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The Last Séance - an Agatha Christie Short Story
A medium agrees to perform one last séance before retiring. She's young but exhausted and physically deteriorated. Just one more is what she promises her fiancé, that's it. But even she could not have anticipated the chain of events that it brings about…
Librarian's note: a classic Agatha Christie short story available individually as an eBook.
Librarian's note #2: previously published in the print anthologies, The Hound of Death and Other Stories, and Double Sin and Other Stories.
Librarian's note #3: this entry is for the story, The Last Séance. Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. Stand-alone short stories by the author, those without a lead such as Hercule Poirot, can be found on Goodreads by searching: an Agatha Christie Short Story.
Librarian's note: a classic Agatha Christie short story available individually as an eBook.
Librarian's note #2: previously published in the print anthologies, The Hound of Death and Other Stories, and Double Sin and Other Stories.
Librarian's note #3: this entry is for the story, The Last Séance. Collections of short stories by the author can be found elsewhere on Goodreads. Stand-alone short stories by the author, those without a lead such as Hercule Poirot, can be found on Goodreads by searching: an Agatha Christie Short Story.
33 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1926
29 people are currently reading
589 people want to read
About the author
Agatha Christie
5,806 books76.2k followersAgatha 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)
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)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
September 27, 2024
Raoul Daubreuil insists his fiancée give up her activities as a talented and successful medium when they marry. However, he agrees to attend what is to be her last séance—with Madame Exe. But even Raoul can't foresee the tragedy ahead.
Short story about a medium who reluctantly does one last séance, with tragic results. I found the story captivating with some creepy supernatural elements, and an abrupt, strange ending. But I still enjoyed it. Another good one to read around Halloween.
Short story about a medium who reluctantly does one last séance, with tragic results. I found the story captivating with some creepy supernatural elements, and an abrupt, strange ending. But I still enjoyed it. Another good one to read around Halloween.
August 28, 2025
“Supposing, Monsieur,” she said hesitatingly, “the spirits will not give her up?”
Raoul stared at her. “Eh! What do you mean?”
“I said,” repeated Elise, “supposing the spirits will not give her up?”
One of Agatha Christie's few paranormal stories, The Last Séance is horror in the most uncanny sense, following the medium Simone who can manifest spirits (really physically manifest them) but takes on more than she can handle one too many times.
Very different from Christie's usual mysteries, the plot is straightforward and moves quickly towards the inevitable end hinted at the beginning. Credit to her imagination, the story describes a phenomenon I haven't read elsewhere. The world-building takes a few things for granted like spirits, as in all paranormal stories, but it's the plot and the characters that really define the story.
Recommended to Agatha Christie fans as a curiosity.
🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole story; 3/4 star for the characters; 3/4 star for the plot and themes; 3/4 star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 stars in total.]
Raoul stared at her. “Eh! What do you mean?”
“I said,” repeated Elise, “supposing the spirits will not give her up?”
One of Agatha Christie's few paranormal stories, The Last Séance is horror in the most uncanny sense, following the medium Simone who can manifest spirits (really physically manifest them) but takes on more than she can handle one too many times.
Very different from Christie's usual mysteries, the plot is straightforward and moves quickly towards the inevitable end hinted at the beginning. Credit to her imagination, the story describes a phenomenon I haven't read elsewhere. The world-building takes a few things for granted like spirits, as in all paranormal stories, but it's the plot and the characters that really define the story.
Recommended to Agatha Christie fans as a curiosity.
🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole story; 3/4 star for the characters; 3/4 star for the plot and themes; 3/4 star for the world-building; 3/4 star for the writing - 4 stars in total.]
December 15, 2024
Christie actually did a couple of spooky little shorts and this is one of them.
In this one, a medium and her fiance are bullied by a grieving mother into something they will both regret.
Simone is the real deal when it comes to mediums. Her fiance & manager, Raoul, is very proud of how talented she is, but he knows that her talent comes with a price and so the client today will be her last.
Simone's faithful servant, Elise, is worried about her mistress and thinks she can't quit soon enough. Raoul laughs off her and Simone's concerns, but when the somewhat larger than life character of Madame Exe comes back to commune with her dead child, Amelie, he begins to have doubts himself.
Something is wrong.
Simone, however, feels bad for the mother and agrees to contact her child's spirit one last time.
This story has a nice menacing vibe to it from the start and makes for a great short story to read around Halloween.
Recommended for fans of Christie.
Originally published in 1926 in the US magazine Ghost Stories and then in the Uk in 1927 in The Sovereign Magazine.
Read as part of the short story collections The Last Seance: Tales of the Supernatural & Double Sin and Other Stories.
In this one, a medium and her fiance are bullied by a grieving mother into something they will both regret.
Simone is the real deal when it comes to mediums. Her fiance & manager, Raoul, is very proud of how talented she is, but he knows that her talent comes with a price and so the client today will be her last.
Simone's faithful servant, Elise, is worried about her mistress and thinks she can't quit soon enough. Raoul laughs off her and Simone's concerns, but when the somewhat larger than life character of Madame Exe comes back to commune with her dead child, Amelie, he begins to have doubts himself.
Something is wrong.
Simone, however, feels bad for the mother and agrees to contact her child's spirit one last time.
This story has a nice menacing vibe to it from the start and makes for a great short story to read around Halloween.
Recommended for fans of Christie.
Originally published in 1926 in the US magazine Ghost Stories and then in the Uk in 1927 in The Sovereign Magazine.
Read as part of the short story collections The Last Seance: Tales of the Supernatural & Double Sin and Other Stories.
November 4, 2021
A moderately successful short horror story which has at its heart a real medium and seance. Perhaps every detail of the ending is not telegraphed to readers but enough is so as to spoil the suspense. I also had difficulty suspending disbelief and accepting a genuine medium and seance.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle went about promoting spiritualism and particular mediums and spiritualists whom he claimed were genuine. Harry Houdini went about proving it all to be fraud. I am with Houdini particularly after hearing Andre Kole, the 'World's Greatest Illusionist', address the subject.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle went about promoting spiritualism and particular mediums and spiritualists whom he claimed were genuine. Harry Houdini went about proving it all to be fraud. I am with Houdini particularly after hearing Andre Kole, the 'World's Greatest Illusionist', address the subject.
November 1, 2021
This short story from the Queen of Crime tells of a woman who has decided it is time to perform her last ever seance. Christie builds up the tension & it's hard to believe that this creepy story was first published way back in 1926. A real Halloween treat.
February 27, 2018
A fantastic little ghost story! I would have given it five stars if certain characters' idiocy hadn't made the ending a bit predictable. Still, very enjoyable.
January 18, 2026
4 Stars. One of Agatha Christie's better supernaturals. She hasn't got the flare for horror that Edgar Allan Poe had, but that's a standard too high. Here she hits the mark with a short story that evokes sympathy for a medium through which distraught people try to reach their loved ones, the dearly departed. The young woman, Simone, is thought to have a wonderful gift, possibly the best in Paris. As her fiancé Raoul Daubreuil extolls, "People from all over the world come to her because they know that with her there is no trickery, no deceit." Yet her health is failing, even at such a young age, from the nervous strain of her endeavours. She is seriously ill, losing significant weight and suffering headaches. We really feel for her. The 18-page story first appeared in the United States in Ghost Stories in 1926, and was part of the collection in 1961 of Double Sin and Other Stories. It's part of the story and adds to our sympathy for Simone, but the subtle manipulation of her by Raoul for one last séance, "the money .. is enormous," is extremely annoying. And who is this client, Madame Exe? Or is it X? A tough one for both the medium and the reader. (Mar2021/Ja2026)
March 27, 2021
A medium who is retiring decides do do one last séance with disastrous results. This story was first published in Ghost Stories Magazine in 1924 under the title The Woman Who Stole a Ghost. It also appeared in The Sovereign Magazine in 1927 as The Stolen Ghost. After appearing in Hound of Death story collection (UK) in 1933, it was later included in Double Sin and Other Stories in the US (1961). It was adapted by BBC Radio4 (full cast, modernized)
Agatha Christie has been my favorite author since I read my first Hercule Poirot novel when I was 9 years old. But, I never read any of her short stories before now. I'm so glad I decided to read everything Christie wrote! These early short stories are light, but I'm loving the differences between these stories and Christie's novels or murder mystery short stories. Several of these stories, including this one, are supernatrural in nature and just completely entertaining! Spiritualism, mediums, table rapping and the like were a big thing in the 1920s when these tales were written. I love the fact that Christie cashed in on the fads of the time!
I listened to an audio version of this story read by Christopher Lee (Double Sin and Other Stories, Harper Audio). Lee reads the story perfectly -- his voice just caters to the supernatural/creepy sort of tale.
Loved this story! On to the next!
Agatha Christie has been my favorite author since I read my first Hercule Poirot novel when I was 9 years old. But, I never read any of her short stories before now. I'm so glad I decided to read everything Christie wrote! These early short stories are light, but I'm loving the differences between these stories and Christie's novels or murder mystery short stories. Several of these stories, including this one, are supernatrural in nature and just completely entertaining! Spiritualism, mediums, table rapping and the like were a big thing in the 1920s when these tales were written. I love the fact that Christie cashed in on the fads of the time!
I listened to an audio version of this story read by Christopher Lee (Double Sin and Other Stories, Harper Audio). Lee reads the story perfectly -- his voice just caters to the supernatural/creepy sort of tale.
Loved this story! On to the next!
December 5, 2024
Why oh why Christie’s couples, especially when they are not married yet, are full of saccharine love and corny lines? A short story full of pseudo science. Sorry, the writing is good, for goodness sake it’s Agatha Christie but that is all I can say that is positive.
October 8, 2016
I read this to stay awake on my way to work today, 27 pages of short story about a medium practicing her last fatal seance. Well this did keep me awake and then thinking, that's it? That was it? Ms Christie...really??
September 24, 2017
I have seen so many negative reviews about this book, especially because readers felt it was too short or lacking in substance. I love Agatha, and my biased self really loved this book. The ending! A gothic story with a brusque twist.
November 12, 2025
I loved everything about this tautly constructed short story: the premise, the setting, the characters, the almost-but-not-quite telegraphed outcome (yet far more extensive than ever expected), the "push me pull you" back and forth seesaw between Raoul and Simone as they kept exchanging roles, the tug-of-war of Science vs. Metaphysics. What a superb story!
November 16, 2013
Even though the social situation is a bit dated; this short story is reminiscent of the stories of Poe. Shocking ending, but fitting with the story line.
February 20, 2020
3 συντομες ιστοριες της Agatha Christie!!
October 27, 2021
A brilliant gothic short story, on par with Poe. A perfect read during spooky season.
October 19, 2021
Wonderful to read some of Agatha Christie's short stories. Love it!
February 5, 2024
Խորհրդավոր, տխուր ավարտով ու վախի զգացողություն տվող պատմություն: Երկրորդ ստեղծագործությունը, որ կարդացի Ագաթայից, ու որը կստիպի որ էլի կարդամ:
Գերբնական ուժերի մասին էր, ավելի կոնկրետ՝ կին մեդիումի մասին, որը, չնայած իր երիտասարդ տարիքին, արդեն բավականին հյուծված էր իր ծառայություններ մատուցելու պատճառով: Ռաուլը մեր մեդիումի՝ Սիմոնայի սիրեցյալն էր, ու նա Սիմոնայի հետ էր լինում սեանսների ընթացքում: Նա խոսք տվեց Սիմոնային, որ տիկին Էքսի հետ կանի վերջին սեանսը, ու նրանք վերջապես երջանիկ կապրեն: Տիկին Էքսը իր հերթին շատ էր ուզում հետ բերել իր հանգուցյալ դստերը, որ դեռ երեխա տարիքում մահացել էր, ինչի համար նա օգտագործում է Սիմոնային, որի արդյունքում վերջինս վախճանվում է, իսկ Էքսը փախչում է իր «վերակենդանացած» դստեր հետ:
Կերպարներից ամենասիրելին երևի թե Սիմոնայի սպասուհի Էլիզն էր: Տարիքով կին, ով հոգ էր տանում Սիմոնայի նկատմամբ ու երևի միակն էր, որ իրոք անհանգստացած էր Սիմոնայի կյանքով: Ռաուլը սխալ քայլ թույլ տվեց, բայց երբ ուզում էր հետ կանգնել, արդեն ուշ էր, իսկ Սիմոնան, Ռաուլի նկատմամբ սիրով կուրացած, արեց տղայի պահանջն ու արդյունքում մահացավ: Տիկին Էքսը ամենավատ ու ամենաստոր կերպարն էր ըստ իս: Ընդհանրապես, երբ հարազատ կամ մտերիմ մարդիկ մահանում են, ճիշտ է համակերպվել դրա հետ, ոչինչ հետ չես բերի: Սակայն տիկին Էքսը անտեսեց այն փաստը, որ Սիմոնային սպանելու գնով դստերը «հետ բերեց», իսկ հետո նույնիսկ չզղջաց: Անսիրտ մարդու պահվածք, ատում եմ էդ տիկնոջը:
Ընդհանուր պատմությունը հետաքրքիր էր ու ինտրիգային, Հելլոուինի ժամանակ ընթերցելու համար համապատասխան պատմություն:
Գերբնական ուժերի մասին էր, ավելի կոնկրետ՝ կին մեդիումի մասին, որը, չնայած իր երիտասարդ տարիքին, արդեն բավականին հյուծված էր իր ծառայություններ մատուցելու պատճառով: Ռաուլը մեր մեդիումի՝ Սիմոնայի սիրեցյալն էր, ու նա Սիմոնայի հետ էր լինում սեանսների ընթացքում: Նա խոսք տվեց Սիմոնային, որ տիկին Էքսի հետ կանի վերջին սեանսը, ու նրանք վերջապես երջանիկ կապրեն: Տիկին Էքսը իր հերթին շատ էր ուզում հետ բերել իր հանգուցյալ դստերը, որ դեռ երեխա տարիքում մահացել էր, ինչի համար նա օգտագործում է Սիմոնային, որի արդյունքում վերջինս վախճանվում է, իսկ Էքսը փախչում է իր «վերակենդանացած» դստեր հետ:
Կերպարներից ամենասիրելին երևի թե Սիմոնայի սպասուհի Էլիզն էր: Տարիքով կին, ով հոգ էր տանում Սիմոնայի նկատմամբ ու երևի միակն էր, որ իրոք անհանգստացած էր Սիմոնայի կյանքով: Ռաուլը սխալ քայլ թույլ տվեց, բայց երբ ուզում էր հետ կանգնել, արդեն ուշ էր, իսկ Սիմոնան, Ռաուլի նկատմամբ սիրով կուրացած, արեց տղայի պահանջն ու արդյունքում մահացավ: Տիկին Էքսը ամենավատ ու ամենաստոր կերպարն էր ըստ իս: Ընդհանրապես, երբ հարազատ կամ մտերիմ մարդիկ մահանում են, ճիշտ է համակերպվել դրա հետ, ոչինչ հետ չես բերի: Սակայն տիկին Էքսը անտեսեց այն փաստը, որ Սիմոնային սպանելու գնով դստերը «հետ բերեց», իսկ հետո նույնիսկ չզղջաց: Անսիրտ մարդու պահվածք, ատում եմ էդ տիկնոջը:
Ընդհանուր պատմությունը հետաքրքիր էր ու ինտրիգային, Հելլոուինի ժամանակ ընթերցելու համար համապատասխան պատմություն:
May 17, 2024
Najsłabsze opowiadanie Christie jakie dotychczas przeczytałam/przesłuchałam. Skończyło się w momencie w którym mogłoby mieć to jakiś ciąg dalszy, może jakiś plot twist jak to u Christie bywa? Szkoda, bo historia o medium wcielającym się w duchy umarłych ludzi mogłaby być na prawdę dobra.
March 21, 2021
Not quite the AC level!
May 4, 2020
Good little collection of short stories by Agatha Christie. Most I had read previously, but I enjoyed exploring them anew.
July 12, 2020
Agatha channels
August 18, 2021
The shock of being proven a fraud causes a medium to shrink with shame into a small. . . .
October 22, 2023
Wait what?!? I’m a huge Agatha Christie fan but maybe not her short stories! I only read it because the new movie is a combination of this and Halloween Party! I still can’t wait to see the movie but reading this was not necessary! 🤣🎃👻
July 22, 2023
Een wel heel bijzondere moord. Goed geschreven
August 23, 2024
This one was so good! It was a little weird but also creepy. I really really enjoyed the ending but hated that it left off that way. I definitely wanted more!
October 15, 2025
3.5 ✨
January 17, 2026
I am so confused.
March 4, 2021
Phuu...creepy story - I thought it would be a short murder mystery.
Read
July 16, 2021Huh
That was an experience
That was an experience
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