16^th September

·         TOADS Theatre Company, Torquay: A Murder is Announced

·         Princess Theatre, Torquay: Rehearsal for Murder £13.90 - £38.90

Saturday 17^th September

·         TOADS Theatre Company, Torquay: A Murder is Announced

·         Princess Theatre, Torquay: Rehearsal for Murder £13.90 - £38.90

Contact details:

TOADS Theatre Company: The Little Theatre St Marks Road, Meadfoot, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 2EL. Tel. 01803 299330

Burgh Island: Burgh Island, Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon, TQ7 4BG.Tel. 01548 810514

Princess Theatre: Torbay Rd, Torquay, Devon, TQ2 5EZ. Tel. 0844 871 3023

Palace Theatre: Palace Avenue, Paignton, Devon, TQ3 3HF. Tel: 01803 665800

Dartmouth Steam Railway and River Boat Company: Our 2016 Murder Mystery Dining Train tickets will go on public sale on Tuesday 10th May. As usual, we will have two dates to choose from (unless you wish to come along on both evenings); Monday 12th and Wednesday 14th September. The price will be £75.00 per person and will include a welcome glass of prosecco, three-course dinner and of course the intrigue of the Candlelight Theatre Company.

Wallingford Museum:  Flint House, 52 High Street, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 0DB

Torquay Museum: 529 Babbacombe Road, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 1HG. Tel. 01803 293975

Torre Abbey: The King’s Drive, Torquay, Torbay, TQ2 5JE. Tel: 01803 293 593

https://torreabbey.digitickets.co.uk/category/6675

v Ticket One: £15.00
Includes: Mathew Prichard reading The Witness for the Prosecution; Sophie Hannah on Closed Casket; Devonshire Cream Teas

v Ticket Two:  £15.00
Includes: Devonshire Cream Teas; Royal Mail event; closing speech and birthday toast

v Combination Ticket: £25.00
Access to the full programme of events: Mathew Prichard reading The Witness for the Prosecution; Sophie Hannah on Closed Casket; Devonshire Cream Teas; Royal Mail event; closing speech and birthday toast.
Tom Adams will be in attendance, so look out for his work depicting the new front cover of The Mysterious Affair at Styles. 

 *********************************************************************************

You can contact the programme organisers: The International Agatha Christie Festival, The Grand Hotel, Torbay Road, Torquay, TQ2 6NT

The Board – on which Mathew Prichard and Frances Hughes are joined by representatives of Agatha Christie Ltd, HarperCollins publishers, the English Riviera Tourism Company, Francis Clark accountants, and Wollen Michelmore solicitors.  



http://www.agathachristie.com/news/2016/the-agatha-christie-festival-gains-charitable-status

http://www.englishriviera.co.uk/whats-on/agatha-christie-day-p1257113

http://www.wallingfordmuseum.org.uk/agatha-christie-weekend.html

http://www.torquaymuseum.org/explore/look-inside-the-galleries/agatha-christie-gallery