"Lamb to the Slaughter" (1953) is a short story by Roald Dahl. It was initially rejected, along with four other stories, by The New Yorker, but was ultimately published in Harper's Magazine in September 1953.[1] It was adapted for an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and starred Barbara Bel Geddes. Originally broadcast on April 13, 1958, it was one of only 17 AHP episodes directed by Hitchcock himself. The story was subsequently adapted for Dahl's British TV series Tales of the Unexpected. Dahl included it in his short story compilation Someone Like You.
"Lamb to the Slaughter" demonstrates Dahl's fascination with horror (with elements of black comedy), a theme that would influence both his in adult fiction as well as his children stories.[2]
Mary Maloney, a devoted housewife, expects her husband Patrick to return home from his job as a local police detective. When he returns, Mary notices that he is strangely aloof and assumes that he was tired from work. Patrick finally reveals to Mary what is making him act strangely. It is not explicitly said, but it is insinuated that he is leaving her.[3]
Seemingly in a trance, Mary fetches a large leg of lamb from the deep-freezer in the cellar to cook for their dinner. Patrick angrily tells Mary not to make him any dinner, as he is going out. She strikes Patrick in the back of the head with the frozen lamb leg, killing him.
Mary realizes that she has killed Patrick and has to create a story to tell the detectives. She prepares the leg of lamb that she has killed her husband with and places it in the oven to somewhat destroy the evidence. After practicing a cheerful routine, she visits the grocer to establish an alibi. Upon returning, she enters the room with her dead husband lying on the floor and calls the police.
When the police arrive, they ask Mary questions and look at the scene. Considering Mary above suspicion because Patrick was a detective, the police conclude that Patrick was killed with a large blunt object, likely made of metal. After a fruitless search around the house and surrounding area, Mary offers the policemen the cooked leg, which they accept. When the lamb is nearly finished, the police discuss the murder weapon's possible location. One officer says, "Probably right under our very noses". The story ends with Mary overhearing their conversation in another room, and giggling, knowing that the last line is completely true.