In the short story The Crackler, Major Laidlaw and his French wife Marguerite Laidlaw are members of the exclusive Python Club in West End and are frequently gambling and socialising there. Inspector Marriot wants Tommy and Tuppence to investigate a currency counterfeiting operation which might be operating from the club and names Major Laidlaw as a potential suspect. For one thing, Major Laidlaw has major connections with the world of horse racing which involves large suns of cash changing hands. Although The police have nothing definite against him, there is a general feeling among those who know him that he has been a little too smart in several shady transactions. No one seems to know much about Laidlaw's past or where he came from. He and his wife seem to spend a lot of money but it is not clear where it all comes from.
Major Laidlaw is described as a tall, fair man, Typically English in appearance, with a hearty sportsmanlike manner.
Portrayals[]
In LWT's 1984 adaptation of the story (Episode 10 of Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime), Major Laidlaw is portrayed by David Quilter.