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A review by saareman
The Witness for the Prosecution by Agatha Christie
1.0
Caveat emptor - Beware of this edition
Review of the General Press Kindle ebook edition (September 5, 2022) of the original short story (January 31, 1925).
[the 1 star is for deceptive advertising and to warn people about this edition, otherwise the story would be a 4 star]
Canada's Shaw Festival 2024 is featuring Agatha Christie's [b:Witness for the Prosecution: A Play in Three Acts|503383|Witness for the Prosecution A Play in Three Acts|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390001851l/503383._SY75_.jpg|25485804] (1953) in its program this year. I always enjoy reading a play either before or after seeing a production in order to better appreciate the nuances between the page and the stage. So it seemed like a signal from the fates when The Witness for the Prosecution was offered yesterday as a Kindle Deal of the Day for 99 cents. And the deal seemed to offer both the original short story AND the play with a count of 197 pages. Sounds like a bargain right?
The Amazon listing for this edition of "The Witness for the Prosecution." Image sourced from Amazon.
Well, what you get here is ONLY the short story in 20 pages. That's it except for several pages of filler advertising. So for 99 cents still a reasonable bargain, but between Amazon and Goodreads (where it is merged with a Hercule Poirot #28 short story collection which really is 197 pages) the casual buyer is sure to feel hoodwinked.
The original short story does still give you the jist of the plot which most people likely know either through the Witness for the Prosecution (1957) movie directed by Billy Wilder with Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich or the several more recent TV productions. It is certainly up there with the best of Agatha Christie's twist endings, especially so in the original story. But as for this edition, know what you are getting before you buy.
Review of the General Press Kindle ebook edition (September 5, 2022) of the original short story (January 31, 1925).
[the 1 star is for deceptive advertising and to warn people about this edition, otherwise the story would be a 4 star]
Canada's Shaw Festival 2024 is featuring Agatha Christie's [b:Witness for the Prosecution: A Play in Three Acts|503383|Witness for the Prosecution A Play in Three Acts|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1390001851l/503383._SY75_.jpg|25485804] (1953) in its program this year. I always enjoy reading a play either before or after seeing a production in order to better appreciate the nuances between the page and the stage. So it seemed like a signal from the fates when The Witness for the Prosecution was offered yesterday as a Kindle Deal of the Day for 99 cents. And the deal seemed to offer both the original short story AND the play with a count of 197 pages. Sounds like a bargain right?
The Amazon listing for this edition of "The Witness for the Prosecution." Image sourced from Amazon.
Well, what you get here is ONLY the short story in 20 pages. That's it except for several pages of filler advertising. So for 99 cents still a reasonable bargain, but between Amazon and Goodreads (where it is merged with a Hercule Poirot #28 short story collection which really is 197 pages) the casual buyer is sure to feel hoodwinked.
The original short story does still give you the jist of the plot which most people likely know either through the Witness for the Prosecution (1957) movie directed by Billy Wilder with Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich or the several more recent TV productions. It is certainly up there with the best of Agatha Christie's twist endings, especially so in the original story. But as for this edition, know what you are getting before you buy.