Everyone blames Emily's accident on a rubber ball left on the stairs by her frisky terrier. But the more she thinks about her fall, the more convinced she becomes that one of her relatives is trying to kill her. On April 17th she conveys her suspicions in a letter to Hercule Poirot. Mysteriously, he doesn't receive it until June 28th... by which time Emily is already dead. .The novel is loved by dog-owners for the affectionate portrayal of Bob, a charming wire-haired terrier. The book is actually dedicated to Agatha Christie's own wire-haired terrier Peter; "A dog in a thousand". It was broadcast with David Suchet as Poirot in 1997.