Written by Agatha Christie
SUMMARY:
Originally published in 1941, this 202-page Berkley Books paperback reprint was released fifty years later. Private detective Hercule Poirot is discreetly vacationing at the seaside Jolly Roger Hotel. The upscale resort hotel is nestled on the aptly-named Smugglers’ Island off England’s Leatherscombe Bay.
Fellow guests include: the solemn Reverend Stephen Lane; the rambling Major Barry; upscale dressmaker Rosamund Darnley; young married couple Patrick and Christine Redfern; athletic spinster Emily Brewster; and the Marshall family, consisting of Captain Kenneth Marshall, his troubled teenage daughter, Linda, and Marshall’s self-involved new wife: ex-stage actress Arlena Stuart. The seaside hotel is also frequented by shifty local entrepreneur Horace Blatt.
Gossipy sensation of observing a blatant extramarital flirtation sets the hotel abuzz … until the glamorous Arlena Stuart is found brutally strangled on an isolated section of beach. Within the hotel, Poirot contemplates a surprising slew of suspects who all likely despised her. Only the Belgian sleuth’s legendary “little grey cells” can unravel the truth behind why Ms. Stuart met with cold-blooded murder.
REVIEW:
If judged on its own merits, Evil Under the Sun ages well among Agatha Christie’s best Poirot mysteries. Smartly pacing Poirot’s deductive reasoning, the plot benefits from focusing on a central homicide rather than Christie embellishing her whodunnit storyline with too many implausible twists. Further, this intriguing cast of suspects is built upon surprising degrees of everyday realism that still seem contemporary.
The novel’s detriment, however, is its déjà vu plotting reminiscent of 1937’s Death on the Nile. Instead of merely recycling an ingenious mystery formula, Christie tweaks Nile’s biggest weakness. Unlike the grandiose Nile’s contrivances, these low-key suspects are more believably set up for convenient proximity to Evil’s crime scene. Compensating for occasional lapses in originality, Christie’s subtle upgrades ensure that the Arlena Stuart murder case is a compelling read.
Evil Under the Sun’s top-caliber suspense and well-played attempts at misdirection are built upon the notion of evil as an integral and inescapable component of human nature. With a cold beverage in hand on a hot summer day, discovering Christie’s take on this timeless premise makes for a satisfying read.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There’s a helpful two-page roster of the novel’s characters. To date, none of the book’s filmed adaptations have kept the book’s original cast intact.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 8 Stars
