In the novel The A.B.C. Murders, Mr Barnard is the father of Betty Barnard, the waitress from Bexhill-on-Sea who was the second murder victim. He is described as a "stout, bewildered-looking man of fifty-five or so". He and Mrs Barnard live in a house named Llandudno.
Mr Barnard had worked in the ironmongery business in Kennington, and retired two years before the events of the novel. He moved to Bexhill, as he had always meant to live near the sea. Betty lived there with her parents. Their elder daughter, Megan, lives in London, where she is employed as a typist.
Mr Barnard is hopeful when he is introduced to Inspector Crome, and hopes that the involvement of Scotland Yard will help to bring the murderer to justice soon. Inspector Crome expresses sympathy for the Barnards' loss, but says that they want to know all the facts so that they can get to work as quickly as possible. Mr Barnard approves of this approach.
Mr Barnard tells Inspector Crome that Betty was not in the habit of returning home early on summer evenings, but she was usually in by eleven. He and his wife always went to bed early, by nine o'clock. They did not know that Betty had not come home until the police came to inform them that her body had been found.
Portrayals[]
In the film adaptation of The A.B.C. Murders in Series 2 of ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot, the part of Mr Barnard was played by John Breslin.
In the anime show ABC Murders, NHK's adaptation of The A.B.C. Murders, the character of Mr Barnard also appears. He has quite a number of lines as his interview with Poirot is reproduced quite faithfully. In this case, Poirot was also accompanied by Sharpe (Japp) and Inspector Glen. However, the voice actor behind this character is not credited.