Accident: Mysteries

by Agatha Christie

A classic Agatha Christie short story, available individually for the first time as an ebook.

A retired police inspector recognizes a woman in his village whom he once suspected of murdering her husband. He is determined that her new husband won’t suffer the same fate…

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

23 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1923

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

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this Agatha Christie short story on audio, narrated by Hugh Fraser, just over 20 minutes long. I only realised I have read this story before shortly after it began, but this didn’t prevent me from enjoying it again. Retired police inspector Mr Evans recognises a woman he is certain has previously committed murder, he is warned to leave matters well alone, but he is intent on preventing another murder. Concludes with a rather twisted ending.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An overzealous cop pokes his nose in the wrong spot.



When retired CID Inspector Evans sees a local woman that he recognizes to have been acquitted 9 years earlier for supposedly poisoning her husband with arsenic, he tries to get his friend Captain Haydock to look into her background with him. But Haydock knows when to let well enough alone.
If this Mrs. Merrowdene, as she now calls herself, is trying to move on with her life, then he wants no part of dredging up a past scandal.
Evans is on his own.
So, he runs around like a terrier sniffing out clues, and then finally confronts her in her own home in order to save her new husband from the same fate as her old one.



What clues, you ask?
Evans had found out that her stepfather had slipped off a cliff after arguing with her when she was a young woman. With this tidbit tucked under his belt, he goes to her house for a cup of tea. While he is there she chides her husband for using their good bowls to do his experiments with arsenic because that residue could be dangerous.
Ah-ha! <--thinks Evans.
Once her husband leaves the room, Evans tells her that her plot won't work. He knows she's trying to use him as a witness to make it seem as though her husband will (at some point in the future) accidentally poison himself.
He's satisfied that he has prevented a murder when she pours out the tea she was about to serve her husband.
Turns out our Mrs. Merrowdene had killed twice. Once when her stepfather kept her away from her (now) husband, and once to get rid of her 1st husband so she could marry Mr. Merrowdene.
Sadly for Evans, he thought the arsenic was in her husband's tea, and like a fool, slurped up the tea she gave him.
Which brought her body count up to 3.
Men can be so silly.



This was another really fun stand-alone that I would highly recommend as one of the better examples of Christie's early work in short story form.

Originally published in 1929 in the Sunday Dispatch.

[Ahmed Oraby · Rating 5 out of 5]

ألم تفهموا بعد؟ ألا يُحتمل أن تكون الحقيقة غير ذلك؟

[Ebtehal · Rating 5 out of 5]

لو فيه مليون نجمة .... ماقصرت


أكثر رواية ممتعة لأجاثا وعلى طول أنصح أي احد ما قرأ لأجاثا أبدا أنه يقرئها وبيتعلق ويكمل باقي الروايات

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A former police inspector sees a woman in the village that he is sure previously poisoned a husband for insurance money. He believes she intends a repeat performance and seeks to prevent it. But.....you know if Agatha Christie is in charge of the plot, it will never be that simple. :)

Very short story -- but wonderful! And definitely classic Christie!

I listened to this story in audio format (The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories, HarperAudio). Hugh Fraser (played Hastings in the Poirot television show) is a perfect narrator! I love listening to Christie stories....it's relaxing to be read to! I enjoy these tales more when they are read in a familiar British accent. Lovely!

This story was first published in 1929 in the Sunday Dispatch under the title, The Uncrossed Path. It was included in The Listerdale Mystery story collection (UK, 1934). In March 1943, Accident was published in Ellery Queen Magazine in the US. It was later published again in the US in 1948 (The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories). It was adapted once into a stage play titled Tea for Three in 1939.

On to the next!

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read 2020

[Abdullah · Rating 5 out of 5]

مع بداية الرواية قلت في نفسي أي مؤلف بوليسي هذا الذي يكشف كل أوراقه من الفصل الأول ؟!!
لاكتشف في الصفحتين الأخيرتين أنني كنت مغفلا طيلة قراءتي للرواية
وأن أجاثا كريستي لم تستحق ريادتها لفن كتابة القصص البوليسية من فراغ
أرفع قبعتي لها بكل احترام

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retired Mr Evans, a former C.I.D. Inspector, informs his friend, Captain Haydock, that he has recognised a woman in the village as a former acquitted murderer. Is Mrs Merrowdene really Mrs Anthony and does she, as Evans suspects, want to poison her husband? Captain Haydock suggests that he should leave well alone, but Evans is convinced that he needs to stop a murder from happening…

This is neither a Poirot or Marple story, but it features much that avid readers of Christie will recognise. There is the village setting, the deadly beneath the familiar and a deft plot twist that will pull the rug from beneath the reader’s feet. I really enjoy these short stories when I am commuting and perhaps find it difficult to concentrate on longer books. They are ideal introductions to Agatha Christie and her writing and are sure to entertain.

[Halah Baqer · Rating 5 out of 5]

لا أعلم كيف لجوهرة مثل هذه أن لا تحظى بالشهرة التي تستحقها من أكثر أعمال أجاثا تشويقاً وغموضاً
لن أحرق أي تفصيل فيها يكفي فقط أن أقول إن أجاثا قررت عكس الزوايا في عملها هذا, فعوضاً عن تقديم الشخصيات والحدث وبعدها جريمة يكتنفها الغموض تقوم السيدة كريستي بوضعنا مباشرة مع صف المجرمين وهم يحاولون التستر على جرمهم
هذه أول مرة في حياتي أخوض هكذا تجربة مع أجاثا العبقرية التي تثبت لي يوماً بعد يوم إنني كنت محظوظة إذ عشقتها وعشقت نتاجها منذ الطفولة.

أنصح الكل بها يتوجب على كل محب للقصص البوليسية إقتناء التحفة هذه

[Carole Jarvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great short story by Agatha Christie! This is a stand-alone tale that doesn't involve any of her other series detectives. The story opens with two men in conversation, one of whom is a retired police detective who recognizes a woman in the village as someone once acquitted of her husband's death. I had a gut feeling as to who this story's victim would be, but it's the "why" revealed in Christie's clever twist that packs a punch. Highly recommended.

[Osman Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

توقعت نهايتها وهذه من المرات القليلة مع روايات أجاثا التي اتوقع من هو القاتل
لكن كالعادة حبكة رائعة ومحيرة وبها شيء من الغموض

[ضُحَى · Rating 3 out of 5]

- رواية مثيرة فعلا جعلتني أشكّ فى كل من فى الرواية وفيمن حولى كذلك من كثرة انفعالي بها ومن كثرة ما تبعث بداخلك فعلا الشك فى كل شخص ممكن ان يكون له صلة بجريمة مقتل ريتشارد، وان كانت شخصية سترايك غريبة فليس كل شخص مستعد لإقحام نفسه بجريمة قتل هكذا لمجرد إمرأة فتنته أو أعجبه جمالها متجاهلاً أبعاد ذلك وشخصيتها نفسها التى ممكن ان يكون خفى عليه الكير منها .
- لم أشك لحظة من البداية ان لورا لم تقتله بل كنت متيقنة من انها هى الفااعلة لذلك جاءت احداث القصة تترا تفاجئنى بأشخاص يُقحَموا فى موجة الاتهام فى هذه الجريمة الخاصة بهذا الشخص الغريب جدااااا .وان كان الكثير من هذه الشخصيات أصلا محط إتهام فتصرفاتهم تدل على ريبة ظاهرة جدااااااااااا وخاصة " جوليان " و " لورا " لا أعرف فالكل كانوا مريبين جدااااااا .
- ولكن النهاية جاءت مثل نهاية لفيلم هندي قليلا على الرغم انها صدمتني جدا وغير متوقعة تمامااااااااااااااا وهذه تحسب طبعا للمؤلفة ولكنها جاءت غريبة وكان اول شيئ جال بذهني هى نهايات بعض الافلام الهندية بنفس تلك الطريقة ....... بشكل عام قصة مشوّقة فعلا أحببتها :)

[آلاء عوده · Rating 3 out of 5]

نهايه غير متوقعه كالعاده
لكن احداثها ليس بها تشويق كبير
او تنوع و اثاره
لكنها جيده

[nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

love a girlboss

[Dominique Wagemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audiobook)

[Thaisa Meyka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais uma coletânea da Rainha do Crime lida; e aqui encontramos 9 contos, sendo eles "O Chalé do Rouxinol", "Uma Canção de Meio Xelim", "Um Acidente", "A Aventura de Anthony Eastwood", "O Mistério da Regata", "O Problema da Baía de Polenza", "Os Iris Amarelos", "Miss Marple Conta uma História" e "No Fundo do Espelho".
É claro que, como acontece com todo livro de contos, alguns não me apeteceram muito: "Uma Canção de Meio Xelim", "Os Iris Amarelos" e "O Problema da Baía de Polenza", três histórias protagonizadas pelo detetive belga Hercule Poirot, não me convenceram no quesito desenvolvimento e nem em suas resoluções, pois contam com elementos deus ex-machina, um recurso que, vez ou outra, Christie utiliza na hora de solucionar um mistério, simplesmente trazendo componentes vindos do nada.
Tirando essas tramas, confesso que essa se tornou uma das minhas coletâneas favoritas da Agatha! O estilo dela, já típico, conta com uma escrita fluida e o seu dom de colocar o leitor no papel de detetive, mas o que mais me impressionou foi como a autora mostra diversas facetas aqui, desde histórias melancólicas até mistérios de explodir a mente!
"O Chalé do Rouxinol", "A Aventura de Anthony Eastwood" e "No Fundo do Espelho" têm um tema em comum: um romance envolto em algum grande mistério. No primeiro, vemos a rotina de uma mulher recém-casada que, após um sonho, começa a ter algumas desconfianças do marido; no segundo, um escritor com bloqueio criativo acaba se vendo em uma teia de enigmas que envolve uma bela jovem; e no terceiro, um dos meus favoritos, há um protagonista que fica assombrado após uma estranha premonição, tendo uma visão em que uma conhecida é estrangulada pelo próprio noivo. As três narrativas seguem o lado mais romântico da autora, sem deixar de impressionar com grandes reviravoltas e instigar o leitor até o último segundo.
"O Mistério da Regata" conta com outro famoso detetive de Christie, o Sr. Parker Pyne, que precisa desvendar o roubo de uma joia que aconteceu durante uma cômica simulação de roubo - é um conto que até contém uma informação crucial que não foi comentada antes, mas eu me diverti bastante com a história.
"Miss Marple Conta uma História" é sobre a nossa querida velhinha bisbilhoteira de St. Mary Mead, Jane Marple, narrando como solucionou um roubo sem nem levantar do lugar, o que reforça os atributos de observação e dedução dessa personagem recorrente em obras de Christie.
Deixei por último o meu conto favorito, "Um Acidente"! Um antigo inspetor de polícia reconhece uma mulher que acaba de se mudar para a cidade junto de seu esposo - assim que ele a vê, jura que ela já saiu nos jornais como uma grande assassina, mas como ninguém acredita nele, ele fará de tudo para provar sua teoria... Esse é um conto curto, intrigante e assustador, pois em poucas páginas a autora nos apresenta uma história completa, possuindo um desenvolvimento envolvente, personagens misteriosos e uma reviravolta imensa e tenebrosa!
No geral, que experiência deliciosa foi ter lido "Um Acidente e Outras Histórias"!

Mais resenhas no instagram literário @livre_em_livros e no canal do Youtube "Livre em Livros"!

[Jack Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars. Oh what a cautionary tale. Agatha Christie weaves her stories so well. And then they turn out to be not what you expected. They can teach us so much. Here's an example. With just 13 pages from start to finish, I'm working hard to not reveal the startling conclusion. Retired detective inspector Evans has moved to the country and is visiting his friend, sea captain Haydock who lives nearby. Their next closest neighbours are the Merrowdenes. At one point they see Mrs. Merrowdene and Evans says, "And I tell you this - it's the same woman - no doubt about it!" Who you ask? The infamous Mrs. Anthony. She had been found not guilty of poisoning her husband with arsenic 9 years ago. He was fond of taking very small doses for medicinal purposes and, on one occasion, took too much by mistake! Evans is sure that her defence had successfully raised enough doubt and reminds Haydock that there is a difference between innocent and acquitted. He is sure her second husband is in danger and wants to catch her before there's a victim #2. Or is it #3? The lesson? Sometimes putting yourself in the other person's shoes is a good idea. (De2025/Ja2026)

[Semsema Taha · Rating 2 out of 5]

قصة لطيفة
وإن كان القاتل متوقع بالنسبالي من البداية

[Omar · Rating 4 out of 5]

من بين القصص القصيرة التي كتبتها أغاثا كريستي، تبرز “حادث” بوصفها واحدة من تلك الحكايات النادرة التي تنتهي بنغمة مأساوية، لا بانتصار العدالة ولا بانكشاف الحقيقة كما اعتدنا منها، بل بشعور خافت بالهزيمة، بالصمت الذي يخلفه الذكاء عندما يتخفّى خلف البراءة.

القصة لا تضعنا في قلب جريمة صاخبة، بل أمام شكّ قديم يعود ليطرق باب شرطي متقاعد، رجل ما زال يعيش بتفاصيل القضايا التي لم يستطع حلها. وعندما يلتقي بامرأة كان قد اشتبه بها سابقًا، يعود إليه ذاك الإحساس المألوف بأن شيئًا ما ليس على ما يرام. يقرر أن يراقب، أن يواجه، أن يمنع كارثة محتملة، لكنه يكتشف متأخرًا أن بعض الأقنعة لا تسقط أبدًا، وأن الذكاء حين يتحالف مع القسوة يصعب أن يُهزم.

القصة تطرح بطريقة ناعمة لكنها موجعة فكرة أن العدالة لا تنتصر دائمًا، وأن المجرم قد لا يترك خلفه أثرًا، وأن البراءة قد تكون مجرد قناع يُصنع بحرفيّة. هي تذكير قاسٍ أن الذكاء لا يكفي أحيانًا، لأن هناك دومًا من يتقن اللعبة أكثر، من يعرف متى يظهر ومتى يختفي.


Among the few short stories written by Agatha Christie, Accident stands out as one of those rare tales that ends on a tragic note—not with the triumph of justice or the revelation of truth as we usually expect, but with a quiet sense of defeat, the silence left behind when intelligence hides behind innocence.

The story does not place us at the heart of a loud crime, but rather before an old suspicion that returns to knock on the door of a retired police inspector, a man still haunted by the details of unresolved cases. When he encounters a woman he once suspected, that familiar feeling that something is wrong resurfaces. He decides to watch, to confront, to prevent a potential disaster, only to realize too late that some masks never fall, and that intelligence allied with cruelty is hard to defeat.

The story gently yet painfully presents the idea that justice does not always prevail, that the criminal may leave no trace, and that innocence can be merely a skillfully crafted disguise. It is a harsh reminder that intelligence alone is sometimes not enough, because there is always someone who masters the game better, who knows when to appear and when to vanish.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh dear I think I have been reading too much Agatha Christie of late. The short story resonated with me and as it motored on I had a real sense of foreboding.

Two friends meet one day and end up discussing a new neighbour, one, Evans a retired detective inspector recognises as a woman acquitted for murdering her husband. Captain Haydock has a relaxed attitude to this and believes her innocence is sufficient to leave things alone, his mantra in life. Evans though has a different mindset and cannot be content if the woman’s new husband might be in danger. He is of the opinion than a murderer, if she was then, will be emboldened by getting away with it. If the need arises he speculates she is just as likely to repeat her actions and another “accidental” death will be arranged.

I had a sense regarding what might happen as the story progressed. It is creatively written and the dilemma facing Evans becomes acute and more demanding of him to intervene, when he learns of a new life insurance policy.

Clever use of poison and elements which clearly interest the author, and the use of a policeman’s training and experience to demand than he might want to prevent a crime rather than identify the perpetrator after the fact.

[Ghaliah A · Rating 5 out of 5]

"ألم تفهموا بعد؟ ألا يُحتمل أن تكون الحقيقة غير ذلك؟"
. .
رجل مقعد قُتل وتم القاء التهمة على رجل مات مذ سنتين!، فمن القاتل؟
رواية أسلوبها سلس و مشوقة جدًا
بدايةً بأي قارئ ممكن اي يتساءل كيف لكاتب رواية يظهر كل اوراقه بالبداية ثم بنهاية تكتشف بأخر صفحتين كم كنت احمق وتغافلت عن الكثير من الحقائق، ترتيبها للأحداث والوقائع لتتماشى مع الغايات وبعناية تجعلك توقن بما لا يدع أي مجال للشك
بأن الحادثة وقعت على هذه الشاكلة،
كعادة أجاثا رواية قصيرة عميقة برغم دائرتها الصغيرة وقلة أبطالها وهذا مايميزها عن غيرها فعلًا قرئتها في جلسة واحدة

فإن أجاثا أمرأه تفهم جيدًا العواطف الإنسانية لذلك تعتبر من أنجح وأهم كتاب الرواية البوليسية تجعلك تشكك في جميع شخصيات الرواية أو ربما بشخص واحد أكثر من البقية!
ثم لتكتشف أن أكثر شخص كان بعيدًا عن الشبهة هو من أمتلك الدافع الأقوى للقتل .
ففي روايات أجاثا كل شيء يكمن في التفاصيل الصغيرة.

[itchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

eponymous sentence:
p7: "...There was an accident--the stepfather went too near the edge--it gave way, and he went over and was killed."

What a counter-move!

Read as part of the collection The Listerdale Mystery and Eleven Other Stories.

[Abeer Albossany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this story when I was a teenager, and in both times I end up with a great impression. It has a unique surprise element I doubt it could be matched in time again.

[Mahmoud Abd El kader · Rating 3 out of 5]

أفضل ما في الروايه هيا النهاية كما أعتدنا من أجاثا كريستي ، قرأت النهايه قرابه الأربع مرات لكي أتأكد أن هذه هي النهاية الحقيقية للرواية .

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman seems to have loved ones die in mysterious accidental deaths. Clever short mystery.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.75 out of 5 Stars

Interesting, smart and such a quick read.

[Agla]

Very nice short in which a former detective recognizes someone who may have murdered someone and been acquitted. What should he do?

[Jude of Hearts (semi-hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Yes, I'm still cleaning my room and listening to short audiobooks)
So, this one was really good!! I've wanted to start Agatha Christies novels for so long and now I'm actually motivated to do so. The story was really short, but still exciting and captivating enough, even though I predicted the ending (it was still very enjoyable).

[Nö Ğå · Rating 5 out of 5]

انا اعرف ماحدث.. ألم تفهمي.. ؟!

الصبر والاصرار... التخطيط وفوق كل ذلك الذكاء والبراعه
بعد مضي عامين ع الحادث استطاع الانتقام.. لم تخمده السنين ولا الايام

سرعة الاحداث كنت متاكدا من القاتل ف البدايه ثم تحورت فظهر قاتل اخرر ثم شككنا ف اخر ليكون القاتل غيرهم جميعا...

[N⁷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting story with a great plot twist. I didn't see the ending coming, but I do really enjoy the fact that Evans doesn't end up uncovering her true intentions and stopping her plan.