to the table, Iris sits next to her original seat because of the misplaced bag. Everyone else therefore sits one seat away from where they were. George sits at Iris's original seat and drinks the poisoned champagne. When this plot fails, Ruth attempts to run Iris over with a car. Colonel Race, together with the police and Anthony Browne, unravel the truth in time to save Iris from Ruth. Her last attempt at killing Iris is to knock her unconscious in her bedroom, then turn on the fireplace gas, and leave the house. Anthony and Colonel Race rescue Iris in the nick of time. The anonymous letters to George were sent by Ruth, who then encouraged him to re-stage the dinner at the Luxembourg so that Victor and Ruth could kill Iris, as they killed Rosemary. To support a decision of suicide, Ruth had planted a packet of cyanide in Iris's bag, which packet dropped to the floor when she pulled her handkerchief out, without touching it (no fingerprints on it). Victor acted as a waiter, to drop the poison in the champagne during the show. He was taken at New York at the request of the police. Characters Rosemary Barton: Wife of George Barton, who inherited wealth from her godfather. She was killed one year before this story. George Barton: Husband of Rosemary, who arranges a dinner one year after his wife's death, and is killed at the anniversary dinner. Colonel Race: Investigator and friend of George Barton. Iris Marle: Sister of Rosemary, now wealthy, and the intended victim of a second poisoning attempt at the dinner. Anthony Browne: Boyfriend of Iris, who works to solve the many attempts to kill her. Lucilla Drake: Aunt to Rosemary and Iris, who inherits if Iris dies before she marries or turns 21. Victor Drake: Son of Lucilla Drake, a man with desire to get money without work. Ruth Lessing: Secretary to George who falls for Victor, and schemes and murders to gain the inherited wealth by killing all those in the list before Victor. Note that Christie used a pun for this ruthless female conspirator. Short story and novel development and comparison The plot of this novel is an expansion of a Hercule Poirot short story entitled "Yellow Iris," which had previously been published in issue 559 of the Strand Magazine in July 1937 and in book form in The Regatta