You’ve probably heard of The Mousetrap. It’s that legendary play in London that basically never closes. But did you know it started its life as a literal birthday present for a Queen? And even weirder, the original story, Three Blind Mice Agatha Christie wrote, is technically banned from being published as a book in the UK?
It's true. If you walk into a Waterstones in London today and ask for the short story version of Three Blind Mice, the clerk will have to tell you no.
Unless you want to buy a ticket to the West End, you're kinda out of luck in Britain. This is one of those rare cases where a literary contract has turned a story into a ghost.
The Royal Birthday Request
Back in 1947, Queen Mary (the grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II) was turning 80. The BBC wanted to do something special, so they asked her what she’d like to hear on the radio. Most people might ask for a symphony or a specific opera. Not Mary. She wanted a new mystery by Agatha Christie.
Christie, being the pro she was, whipped up a 30-minute radio play.
She called it Three Blind Mice.
She didn't even keep the money for it. She asked for her 100-guinea fee to be donated to a children’s hospital toy fund. Honestly, that’s a pretty class move. The radio play was a massive hit when it aired on May 30, 1947. People loved the snowbound tension and that creepy nursery rhyme vibe Christie was so good at.
Why You Can't Find the Story in Britain
So, here is where it gets complicated. After the radio play succeeded, Christie did what she always did—she adapted it. She turned it into a short story (or a novella, depending on who you ask) for the US market. It was published in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1948 and then later in a 1950 collection titled Three Blind Mice and Other Stories.
But there was a catch.
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Christie was also turning the story into a full-length stage play. Because another play titled Three Blind Mice had existed before the war, her son-in-law suggested a new name: The Mousetrap.
She agreed to a very specific, very strange contract. The short story could not be published in book form in the UK as long as the play was running in the West End.
She probably thought it would run for eight months. Maybe a year.
It has been running for over 70 years.
Because of that "as long as it runs" clause, the story remains effectively "out of print" in her home country. You can buy it in the United States. You can find it in various international collections. But in the UK? It’s a forbidden text.
The Real-Life Tragedy Behind the Plot
A lot of people think Christie just made up her plots out of thin air, but Three Blind Mice was actually inspired by a horrific real-life news story from 1945. It was the Dennis O’Neill case.
Dennis and his brother were foster children who were severely abused by a farmer and his wife in Shropshire. Tragically, Dennis died from the abuse. The case shocked the British public and actually led to major changes in how foster care was regulated.
Christie took that seed of real-world horror—the idea of children seeking revenge for past trauma—and wove it into the fictional Monkswell Manor.
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The Setup at Monkswell Manor
The story kicks off with Molly and Giles Davis. They’re a young, slightly overwhelmed couple who have just opened a guest house. A massive blizzard hits, trapping them inside with a group of eccentric strangers:
- Christopher Wren: A twitchy, weirdly cheerful young man.
- Mrs. Boyle: A chronically unhappy woman who complains about everything.
- Major Metcalf: A retired military man who seems a bit too observant.
- Mr. Paravicini: An unexpected guest who claims his car overturned in a snowdrift.
Then, a detective named Sergeant Trotter arrives on skis. He tells them a murder has happened in London and a note was found with the address of the manor and the words "Three Blind Mice."
It’s a classic "closed-circle" mystery. Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. And since the phone lines are cut and the snow is ten feet deep, there is nowhere to run.
Three Blind Mice vs. The Mousetrap
If you’ve seen the play, you basically know the story, but there are some structural differences. The radio play was short—just 20 minutes of actual drama. The short story is a bit meatier, giving you more time inside Molly’s head as she starts to wonder if her own husband might be a killer.
The stage play, however, is the "final form." Christie added more red herrings and expanded the dialogue to fill two hours.
But the ending? The ending is the same. And it’s one of the most famous twists in history.
There’s a reason why, at the end of every performance of The Mousetrap, an actor comes out and asks the audience to "keep the secret." It’s a tradition that has lasted decades. If you haven't read it or seen it, I won't spoil it here, but let's just say Christie was the queen of making you look at the person you trust the most and feeling a sudden chill.
How to Actually Read It Today
If you are in the US, this is easy. Just look for the collection Three Blind Mice and Other Stories. It usually comes with some great Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot shorts too, like Strange Jest and The Tape-Measure Murder.
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For fans in the UK or those who can't find a vintage copy, you have a few options:
- The Mousetrap Play Script: You can buy the script of the play. It’s almost identical in plot.
- Imported US Editions: You can often find used copies of the American collection on sites like eBay or through specialty book dealers.
- The 1947 Radio Recording: Sadly, no recording of the original BBC broadcast is known to exist. It’s one of those lost pieces of media history.
Why This Story Still Works
What’s fascinating about Three Blind Mice is how it taps into a very specific kind of post-war anxiety. It was written when Britain was still recovering, when people were still living with rations and the trauma of the Blitz. The idea that "the enemy" isn't a foreign power, but someone sitting in your living room, was terrifying.
It's also about the failure of institutions. The children in the story were failed by the system, and that failure comes back to haunt the adults years later. It’s darker than your average "cozy" mystery.
Agatha Christie once said she didn't think the story was her best work. She was notoriously self-critical. But the public disagreed. Whether it’s called Three Blind Mice or The Mousetrap, this story has outlasted almost everything else written in the 1940s.
Actionable Tips for Christie Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into this specific era of her writing, here is what you should do:
- Compare the Case: Read up on the Dennis O'Neill case. Seeing how Christie translated a grim news report into a mystery is a masterclass in adaptation.
- Check Your Collection: If you have an old copy of The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (US version), check the table of contents. Sometimes Three Blind Mice is tucked in there under a different title or as the lead novella.
- Visit the Memorial: If you’re ever in London, there’s a memorial to Agatha Christie near Leicester Square. It’s shaped like a giant book, and yes, The Mousetrap is featured prominently.
The mystery of why we can't buy the book in the UK is almost as famous as the mystery in the book itself. It’s a weird quirk of legal history that keeps the "Three Blind Mice" name alive in the shadows of its more famous stage sibling.
If you want to experience the story as it was originally intended, seek out that 1950 US edition. It's a fascinating look at a writer at the absolute top of her game, writing a "little sketch" for a Queen that ended up becoming a world record breaker.