In the novel Evil Under the Sun, Carrie Gardener is an American tourist who holidays at a hotel in Devon with her husband Odell. According to the hotel register, the Gardeners come from New York.
Mrs Gardener is a friend of Cornelia Robson, who told her about Hercule Poirot and their meeting onboard a boat on the Nile.
At the beginning of the novel, Mrs Gardener says that she and her husband have "done England pretty well", and she now wants to go to a quiet seaside spot to relax.
Mr and Mrs Gardener have a daughter, Irene. Mrs Gardener mentions that she had told Irene that lying out in the sun would cause her to grow hair all over her body.
Mrs Gardener says several times that she is very sensitive. Although she was thrilled to meet Poirot, she was worried that he was at the hotel working on a case, and that she would be "mixed up in crime of any kind".
Mrs Gardener also mentions that she is susceptible to atmosphere, and has been since childhood. She describes screaming as a child, and how her mother had told her father that they must let her scream, as it was her way of expressing herself.
Mrs Gardener is extremely talkative, and enjoys knitting. She also does jigsaw puzzles when her nerves are upset.
On the day of the murder, Mrs Gardener is on the beach, knitting and talking. At one point, she sends Mr Gardener back to the hotel to get a skein of purple wool.
Portrayals
Evil Under the Sun (1982)
In the 1982 Ustinov adaptation, the character name is changed slightly to "Myra Gardener" but her husband remains "Odell". Here she has a slightly different backstory. She and her husband Odell are theatrical producers from New York. They had at one time put up a play but Arlena had walked off the production with a doctor's certificate (which the Gardeners believe to be fake). Now they are producing another play and really need Arlena to star in it and part of their time at the resort is spent trying to persuade Arlena to considered the role.
She also has a larger role than in the original because she is used by Patrick Redfern to create an alibi. She was with him in the motor boat when they come across the body of Arlena. In the original this role was given to Emily Brewster.
Myra Gardener is portrayed by Sylvia Miles. Some of Carrie Gardener's lines in the original complaining about the standard of plumbing is given to her.
