The Patient

by Agatha Christie

Originally part of the collection The Rule of Three.

Paralysed and unable to speak after she was pushed from her balcony, Mrs Wingfield must find a way to reveal her would-be murderer before they strike again...

Genres: Agatha Christie, Plays, Mystery

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Theunis Snyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last I've found the only Christie that I have not read before

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review on my book blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/2...

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Patient is a darker story of a paralyzed woman who is certain that someone is trying to murder her Paralyzed and unable to speak she must find a way to reveal her would-be murderer before they strike again. She is lying in a hospital completely paralyzed following a fall from a balcony. Did she faint or was she pushed? The inspector, who realizes that the patient is not physically but psychically traumatized, cleverly determines that murder was intended and uses a devious ruse to trap the guilty party." https://store.bizbooks.net/theruleoft...

[Joanna’s Reading Rainbow · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. Unexpected but I was hoping for more. It felt like the whole point was to completely throw you off.

Spoiler: it was the nurse. However, the nurse barely has any lines so we have absolutely no idea what her motivation was to kill Jenny. Unless I missed something. So the fact that it was Nurse Bond with a B (who we had no way of knowing her last name was Bond) and not Bryan or Brenda or brother Bill felt a little cheap.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read and an enjoyable story.

[Theunis Snyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally I found the last published play I haven't read yet.

[Vee xx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this today for school and enjoyed it more than I thought I would :)

[Delaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this play with my Intro to Drama class and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were all at the edges of our seats.

[Basil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m directing this loll

[Gail Sacharski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short little play which I have read elsewhere in Agatha's books. A patient has fallen from a balcony suffering physical injuries, but also psychological injury that paralyzes her & prevents her from speaking. The inspector investigating & the doctor treating her are working together with nurses & an assistant to perform an experiment using a machine to question her & assist in translating her answers. The members of her household are present to witness this experiment; they are a quarrelsome bunch prone to pointing fingers & blaming each other for her original "accident" & resulting condition. They consist of her husband (a philanderer short of cash), a wastrel brother (also short of cash), a jealous sister, the husband's young & beautiful secretary with whom he's suspected of having an affair, & the hired nurse caring for her (who is assisting the doctor). Each of them has reason to be nervous about what the patient will reveal about her accidental fall. This short play is concise & presents a clear picture & a lot of information in a brief space--a hallmark of Agatha's works. I enjoyed it.