John Curran - Agatha Christie's Secret Notebooks

Right from the first page of Notebook 39 Christie seems to have the plot, the main characters and the setting already well advanced. This may be because she was developing an earlier short story. Names were to change but this description was to form the basis of the book:

Seaside Mystery

H.P. is at seaside—comments on bodies everywhere—makes old-fashioned remarks. Main idea of crime—G an ordinary rather ‘simple’ man is apparently bowled over by a wellworn siren. His wife is very unhappy about it—shows distinct jealousy. He has alibi all morning (with H.P.) goes with a woman for a walk and discovers body of siren—distinctive bathing dress—Chinese ‘hat’—and red auburn curl. Suggest to woman to stay with body—she flinches—he finally says he will and she goes for police. Part of ‘dead woman’ is acted by (wife?) or (woman he really cares about?). Immediately after woman has gone for help—siren appears from other direction—he kills her (strangled?) and places her in same position

Therefore characters are:

George Redfern—quiet bank manager etc.

Mary Redfern—white skin / not (tanned) dark

Gloria Tracy—Siren very rich—mad on men

Edward Tracy—Husband

Rosemary Weston—in love with Edward

Scene Hotel on island—Bigbury [Burgh Island]

If the names were not exactly the same as those in the published novel—the first names of the Redferns became Patrick and Christine, while Gloria and Edward Tracy became Arlena and Kenneth Marshall, and Rosemary Weston is Rosamund Darnley—the differences are not significant enough to prevent recognition.

A few pages later, several details have been established:

Beginning

House—built by a sea captain sold first when bathing came in

Hercule Poirot—with whom?

The American in Appointment with Death [Jefferson Cope]

Major Blount [Barry] or Miss Tough [Brewster] looking at everyone

Arlena King—red haired lovely—husband—an author and playwright—Arlena left a fortune a year or two previously

Jean [Linda]—her daughter—athletic girl—hates stepmother

Middle aged spinster—sister of Arlena’s husband—says she’s a bad lot

People?

Kenneth Leslie Marshall

Arlena Leslie Marshall

Linda Leslie Marshall

Patrick Desmond Redfern—

Cristina “ or McGrane

Mr and Mrs Gardiner (Americans)

Or (Bev) (gone with Desmond) [Possibly Irene, the Gardiners’ far-off daughter]

Rosemary Darley

H.P.

Or Mrs Barrett [not used]

The Reverend Stephen Mannerton [Lane]

Horace Blatt (red faced magnate)

Miss Porter [Miss Brewster]

Mrs Springfelt [not used]

Major Barry

The reference to Appointment with Death above is slightly mystifying; there is no reference to this book in Evil under the Sun and no character in common, apart from Poirot. Christie may have toyed with the idea of introducing Jefferson Cope from the earlier novel and perhaps abandoned it in case it spoiled the reader’s enjoyment of Appointment with Death. The Gardeners, the compromise American characters she instead created, provide light relief throughout the novel.

She also utilises her alphabetical sequencing, here in working out short scenes of encounters rather than plot development. Although she does not follow the sequence exactly, the only scene not to appear in any form is E. Scene B is the allimportant one that Poirot remembers in Chapter 11 ii when he muses on five significant remarks uttered there:

Beginning

A. House built by etc. [Chapter 1 i]

B. H.P. watches bodies—Mrs Gardiner—reciting Beverly etc.—her husband says Yes, darling—Mr Barrett, Miss Porter and Miss Springer. Arlena—pushes off on her float. Major Barry—these red-headed gals—I remember in Poonah [Chapter 1 ii and iv]

C. The Marshalls arrive—Kenneth and Rosemary—an encounter

D. Linda thinks—her face—breakfast [Chapter 2 ii]

E. Miss Porter and Miss Springer—latter tells her friend what she overheard. You were with Desmond and Cristina and H.P. and Mrs Kane

F. Rosemary and H.P.—taste in wives [Chapter 2 i]

G. Christine Redfern and Desmond

H. Rosamund and Kenneth [Chapter 3 i]

One particularly intriguing element of the notes to this novel relates to the complicated alibis Christie attempted to provide for most of the characters. This caused much crossingout and rearranging and she changed the details quite considerably before she arrived at a version that pleased her. Two of her favourite unused ideas, the dishonest, collusive chambermaid and the two ‘arty’ friends, surfaced briefly before being discarded and returned to the ‘unused’ category, while she also experimented with other solutions before returning to the thoughts she had initially set out:

Alternative Plan

Arlena dies Christine disappears

Desmond and Christine go out on a float—early—or in their boat—Japanese sunshade. You do believe me, darling, when I tell you there’s nothing in it at all. No one sees them come back

Alternatives

A. Desmond kills Christine

First arranges body—then drowns her—gets rid of other woman—puts C’s body on rocks as though fallen from above—right spot indicated by stone (peculiar colour marking etc.) the night before.

B. Desmond and Gladys Springett do murder—(Christine is, perhaps, only fiancée?). Gladys and ‘friend’ are at Gull Cove—latter sketching—forever looking for flowers (or shells?). Goes through cave—acts the part of ‘the body’ and returns

C. Christine and Desmond are a pair of crooks. Money—banked in her name—her story of blackmail coming out when questioned by the Police

D. Is the chambermaid Desmond’s wife? ALL her stories false—about blackmail—about seeing Christine etc.—alters Linda’s watch

Where is everyone?

Blatt—out in boat—later sails found in a cave

Major Barry—drive his car into Lostwitch—business—market day—early closing—lots of people on beach

This sketch from Notebook 39 shows the mainland and the island (complete with compass points) and the route between the two. Also shown are the Hotel and Tennis Court, the Bathing Beach as well as Pixy Cove and Gull Cove. Note the change of mind about the last two locations.

The Gardiners—on beach (she goes up to get wool or he gets it for her)

Babcock—to church—signs book—but it could be previous day

Kenneth? Typing in room

Rosamund? Bathing? On float

Tennis—Christine, Rosamund, Kenneth, Gardiner

And many of the clues that feature in the novel (the bath that no one will admit taking, the candles, the sun-tan lotion bottle) appear in the Notebooks:

About Linda—Packet of candles—calendar—other things she remembers—green?

Bath?

Kenneth—typing at middle table

Bottle thrown from window

Before murder interrupts a holiday weekend in Lady Tressilian’s house in Gull’s Point, we meet a disparate group of people. All of their destinies are inextricably linked as zero hour approaches. Superintendent Battle investigates a case where the solution seems obvious. But is it too obvious?

This page from Notebook 32 shows both Neville’s actions on the night of the murder in Towards Zero, and a rough diagram of the local geography, including the scene of his alibi-breaking swim.