The Witness for the Prosecution is one of Agatha Christie’s classic short stories and of a genre she wasn’t known for – courtroom drama. It tells the tale of a man accused of a treacherous murder and the wife who agrees to testify in court…against him.
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I read The Witness for the Prosecution as part of the 2024 Thoughtful Reading Challenge. April’s challenge was to read a legal thriller in recognition of Be Kind to Lawyers Day (April 12). This may not have been her typical genre, but Agatha Christie injects her customary cleverness into the plot.
I must admit that I didn’t realize The Witness for the Prosecution was so short (roughly 30 pages) when I chose to read it this month. Sure, it’s in a collection of short stories, but I expected at least a novella from such a well-known title! As such, I’ll need to keep my summary of The Witness for the Prosecution short so I don’t give anything away.
The story opens with a conversation between Leonard Vole and his attorney, Mr. Maherne. Leonard has been accused of murdering Emily French, a wealthy, eccentric old woman whom down-on-his-luck Leonard had befriended. The evidence is stacked against him and made even worse by the fact that Emily left everything to Leonard in her will.
Emily’s housekeeper hates Leonard and will be giving damaging testimony at his trial. But Leonard knows he can count on his wife to provide an alibi the night of the murder. Imagine how puzzled Mr. Maherne is when he speaks to the wife and she expresses her hatred of Leonard and vows to take him down in court.
A somewhat hokey but effective plot twist at the end reveals what’s really going on.
First published in 1925, the story was originally titled “Traitors Hands.” It received its current title in 1933, and was published in a collection of short stories in the US in 1948.
The Witness for the Prosecution was destined for things greater than merely being a short story. Agatha Christie adapted it as a play, which opened in London 1953 and on Broadway the following year. A film version starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Laughton premiered in 1957. And there have been multiple television adaptations including one by the BBC in 2016.
Not bad for a 30 page story!
I enjoyed reading The Witness for the Prosecution and it put me in the mood to read more Agatha!
Did you read a legal thriller this month? Tell us all about it!
**Reminder – May’s challenge is to read a book written by an Asian American.
Book Thoughts from Bed 
Excellent choice, Michelle! Maybe we should have read this story in sophomore English, but it wasn’t in the anthology. At least I think we had an anthology.
I have not read this short story, but I saw the movie many moons ago, and it was excellent! I hope you watch it, if you haven’t already. It’s free on Tubi.
One of my favorite courtroom books is Scott Turrow’s Presumed Innocent.
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Hi coach! I enjoyed Presumed Innocent, too, but for the life of me can’t remember the plot.
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I once tried to make a list of things I have forgotten. Here is the beginning:
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I really enjoyed this short story too! I did not know that it was made into a movie as well as a play. I think it would be a terrific option for a play since it doesn’t require a lot of different settings. I will have to look up the movie. Agatha Christie is always fun to read – great stories and good twists. Okay, Presumed Innocent was really an exceptional book. I read it sooooo long ago but it still sticks with me!
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Great pick, George!
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