Wireless: an Agatha Christie Short Story

by Agatha Christie

Wealthy Mrs. Harter has a heart condition. Her nephew, Charles, who lives with her, buys her a radio for amusement but, after a while, strange messages come from it. Could her dead husband really be reaching out to her through the radio? And why is he warning her that her life is in danger?

Librarian's note: this story was published in the print anthologies, The Witness for The Prosecution and Other Stories, and The Hound of Death and Other Stories.

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

100 pages, Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 1925

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

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An older woman with a heart problem is persuaded to buy a wireless radio by her favorite nephew and finds she really enjoys listening to the programs in the evening.
As we all do.



The odd thing is, Mary Harter keeps hearing her dead husband's voice coming through the airwaves. He's coming for her, apparently.
As dead husbands do.
So, Mary does the sensible thing and decides to get her will in order. There's a faithful servant that she wants to make sure gets an extra bit of money, you see. Once that's all taken care of, she can just wait for dear old Mr. Harter to collect her from the Great Beyond.
And that's exactly what happens.
Or is it?



I really liked the conclusion to this one.
See, her nephew went to all of this trouble to set up the radio so that he could "speak through it" in the voice of his uncle after his aunt's doctor told him that she had a heart problem. Then he lies and says he saw her husband's face in the window. After he's got the old lady convinced that there's nothing she can do to avoid her fate, he dresses up with a fake beard and pops out at her, causing her to startle and drop something into the fire right before she keels over dead.
His plan is to quickly inherit the estate she had left solely to him so that he doesn't end up in jail for some fraudulent business he was involved in. Unfortunately, she dropped the will into the fire. Which means that her old will, which left everything to a niece who married a man her aunt didn't approve of, is the only one on file.
HA!
Better yet, the doctor tells him that his aunt's heart was worse than he thought and she probably only had another month or so to live.
So the moral of the story is don't be a murderous shit and things will probably turn out ok.

Some of Christie's short stories appear over and over in collections (and believe me, I've read a lot of them) but I've not seen this one a lot. If nothing else, that made this story more interesting.

Originally published in 1926 in Mystery Magazine.
Read as part of the short story collection The Last Seance: Tales of the Supernatural

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was first published in 1926 in Mystery Magazine (US) and in The Sunday Chronicle Annual (UK). It was later published in The Hound of Death in 1933 (UK). In 1948, it was published in The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories under the title Where There's a Will.

An elderly woman hears what seems to be the voice of her deceased husband over a radio with deadly results.

I loved this strange twisty short story. Can you imagine hearing the voice of a deceased family member coming in over your radio? Yikes! But....in this lovely tale....it's really so much more than just that. And the effects spell disaster for more than one person.

I listened to an audio version of this story from The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories narrated by Christopher Lee. Very enjoyable!

I wonder why the title was changed when the story was reprinted in the US in 1948? Maybe some readers wouldn't have understood that Wireless meant the radio? I like the original title better....wish they had just kept it!

[Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this review out loud please.
AGATHA CHRISTIE IS A LITERARY GENIUS.

[Jack Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars. I am reminded of that old adage that crime doesn't pay. So I checked the proverb's meaning in Literary Devices. "The idea that wrongdoing ultimately fails is older and echoes across cultures, but the specific phrasing is Victorian. It served as a cautionary tale aimed at dissuading individuals from criminal behavior and reinforcing the importance of lawful conduct." Perfect. Agatha Christie was Victorian, born in 1890, and the concept appears in a number of her works. Several Poirot's for example. But rarely so starkly. Possibly because it's a short story, just 19 pages. We are introduced to Mrs. Mary Harter, an elderly but wealthy woman whose doctor tells her she has a weak heart. He says, "Above all, avoid worry and excitement." Her young nephew Charles who lives with her agrees to get her a stair lift and suggests one of those newfangled things as she calls it, a wireless radio. Soon her hesitancy becomes great enjoyment as she listens to concerts and lectures. But then a ghostly voice comes on. It was her deceased husband Patrick saying "I am coming for you soon." To prepare for her death, she checks her will which favours Charles. I really liked it. (De2025)

[Agla]

An old woman is gifted a wireless radio and starts hearing her dead husband tell her he'll come and get her soon. The whodunnit is rather obvious but there is still a twist. Enjoyable short

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A too eager nephew tried to hurry his aged aunt's death and is defeated by luck and circumstance.
He uses the wireless to 'haunt' her, hoping to give her a heart attack. When he steps it up and dresses as her dead husband, she dies, but as she does, she drops the will document she was checking into the fireplace. Without a will he's disinherited. The twist is that the Doctor tells him her heart disease was much worse than he knew, and she would only have lived for another month or two. oopsies... now it all goes to the niece who used to live with her before she married a man her aunt considered unsuitable. Just desserts, eh?

[Berit Lundqvist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old Mrs Harter has a heart condition, and can’t get agitated or upset. Her nephew Charles buys her a radio for entertainment. Soon the radio starts to send her spooky messages from her late husband.

This story was ok, but not fantastic. More mystery than paranormal.

[As You Wish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love the way we get a peek inside of Aunt Mary's head as she goes through her nieces and nephews looking for someone to inherit her money. And I love that Charles got his comeuppance, I didn't know how but I was so glad when we got there. Suck it, Charles!

[Ruchika Pahwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this short read...very interesting story!

[ashley g · Rating 3 out of 5]

broke nephew: 0
elderly baddie: 1
(2.5/5 stars)

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story, which is in essence the plot of many of Agatha Christie’s mysteries.

It is set up and written clearly that the reader not only can follow the unfolding drama but anticipates the worst.

Of course the author has a twist in the tale but we both expected it and wanted it, to work out this way in the end.

I thought it was a well conceived story and makes use of the latest technology; in this way it seems quite innovative and ‘modern’ to introduce a new means to help someone on their way. Certainly the wireless brought some joy and contentment to the listener here, but another had less charitable ideas on how it could be used.

The story is a satisfying read and perhaps cautions against manipulating events rather than letting them play out in their own time. But with a twinkle in her eye the Queen of Crime explains why Charles couldn’t wait.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

We listened to this one in the car on a long drive under its American title, "Where There's a Will." I could not find it on Goodreads under that title, but discovered the same story under its British title, "Wireless."

It reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe's story, "The Tell-Tell Heart," in that the protagonist goes mad. However, there are some differences between the two stories as well that I don't want to give away.

I never cared for "The Tell-Tell Heart" either. I don't care for stories with insane murderers, although it's not any more comforting when they are of sound mind, either.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

the Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[Andrea (andreareadsalot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun standalone mystery! The murderer was a bit predictable but I did enjoy the end a lot.

Plot: An old woman has a heart condition and must determine who her will is to be left to but something is amiss in her home.

As a note this is included in a collection of Poirot short stories but does not have Poirot in it.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

TW: death

[Abeer Albossany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of the story. It's more about "no matter how careful you are, things will not work the way you want them to." than the "fate power." Ate any rate, I loved the mystery and definitely the humor at the end.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once you have read enough of Agatha Christie’s short stories and you understand the style, they become really fu. This story is no exception. The story revolves around an elderly lady who is convinced he long dead husband is trying to communicate too her from the beyond through her radio.

[itchy · Rating 5 out of 5]

eponymous sentence:
p4: That evening he suggested the installation of a wireless set.

Nothing like a comeuppance of a bad actor.

Read as part of the collection The Hound of Death and Other Stories.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read 2020

[Carole Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great short story by a master storyteller. Loved the delightful twist at the end!

[Katulik91 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite short story by Agatha Christie

[Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this review out loud please.
AGATHA CHRISTIE IS A LITERARY GENIUS.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I'm enjoying about the short stories in this collection (The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories) is that the ostensible "mystery" is almost a red herring in a lot of cases. If you've read enough Christie, you can often figure out exactly what's happening fairly quickly, and then things play out as expected less than halfway through, and you're left wondering what could possibly be left to this story... At which point you get hit with the actual twist which is more about dramatic irony than "solving the case".

So it is here when an elderly widow is told by her doctor to avoid undue exertion due to her weak heart. Her nephew is also instructed to keep her distracted and prevent her from "brooding", and promptly buys her a wireless radio. Again, it isn't hard to guess where this is (apparently) leading, but nothing could have prepared me for the morbid hilariousness of that ending. Brilliant.

[Emily G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short tale about Mary Harter, a rich old lady with a heart condition who believes her late husband is called her from the netherworld to join him. It turns out that it is her nephew who is taking advantage of his aunt’s poor health to get his inheritance early, as he is in trouble financially. Karma has the last laugh though, as in his last haunting of Mary, she accidentally destroys her last will and testament! 4 stars

[Jerel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic Agatha Christie short story. This was originally published with the title "Wireless," which is pivotal to the story, since a radio, or wireless, is used by a relative seeking to gain an inheritance to speed up the death of his aunt. Again, it is amazing how so much can be expressed in such a short narrative. As usual, there is a great twist at the end that wraps things up nicely and puts a smile on your face.

[Mike Lisanke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, this is how to write a Ghost's story! Not that crap going bump in the night... or even the kind to possess a man to write Redrum everywhere before killing his entire family. In my thinking, if the dead did exist to interact with us posthumously, they would be 'playful'. For whatever else would motivate them, then to motivate us to make mistakes for their amusements.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my least favorite short stories by Christie. It was fairly obvious her nephew was the culprit since the beginning. The only thing I enjoyed was the ending, since he didn't get his way. Still, it made me sad for his aunt.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather good short story about an elderly woman and her very nice nephew. Strange things start happening when he buys her a wireless and has it installed. A nice little twist turns over the apple cart on the nephew’s plans. Definitely recommended

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so I've had a break from reading so I picked it only bc it was short. But I actually ended up enjoying it and it was a new vibe of the story that I haven't had before. So uhm, it was good and kinda cozy in a way. But yay me for reading a book lol

[Emily Weigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Christie short story with a great twist at the end. Evil doesn't triumph!

[John Somers · Rating 3 out of 5]

11/20.