Who killed Joyce Reynolds and Leslie Ferrier in “A Haunting in Venice”? One of the most interesting questions that many of you may have in mind after watching the film is, who is the killer? and who killed Joyce and Leslie?
Here, we are going to tell you everything about it, including the names of suspects and some other crucial details.
All the Suspects in Joyce Reynolds’ Murder
- Dr. Leslie Ferrier – Leslie Ferrier was a World War II veteran who suffered from PTSD. After retiring from the military, he was advised to stop practicing medicine. He was the family doctor for the Drakes. Rowena asked him to examine her daughter, as no other doctor would come to the palazzo due to rumors. Leslie did her a favor and tried to help Alicia.Alicia explained that she was experiencing strange phenomena to Leslie, who prescribed painkillers and advised her to sleep. Leslie had a son, Leopold Ferrier, who was smart and intelligent. While Hercule was questioning the suspects, he started hallucinating and seeing things that weren’t happening.
- Olga Seminoff – Olga was a former nun who started working for Rowena. She strongly believed in God and the supernatural, thinking that the ghosts of children killed Alicia. Alicia had a paw mark on her back, which everyone believed was the Children’s Vendetta mark. Both Hercule and Oliver initially suspected Olga as the killer, but they later found out that Olga was with Rowena in the music room at the time of the deaths.
- Rowena Drake – Rowena was a famous opera singer who lived with her daughter, Alicia Drake, in the palazzo. They even cultivated wildflowers in the garden for honey. Alicia fell in love with Maxime Gerard and left her mother. After Maxime broke up with Alicia, she returned home and started hallucinating, eventually dying by suicide.
- Maxime Gerard – Maxime was a chef who initially chose Alicia because of her wealth but eventually fell in love with her. He realized that Alicia had no control over her life due to her mother’s influence, so he ended the relationship. Maxime still had a torn picture of Alicia. He explained that he tried to meet Alicia after her health problems, but her mother didn’t allow him to see her. The last time he saw her was at her funeral.
- Desdemona Holland and Nicholas Holland – Desdemona and Nicholas denied killing Joyce, as she was the reason they had been living well and eating good food. Desdemona tried to run away but was soon captured by Hercule and his bodyguard, who tied them to chairs.
Also Read: A Haunting in The Venice Ending Explained
A fight occurred between Maxime and Leslie Ferrier. Leslie became extremely violent due to his psychological trauma, so Rowena suggested that he take a break in the soundproof music room. They locked him in from the outside, and Rowena gave the key to Hercule to ensure that no one else could enter.
Who killed Joyce Reynolds and Leslie Ferrier?
Hercule goes to Alicia’s room to think, and he accidentally breaks Alicia’s old cup, from which he finds the other half of Maxime’s torn photo. This discovery helps him identify the killer. The killer turns out to be Rowena Drake, the mother of Alicia Drake. But why did she kill Joyce and Leslie?
Rowena Drake killed her daughter, Alicia Drake, because she wanted Alicia to always stay with her and never leave her. When Alicia became engaged to Maxime, Rowena tore up all the wildflowers they had grown. Later, while she was in Turkey and angry, she learned about “Deli Bal” honey, also known as “Mad Honey.” She planted Rhododendron ponticum, which produces nectar that creates “Mad Honey.” She used this honey to control her daughter.
On the night of Alicia’s suicide, Olga Seminoff looked in on Alicia while she was sleeping. Alicia woke up and began behaving erratically, so Olga gave her tea with too much honey, which stopped Alicia’s heart. Rowena discovered Alicia dead and then made a plan to scratch her back and throw her from the balcony. The police already believed in the supernatural, so they didn’t investigate further, and the doctor didn’t find anything suspicious. The reason why Hercule Poirot was hallucinating was because Rowena had given him the Mad Honey in his tea.
Also Read: Who Died In ‘A Haunting In Venice’ Movie? Explained
Rowena thought she was safe until someone started blackmailing her, which left her financially ruined and unable to afford repairs for the palazzo, which had many problems. She wanted to get rid of the blackmailer. Her first suspect was Dr. Ferrier, but then she received an email from Joyce Reynolds claiming to know everything about Alicia’s death.
She mistook Hercule for Joyce because of the mask and left him to go after Joyce. She changed the time on the watch in the music room. Olga believed it was midnight, but it was actually much later, and she didn’t hear the clock chime at 12 PM because she was in the music room. Rowena then called Ferrier, who was in the music room, and threatened to harm Ferrier’s son unless he took his own life. Ferrier took a knife and killed himself.
