Category: Mystery & Suspense

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

First published in 1946, this 299-page Harper Books paperback edition was released in 2011.  Its alternate title is Murder After Hours. 

At an English countryside home dubbed ‘The Hollow,’ retired hosts Sir Henry & Lucy Angkatell welcome six adult guests for a weekend house party.  Their guests are: introverted in their own ways, cousins Edward and David Angkatell; another Angkatell cousin: sculptor Henrietta Savernake; Lucy’s young relative: delightfully down-to-earth Midge Hardcastle; and a married London couple: Dr. John and Gerda Christow.

Self-absorbed John is torn between an overly subservient wife and artist Henrietta – his compassionate mistress.  Yet, the philandering doctor isn’t not the only one stunned that his old flame, narcissistic actress Veronica Cray, has now moved in next door.  Experiencing an epiphany of sorts, John makes a fateful decision. 

With tensions already slow-brewing, homicide shatters The Hollow’s calm.  Sir Henry’s acquaintance (and his other new neighbor), Hercule Poirot, may be the only one who can set things right.  It’s conveyed that Sir Henry had first met Poirot in Baghdad, presumably during 1936’s Murder in Mesopotamia.

Advisory Note: The ‘n’-word appears on page 34.  Why the publisher didn’t/couldn’t edit this word out is anybody’s guess. 

REVIEW:

Of Christie’s Poirot masterpieces, the moody Hollow surely isn’t among them.  Make no mistake: this soap opera-ish whodunnit is a tough slog – spending the first eight or nine chapters alone with this cast is plenty.  Though Christie works hard imbuing The Hollow’s characters with realistic depth, making this blasé group actually readable, however, is another matter. Among them, only the vibrant Midge comes off as someone actually worth rooting for. 

For instance, there’s the implausibility exactly why three women: Gerta, Henrietta, and an over-the-top Veronica all orbit one domineering physician like he’s the almighty sun.  Plagued by bouts of self-pity, 40-year old ‘golden boy’ John is a domineering egotist; yet, his selfish persona becomes surprisingly multi-layered.  One might conclude the doctor is somewhat humble, as compared to his long-lost ex-girlfriend, Veronica – a ridiculous cliché of spoiled starlets. 

Beyond the plot’s lethargic tempo, the insurmountable obstacle Christie pitches to readers is this: why should anyone even care about this group of players (short of the victim’s young children), once the homicide occurs?  Deserving some pity is the shrewd Inspector Grange as the local cop officially probing this muddle of motives.  It’s like Grange grasps the plot’s blah circumstances from the get-go, which mostly renders The Hollow’s crime a non-mystery. 

Considering that Poirot’s entrance is delayed until a full third into the novel is indicative of how dreary The Hollow really is.  Even the dapper Belgian sleuth’s literary magic (and a savvy display of compassion come the ever-bleak end) isn’t nearly enough this time.  The book’s mid-section improves in spots, but a consistently low-energy vibe doesn’t muster much hope for a satisfying finish.       

Beyond the ever-insightful Henrietta’s presence, only a decent romance is left to help Poirot distract readers from a below-average storyline.  Inexplicably, Christie even sabotages this middling sub-plot — with a melodramatic scene where the heroine must thwart her beloved’s attempted suicide by gassing himself in an oven.  By that point, it’s tempting to consider chucking The Hollow across the room.  In hindsight, this disappointing Poirot’s sole benefit is offering a potential cure for insomnia.   

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The first page is a Christie mini-biography.  There’s a full listing of Christie’s published novels (plus two memoirs).    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   3 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

First published in 1939, the book has also been known as Murder for Christmas and Holiday for Murder.  This 272-page William Morrow/HarperCollins paperback reprint was released in 2011.  Instead of chapters, the murder-mystery is divided into seven days: December 22-28. 

In the English countryside, Christmas time at Gorston Hall welcomes home the estranged Lee family.  Elderly (and long-widowed) patriarch Simeon Lee and his eldest son and daughter-in-law, Alfred and Lydia, greet fellows sons and daughters-in-law, David & Hilda, and George and Magdalene. 

The family’s trouble-making son, Harry, also returns after a twenty-year absence.  Joining them are Simeon’s only grandchild, Pilar Estravados, and a family friend’s son from South Africa.  Among the house staff on site are elderly butler Tressilian and Simeon’s personal valet, Horbury.

Soon, after the crotchety Simeon taunts imminent changes to his will, a brutal Christmas Eve robbery-homicide occurs inside a locked room at Gorston Hall.  Could the killer’s motive have been swiping Simeon’s stash of uncut South African diamonds?  Local cops Colonel Johnson and Superintendent Sugden collaborate with the indomitable Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot to resolve this shockingly ‘perfect’ crime.  They best work fast before a desperate culprit strikes again.       

REVIEW:

After an entertaining first read, one may understandably conclude ‘well, Christie’s done it again!  I never saw that coming.’  In fairness, though, several clues are less than subtle.  Subsequent reads remove luster off Christie’s holiday homicide, as at least one pertinent hint is definitely overplayed.  She also packs too many Lee family members into this plot, as it’s cumbersome to keep track of all who’s who, between the brothers and various wives. 

Placing the South African friend (Stephen Farr), too, at the crime scene doesn’t add much beyond reinforcing a contrived déjà vu-related sub-plot.  Most significantly, what’s disappointing is that, upon further examination, the culprit’s motive is left as substantively weak.  Hence, the real ‘why’ behind this ingenious scheme is merely left to a reader’s conjecture.   

Comparatively, David Suchet’s 1994 Poirot TV movie version is well-cast and simplifies the plotting, as necessary.  Among the improvements is a more believable method of placing the fussy Poirot inside Gorston Hall.  Beyond substituting Chief Inspector Japp in for the forgettable Col. Johnson, the TV version also smartly consolidates the supporting cast to a more manageable number.  The decrepit Simeon is even more so an unlikable scoundrel, which fits the storyline better.  Most importantly, there’s finally an explanation behind the culprit’s motive. 

Yet, unlike this novel, the TV movie’s unforced error is tacking on a prologue that practically telegraphs the killer’s identity from the get-go.  If the prologue’s finish had conveyed as a dream-like flashback later on, it would have made far more dramatic sense for the climax.  It also would made a satisfying supplement, as Christie only alludes to Simeon’s murky youth (and likely misdeeds) in the novel.  Still, the book and movie will mesh well enough together for fans.

Despite some intriguing twists, Hercule Poirot’s Christmas doesn’t merit as a Top 10 Christie classic.  Yet, it’s still (at least, most of the time) an above-average Poirot mystery novel.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The first page is a quick Christie career retrospective.  There’s also five pages of Christie-related ads.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   7 Stars

Note: Poirot’s other Christmas caper: the novella “The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding” (aka “The Theft of the Royal Ruby”) is recommended.  Dating back to the mid-1920’s this novella’s earliest and most obscure incarnation, the blandly-titled “Christmas Adventure,” however, is an unsatisfying draft.    

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

First published in 1924, periodic re-releases include this 300-page William Morrow paperback in 2020.  In the prologue, enigmatic spy, Nadina, posing as an expatriate Russian ballet dancer in Paris, confides in a fellow confederate that she intends to defy their boss, the unidentified ‘Colonel.’ 

Days (or possibly weeks) later, in London, after the death of her archaeologist father, dark-haired, twenty-something Anne Beddingfeld narrates how she stumbles into an apparent double-homicide linked to Mill House — a posh home belonging to international business tycoon Sir Eustace Pedler.  Her prime suspect is a shadowy character publicly dubbed as ‘the man in the brown suit.’ 

Pursuing a potential lead, aspiring journalist/adventuress Anne boards a cruise ship, the Kilmorden Castle, for a journey to South Africa. Among her fellow passengers, she encounters charming socialite Mrs. Suzanne Blair; the unpleasant Reverend Chichester; and a ruggedly Sean Connery-like Colonel Race (who may or may not belong to the British Secret Service). Also, on this voyage, are Mill House’s befuddled Eustace Pedler, and his two odd secretaries: Guy Pagett and Harry Rayburn. Deemed a gypsy-like spirit, Anne charms her way through a growing list of viable suspects. 

Aboard ship and, later in several  South African locales, Anne realizes there’s few rules to the dangerous cat-and-mouse game she’s playing, as no one may be who he/she seems.  Against her enigmatic adversaries, Anne’s sleuthing links a diamond heist to a secret personal vendetta dating to World War I.  Most of all, she intends to finally unmask the ‘Man in the Brown Suit.’        

REVIEW:

Aside from its bland title, this underrated Christie romantic mystery is close to a gem.  Anne Beddingfeld (perhaps reminiscent of Hayley Atwell, Daisy Ridley, or a mid-90’s Minnie Driver) is possibly Agatha Christie’s best heroine, as far as her contemporary sense of adventure, resourcefulness, and playful humor.  Her chemistry with the supporting cast is consistently well-played, without macabre or racist undertones that permeate many of the author’s other works.  Though some aspects of Anne’s philosophy towards marriage are clearly antiquated, her character’s breezy, somewhat sarcastic personality remains a treat for readers to accompany a century later.    

In that sense, Brown Suit’s only detriment is the author’s propensity for some occasionally eye-rolling romantic dialogue.  Yet, the love triangle smoldering between Anne, Race, and another mysterious tall, dark, and handsome stranger delivers the satisfying literary equivalent of old-school Hollywood adventure films. 

Case in point: Brown Suit presents its own take on 1914’s “The Perils of Pauline” adventure/melodrama cliffhanger serial, which Anne occasionally references (only Christie inserts ‘Pamela’ for Pauline).  Sometimes ruefully comparing herself to this imperiled film heroine, Anne herself has no intention of being a damsel-in-distress.  Guided by Christie, Anne consistently proves a high-caliber protagonist.  

Adding to the plot as an effective counter-point is Pedler’s self-absorbed (and tongue-in-cheek), running commentary.  In particular, his vaudeville-style comedic chemistry with Pagett is a hoot to read.  What’s intriguing about this duo is their basis in reality – Christie’s Pedler & Pagett were inspired by a family acquaintance: Major E.A. Belcher and his real-life secretary.  Note: Having once seen a photo of Belcher and his secretary together (quite likely, it is in Christie’s memoir), as far as resemblance, it’s easy to visualize actors Stephen Root as Pedler and either John Turturro or Sacha Baron Cohen portraying Pagett.  They would be Christie’s answer to Laurel & Hardy.

According to Christie’s autobiography, Belcher cajoled her into using Mill House (his real-life home) as a fictional crime scene, plus inserting a fictionalized version of him into the storyline.  In delightful fashion, Christie doesn’t disappoint, considering she and her then-husband, Archie, joined a year-long, round-the-world exhibition tour with Belcher in 1922. 

Perhaps that’s why the fresh South African locales, as well as the weeks-long cruise sequences, feel genuine – Christie’s descriptive talents extend far past a mere travelogue.  Even if this book isn’t among Christie’s best-ever works, she and Anne Beddingfeld (not to mention, Sir Eustace) strive to keep readers entertained at all times.  Their shared concoction of suspense, romantic adventure, and wry humor delivers first-class entertainment.     

Presently, only an obscure, loosely-adapted 1989 TV movie starring Stephanie Zimbalist has tackled Brown Suit.  Considering its likely wide-audience appeal in the right creative hands, The Man in the Brown Suit definitely merits a faithful BBC production or a big-screen film.  Frankly, pitching someone like Tom Hardy as Harry Rayburn, for instance, would be a good start.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Entitled ‘Agatha Christie on Her Journey to Becoming a Writer,’ there’s a ten-page except from Christie’s autobiography.  It details how and why Christie concocted her first published story: Hercule Poirot’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles.  Complete lists (and recommended order of reading) of Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple titles are included.  Eight pages of Christie-related ads further pad the book.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  8 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

First published in 1952 (aka its British title: Murder With Mirrors), this 202-page paperback reprint was released by Harper PaperBacks forty years later.  The wealthy Ruth Van Rydock urges former classmate, Miss Jane Marple, to discreetly check up on Ruth’s sister and Miss Marple’s old friend: Carrie Louise. 

Carrie Louise is the aging matriarch at Stonygates — an English country estate/campus busily reforming two hundred juvenile delinquents.  The program’s director is her idealistic third husband: Lewis Serracold. 

On site are: Carrie Louise’s middle-aged daughter: Mildred Strete; two step-sons: Stephen & Alex Restarick; a granddaughter: Gina, and her sulking, blue-collar American husband: Wally Hudd; and a staff of psychiatrists, instructors, etc.  Among the aberrant youths are the paranoid Edgar Lawson and lockpick Ernie Gregg.

Amidst a locked room stand-off between Lewis and a deranged pupil, Carrie Louise’s step-son and family trustee, Christian Gulbrandsen, is found murdered.  It comes to light that someone else’s life is also threatened.  Aiding a perplexed Inspector Curry’s investigation, Miss Marple must distinguish some cold reality from illusion before a desperate culprit strikes again in a bid to claim her friend’s considerable fortune.       

REVIEW:

If this ho-hum mystery had actually pitted Miss Marple against a nefarious stage magician, then They Do It With Mirrors might have fulfilled its intriguing title.  Inexplicably, Agatha Christie concedes far too much re: a suspect from the get-go, leaving minimal suspense as to who this whodunnit’s culprit really is.  Despite sprinkling some decent clues, her contrived finale relies on Marple unfairly divulging vital inferences that readers couldn’t have known.  Christie’s dubious plotting further conveys the story’s most critical sequence as an excerpt from a letter versus actively depicting as it happens. 

Some sub-plots (i.e. the fate of Gina’s rocky marriage) are tidily resolved, but this narrative abruptly jumps from Point ‘A’ to Point ‘C,’ making the epilogue not nearly as satisfying as it should be.  The book’s disappointing ambiance is worsened by the casual inclusion of ethnic prejudices (i.e. an usage of the n-word).  Beyond exploiting mid-20^th Century bigotry, this tasteless element adds nothing to a less-than-scintillating murder-mystery. 

Aside from one saucy exchange between Gina and a would-be suitor late in the game, this Marple novel is devoid of Christie’s customary sparkle … or even an ounce of ‘a-ha!’ shock value.  They Do It With Mirrors isn’t great reading, but perhaps one of its film adaptations might be fair game.  In large part, any future film version ought to refrain from Christie’s middling text telegraphing a foregone conclusion.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The first page is a brief Agatha Christie biography.  A diagram of Stonygates’ interior first floor is included for reference. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:           4 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

Originally published in 1962, this 208-page Pocket Books paperback reprint was released in 1985.  Also known by its extended British title: The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side, it’s a sequel to 1942’s The Body in the Library. 

Years before, a murdered girl’s corpse had scandalized St. Mary Mead’s Gossington Hall and its classy residents, Col. and Mrs. Bantry.  The widowed Mrs. Bantry has since observed her ex-residence pass through multiple owners, including its newest: fading film star Marina Gregg and producer-director husband Jason Rudd. 

A suspicious death at a high society charity event hosted there by Gregg & Rudd leads Mrs. Bantry to call upon an old friend.  Now eighty years old, Jane Marple discreetly investigates how chatty charity worker Heather Badcock was secretly poisoned in front of at least a dozen witnesses. 

Pondering if Marina Gregg was the intended victim, Miss Marple and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Dermot Craddock traverse a maze of potential suspects.  The proximity of unexpected links to Marina’s troubled past suggest that she isn’t out of danger.  Icing a blackmailer and at least one potential witness might still be on the killer’s to-do-list.  Before it’s too late, Miss Marple’s intuition must decipher why Heather Badcock and Marina Gregg’s fates are intertwined.   

REVIEW:

Setting aside clichés that Christie relies upon to bring her characters into convenient proximity of one another, The Mirror Crack’d is an okay mystery.  Significantly, the core elements for a Miss Marple whodunnit are present.  It’s just that some plot contrivances (i.e. a long-forgotten marriage where one spouse doesn’t recognize the other; Arthur Badcock’s relationships with Heather Badcock & Marina Gregg) are far too extraordinary, even by Christie’s standards. 

The novel’s biggest hurdle (which also applies to a faithful, all-star 1980 film adaptation starring Angela Lansbury) is that the plot is too often tedious.  Saving its best material for last, some poignant revelations tying up loose ends prove well-played.  Yet, despite an intriguing premise, The Mirror Crack’d doesn’t rate as one of Agatha Christie’s better works. 

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

The pertinent quote from Lord Alfred Tennyson’s work is included.  There is also a list of characters identifying the novel’s cast.  Christie’s dedication is to film actress Margaret Rutherford, who was the Hollywood’s first Jane Marple. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  5 Stars

Written by Agatha Christie

SUMMARY:

First published in 1971, this 213-page paperback reprint was released by Signet via Penguin Putnam Inc. in 2000.  In a sequel to 1964’s A Caribbean Mystery, it’s been over a year since eighty-ish Miss Jane Marple teamed with wealthy financier Jason Rafiel to thwart a killer in the West Indies. 

In St. Mary Mead, Miss Marple casually learns of Rafiel’s passing through the obituaries, only to be contacted by his London attorneys.  Per Rafiel’s written behest, Miss Marple accepts her most enigmatic challenge ever: to determine an unknown miscarriage of justice that impacted her late friend and find some way to finally right it. 

As Rafiel has posthumously code-named her, Marple becomes his appointed ‘Nemesis’ to snare an unrepentant murderer.  Taking a cross-country famed home-and-garden sight-seeing coach tour, the elderly amateur detective ponders if a fellow passenger is either a potential victim or culprit.  An odd trio of middle-aged sisters that Rafiel has entrusted to host Marple’s stay also bear witness to this baffling case.   

In the midst of a traveler’s ominous demise, Miss Marple probes two possibly connected disappearances from eight years before in a village the sight-seeing tour visits.  As old emotional wounds reopen, Miss Marple may find herself the shadowy assailant’s next easy prey ensuring a grim secret remains forever hidden.    

REVIEW:

From the outset, Christie pushes that Jane Marple’s advanced age is now a significant hindrance in her sleuthing. The first half of Nemesis, therefore, is akin to déjà vu monotony, as far too little is accomplished exploring the premise. Vague plot threads, as well as an unnecessary dose of ethnic prejudice, are simply left spinning around, if they’re stuck in a broken dryer unable to heat up. Conveyed through various characters, all readers get are Christie’s disdainful commentaries on modern society’s acceptance of diminished mental capacity – i.e. favoring criminals, loose female sexuality, and anarchistic hippies. 

Once the suspense of Nemesis finally engages, insightful readers should sense the grisly misdirection that Christie intends long before the dreadful solution comes.  Hence, one is expected to shrug off Marple’s knack for eliciting implausibly candid and lengthy answers from complete strangers hinting potential clues. There’s no reprieve come the climax, as the less said about Marple’s preposterous confrontation scene the better. Still, as fair warning, please be advised that inferences re: sexual grooming and deviant obsession are among the most sickening in Christie’s arsenal of culprit motives.  

Far off her game, the disturbing Nemesis won’t be mistaken for one of Agatha Christie’s better works. In its ranking among Marple whodunnits, Nemesis makes a convincing argument that it’s the worst of the bunch.  

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Besides the usual Christie-related ads, Penguin Putnam Inc. includes a full page of its Christie title inventory.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:          2 Stars

Note: The good news is that A Caribbean Mystery is a far better read.