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Spider's Web cover art

Spider's Web

By: Agatha Christie
Narrated by: Hugh Fraser
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Summary

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.

Spider's Web was written in 1954, specifically for Margaret Lockwood, and opened first at the Theatre Royal Nottingham before moving to the Savoy Theatre in London on 14 December 1954. A film of it was made in 1960, and it is currently under option for a possible feature film within the next two years.

Adapted as a novel by Charles Osborne.

©2000 Agatha Christie Limited, a Chorion Company. All rights reserved (P)2000 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London, UK

Critic reviews

"Christie's exquisite timing and clever sleight-of-mind tricks are a delight, while [adapter] Osborne has the good sense not to embroider the tale." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Spider's Web

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Spiders Web

Agatha Christie did it again. I hadn't heard of this book either but I took a chance on it.
Hugh Fraser narrated it very well al and you could actually picture the scenes.
The book was enjoyable and intriguing with different possible outcomes. I have throughly enjoyed listening to it and I cannot wait to start another one.

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10 people found this helpful

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fab story

It was so good i went and saw the stage play at the mill in sonning

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4 people found this helpful

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Spider's Web

Hugh Fraser as brilliant as always. A good tale, undertones of another book (as well as a variation on a previous Agatha Christie) but still very easy to read (listen!) and lots of twists and turns. Enjoyable listening, very nice read.

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4 people found this helpful

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What a let down. Returned after half an hour.

I went into this with high hopes. An "undiscovered" Christie story. Read by Hugh Fraser. It sounded like a marriage made in heaven. No. Quite the opposite.

The first problem is that this wasn't written by Agatha Christie. Yes, she wrote the story for the play, but this is a novelisation of the play, and that's exactly what it feels like. In fact, it feels like you're listening to someone describe a scene. It in no way feels like a novel. The second problem is Hugh Fraser. He tries, but he falls short. I must have lost focus temporarily because I seemed to be listening to a man with a booming voice when it should have been an overbearing woman. But after rewinding, it turns out that this is Hugh attempting to do an overbearing woman. Awful. Really wide of the mark. And generally, his delivery is pedestrian. You'd think, as an actor, he'd be able to act the parts better. Then again, I can't think what else I've seen him in apart from Poirot, so maybe acting isn't his forte.

I didn't even make it to the end of chapter 1 before returning it.

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2 people found this helpful

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What a twisted web we weave

I don't why there were negative comments about this book, I throughly enjoyed it.

I did a bit of research on the title as I've never heard if it before. Turns out it was written for Margaret Lockwood an Actress for Theatre 1950.
So must of been a great stage play as there's a lot of "doors" that kept being mentioned.
It was made into a Movie in 1960 and then a remake for TV with Penelope Keith as main character Clarrisa.

Hugh Fraser character voices made it come to life as usual and I didn't find it rushed at the end.

Please give it a go.

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    4 out of 5 stars

classic farce with a twist

started out like an onstage comedy farce but got better and better. the ending was just brilliant. delightful yarn

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  • 25-04-17

You can tell it was originally a play...

But that doesn't matter. It's really very interesting and I had no idea whodunnit until it was revealed.

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1 person found this helpful

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well read

A good Agatha Christie - at her best. Easy to listen to and most enjoyable. Good characterisation.

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A hidden gem for cosier crime lovers

This isn't a book, it's adapted from Christie's 1954 play, so you don't get all the detailed character descriptions that make her novels so rich and engaging. However, Hugh Fraser's narration brings the play to life brilliantly.

This will appeal to listeners who prefer the cosier crime side of Christie's canon, or like me, are hungrily devouring everything she ever wrote from the best psychological thrillers to spy capers as well as classic Christie. (Whilst sadly avoiding the Miss Marple books and anything else narrated by Emilia Fox). It amazes me that one of the worlds best selling authors doesn't have a choice of more narrators on Amazon when I'm sure the recordings exist! Anyway, sit back, imagine the curtain opening to show a typical Manor House sitting room and enjoy!

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All too true.

Very short, very silly, very funny. Anything from here on in is simply to complete the required number of words

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