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Encyclopedia > A Pocket Full of Rye
A Pocket Full of Rye
Image:A Pocket Full of Rye First Edition Cover 1953.jpg
Dust-jacket illustration of the first UK edition
Author Agatha Christie
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Genre(s) Crime novel
Publisher Collins Crime Club
Publication date November 9 1953
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 192 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN NA
Preceded by After the Funeral
Followed by Destination Unknown

A Pocket Full of Rye is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 9 1953 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. It features her detective Miss Marple. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), mainly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Sherlock Holmes, pipe-puffing hero of crime fiction, confers with his colleague Dr. Watson; together these characters popularized the genre. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... The Collins Crime Club was an imprint of UK book publishers William Collins & Co Ltd and ran from May 1930 to April 1994. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1952 in literature, other events of 1953, 1954 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Hardcover books A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) is a book bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth, heavy paper, or sometimes leather). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... “ISBN” redirects here. ... After the Funeral is an Agatha Christie Hercule Poirot detective novel. ... Destination Unknown (published in 1954), also known as So Many Steps to Death, is a spy fiction novel by Agatha Christie. ... Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes Detective fiction is a branch of crime fiction that centers upon the investigation of a crime, usually murder, by a detective, either professional or amateur. ... Agatha Mary Clarissa, Lady Mallowan, DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), mainly known as Agatha Christie, was an English crime fiction writer. ... The Collins Crime Club was an imprint of UK book publishers William Collins & Co Ltd and ran from May 1930 to April 1994. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1952 in literature, other events of 1953, 1954 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Frank Howard Dodd, (1844-1916), was the leading publisher at Dodd, Mead and Company of New York City from 1870 until his death, January 16, 1916. ... Gumshoe redirects here. ... Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple Jane Marple, usually known as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christies crime novels. ...

Contents

Explanation of the novel's title

Like many of Christie's novels, the title and substantial parts of the plot reference a nursery rhyme, in this case Sing a Song of Sixpence. A nursery rhyme is a traditional song or poem taught to young children, originally in the nursery. ... See also Sing a Song of Sixpence, a Sesame Beginnings book. ...


Plot Summary

When wealthy Rex Fortescue dies while having tea, the police are baffled. Mr. Fortescue died during his morning tea in the office and the diagnosis was that a poison, taxine - a poison found as an alkaloid in berries of the yew tree, had killed him. His wife was the main suspect in the murder, until she also was murdered, after she as well drank the tea. Her lover, Mr. Dubois, was the suspect next. Just about everyone that knew the family was a suspect. Going on the only clue, a pocket full of rye found on the victim, Miss Marple begins investigating. Marple realized the murders are arranged according to the pattern of her childhood nursery rhyme 'Sing a Song of Sixpence'. Murder though, is anything but child's play. She worked together with Inspector Neele. Even though they had completely different thought patterns about what had happened. For other uses, see Tea (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Secale cereale M.Bieb. ...


Characters in A Pocket Full of Rye

  • Rex Fortescue - Businessman who is the first to die. He is in his second marriage and has two sons and a daughter. His business is an investment firm.
  • Adele Fortescue - Second wife of Rex Fortescue which has had no children with him. She is the second to die. She also had a boyfriend named Vivian Dubois.
  • Percival Fortescue (a.k.a. Percy, Val) - One of Rex's three children. He was the "favorite" child and his mother, Rex's first wife, died when he was 12 years old. He also was co-owner of Rex's business.
  • Jennifer Fortescue - Percival's wife.
  • Lancelot Fortescue - Also one of Rex's three children. Just like Percival, his mother died when he was 12 years old. He was not like by Rex and lived in Africa for seven years before Rex finally made him a business deal. He flew into London just two days before Rex died for the deal to be finalized but it never was.
  • Pat Fortescue - Lancelot's wife.
  • Elaine Fortescue - The last of Rex's three children. She is the only one that showed sorrow for Rex's death.
  • Gerald Wright - Elaine's boyfriend. Rex opposed their engagement and threatened to disinherit Elaine which caused Gerald to suddenly depart.
  • Miss Ramsbottom (a.k.a. Aunt Eiffe) - Rex's sister-in-law from his first marriage. She is in her eighties.
  • Mary Dove - Head maid in the Fortescue household.
  • Gladys Martin - Maid in the Fortescue household. She is the third to die.
  • Ellen - Another of the Fortescue's maids.
  • Mr. Crump - Fortescue family butler.
  • Mrs. Crump - Fortescue family cook/maid. She is also Mr. Crump's wife.
  • Vivian Edward Dubois - Adele's boyfriend whom she is having an affair with.
  • Inspector Neele - Inspector assigned to the murder of Rex Fortescue
  • Miss Marple - Amateur detective assisting Inspector Neele.
  • Miss Grosvenor - Rex's Secretary
  • Miss Sommers - One of Rex's workers. She is very dimwitted.
  • Miss Griffith - One of Rex's workers. She is a perfectionist.
  • Mr. Ansell - Solicitor that dealt with Adele's will.

Setting

  • The Office - Rex Fortescue's businessplace. Characters working here include Rex Fortescue, Miss Grosvenor, Miss Sommers, and Miss Griffith.
  • Yewtree Lodge (Main Setting) - Home of the Fortescues. Residing here are Adele Fortescue, Rex Fortescue, Elise Fortescue, Miss Ramsbottom, Mary Dove, Gladys, Mr. and Mrs. Crump, and temporarily Miss Marple by invitation of Miss Ramsbottom.
  • Golf Hotel - The hotel where some of the book's characters stay. This includes Vivian Dubois, Pat Fortescue, and Gerald Wright.

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

Adapted into a Russian film in 1983 (using the Russian edition's translated title, The Secret of the Blackbirds) with an Estonian actress Ita Ever as Miss Marple and then by BBC on March 7, 1985 with Joan Hickson in the lead. Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple Jane Marple, usually known as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christies crime novels. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Joan Hickson played Miss Marple in the popular BBC TV series Joan Hickson OBE (August 5, 1906 – October 17, 1998) was an English actress of theatre, film and television, who achieved fame in her old age playing Agatha Christies Miss Marple. ...


Publication History

  • 1953, Collins Crime Club (London), November 9, Hardback, 192 pp
  • 1954, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), 1951, Hardback, 211 pp

External links

  • Book's Webpage on Publisher's Site
v • d • e
Works by Agatha Christie
Detectives: Hercule Poirot • Miss Marple • Tommy and Tuppence • Ariadne Oliver • Arthur Hastings • Superintendent Battle • Chief Inspector Japp • Parker Pyne
Novels: The Mysterious Affair at Styles • The Secret Adversary • The Murder on the Links • The Man in the Brown Suit • The Secret of Chimneys • The Murder of Roger Ackroyd • The Big Four • The Mystery of the Blue Train • The Seven Dials Mystery • The Murder at the Vicarage • The Sittaford Mystery • Peril at End House • Lord Edgware Dies • Murder on the Orient Express • Three Act Tragedy • Why Didn't They Ask Evans? • Death in the Clouds • The A.B.C. Murders • Murder in Mesopotamia • Cards on the Table • Dumb Witness • Death on the Nile • Appointment with Death • Hercule Poirot's Christmas • Murder is Easy • And Then There Were None • Sad Cypress • One, Two, Buckle My Shoe • Evil Under the Sun • N or M? • The Body in the Library • Five Little Pigs • The Moving Finger • Towards Zero • Death Comes as the End • Sparkling Cyanide • The Hollow • Taken at the Flood • Crooked House • A Murder is Announced • They Came to Baghdad • Mrs McGinty's Dead • They Do It with Mirrors • After the Funeral • A Pocket Full of Rye • Destination Unknown • Hickory Dickory Dock • Dead Man's Folly • 4.50 From Paddington • Ordeal by Innocence • Cat Among the Pigeons • The Pale Horse • The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side • The Clocks • A Caribbean Mystery • At Bertram's Hotel • Third Girl • Endless Night • By the Pricking of My Thumbs • Hallowe'en Party • Passenger to Frankfurt • Nemesis • Elephants Can Remember • Postern of Fate • Curtain • Sleeping Murder
As Mary Westmacott: Giant's Bread • Unfinished Portrait • Absent in the Spring • The Rose and the Yew Tree • A Daughter's a Daughter • The Burden
Short story collections: Poirot Investigates • Partners in Crime • The Mysterious Mr. Quin • The Thirteen Problems • The Hound of Death • The Listerdale Mystery • Parker Pyne Investigates • Murder in the Mews • The Regatta Mystery • The Labours of Hercules • The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories • Three Blind Mice and Other Stories • The Under Dog and Other Stories • The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding • Double Sin and Other Stories • The Golden Ball and Other Stories • Poirot's Early Cases • Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories • Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories • The Harlequin Tea Set • While the Light Lasts and Other Stories
Plays: Black Coffee • And Then There Were None • Appointment with Death • Murder on the Nile/Hidden Horizon • The Hollow • The Mousetrap • Witness for the Prosecution • Spider's Web • Verdict • Rule of Three • Fiddlers Three • Akhnaton
Radio (and Television) Plays: Wasp's Nest • Three Blind Mice • Butter In a Lordly Dish
Other books: The Road of Dreams • Star Over Bethlehem and other stories • Poems

  Results from FactBites:
 
Dr. Betty Kamen, Ph.D. :: A leading authority on alternative health (2451 words)
Currently, rye is the grain used in Russian pumpernickel, Norwegian crisp bread, Swedish spicy fl bread, Austrian peasant-style brick-oven breads, Yiddish bagels (rye produces heavier bagels than wheat), Pennsylvania Dutch dumplings, Finnish yeast-raised stuffed bread -- to say nothing of rye whisky.
The rye extract is available in liquid form, to be taken sublingually (under the tongue).
Rye extract is also available in cream form, to be applied topically.
Portsmouth Herald Business News: Women artists find place of their own (731 words)
RYE - She had a barn full of old furniture and no place to sell it.
Rye artist Chris Remick sold her hand-painted furniture and artwork for more than 30 years.
Pocket Full of Rye is open from 10 a.m.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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