Thanksgiving approaches for our American listeners, but here at SteynOnline the lights stay on throughout the holiday. Tomorrow I'll be conducting another Clubland Q&A live around the planet at 11am US Eastern, followed by an appearance with my old chum Mr Snerdley on New York radio powerhouse WABC at 4pm Eastern. I'll be back later with Tales for Our Time on Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day, and we'll have a special Thanksgiving show too.
We're very proud that this website now offers more free content than at any time in our near nineteen-year history. But we also provide some premium extras especially for our Mark Steyn Club members, such as these nightly adaptations of classic fiction and our Sunday Poems.
In tonight's episode of Agatha Christie's first novel, one aspect of the Styles case continues to puzzle Hercule Poirot:
"One thing does strike me. No doubt it has struck you too."
"What is that?"
"Why, that there is altogether too much strychnine about this case. This is the third time we run up against it. There was strychnine in Mrs. Inglethorp's tonic. There is the strychnine sold across the counter at Styles St. Mary by Mace. Now we have more strychnine, handled by one of the household. It is confusing; and, as you know, I do not like confusion."
Before I could reply, one of the other Belgians opened the door and stuck his head in.
But the police and prosecutors are less troubled by "confusion": An arrest is about to be made and the trial will commence shortly thereafter (this not being a dysfunctional craphole of pseudo-justice, such as the District of Columbia or Wisconsin).
Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear me read Part Seventeen of The Mysterious Affair at Styles simply by clicking here and logging-in. Earlier episodes can be found here.
Membership in The Mark Steyn Club is not for everyone, but, if you've a pal who enjoys classic fiction, we'd love to welcome him or her to our ranks via the Christmas present that lasts all year: A gift membership in the Steyn Club, which comes with access to our entire archive of Tales for Our Time, including Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Time Machine and many more. For more details on our special Gift Membership, see here. And please join me tomorrow evening for Part Eighteen of The Mysterious Affair at Styles.
