Unknown list of 9 names was shoved onto the shoe:-
- Ormerod
- Stanford
- Parkinsion
- Hekestha-Dubois
- Shaw
- Harmondsworth
- Tuckerton
- Carrigon?
- Delafantaine?
The Pale Horse is a wonderful and suspenseful book written by the famous author Agatha Christie. It is a detective fiction story with a mysterious plot. The main character is Mark Easterbrook, a writer and amateur detective, who tries to uncover the truth behind a strange place called “The Pale Horse” and a mysterious list of names.
At the beginning of the story, a sick woman named Mrs. Davis (also known as Mrs. Archer) dies after speaking to Father Gorman, a well-known and respected priest. He was a strong, elderly man, but shockingly, he was killed while walking home after their conversation. Investigators looked into the case but all they found was a list of names in Father Gorman’s shoe.
Three of the people on that list had already died — supposedly from natural causes. But unlike them, Father Gorman’s death seemed suspicious. However, there was no clear evidence of who the killer was, which left everyone confused and worried.
The only witness was a pharmacist named Zachariah Osborne, who said he saw a man following Father Gorman that night. He described the man’s face, and it turned out to be someone named Venables — but Venables had been paralyzed for the past three years, which made the case even more mysterious.
Mark Easterbrook began investigating the people on the list. While talking to those connected to the names, he came across something called “The Pale Horse.” When he asked around, everyone seemed scared just by hearing the name. So, Mark decided to visit The Pale Horse himself.
He discovered that the place was run by three women who claimed to be witches — they said they could kill people using their willpower through strange rituals. Mark didn’t believe in magic, but the situation was getting darker.
With the help of his friend Ginger (whose real name is Katherine Corrigan), they came up with a risky plan to test the witches. Mark made a fake deal with the witches to kill Ginger in exchange for money. The three women performed scary rituals and claimed Ginger would die within a month.
Soon after, Ginger became seriously ill, just as the witches had predicted. Everyone, including the police, was shocked. Osborne, the pharmacist who had seen the mysterious man earlier, joined the investigation again. The only suspect left was Venables — the man in the wheelchair.
In the end, Mark, Osborne, and a police inspector visited Venables’ home. After some clever questioning, the real murderer was revealed — and so was the truth behind The Pale Horse.
Note: The surprising twist is that the killer had been part of the investigation all along.
