The Red Signal: an Agatha Christie Short Story

by Agatha Christie

Sir Alington, a venerable expert of the human mind and its many mental conditions, is being pestered by the pretty but fairly dotty Mrs. Eversleigh about the importance of the sixth sense. Soon a young man, his nephew Dermot, is drawn in and tells both of having something like a sixth sense, what he calls the red signal that spells danger.

Dermot goes on to tell them about the last time he had the feeling, the red signal, when he stops himself. Why? Because the last time he had the signal was not in the distant past but earlier that very evening. But how could there be danger at a simple gathering of old friends? Will the evening’s entertainment of a medium bring forth whatever impending danger that Dermot senses?

Librarian's note: this classic Agatha Christie short story is available individually as an eBook.

Librarian's note #2: despite the cover illustration, Harley Quin is not in the story.

Librarian's note #3: this story can be found in The Hound of Death and Other Stories and in The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories.

Librarian's note #4: the story is based on an unpublished one 5 or so years earlier, The Man Who Knew which finally came out in Bodies from the Library 2 in 2019.

Genres: Mystery, Agatha Christie, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Classics, Crime

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1924

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

[Moha Dem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I literally had to go through reviews to figure out who got shot at the end, lmao 🤣

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is a Red Signal?
Dermot West tries to explain the concept to a group of people at a dinner party as a premonition he sometimes feels before he's in danger. When one of the guests, Sir Arlington, tells him it's all hogwash, Raymond tells of the time his Red Signal warned him before he was almost killed in Mesopotamia.
However, he doesn't tell anyone that he's actually felt that same warning sign before he came there tonight.



This is one of those batshit Christie plots but I loved it!
Demont falls in love with a married woman, gets suspected of his uncle's murder, and ends up in a locked room with a psychotic killer.
Batshit, I say!
Good stuff, though.
Recommended for Christie fans!

Originally published in 1924 in The Grand Magazine.
Read as part of the short story collection The Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First published in the UK in The Grand Magazine in 1924, this story was included in The Hound of Death story collection in 1933. It was not published in the United States until 1948 when it appeared in The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories.

Christie brings forth a bit of the supernatural in this tale once again. A group at a dinner party have a lively discussion about the possibility of premonitions, and then are entertained by a medium. The medium issues a warning: Don't go home. There is danger there. As they each go home, that warning rings true.

Great story! This one surprised me....loved it! This story is a bit more classic Christie than some of the others in the Hound of Death collection. I couldn't find an audio book copy of The Hound of Death (or print either!) so I listened to this story as part of The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (HarperAudio). The narrator was Christopher Lee (taken from an audio book of The Hound of Death, just like the stories from The Golden Ball and Other Stories that were previously from HOD). Lee is a perfect narrator for these supernatural/strange tales Christie wrote. His voice just lends itself to the theme!

I didn't find any radio adaptations of this story. It was adapted for television (The Agatha Christie Hour, episode 8, 1982). The episode was good, but there are a few changes to the plot that I didn't think were necessary. But, even with the changes, it was entertaining.

On to the next!

[Cori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.

I'd rate this short story a PG for dark themes and violence.

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was positively mad! (Pun intended).

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is not Parker Pine or Harley Quinn as it has been labeled . It is a very good non series detective short story .

[Bekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure why this is labeled as a Parker Pyne short story, as that character doesn't appear at all. If anything, it seems very suited to Satterthwaite & Quin. Would make for a very thrilling adaptation, I think. Christopher Lee has a marvelous voice, but I think I would have enjoyed this more had I read it myself instead of listening. Still very good though, wonderful surprises.

[Nrithya · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky short story in typical Agatha Christie style. This isn’t a 'detective solves who-done-it’ though. But more of a murder resolving itself on its own. Deals with dark and psychic themes.

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not certain how I feel about mystery stories which end quickly and I sometimes miss the point. How can the author hide the ending from us (readers) until the last moment and expect we've paid enough attention to appreciate all the details of the story up to that reveal. IMO it's best to have the detective explain in the case of the quick mystery author explains... ala Arthur Conon Dole's Sherlock Holmes character. I see Agatha likes circumstance and the characters themselves to reveal the turn of events. Sometimes its a puzzle but this was a delight.

[Agla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of this one. It is not really a mystery as the person is killed towards the end. It is an evening in which weird things happen, an alienist and someone holding a séance, that lead up to the big reveal.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[Catherine Vamianaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a story!!! I felt sorry for poor Claire!
A beautiful short story by Agatha Christie. I love her books 📚

[Eva Liu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. A little pedestrian. I thought I'd read it; at least the penultimate scene seemed very familiar. It happens when Dermot West returns home after a generally, although not totally, enjoyable evening with his uncle, Sir Alington West the "supreme authority on mental disease," and friends. Dermot had added to a discussion on human senses. He opined about the sixth sense, intuition, and said that it included two signals, "green if its all right, and red - for danger." Back to the scene. As he's entering, his intuition's red signal goes off. He was in danger. He searches his flat and finds no one lurking in the bedroom closet. But he finds a revolver in one of his clothes drawers. Recently fired. Almost immediately, there's an aggressive knock at the door. The police. There's been a murder. Dermot knew immediately he was being set-up. The scene was also in The Man Who Knew - from Bodies from the Library 2. Red Signal is better but read both if you have a chance. Allington thinks its premonition or coincidence. Yet, there was a séance at the party and the medium warned the three gentlemen including Dermot, "I shouldn't go home if I were him." But they did. (De2025)

[L saji ( ⵃⴰⴱⵉⴱ) ✧ ✧ ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very strange story, probably written by someone else. And not Agatha Christie

[Abeer Albossany · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very refreshing and entertaining reading. Agatha has made it back to her unique style with this story

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun quick read! I think it's safe to say that i'm an Agatha Christie fan!

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A seance and a psychic premonition. A twisty short story.

[Forked Radish · Rating 2 out of 5]

The most modern thought of the time aka science dumbed down to the newspaper level, viz. the oxymoronic "sanity of the insane." Why not, the insanity of the sane as well?

[Katie Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The TWIST!!!! Wow. I love Agatha. There’s a reason she’s the queen!!

[౨ৎDOUAE౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was definitely different from Agatha’s usual stories, but I rlly enjoyed it. got me shook 😂.

[Haru · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it❤️
4.5

[a ☕︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

another one that isn’t marple. weird and twisty, what w the séance and question of insanity, but ultimately predictable...? the fortune-teller in this made me think of the one in david lean’s blithe spirit, which also has to do w premonitions and unhappy wives.

[Darya Pinchuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Спадарыня Крысці заўсёды знаходзіць цікавую тэму для асновы сюжэту. Што папулярнае ў грамадстве, тое і адлюстроўваецца ў творы. Так і ў гэтым апавяданні. Ці існуе інтуіцыя ці гэта толькі жаданне людзей верыць у надзвычайнае?

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7/5

[Joop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk kort verhaal met tot het einde onduidelijk wie nu gek is.

[Ruchika Pahwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this one with my husband and mid-teen on a long drive.

My mid-teen thinks it was funny, and it did involve some humor. I had vague memories of this one before too, and of whom the psychologist had been speaking.

There's not too much I can say without giving it away, but it was well done.

I agree with the reviewer who said that the protagonist did some quick thinking when he realized what awaited him at home.

There was one reviewer who couldn't figure out who had been shot at the end. I didn't have that problem interpreting it. I think, though, that it was supposed to be the sort of jumble of when things happen too quickly to fully absorb, and then the characters realized ... Sometimes things happen so quickly we only get impressions, but Christie didn't leave it hanging as to what had happened.

It is true that I don't like murder mysteries about insane murderers. I prefer the literary world to have more rhyme and reason. (The real world doesn't always either.) But this one was well done, and there were still things to figure out, and the twist at the conclusion (whodunit) was a complete surprise to me on my first reading. We also didn't have to spend much time with this murderer's insanity.

Probably I should rate this a 5 since I have read it before, and re-reading a story is my requirement for a 5-star review. But, I hadn't realized when we selected this story that I'd read it before. It's still a good Christie.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please not: This is one of Agatha Christie’s Mysteries with a purple cover. It is not a Harley Quin story as Goodreads’ heading would imply.


Red light spells danger.

Agatha Christie spins a great tale about the subconscious mind, a group gather and talk about its manifestations and how seriously you can take premonitions, telepathy or the sixth sense others claim. The conversation is enlightened as one of the guests is a leading psychiatrist.

The dinner party has been arranged ostensively to hold a seance at 9pm but perhaps the doctor is there in his official capacity to assess the mental health of one of the party.

The principal players all interact and their relationships are expounded, all the time talking around the subject while some present are speculating in their own minds what is going on and if a diagnosis is made what it will mean.

The author then ratchets up the tension by the medium talking about death being present and a voice warning one of the three men in the circle that death awaits them if they go home.

The remaining story careers like a runaway train, suddenly Christie switches the points just in time, before we crash into the buffers.

[Jithin James · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is madness??
...We all practice a certain amount of self-deception, and when we carry it so far as to believe we are the Czar of Russia, we are shut up or restrained. But there is a long road before we reach that point. At what particular spot on it shall we erect a post and say,"On this side sanity, on the other madness?" It can't be done...if a man suffering from a delusion happened to hold his tongue about it, in all probability we should never be able to distinguish him from a normal individual. The EXTRAORDINARY SANITY of the INSANE is most interesting

A nice little story with a clever twist... An extra point for the above quote...