The Seven Dials Mystery
Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition
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| Author | Agatha Christie |
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| Cover artist | Not known |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | William Collins & Sons |
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Publication date
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24 January 1929 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 282 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| Preceded by | The Mystery of the Blue Train |
| Followed by | Partners in Crime |
The Seven Dials Mystery is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by William Collins & Sons on 24 January 1929 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company later in the same year. In it, Christie brings back the characters from an earlier novel, The Secret of Chimneys: Lady Eileen (Bundle) Brent, Lord Caterham, Bill Eversleigh, George Lomax, Tredwell, and Superintendent Battle. The UK edition retailed at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6) and the US edition at $2.00.
A house party is taking place at Chimneys, a manor house, which has been rented out by the Marquess of Caterham to Sir Oswald Coote, a self-made millionaire. In addition to Sir Oswald and Lady Coote, there is a party of young people staying, three girls and five young men, namely Gerald "Gerry" Wade, Jimmy Thesiger, Ronny Devereux, Bill Eversleigh and Rupert "Pongo" Bateman, Sir Oswald's secretary. Gerry Wade has a bad habit of sleeping very late into the morning and the other young people plan a joke on Gerald by buying eight alarm clocks, putting them in his room and timing them to go off at intervals the next morning.
In the morning, all the clocks having rung but Wade not having stirred, it is discovered that he is dead in his bed, having drunk an overdose of chloral. The group is shocked. Jimmy Thesiger and Ronny Devereux drive over to see Loraine Wade, Gerry's step-sister, and break the news to her. On the way, Ronny hints at something about Gerry but stops short at fully confiding in Jimmy. Returning to Chimneys and going to Gerry's room, Jimmy points out to Ronny that there are only seven alarmclocks; one is missing. It is later found in a hedge, where it was thrown from Gerry's window.
Later Lord Caterham retakes possession of Chimneys. The inquest has taken place with a verdict of "Death by Misadventure" but no explanation has been found for the rearrangement of the clocks. Lord Caterham's daughter, Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent, is a friend of Bill Eversleigh's and, puzzling over the matter, she decides to write to him. Gerry Wade died in her room, and pulling out a part of her writing desk she finds an unfinished letter from Gerry to Loraine dated the day before he died. In it he asks her to "forget what I said about that Seven Dials business." More puzzled than ever, Bundle decides to go to London to see Bill. On the way there, a man steps out of a hedge and into the road. Bundle misses him but he collapses anyway, muttering about "Seven Dials..." and "Tell... Jimmy Thesiger." The man dies. Bundle manages to get the body into the car and to a doctor where she is told that the car didn't hit the man – he was shot.
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