Saturday 19th September 2026

Sally and Tony Hope: Agatha Christie: Plots, Clues and Misdirections

Opening the final day of our Literary Festival we are thrilled to welcome speakers Sally and Tony Hope, who are authors of the fascinating book Agatha Christie: Plots, Clues and Misdirections.These two doctors will examine the exquisite structure that lies beneath Agatha Christie's whodunnit puzzles. They will show how Christie weaves together plots, clues and misdirections to entrance the reader. Agatha Christie was continually creative in finding new ways to baffle her readers drawing on her interests in psychology and literature.

Plot spoiler: The speakers will use After the Funeral as a worked example whilst making the point that reading a Christie novel, knowing the solution, can also be a great pleasure.

Sally and Tony Hope are retired doctors. They are authors of Agatha Christie: Plots, Clues and Misdirections which examines Christie's skills as a whodunnit writer. The book illustrates how Christie uses a combination of diverse plots, cunning clues and subtle misdirections to set her puzzles. Sally and Tony Hope have also written a blog https://poirotscore.com on each of Christie's 66 crime novels.

Tony was a psychiatrist and the first Professor of Medical Ethics at the University of Oxford. He has written several books for a general audience (Manage Your Mind; Medical Ethics: A Very Short Introduction) and was the founding co-author of The Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine.

Sally was a general practitioner. She was the medical columnist on Best magazine for six years.

Gallery

Venue: Spanish Barn, Torre Abbey

Accessibility

There is a drop-off point and limited parking within the grounds for disabled visitors. Entry to the Spanish Barn is relatively level, but there are a few cobble stones to cross, before entering the completely flat interior. We have space for wheelchairs, although if you let us know in advance, we can ensure that there is ample dedicated space for the number of wheelchair users. We have again raised the height of the main stage this year, so that guest speakers can easily be seen and have a hearing loop in the front half of the Barn nearest the stage. We also have two TV screens midway down the barn screening what is happening on the stage. There is a disabled toilet available to the rear of the Spanish Barn.

If you have any particular access requirements or enquiries, do please get in touch and we will do whatever we feasibly can to accommodate you. Please email admin@iacf-uk.org

Getting there

Getting to the venue

The Spanish Barn is in the grounds of Torre Abbey. This is on Torquay seafront and walkable from most hotels in the area. It is also right next to Torquay Train Station.

Parking

There is no parking in the grounds of Torre Abbey except for disabled parking. The nearest car park is Torre Valley - Torbay Council. This is a five-minute walk from the Spanish Barn.

Toilets

Toilets are available to the rear of the Spanish Barn for the duration of the Literary Festival.

Inside the Spanish Barn

Whilst we only have one evening event in the Spanish Barn this year, it can get cold so please dress with this in mind.

Food and Drink

The cafe at Torre Abbey is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am till 4pm and is dog friendly.

A short 10-minute walk away from the Spanish Barn are a variety of cafes, bars and takeaways.

Dogs

Dogs, except for assistance dogs, are not allowed in the Spanish Barn.

If you have any further questions, please email admin@iacf-uk.org

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