Category: Books & Novels

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Originally published in 1933, this 228-page Berkley Books paperback reprint was released in 1984. 

Captain Arthur Hastings narrates why private detective Hercule Poirot deems this sordid case as a rare professional failure.  Glamorous actress Jane Wilkinson insists upon Poirot’s immediate intervention to persuade her husband, Lord Edgware (George St. Vincent Marsh), to consent to an expedited divorce. 

Placating their new acquaintance, Poirot & Hastings are bewildered that an unlikable Edgware has already agreed to his self-involved wife’s demand.  Come the following morning, Edgware is found stabbed to death in his own study.  Deemed the prime suspect, a less-than-grieving Jane was witnessed entering and leaving the crime scene the night of the murder. 

Still, Lady Edgeware has an impeccable alibi at a high society dinner party that same night.  Sensing an elaborate frame-up, Poirot and Hastings pursue other suspects.  Could the ruthless killer really be acclaimed stage impersonator Carlotta Adams? 

Perhaps it is really suave actor Bryan Martin, whose open suspicions of Jane are more personal than he admits?  Or possibly Edgware’s freeloading nephew, Ronald Marsh, who stands to gain a hefty financial inheritance?  Or the haughty secretary, Miss Carroll, who was no fan of her imposing boss (or his wife)?  Or maybe even Edgware’s rebellious teenage daughter, who admittedly despised him? 

Poirot, Hastings, and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Japp face a growing conundrum, as the elusive culprit won’t settle for just one victim.    

Note: The novel’s original U.S. Title was Thirteen at Dinner.

REVIEW:

Owing to its appealing originality, Lord Edgware Dies remains a high-caliber Poirot mystery.  Christie clearly enjoys mingling the Belgian sleuth and Hastings amongst the 1930’s London answer to the glitzy Hollywood crowd.  Outlandishly conceited characters like Jane Wilkinson and Ronald Marsh aren’t multi-dimensional creations, but Christie ensures that they are entertaining.  Perhaps the novel’s most intriguing asset is dazzling celebrity impersonator Carlotta Adams, who adds extra spice to all the what-if’s re: the central crime. 

This sharply-paced novel isn’t a genre masterpiece equal to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, but its storyline becomes increasingly engrossing once Christie’s trickery come into play.  Saving the novel’s best effect for last, it’s a darkly humorous irony that only Christie would have devised.    

Delivering old-school suspense, the novel’s core theme exploring what awful things textbook narcissism motivates one to do helps Christie score a knock-out finish.  For a stay-up-all-night read, Lord Edgware Dies makes a welcome addition to any mystery fan’s nightstand.           

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

A table of contents is included. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   8 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie & Cover Illustration by Jenny Tylden-Wright

SUMMARY:

Dating back to 1923, this 246-page reprint was published by Harper Paperbacks in 1992.  This paperback assembles fourteen Hercule Poirot short stories, with the diminutive Belgian sleuth at the height of his deductive powers.  Accompanied by the ever-loyal Captain Arthur Hastings, Poirot’s assorted mysteries mostly set in 1920’s London appear as follows:

• The Adventure of the ‘Western Star.’  With ominous threats of theft imperiling a pair of priceless diamonds, Poirot and Hastings intercede to protect two different clients.

• Tragedy at Marsdon Manor.  A routine insurance company case darkly suggests that a businessman’s suicide may well have been premeditated murder.

• The Adventure of the Cheap Flat.  Poirot smells skullduggery after a married couple of Hastings’ acquaintance lucks out in renting a highly-coveted apartment for a fraction of its value.

• The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge. With Poirot at home convalescing from the flu, Hastings and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Japp must decipher a baffling homicide at a secluded country home.

• A Million Dollar Bond Robbery. After a British bank’s invaluable Liberty bonds are pilfered during an overseas voyage to New York City, Poirot suspects that this vanishing act is likely an inside job.   

• The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb. Multiple suspicious deaths linked to a high-profile archaeological dig send Poirot and Hastings to the Egyptian desert in search of a killer. 

• The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan. Poirot & Hastings’ seaside vacation is interrupted by the theft of a fellow guest’s pearl necklace.

• The Kidnapped Prime Minister. Seeking to avert a national crisis, the Belgian sleuth must solve the ingenious wartime abduction of the British Prime Minister.       

• The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim. Poirot accepts Scotland Yard Inspector Japp’s bet that he can unravel a banker’s baffling disappearance without leaving his apartment.

• The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman. Accompanying a physician friend, Poirot and Hastings become involved in examining the violent homicide of an Italian businessman.

• The Case of the Missing Will. At risk of losing a substantial inheritance, a would-be heiress hires Poirot and Hastings to locate her late uncle’s hidden will.

• The Veiled Lady.  Poirot & Hastings tangle with an insidious blackmailer harassing their female client prior to her high-profile wedding.

• The Lost Mine. Hastings learns how a homicide led Poirot to obtain his investment in a Burmese mining company.            

• The Chocolate Box. In a flashback to his days as a Belgian policeman, Poirot confides in Hastings of a rare instance where his deductive reasoning failed him on a homicide case.            

REVIEW:

It’s a definite eye-opener revisiting these tales after seeing them expanded and/or altered by David Suchet’s high-caliber TV series.  Nearly all fourteen stories merit multiple reads, as Christie’s Poirot is in vintage form.  Among this book’s gems are “The Chocolate Box;” “The Mystery of Hunter’s Lodge;” and “The Kidnapped Prime Minister.” 

It’s tempting to deem “The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim” another masterpiece, but its similarity to Sherlock Holmes’ “The Man With the Twisted Lip,” is frankly hard to dismiss.  Between the two of them, Christie’s inspired twists convey a more plausible enigma than what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had devised.      

Some of these stories aren’t too remarkable, such as “The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan;” “The Veiled Lady;” “The Lost Mine;” and “The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman.” Yet, they’re still satisfying reads.  As an amusing trifle, “The Case of the Missing Will” is a worthwhile change-of-pace, as there isn’t a homicide or jewel heist in sight. 

However, an initially-promising opener (The Adventure of the ‘Western Star’) is the book’s sole detriment.  Christie’s unnecessary usage of glaring racist Chinese stereotypes (including a contemptuous recurring slur) ruins “Western Star” enough that this first story deserves being skipped altogether.  It’s unfathomable why the present-day publisher couldn’t have edited Christie’s offensive text in an appropriate manner.   

There are a few other quirks to this collection that might be surprising.  For instance, “Tragedy at Marsdon Manor” is unusual by Christie’s standards re: its violently abrupt finish.  “Marsdon Manor” and “Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb,” as fair warning, also tease ghoulishly supernatural elements that may not play well with readers.  In another instance, Poirot’s near-omniscient deductions during “The Adventure of the Cheap Flat” may ring hollow due to such an outlandish plot. 

Despite a few blips, the novel stays anchored to a plausible sense of 1920’s reality.  Aside from its disappointing opener, Poirot Investigates makes a reliable bedtime read for both Christie buffs and casual mystery fans alike. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

There’s a table of contents.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                                8 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Originally published in 1927, this 215-page Berkley Books paperback reprint was released in 1984.  On an extended visit from Argentina, Captain Arthur Hastings reunites with Hercule Poirot to investigate the shadowy criminal mastermind, Li Chang Yen. 

Despite Scotland Yard’s skepticism, a series of outlandish murder-mysteries in the course of roughly a year lead Poirot and Hastings into repeated contact with the so-called ‘Big Four:’ a mythical quartet of criminals ultimately bent on global domination.  Among them is a chameleon-like master assassin, who may be the Belgian sleuth’s most elusive foe. 

Not only are the lives of Hastings and his beloved wife threatened, the ‘Big Four’ intends to finish off Poirot.  This deadly cat-and-mouse game ensures that the world isn’t big enough for these four super-crooks and Hercule Poirot.    

REVIEW:

If Christie fans ever visualized Hercule Poirot as an indomitable super-spy vs. international forces of evil, then The Big Four is this unlikely dream come true.  

Unlike her other Poirot whodunnits, Agatha Christie aims for a pulpy, globe-trotting James Bond-style espionage adventure with familiar elements of Sherlock Holmes thrown in for good measure.  Hastings’ presence as a ‘Dr. Watson’ becomes essential, as his point-of-view dominates the story’s narrative.  It’s only through Hastings’ voice that Christie can pitch Li Chang Yen (her answer to Fu Manchu) and his cutthroats as remotely credible foes for Poirot.

What hampers The Big Four’s entertaining plot too often is implausibility, as Christie’s plot is more akin to a comic strip.  Pre-dating SPECTRE from the James Bond movies, the assembled villains should be tangling with Sean Connery (in Christie’s works, he would be an ideal ‘Colonel Race’) rather than David Suchet, so to speak.  Counter-balancing this preposterous spy games formula, Christie devises some clever mini-mysteries worthy of Conan Doyle, so that Poirot can decipher their nebulous link to ‘The Big Four.’ 

To some extent, Christie’s game plan clicks, unless the reader ponders the various plot deficiencies.  One instance stems from Hastings himself, as he inexplicably doesn’t express a shred of remorse about being away from his family for months on end. 

In fairness, it’s implied that Hastings remains in correspondence with his wife, as she plays a brief off-screen role.  Not seen since Murder on the Links, her presence is relegated here to potential collateral damage only.  How Poirot discreetly resolves this matter suggests that he has vast global resources not previously disclosed by Christie.  Failing to anchor The Big Four to any semblance of reality is perhaps The Big Four’s most unique element (or detriment).

Poirot even resorts to a dubious literary cliché late in the game that comes out of nowhere.  The Big Four’s wild endgame, as a result, is again far closer to a Bond caper than anything a Christie aficionado might expect.  Curiously, Christie leaves a few plot threads stoking a potential sequel, but she never followed up on them.  Perhaps she sensed that The Big Four goes so far too over the top to dare revisiting its sub-plots. 

Still, Christie smartly depicts, no matter their prior faith in him, a skeptical Scotland Yard’s dismissal of Poirot’s claim of a grandiose conspiracy plot, as if it’s straight out of the funny papers.  That much makes sense in The Big Four; everything else is strictly old-school pulp fiction – including occasionally some of Christie’s racist overtones.

Upon suspending sufficient disbelief, The Big Four could be a fun bedtime read, likely even for non-Poirot fans.  One just needs to keep in mind that this Poirot caper isn’t among Christie’s better efforts.    

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

A table of contents is included. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  5 Stars

Written by Sophie Hannah

SUMMARY:

In 2014, HarperCollins published Sophie Hannah’s 302-page Monogram Murders, per authorization from Agatha Christie’s estate.  Set in London, early February 1929, the weary Belgian sleuth seeks some downtime by pretending to be out of town.  Having taken up residence in a quiet lodging house, Poirot is an unofficial consultant for his housemate, Scotland Yard detective Edward Catchpool.  A chance meeting at a local diner with a jittery mystery woman known only as ‘Jennie’ sends an obsessed Poirot on a quest to find her before a killer does. 

At London’s posh Bloxham Hotel, Catchpool investigates a ritual triple homicide (or possibly a murder-suicide pact).  The poisoned victims are found separately in their guest rooms, each bizarrely with a cufflink title “PIJ” ominously placed in his/her mouth.  A malicious note denouncing their deaths had been found at the hotel’s front counter just prior to the corpses’ discovery. 

With a fourth murder imminent, Poirot and his new protégé’s methodologies clash re: deciphering who the ghastly culprit is.  Separating pertinent facts from inconsistent witness statements becomes thoroughly muddled.  Unless Poirot & Catchpool untangle the truth, the dire tragedy sealing a young couple’s fate years before in a rural English village may doom another innocent person.    

Note: This book is available in hardcover and paperback editions.

REVIEW:

Despite its gimmickry, Hannah’s concept re: an apparent murder-suicide pact dating back sixteen years is intriguing.  Her fresh plot, at times, even sparks of something Christie herself might have devised.  The tinge of religious hypocrisy adds some depth, but it’s also one of many twists where Hannah overplays her creative hand.  Instead of readers indulging some grains of salt, The Monogram Murders teeters on a lethal salt overdose. 

For instance, Poirot’s enigmatic deductions are implausibly drawn from too little proof or even distorted misinformation, whether it’s by second-hand or third-hand commentary.  Hence, Hannah’s take on Poirot makes him virtually telepathic, as compared to a rightfully befuddled Catchpool.  It doesn’t help that this Scotland Yard too gladly concedes Poirot unfettered authority while discreetly ignoring Catchpool’s evident ineptitude.

Chapter 2 (“Murder in Three Rooms”) is the first red flag: a nauseated Catchpool evidently doesn’t incur a reprimand (let alone a suspension) for abandoning a gruesome crime scene he is supposed to supervise after being there only five minutes.  Catchpool’s narrative concedes that he doesn’t even coordinate the removal of the corpses first.  Hours later, he returns with Poirot, who instantly assumes command.  Such plot holes become even more prevalent later in the game.  At one juncture, readers are gifted a plausible solution, which should have made The Monogram Murders a satisfyingly novella. 

However, far too much padding comes into play to justify the novel-length page count. Roughly the last hundred pages continually reworks this supposed answer to such exasperation that Hannah overcooks her final reveal.  Various convoluted ulterior motives superseding other motives are divulged before finally getting to the real reason why these three people died at the hotel. 

It’s as if Hannah has just neatly tied a bow on her mystery before needlessly opting to add further knots.  As readers discover, her big climax deteriorates into a preposterous tangle.  Without exposing spoilers, it’s a major letdown that one victim’s presence in London is finally attributed to near-absurd gullibility.  

In a nod to a favorite Christie cliché, Hannah’s Scotland Yard rounds up, at Poirot’s behest, virtually the entire cast for the ‘big reveal.’  Going three chapters, this overblown sequence’s aura is a grand jury hearing mixed with a stereotypical televangelist program.  Just imagine a long-winded Poirot playing Perry Mason! 

It’s hard to keep one’s eyes from rolling, as previously-uncooperative witnesses/suspects now crumble and divulge their sins/crimes/etc. in front of the entire hotel staff, under the weight of Poirot’s bullying.  Readers will sympathize with Catchpool’s queasiness observing this charade. 

As for potential sequels, Hannah smartly dangles a few loose threads.  Among them is perhaps giving lively waitress Fee Spring more screen time, at least if she is interacting with a disinterested Catchpool.  Yet, one element sorely needs tweaking: Hannah’s Poirot must be refined from less that of an all-knowing, blowhard caricature. 

Otherwise, the darkly neurotic Catchpool is a weak stand-in for Captain Arthur Hastings/Inspector James Japp.  What’s even more frustrating is that large sections of The Monogram Murders make for an engrossing read, but Hannah can’t seem to leave well enough alone.  Still, she definitely has the capability to make necessary improvements to better satisfy long-time Christie fans. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The book was apparently well-received, if three pages of gushing endorsements are any indication.  Among these endorsees are authors Gillian Flynn (of Gone Girl fame), Charles Todd, Alexander McCall Smith, and Tara French, as well as NPR, USA Today, Booklist, and even Christie’s grandson, Mathew Prichard.   

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        6½ Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Originally published in 1929, this 217-page Bantam paperback reprint (with cover art by Tom Adams) was released in 1987.  As a spin-off sequel to 1925’s The Secret of Chimneys, this follow-up stars a spirited Eileen “Bundle” Brent back at her ancestral home.  After an alarm clock prank by Bundle and her upper-class pals fails, oversleeping house guest Gerry Wade’s accidental suicide is discovered. 

Yet, a far more suspicious death follows, as their mutual friend, Ronny Devereaux, is fatally wounded in a roadway by an unknown sniper.  Enigmatic clues hint that the culprit belongs to an ominously masked group dubbed the ‘The Seven Dials Society.’   

Determined to find answers, Bundle recruits dapper playboy Jimmy Theisger; the dull-witted Bill Eversleigh; and Gerry’s eager sister, Loraine, to help investigate.  Even Scotland Yard’s stolid Superintendent Battle can’t dissuade Bundle from her increasingly dangerous amateur sleuthing. With Jimmy’s help, an intrepid Bundle must dodge more than just bullets and an unwanted marriage proposal to unravel the murderous enigma lurking behind the ‘The Seven Dials.’        

REVIEW:

Full of deliberate clichés and a generic cast, it’s apparent that Agatha Christie meant The Seven Dials Mystery as a tongue-in-cheek trifle.  Her light-hearted character descriptions (i.e. Jimmy Thesiger) are indicative of this assessment.  Further proof is the comedy relief from Bundle’s befuddled dad, Lord Caterham, who dreads his monotonous responsibilities as an old-school British aristocrat. 

Hence, their amusing father-daughter banter is one of the book’s most welcome elements, particularly when Bundle reels from a pompous and far-older politician’s hopes of matrimony.  Aptly mixing suspense and humor, Bundle’s amateur sleuthing is a welcome treat after her minimal role in The Secret of Chimneys.  The best part awaits in the final few chapters, as a few knock-out twists (including Battle’s ulterior motive) compensate for this story’s duller stretches. 

Even if it isn’t one of Christie’s better works, The Seven Dials Mystery makes a decent bedtime read.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       5½ Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Originally published in 1951, this 280-page St. Martin’s paperback reprint was released in 2002.  Early amidst The Cold War, Baghdad will be hosting an historic international conference.  Several lives will intersect there, as some are pursuing possibly nefarious agendas. 

Targeted for death is young spy Henry Carmichael (possible casting could be Daniel Radcliffe), who must deliver vital details to British intelligence of a covert radical conspiracy seeking to inflame the world’s great powers into total anarchy. 

Another enigma is Anna Scheele, ostensibly a wealthy American banker’s secretary, as she vanishes shortly after her arrival in England.  Then, there is the world-famous British traveler, Sir Rupert Crofton Lee, who seeks his own intended rendezvous in Baghdad.  He shares the same flight as a scatter-brained ex-secretary from London, Victoria Jones (think Reese Witherspoon or Billie Piper).  Victoria impulsively scams her way to the Middle East in search of her hunky new acquaintance, Edward.

Rendering aid in her hotel room to a homicide victim, Victoria invariably finds herself an unlikely new recruit for British Intelligence.  Trying to impress Edward while working undercover at a local charity, Victoria is in far more peril than she realizes.  Later posing as a new assistant for a British archaeological dig, the spirited rookie spy senses that suspicious eyes are closely following her. 

As shadowy enemies swarm in, Victoria’s improvisations may be the only hope of helping avert a worldwide political catastrophe.         

REVIEW:

Much of Christie’s obscure Cold War espionage novel is a fine read, particularly as a ditzy Victoria matures into a somewhat competent spy.  Her scenes with a world-weary Dakin; the excessively jovial Marcus; and a skeptical Richard Baker prove well-played.  In spite of bland options for Victoria’s possible love interests, a romantic undercurrent nicely slow- cooks.  Better yet, Christie ensures that Victoria’s naiveté foolishly causes her some heartbreak before harsh reality brings the perky heroine to her senses. 

Recovering from some lethargic stretches, the book’s suspenseful climax is worth waiting for, as some pertinent details are wisely left to the reader’s conjecture. Christie, however, makes a serious misjudgment by inserting a contrived late revelation that several twists were engineered by an ominous figure from the outset.  Though the mastermind’s scheme clarifies why Victoria is an expendable pawn, it isn’t plausible how her wonky itinerary could have been so accurately anticipated. 

In that sense, Christie fails her heroine, as Victoria’s endearing charm stems from her misadventures being ignited by some hilariously improvised lies.  Despite this inexplicable letdown, They Came to Baghdad is an obscure romantic spy adventure worthy of re-discovery.  A first-ever film adaptation would make an intriguing proposition, too.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     7 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

First published in 1929, it’s the sequel to Tommy & Tuppence’s first caper: 1922’s The Secret Adversary. This 217-page reprint was released by Signet Books in 2000.  Presented as an episodic series of short stories, the happily married yet restless Beresfords are recruited by British intelligence to serve as undercover operators of London’s International Detective Agency. 

On this adventurous new front, they must act as lookouts for a shadowy foreign conspirator seeking to contact them.  Masquerading as dashing private eye ‘Theodore Blunt’ and his assistant, ‘Miss Robinson,’ the light-hearted Tommy & Tuppence Beresford occasionally seek inspiration from classic detective fiction.  Maturing into capable sleuths, the Beresfords find several surprises await them.  

Their twenty-three tales are:

• A Fairy in the Flat;
• A Pot of Tea;
• The Affair of the Pink Pearl (two-parter);
• The Adventure of the Sinister Stranger (two-parter);
• Finessing the King & The Gentleman Dressed in Newspaper (two-parter);
• The Case of the Missing Lady;
• Blindman’s Buff;
• The Man in the Mist (two-parter);
• The Crackler (two-parter);
• The Sunningdale Mystery (two-parter);
• The House of Lurking Death (two-parter);
• The Unbreakable Alibi;
• The Clergyman’s Daughter;
• The Red House;
• The Ambassador’s Boots; and
• The Man Who Was No. 16.

REVIEW:

Long predating Remington Steele and Moonlighting (not to mention, The Thin Man), helping popularize the witty amateur detective genre is another achievement that Agatha Christie should be credited with.  Deftly mixing decent mysteries with spoofy, self-deprecating humor, Christie clearly has a grand time revisiting the fun-loving Tommy & Tuppence.  In that sense, Partners in Crime is comparable to Christie’s semi-spoofy The Seven Dials Mystery — perhaps it isn’t a coincidence that both novels were sequels released in 1929.    

Though this book’s internal continuity is solid, Christie does (seemingly at random) tweak her hapless leads for a plot’s convenience.  There are such instances where a somewhat dense Tommy comes off as remarkably savvy tackling crooks and spies, so one wonders if he prefers playing dumb, if only for humor’s sake. 

Likewise, Tuppence’s mock housewife-like subservience is a pretense to her knack for impulsively connecting all the necessary dots before Tommy does.  Hence, Christie ensures that the Beresfords’ blissful marriage and professional partnership is competitive and very much on equal footing. Their semi-rivalry is very much part of the fun. 

Compared to other Christie franchises, these Tommy & Tuppence mini-mysteries aren’t all that remarkable.  Still, a few (i.e. The House of Lurking Death and The Sunningdale Mystery) stand out for creativity.  What makes this book a classic, of course, is the Beresfords’ brand of humor (including their overly-enthusiastic aide, Albert). 

Considering this book is nearly a century old, the reality that Tommy & Tuppence’s witty repartee remains fresh spells out why this vital element became a genre cliché.  For a droll and undemanding read, Partners in Crime delivers the goods. 

Note: Christie’s remaining Tommy & Tuppence novels (N or M?; By the Pricking of My Thumbs; and Postern of Fate) age the Beresfords in real time.  Their increasingly realistic, middle-aged narratives drops the tongue-in-cheek charm of Partners in Crime.   

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

None.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  8 Stars