A country squire, Marcus Waverly, approaches Hercule Poirot with a case. He has been receiving anonymous letters, threatening to kidnap his son, Johnnie, unless a ransom is paid. Every time Mr Waverley ignores the letter and does not pay the ransom, the ransom goes up. Poirot is intrigued and takes the case. Chief Inspector Japp and the police do not consider the letters a genuine threat and are doing nothing. Poirot and Hastings head out to the Waverly estate to investigate for themselves. Not sooner have they arrived and another anonymous letter arrives, specifying the date and time that Johnnie will be abducted.
One of the worst Poirot episodes, if not the worst. Almost from the start, the culprit is obvious. The story is fairly predictable and the kidnap plot quite transparent.
So, no intrigue at all. The only interesting thing is the sub-plot involving Hastings and cars, plus the usual wonderfully colourful portrayal of Poirot by David Suchet.
One of the worst Poirot episodes, if not the worst. Almost from the start, the culprit is obvious. The story is fairly predictable and the kidnap plot quite transparent.
So, no intrigue at all. The only interesting thing is the sub-plot involving Hastings and cars, plus the usual wonderfully colourful portrayal of Poirot by David Suchet.