In the novel Mrs McGinty's Dead, Joe Burch is the husband of Bessie, who is the niece of the murder victim Abigail McGinty. They live in Cullavon about three miles from Broadhinny.
Because Bessie and her husband Joe Burch stood to gain 200 pounds from the will of Mrs McGinty, Superintendent Spence considered them as plausible suspects during the initial investigations but soon eliminated them from consideration. Joe had a steady job and income, being employed in the building and decorating trade as a painter. He and Bessie lived in a small but smart council house of which they were very proud. They did not really need the money even if they might have welcomed it.
After taking up the case, Poirot called on Bessie for background information on Mrs McGinty and met Joe when he came home part way through the meeting. Unlike his wife, who had a natural distrust of foreigners, Poirot found Joe very eager to please. He seemed to try very hard to be helpful to the investigation especially when he saw that Poirot had a letter of introduction from Superintendent Spence. For some reason, Joe seemed to have a very strong motive for wanting to stay on the right side of the police. This plot element was not, however, developed further in the novel and we never get to understand why.
Portrayals[]
Joe Burch was played by Billy Geraghty in the film adaptation of Mrs McGinty's Dead in Series 11 of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot. In the adaptation Joe and Bessie had actually moved into Mrs McGinty's cottage after her death. Unlike the portrayal in the original novel, Joe here was not friendly nor eager to be cooperative, not even after seeing the letter of introduction from Superintendent Spence. It was later discovered that Joe was conducting a secret affair with the postmistress Miss Sweetiman.
There is no parallel character for Joe in Mademoiselle Mac Ginty est morte, the France Télévisions and Escazal films adaptation of the novel.