An arrogant (is there any other kind?) squire and his wife are receiving ransom notes regarding their young son - but the twist is that the notes say the child will be kidnapped on a specific date and at a specific time if they don't pay up on the increasing ransom demands. We quickly find out that the wife is wealthy, that the old family mansion is need of costly repairs and that Squire Waverly is himself short of funds - witness the skimpy breakfast Poirot and Hastings are given. They are at the mansion because Japp at first refuses to take the ransom notes seriously so the squire goes to Poirot. Sure enough at the appointed time and place, the child is kidnapped even though Japp is on site with a number of policemen to guard the boy. I liked this episode in large part for the premise but also for Poirot, Japp, Miss Lemon, and Hastings. I also liked the shots of the estate - what a beautiful place. Sure would like to know how they got such beautiful lawns (not a weed in sight); it has been such a brutal summer around here that all the lawns are in bad shape and I eyed the lawns in this episode with envy.
Review of The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly
