The Missing Will

Violet Marsh brings Hercule Poirot an inheritance problem rooted in an old family argument. Her wealthy uncle Andrew opposed her wish for a university education, while she insisted on using her abilities. After his death, his will gives her a year to prove her wits at Crabtree Manor before the property and fortune pass to charities. Violet accepts the arrangement as a challenge and asks Poirot to help her meet it.

Agatha Christie's short detective story takes Poirot and Hastings to a Devonshire farmhouse, where an orderly study becomes the focus of their search. Labeled keys, carefully stored papers and the recollections of the couple who tended Andrew offer material for Poirot's reasoning. The appeal lies in watching him weigh small domestic details against the intentions of a stubborn man. Alongside the puzzle, Violet's account gives the story a pointed interest in women's education and the value placed on practical and academic knowledge.