Book Review: Curtain by Agatha Christie

The house guests at Styles seemed perfectly pleasant to Captain Hastings; there was his own daughter Judith, an inoffensive ornithologist called Norton, dashing Mr Allerton, brittle Miss Cole, Doctor Franklin and his fragile wife Barbara , Nurse Craven, Colonel Luttrell and his charming wife, Daisy, and the charismatic Boyd-Carrington. So Hastings was shocked to learn from Hercule Poirot's declaration that one of them was a five-times murderer. True, the ageing detective was crippled with arthritis, but had his deductive instincts finally deserted him?

The novel features Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings in their final appearances in Christie's works. It is a country house novel, with all the characters and the murder set in one house. Not only does the novel return the characters to the setting of her first, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, but it reunites Poirot and Hastings, who last appeared together in Dumb Witness in 1937.[summary via Goodreads]

Since I discovered Agatha Christie's mystery novels as a teenager, I've been enthralled with her novels for decades. Regardless of the setting or the sleuth, she never fails to impress me with her ability to construct a delightful mystery, that has always left me guessing. While I've not quite read every mystery yet (but I'm working on it!), I have enjoyed re-reading some of my favourites. I've read Curtain several times, and decided to take in a re-read recently.

For those that have never picked up a Agatha Christie novel (and I think you should!), Curtain isn't a good place to start. This is a brilliant, well crafted mystery, but it pairs up with The Mysterious Affair at Styles, and while it is not required reading, I believe reading The Mysterious Affair at Styles first would be well worth it. It sets the scene of Styles and the relationship between sleuth, Sir Hercule Poirot, and his faithful assistant, Captain Arthur Hastings. 

Curtain is one of the very best mystery novels I've ever read (and I've read a lot of them!). Agatha Christie outdid herself with this one, providing a very interesting ending for Poirot. Of my initial read, I would never have predicted the outcome. On re-reads of the novel, I am more in awe of her talent and how she provided a perfect ending for Poirot. 

The mystery itself is very interesting, and I don't think even the most experienced mystery reader would guess on the first read. Even years later, on re-reading, I am still impressed. 

If you haven't read Curtain yet I strongly recommend picking it up. Even if you're like me and not a big Poirot fan (I'm more Team-Miss Marple!), you will be impressed by this mystery and the final denouement. Well recommended for Agatha Christie fans.

Purchase Curtain from Amazon.

Book Review: The Oracle of Delphi by Agatha Christie

Parker Pyne is traveling incognito under the name of Mr. Thompson. In Delphi, he learns that someone calling himself Parker Pyne is being consulted by Mrs. Peters, who refers to him as "the good gentleman." But who is this imposter, and what does he want with Mrs. Peters?[summary via Amazon]

This was the last story in the anthology, Parker Pyne Investigates, and probably the most intriguing one of them all. A woman's son is kidnapped and she is willing to do all she can to get him back. However, the ending was unpredictable and certainly surprised me!!

I like Parker Pyne. Rather than investigating murder, he seems to investigate missing items or people. I've only seen him thrown into a murder investigation once and at first he didn't quite seem what to make of it. He certainly seemed more at home in this mystery!

For fans of Agatha Christie, I highly recommend the Parker Pyne short stories. They can be read individually, or in the anthology, Parker Pyne Investigates.

Audiobook Review: Agatha Christie: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie

Back in print in an all-new edition is the engaging and illuminating chronicle of the life of the "Queen of Mystery". Fans of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple and readers of John Curran’s fascinating biographies Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks and Murder in the Making will be spellbound by the compelling, authoritative account of one of the world’s most influential and fascinating novelists, told in her own words and inimitable style - and here in her own voice. These audio excerpts were dictated by Agatha Christie herself.[summary via Audible]

Audible has an autobiography of Agatha Christie, actually narrated by the Queen of Crime herself. This seems to be a hidden gem amongst the Audible shelves. While there are plenty of biographies, and even an autobiography, about Agatha Christie, this is the only one narrated by herself.

This recording was recorded late into her career. No date is actually given as to when it was recorded, but she mentions quite a few of her books and I would think it was done in the 1960's or 1970's. A warning to those do listen: it is very static-y and there is a somewhat hissing sound, but this is Agatha Christie talking about her life. To hear the Queen of Crime talking about writing and her life is far more important than hearing quality.

Agatha lived a fascinating life and I loved listening to every second of this fascinating recording. She talks about how it took a long time for her to consider her profession that of a writer, and in fact she quite often wrote "married woman" on documents rather than writer. She talks about her mother-in-law telling her write something "worthwhile" and her success at writing, and why she wrote the romances under the name Mary Westmacott.

She doesn't talk about her disappearance. I assumed she wouldn't, but of course one can only hope that she might touch on it.

I particularly enjoyed hearing her talk about The Mousetrap, which originally written for the Queen, and she talks about how she believed it would only run for 8 months. Well it is now the longest running play and still going strong!

For fans of her books this is a insightful account of her life in her opinion and it delighted me immensely. I plan to listen to it again at a later date.

It is currently free for Audible and can be found at their website.

Audiobook Review: The Regatta Mystery by Agatha Christie

Diamond merchant Isaac Pointz and his guests come ashore at Dartmouth to enjoy the fair after the yacht races. Over dinner, young Eve Leathern bets she can make Pointz's famous diamond, the Morning Star, disappear right at the table. When the girl does exactly that, she discovers she has made the priceless gem disappear more completely than she had intended. Fortunately, Parker Pyne is able to get to the bottom of what really happened to the Morning Star.[summary via Amazon]

The Regatta Mystery is a classic locked room mystery, where a disappearance takes place (this time a jewel) and the occupants in the room all claim to have not taken in. It takes the detective mind of Parker Pyne to solve the mystery.

I find it interesting that usually the detective is int he room at the time of the loss, but not in this case. Parker Pyne manages to solve the mystery without having actually been at the scene!!

This is another interesting short story from Agatha Christie. I'm finding that most of the Parker Pyne mysteries don't involve murder, but involve a disappearance. I haven't quite warmed to Parker Pyne yet, but mainly because I have read many mysteries with him.

I do find it interesting that there is a Parker Pyne version and Hercule Poirot version of The Regatta Mystery. I listened to the Pyne version, but I'm going to try and hunt down the Poirot version too!

A delightful locked room mystery, and I'm looking forward to reading more of the short stories.

Audiobook Review: Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

In the sleepy little English country village of St Mary Mead, all is not as it seems. Under a seemingly peaceful exterior lurks intrigue, guilt, deception - and murder.

Colonel Protheroe, local magistrate and overbearing landowner, is the most detested man in the village. Everyone, even the vicar, wishes he were dead. And very soon he is - shot in the head in the vicar's own study.

A visiting artist confesses to the murder, but residents saw him elsewhere at the time the Colonel was shot. If he didn't do it, who did? Is he protecting the wife whom he loves? Faced with a surfeit of suspects, only the inscrutable Miss Marple can unravel the tangled web of clues. A trap set, and Miss Marple's theory is put to the test when the true killer is finally unmasked.[summary via Audible]

Murder at the Vicarage is the first adventure with Miss Marple. Jane Marple is often thought of as a nosy old lady. She's often seen pottering in her garden and knows everything that is going on at St. Mary's Mead. When Colonel Protheroe turns up dead, the vicar and police turn to Miss Marple to assist in piecing the events together.

I love Miss Marple. She's a little nosy, but not over-the-top. She understands human nature and always gets to the bottom of the crime. Given a choice between Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, I'd say Miss Marple is the clear winner for my favorite sleuth. While Poirot is egotistical and acts so very superior, Miss Marple is subtle and unobtrusive. Miss Marple only appears in 12 full-length novels, and it's probably the reason I've re-read so many of her adventures. I do wish Agatha Christie had written more featuring her.

In this first book we get to visit with Miss Marple in her own village and try to figure out who killed the Colonel. This is probably one of a few that I already knew the killer, having re-read it so many times. I delight in re-reading it, as I'm often amazed at Agatha Christie's brilliance.

This is my favorite part, right at the end: "I wonder, Miss Marple," I said suddenly, "if you were to commit a murder whether you would ever be found out." "What a terrible idea," said Miss Marple, shocked. "I hope I could never do such a wicked thing." "But human nature being what it is," I murmured.

I do wonder if this planted the seed in Agatha's mind for one of her later novels, when the detective did do it!

I love re-reading this book and I really enjoyed listening to the full-cast audiobook. Each book would be a fabulous starting point for anyone new to Agatha Christie. June Whitfield voices Miss Marple and she does a tremendous job. I'm looking forward to re-reading more of my favorite Agatha Christie's!

Audiobook Review: After the Funeral by Agatha Christie

When Cora Lansquenet is savagely murdered with a hatchet, the extraordinary remark she made the previous day at her brother Richard's funeral suddenly takes on a chilling significance. At the reading of Richard's will, Cora was clearly heard to say, "It's been hushed up very nicely, hasn't it.... But he was murdered, wasn't he?"

In desperation, the family solicitor turns to Hercule Poirot to unravel the mystery....[summary via Audible]

After the Funeral is one of the few Hercule Poirot stories I've never read and I opted to listen the BBC Radio Play version, with John Moffat voicing Hercule Poirot.

After the Funeral is classic Christie in many regards: english setting and what seems to be a well-off family fighting over the inheritance of a recently deceased family member. However when Cora blurts out that her brother was murdered, everything starts to get complicated.

I enjoy every mystery I've read by Agatha Christie and this one is no exception. I couldn't figure out who killed Richard and subsequently Cora either. When the murderer is revealed I certainly was shocked. Yet again Hercule Poirot's reasoning was clear after he explained the denouement.

I'm loving listening to these books as the BBC radio plays. They are a condensed version but whether you are a new reader to Agatha Christie or a seasoned reader, looking to re-read your favorites, these are fabulous. While I still prefer David Suchet as the voice of Poirot, I'm really enjoying John Moffat in the role. He seems to have Poirot's mannerisms down perfectly and is a joy to listen to.

Audiobook Review: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Death on the Nile is one of Agatha Christie's more popular mysteries, and it has been adapted into a radio play and also to several movies. My favorite movie adaption is the 1978 film starring Mia Farrow.

Hercule Poirot is on holidays in Egypt and taking a cruise down the infamous Nile river. On board with him is a cast of people from all walks of life, and among them is one person with murderous intent. Linnet Ridgway, the wealthy heiress, is there with her new husband, Simon Doyle. Also on board is Simon Doyle's jilted fiance and friend to Linnet,Jacqueline de Bellefort. Or we should say ex-friend. Jacqueline was devastated when Simon left her for Linnet, and is determined to make their honeymoon as wretched as possible. When Linnet is found dead, it looks like a clear case that Jacqueline was the murderer, but the clues do not add up and luckily Poirot is on the case.

There are only a handful of Agatha Christie's that I remember the final denouement. While I've read Death on the Nile a couple of times and seen the movie several times as well, I couldn't remember who the killer was. As such it was perfect timing to experience the book again.

This time I chose to listen to the radio play, produced by the BBC. It provides a condensed, but accurate version, of Agatha Christie's novel and tells of crime most foul aboard the high seas.

Death on the Nile is such a classic Agatha Christie novel. You don't need any prior history reading a Hercule Poirot adventure and it would be the perfect spot to start if you were new to Agatha Christie. We meet the infamous detective, Hercule Poirot, who is famous for using his "little grey cells" to solve mysteries. However in this mystery, where none of the suspects can escape, will he solve the crime before they dock?

I like this one for a number of reasons, but what struck a chord with me when I first read it was the exotic local. It's no sleepy town but it is still a cozy mystery and it's a mystery of love and mayhem. If you love so deeply would you be willing to kill to recover that love? With all the modern contemporary mysteries, Agatha Christie still stands the test of time, and it's particularly evident in this one.

I've been listening to a lot of the short stories with Hugh Fraser narrating as Hercule Poirot, but I did enjoy John Moffat's interpretation here. He provides a good voice to the famous detective and the cast kept me interested in this shorter version of Agatha Christie's book.

The radio play adaptions would be perfect for a new fan to Agatha Christie's novels. They are full of high adventure and suspense and only a little over 2 hours long. I'm looking forward to listening to more in this series.

Audiobook Review: The Coming of Mr Quin by Agatha Christie

On a dark evening, Mr. Harley Quin appears at the door of Royston Hall under the premise that his car has broken down. Once inside, he embarks upon the tragic tale of Royston Hall's former occupants, leading to a dramatic change in the perceptions of the current inhabitants - but has Mr. Quin's revelation come too late?[summary via Audible]

This is a interesting little story about a murder a suicide that happened sometime ago and Mr Quin flies in one night to solve the mystery. I haven't read many stories featuring Mr Quin and I quite enjoyed watching him untangle this one. I liked the story and also the narration. This was a good one to get me back into the groove of listening to Agatha Christie mysteries on audio.

Book Review: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

Death on the Nile is a short story featuring Parker Pyne. Parker is on holidays and even though his holiday has been previously interrupted by clients, he's hoping that it won't be interrupted even further. However the other occupants on his cruise have other ideas. One Lady Grayle asks him to find out if she is being slowly poisoned by her husband. He sets out to investigate but before he can uncover the truth Lady Grayle ends up dead.

I find the title of this short story amusing because Agatha Christie has a full length novel under the same title. The full-length Death on the Nile is of course widely popular, having been made into several movies, featuring Hercule Poirot. This short story was unknown to me until I picked it up. The short story was published three years before the novel. I do wonder if perhaps the short story was inspiration for the novel.

In any case it was a good, little story. Parker Pyne doesn't usually solve murders, so it was interesting watching him try his hand at this one. With limited suspects and evidence aplenty, Parker managed to solve it in time.

Another good Parker Pyne mystery.

Book Review: The Pearl of Price by Agatha Christie

The Pearl of Price is a short story featuring Parker Pyne. Parker is on holidays and the last thing he expects is to get involved in a mystery. However this is exactly what happens when one of the tourist’s pearl earring goes missing and she asks him to solve the mystery.

Given her background in archaeology a lot of Agatha Christie’s stories featured digs, tombs or tourists visiting such places. This is another one in this setting. I haven’t got bored with this setting, so I was glad to another story featuring this. This time it is Parker Pyne visiting and getting involved in a mystery with a wealthy tourist.

I easily picked up the clues and solved this one before Parker. From my experience with the short stories they are a lot easier to solve than the full-length novels, which I rarely am able to solve. There is no murder, as Parker Pyne is more about “finding things” and “making people happy” then a actual murder investigation. It was a fun mystery though and I plan to read more mysteries featuring Parker Pyne.

Book Review: The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb

In this short story, Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings are setting sail to Egypt to investigate a cursed tomb! When a group of archaeologists discover a Pharoah's tomb they don't know that it will be the beginning of the death of many of them. Poirot hears of the story of Men-her-Ra and how many on the expedition have died there, or died on their return to New York. Everyone believes that the tomb is cursed and Poirot investigates to get the bottom of it.

Agatha Christie travelled extensively with her archaeologist husband, and as someone that is curious about all things to do with archaeology, I'm pleased that she was inspired to write many stories about Egypt.

This story is fun because it appears that these people died from something supernaturally. The reader even gets to see Poirot drawing pentagrams! That is not something I thought I would ever see.

The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb was a enjoyable short story. I did guess the ending just before Poirot, but as always I still like watching Poirot unravel and explain it all to Hastings, who is a lot slower to catch on!

Book Review: The Million Dollar Bond Robbery

Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings have another mystery on their hands when they have to solve the puzzle of a missing million dollar bond that has been stolen on it's journey to New York.

I like the short stories because there a lot of them, which means a lot more Agatha Christie for me to enjoy, and also because I usually have more success solving these than I do the full-length novels. In the case of The Million Dollar Bond Robbery I did guess the mystery before Captain Hastings. However I suspect Hercule Poirot had this one solved before he even heard of it!

My favourite line from this story: "Good Lord, Poirot! Do you know, I'd give a considerable sum of money to see you make a thorough ass of yourself - just for once." I love the relationship between Poirot and Hastings.

This was another good Agatha Christie short story. If you haven't read a Agatha Christie novel yet, I recommend picking up one of her many short stories.