Written by Agatha Christie.
SUMMARY:
First published in 1954, William Morrow (HarperCollins Publishers) released this 248-page paperback edition in 2012. Over the course of several months, notable scientists from various countries have mysteriously vanished. The latest is American nuclear physicist Dr. Thomas Betterton, though now working for a British company, who disappears while attending a conference in Paris.
Two months later, British intelligence grimly has too few leads. Yet, one of them is Betterton’s stressed wife, Olive, who claims to have obtained medical clearance to seek some much-needed and secluded rest overseas.
A fatal plane crash in Casablanca soon claims Olive Betterton’s life, but the enigmatic British operative, Jessop, concocts a makeshift strategy. Having dissuaded a distraught Hilary Craven from suicide, Jessop recruits the lookalike Miss Craven to impersonate the late Mrs. Betterton. With any luck, she could help him identify the shadowy perpetrators behind this international scheme. Essentially, if Hilary Craven indeed has a death wish, Jessop assures that a covert suicide mission on behalf of world security will be far more exciting than a fatal overdose of sleeping pills.
Though Hilary’s mission initially goes according to plan, the opposition’s unpredictability traps her in an African compound where there is no telling who she can trust.
Note: The novel’s alternate title is So Many Steps to Death.
REVIEW:
Considering Destination Known is one of Agatha Christie’s few novels not yet adapted for film, one might suppose this Cold War espionage caper is justifiably obscure. Such an assessment owes more to a mixed-bag plot that could readily be tweaked for movies or television – either as a traditional period piece thriller or even a perverse black comedy.
More specifically, the pulpy storyline is intriguing for the first third setting up everywoman Hilary Craven’s undercover mission. As an amateur spy, Hilary’s impersonation of Olive Betterton comes off generally well-played.
The plotting, however, bogs down upon Hilary’s journey with potential criminals into a remote corner of Africa where nefarious scientific research is peddled behind the Iron Curtain’s ingenious front: a leper colony. With Hilary now effectively isolated, Destination Unknown struggles keeping readers tuned into the suspense of her plight. The good news is that, once the enigmatic Jessop resurfaces, a final series of plot twists makes dramatic sense and rewards Destination Unknown with a solid finish.
For readers seeking to complete their Christie bucket list, rest assured that Destination Unknown does not fall among her worst literary works. More so, the tinge of racism is not present, nor does she torment readers with unnecessary social rants later plaguing her books during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Conveyed as an average person surrounded by self-absorbed super-geniuses, Hilary Craven supplies a relatable and likable enough protagonist to take a ride with.
If anything, Christie’s Destination Unknown lands on a slippery slope between enjoyable spy games and a middling read. That being the case, the book’s likable finale merits giving Destination Unknown at least a chance for re-discovery.
Note: Offering potentially better reads are these Christie thrillers with British female protagonists caught up in espionage: The Man in the Brown Suit and They Came to Baghdad. Both books possess a breezily humorous flair that Destination Unknown mostly does not.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
The first page is the author’s biography. Included is Christie’s dedication to her son-in-law, Anthony Hicks.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
