Product Description

A full-length novel by Charles Osborne adapted from Agatha Christie's stage play, in which a diplomat's wife finds a body that mustn't be discovered! Following BLACK COFFEE and THE UNEXPECTED GUEST comes the final Agatha Christie play novelisation, bringing her superb storytelling to a new legion of fans. Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, is given to daydreaming. 'Supposing I were to come down one morning and find a dead body in the library, what should I do?' she muses. Clarissa has her chance to find out when she discovers a body in the drawing-room of her house in Kent. Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband comes home with an important foreign politician, Clarissa persuades her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. It seems that the murdered man was not unknown to certain members of the house party (but which ones?), and the search begins for the murderer and the motive, while at the same time trying to persuade a police inspector that there has been no murder at all!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84870 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 231 pages

Review
'Reads like authentic, vintage Christie. I feel sure Agatha would be proud to have written it.' Mathew Prichard, Agatha Christie's grandson, on BLACK COFFEE 'Osborne has again enhanced the original.' Sunday Telegraph, on THE UNEXPECTED GUEST

About the Author
Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890 and became the best-selling novelist in history. Her first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introduced us to Hercule Poirot, the most popular detective since Sherlock Holmes. She is known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime and her works have sold over two billion copies -- 80 crime books, 19 plays, and six novels under the name of Mary Westmacott. Charles Osborne was born in Brisbane in 1927. He is known internationally as an authority on opera, though has had a lifelong passion for Agatha Christie's works. His previous books include The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie.

Customer Reviews

Classic Christie whodunnit, a 'must' for fans
What a joy to read a 'new' Agatha Christie book!This book was wrtten by Christie as a play and has been adapted to novel form by Charles Osborne, but you wouldn't know this if you hadn't been told. It's in the usual format, a body, mysterious circumstances, red herring's, a list of suspects and a policeman to sort it out.

The setting is a country house, the victim was a nasty sort. I won't say much more because I don't want to spoil it for you.

Spider's web is not a complicated plot, probably due to the fact that it has been adapted from the stage. However it is still immensely enjoyable.
I gave it four stars instead of five because I thought it lacked the 'roundness' of a novel. The characters are only seen in one room - as on stage. Nevertheless, a great read, recommended.

An excellent audio cassette
Spider's Web is another great Agatha Christie audio cassette. An intricate plotline adds to the story, and the revelation of the murderer at the end is very dramatic, and very unexpected. For anyone who enjoys a good Agatha Christie.

well done,Charles
I have a problem reading play scripts so feel a great sense of gratitude to Charles Osbourne who has turned this Christie play into a novel.
Although it has a stilted feel to the reading since he has been very faithful to the play's text and uses all the stage directions for description and action it is a fine addition the Christie canon alongside his novelisations of Black Coffee and The Unexpected Guest