The Hound of Death - Book Review

I am reading through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and writing a review on each one.

The Hound of Death 

1933

Description

A collection of macabre mysteries, including the superlative short story Witness for the Prosecution…

Twelve unexplained phenomena with no apparent earthly explanation…

A dog-shaped gunpowder mark; an omen from ‘the other side’; a haunted house; a chilling seance; a case of split personalities; a recurring nightmare; an eerie wireless message; an elderly lady’s hold over a young man; a disembodied cry of ‘murder’; a young man’s sudden amnesia; a levitation experience; a mysterious SOS.

My Thoughts

This is the 18th book by Agatha Christie and the 2nd Stand Alone Mystery

In actual fact it is a book of 12 short stories with no signs of any of her usual or seldom used detectives.

It is I think my least favourite of Agatha Christie books even though it contains the first writing of "Witness for the Prosecution" as a short story and later it became famous as a play.

Not entirely a group of detective stories but more stories of the mind or supernatural stories and a great deal of darkness contained therein.

The one I always remember the best is the one about the blue jar and it is more a con story than anything else, using the art of suggestion - this is a bit of a spoiler but not too much.

So if you are not a great Christie fan who wants to read all her books then this is one you may want to leave out unless you are intrigued by things of the mind.




Here is a link to a list of her novels on Amazon
Books by Agatha Christie


If thinking of reading this book in the future why not pin this pic to go back to later.

Lord Edgeware Dies - Book Review

I am reading through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and writing a review on each one.

Lord Edgeware Dies 

1933

Description

Agatha Christie’s famous murder mystery, reissued with a striking cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.

Poirot had been present when Jane bragged of her plan to ‘get rid of’ her estranged husband. Now the monstrous man was dead. And yet the great Belgian detective couldn’t help feeling that he was being taken for a ride.

After all, how could Jane have stabbed Lord Edgware to death in his library at exactly the same time she was seen dining with friends? And what could be her motive now that the aristocrat had finally granted her a divorce?

My Thoughts

This is the 17th book by Agatha Christie and the 8th Poirot Mystery.

One that once read should not be forgotten because of the uniqueness of the solution but yet I had forgotten it in full from my previous reading of it and hence really enjoyed it again.   

Looks like an unsolvable mystery: how can someone be in two places at the same time?  Are witnesses mistaken, or which witness/witnesses are mistaken?  But when the behind the scenes facts are known it seems to be such a simplistic but intricate plan by a clever murderer.

I have to admit it is hard to talk about this one without giving too much away.

One of the best known of Christie's books and certainly deserves to the up there in the top 10.

If you would like to know more about this book then click on the title or picture above.

 Here is a link to a list of her novels on Amazon
Books by Agatha Christie


If thinking of reading this book in the future why not pin this pic to go back to later.

The Thirteen Problems - Book Review

I am reading through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and writing a review on each one.

The Thirteen Problems 

1932

Description

The Tuesday Night Club is a venue where locals challenge Miss Marple to solve recent crimes…

One Tuesday evening a group gathers at Miss Marple’s house and the conversation turns to unsolved crimes…

The case of the disappearing bloodstains; the thief who committed his crime twice over; the message on the death-bed of a poisoned man which read ‘heap of fish’; the strange case of the invisible will; a spiritualist who warned that ‘Blue Geranium’ meant death…

My Thoughts

This is the 16th book by Agatha Christie and the 2nd Miss Marple Mystery.

It is a book of short stories with the following titles:

The Tuesday Night Club

The Idol House of Astarte

Ingots of Gold

The Bloodstained Pavement

Motive v Opportunity

The Thumb Mark of St. Peter

The Blue Geranium

The Companion

The Four Suspects

A Christmas Tragedy

The Herb of Death

The Affair at the Bungalow

Death by Drowning

The first story sets the scene for the rest - there are a certain group of people gathered together in a relaxed atmosphere who each present a mystery and the others are to suggest the solution to this mystery.  

Miss Marple's nephew features here along with some others who may or may not appear in further books.

Miss Marple may seem like the one who would have the least experience of the "big bad world" but she is in fact the one who has seen many things in her small village and thus is the one who can provide the solutions.

Some of the short stories here have actually later been used as the ideas for other Christie stories.

As much as I enjoy a full story where the reader has to read carefully and uncover all the clues hidden within to solve the crime at times I really do enjoy a group of short stories like this to read.  Somewhat like enjoying a cryptic crossword puzzle because each correct answer written into the puzzle brings a sense of satisfaction itself.

Or perhaps these short stories are just a series of quick fixes for us mystery lovers.

A good read with such a varied group of stories.

Also a good start for someone to get introduced to the books of Agatha Christie.

 Here is a link to a list of her novels on Amazon
Books by Agatha Christie

The Sittaford Mystery - Book Review

I am reading through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and writing a review on each one.

The Sittaford Mystery. 


1931  



Description

In a remote house in the middle of Dartmoor, six shadowy figures huddle around a small round table foe a seance.

Tension rises as the spirits spell out a chilling message:
Is this black magic or simply a macabre joke? 

The only way to be certain is to locate Captain Trevelyan. 
Unfortunately, his home is six miles away and, with snow drifts blocking the roads, someone will have to make the journey on foot...

         'Captain Trevelyan...dead...murder'

My Thoughts

This is the 14th book by Agatha Christie and the First to be what I would describe as a stand alone murder mystery.  

It features none of Miss Christie's previous detectives or sleuths and none of the characters in this book are found in any of the later books she wrote.
This story is based in the countryside and in the depth of winter making travelling difficult and that is essential to the whole book.

There are a small cast of neighbours but of course our writer is not confined to just these few to weave her story but also takes us far away to see that others may have had some influence in it all.


I really enjoyed this story and do believe that this title is the better title for the book than the American one of "Murder at Hazelmoor".    Yes the story is of a murder but definitely in this Christie novel it is the mystery that we need to solve.



Of course a detective/policeman is needed to solve the case but even that is not exactly as it seems at first and in my eyes this is another good example of the Christie use of Red Herrings.
A good read and a simple solution but just not simple until explained.

 Here is a link to a list of her novels on Amazon
Books by Agatha Christie

The Murder at the Vicarage - Book Review

I am trying to read through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and write a review on each one.

  

The Murder at the Vicarage. 

1930
  
A Miss Marple Story.


Description

'Anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe', declared the parson, brandishing a carving knife above a joint of roast beef, 'would be doing the world at large a favour!'

It was a careless remark for a man of the cloth. And one which was to come and haunt the clergyman just a few hours later - when the Colonel is found shot dead in the clergyman's study. But as Miss Marple soon discovers, the whole village seems to have had a motive to kill Colonel Protheroe.

The first Miss Marple mystery, one which tests all her powers of observation and deduction.

My Thoughts

This is the 13th book by Agatha Christie and the First involving Miss Marple.

Oh how no-one thinks an elderly spinster could be interesting or knowledgeable when it comes to - well almost anything except perhaps her garden.

This book is full of endearing characters and infuriating characters which are probably the norm in an English Village the difference here being that one of those infuriating characters gets murdered.

Plenty of suspects and a complicated timeline of events makes this a difficult case to solve until Miss Marple can see around and through various aspects of this mystery.

A great storyline to introduce this sleuth and one that is definitely suited to her personality and insight.   So read and enjoy (as I did) and watch out for the clock, the garden and all the people that see everything in a village.

 Here is a link to a list of her novels on Amazon
Books by Agatha Christie

The Mysterious Mr Quin - Book Review

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There is an affiliate link on this blogpost.

I am trying to read through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and write a review on each one.

  

The Mysterious Mr Quin. 

1930  

A Book of short stories.


Description

THE MYSTERIOUS MR. QUIN A conjurer of skill with an instinct for detection, Mr. Harley Quin has an almost magical flair for appearing at the scene of the most remarkable crimes. But is it just a trick of light that haunts his shadow with a ghostly apparition? Is it fate that invites him to a New Year's Eve murder? And what forces are at work when his car breaks down outside Royston Hall, an isolated estate with a deadly history? With fantastic intrigue, uncanny procedure, and Agatha Christie's most charismatic creation, these dazzling stories remain personal favorites for the queen of crime.

My Thoughts

This is the 12th book by Agatha Christie and the First involving Mr Sattertwaite and Mr Quin.

Now the first thing I must comment on is that this one is of a very different tone and feel than the previous books.

It is the third book of short stories but is distinctly different from "Poirot Investigates"  and  "Partners in Crime"

Whereas "Poirot Investigates" was a gathering of typically Poirot type solutions, and "Partners in Crime" held the more comedic atmosphere due to Tommy & Tuppence adventures, this book is somewhat dark and sad in it's crimes.  Of course this leads well for the "Mysterious" title.

Two completely different men are introduced here with Mr Quin being highly mysterious and Mr Sattertwaite being very endearing to the readers.  I also think the readers would like to identify with the latter and think that one day they may have the opportunity to have some mystery and adventure in their lives.

I enjoyed the book again reading one story after the other and regretfully (afterwards) finishing the book in one evening when I really should have been asleep.  Lost sleep and the book being finished so soon both contributed to this regret.

Not a usual type of story for Miss Christie but then it does confirm the fact that she did not just turn out books of the same nature each time.  She had more talent than that.

 Here is a link to a list of her novels on Amazon
Books by Agatha Christie














Disclaimer:
If buying through Amazon via the link above I get a little commission but that does not mean any extra expense to you.

Partners in Crime - Book Review

Disclaimer:
There is an affiliate link on this blogpost.


I am trying to read through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and write a review on each one.

  

Partners in Crime. 


1929  
A Book of short stories.
Detectives - Tommy & Tuppence



Shelfari Description

Tommy and Tuppence take over a detective agency and assume the methods of such great fictional detectives as Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot to solve case after case...

My Thoughts

This is the 11th book by Agatha Christie and the Second one  involving Tommy & Tuppence who are now married.

Although the pair's previous book  "The Secret Adversary" was a full length novel this one is a series of short stories about their new life as Private Investigators - Mr Blunt and his assistant Miss Robinson.  15 completely different short stories all set around the Detective Agency that Tommy and Tuppence have taken over.  

Something that I particularly liked was the fact that this pair were not perfect and in fact made some quite wrong assumptions at times.

Albert is back in this book as well adding an extra bit of humour to the delicious atmosphere of the Tommy & Tuppence relationship


I adored the book and sat up late at night saying

 "just one more story and then I'll go to sleep" 

but that wasn't true at all, I just kept reading on.  

 Here is a link to a list of her novels on Shelfari
Books by Agatha Christie






Disclaimer:
If buying through Amazon via the link above I get a little commission but that does not mean any extra expense to you.

And Then There Were None - Book Review

I was trying to read through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and write a review on each one.

But then I heard that the World's Favourite Christie had been voted on and the winner was  

And Then There Were None. 

I was just so tempted to read it even though it was

Written in 1939  

and I was only up to 

1929

because it is the only one that I was really not sure that I had actually read before and I know I have never owned a paperback of it but I do have it now in hardback in my Heron Set of Christie Novels.

So my apologies for jumping ahead and doing this one out of order.



Shelfari Description



Ten people, each with something to hide, are invited to a lonely mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear. On the island they are cut off from everything but one another and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests fall victim to the dark secrets of their pasts. And one by one they start to die...

My Thoughts

This is the 34th book by Agatha Christie and one of the few that do not involve one of her detectives.

Even though I cannot remember if I read this while a teenager I did know most of the story. Those who have ever read it could not fail to remember the plot (if not all the details) because it is, like her play "The Mousetrap", unique and unforgettable.

Anyone who is interested in Christie's books could not fail to have heard or read something pertaining to this classic especially around the 2 changes of title that have been made over the years. Starting out life as "Ten Little Niggers" using an old rhyme of that name; then changing to "Ten Little Indians" which became as much a "no-no" as the original title and finally becoming "And Then There Were None" which actually tends to give away the storyline but is probably a good hook title.

A select guest list, a deserted location and a missing host will undoubtedly grab your interest as you read a synopsis or teaser for the book but when I read this book through in less than a day I can say that the first 2 pages had me hooked.

She very carefully introduces her characters so that we know something about them but not everything and she does it quickly through the actual characters themselves. We have the superior feeling at this stage of being somewhat familiar with all the characters before they are introduced to each other.

I cannot imagine anyone who likes a murder mystery being disappointed with this one and so I agree that it is worthy of the title "The World's Favourite Christie" and it isn't even a Poirot or Marple story.

I hunted around on the internet to see if I could buy a dvd of any of the 3 films that have been made in 1945, 1965 & 1974 but was unsuccessful so ended up watching them on YouTube instead.
NOTE: Why do filmmakers always want to change the endings? If they think the book is good enough to make into a film then surely the ending is good enough?

But just today I have found out that there is a 3 part mini series being filmed for the BBC with some interesting actors for the roles and we should see this on our screens possibly at Christmas.

World's Favourite Christie - Book Review

However after saying it is very good and acknowledging why it has been chosen as the world's greatest Christie, I would say if you only read one Christie do not make it this one. My reason for this is simply that this is not her usual style so you are best to pick a Poirot or a Marple to get the real Christie feel.

Here is a link to a list of her novels on Shelfari
Books by Agatha Christie

The Mystery of the Blue Train - Book Review

I am trying to read through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and write a review on each one.

  

The Mystery of The Blue Train.

1928

A Poirot Mystery.


Shelfari Description


Le Train Bleu is an elegant, leisurely means of travel, and one certainly free of intrigue.

Poirot boards Le Train Bleu, bound for the French Riviera. So does Katherine Grey, who is having her first winter out of England, after having inherited a huge sum in a most romantic manner.

While on board she meets Ruth Kettering, an American heiress bailing out from a marriage to meet her lover. The next morning, though, Ruth is found dead in her compartment, a victim of strangulation and bludgeoned almost beyond recognition. The theft of her priceless rubies, and rumors of a strange man loitering near her compartment, send Poirot on a quest to find her murderer.

My Thoughts

This is the 9th book by Agatha Christie and the 6th for her sleuth Hercule Poirot.

I must say there is a large Red Herring here in this story for avid murder mystery readers but I do not believe in plot spoilers so you will have to read the book for yourself to see what it is.


This story involves characters you think you will not like but you then may be surprised that you do like them. There are also characters that we think we will like but may not.

I did of course miss "my friend" Hastings as the confidant of Poirot in this one but Poirot did have someone to help in a different way.

I enjoyed the book, having my attention drawn to different possibilities and always the constant "but why" in my mind regarding part of the form of the murder.

The train as a venue for this murder does open up certain possibilities more unique to this story which may not be obvious at the start of our sleuth's investigation. Still remembering that Miss Christie may have Poirot as the revealer of the solution at the end of these novels but she herself does indeed slip in all the clues throughout.

 Here is a link to a list of her novels on Shelfari
Books by Agatha Christie

The Big Four - Book Review

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There is an affiliate link on this blogpost.


I am trying to read through the novels of Agatha Christie in the order in which they were written and write a review on each one.

  

The Big Four. 

1927  
A Poirot Mystery.


Shelfari Description

It is a few years after the First World War, Hercule Poirot is preparing for a voyage to South America at the behest of a wealthy American. Captain Hastings has returned from South America on business and his arrival causes Poirot to cancel his trip. Poirot has discovered the existence of four immensely powerful individuals who together plan world domination. A Chinaman, An American, A Frenchwoman and an Englishman. An investigation is in order. Fortunately, Poirot has the faithful Captain Hastings at his side as he plunges into a conspiracy of international scope -- one that would consolidate power in the deadly cabal known as "The Big Four". The book contains several chapters which are almost stand alone cases as the Big Four and Poirot, Hasting and various police forces progress towards the final outcome a year after the first contact Poirot has had with the Big Four.

My Thoughts

This is the 8th book by Agatha Christie and the 5th for her sleuth Hercule Poirot.

I read this in one day.  Started it at the hairdressers in the afternoon and then read again in the evening and then finished it in bed that night.   I really did want to read it quickly as it was holding my attention well and I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next and who Number Four was, but it also helped that I had been unwell for the four days before this and still not back to fighting fit form so I did not feel guilty about reading so much in one day.

A very different storyline to her last book The Murder of Roger Ackroyd  with this one not being about a specific murder and the household of suspects.  Instead we had different events in different locations and always the feeling of having to look over your shoulder no matter where we were.  Also the ever present threat to Poirot was part of the suspense.

Was the fact that Hastings had returned and was the narrator a great addition to this book?  For me I believe yes and for others who have not read any Poirot novels and met his friend Captain Hastings I still think yes, as I believe the narration comments he makes just endear his character to any reader.  One thing that I feel is misleading about the Shelfari description above is that Hastings did not cause Poirot to change his mind about his trip at the start of the book.

I really did not remember this book even though I know I have read it many many years ago and even though I had seen the TV adaptation about a year ago there was such a difference from the original story that I felt I was reading something completely new as I went through it.

Some parts of this book may seem a bit dated nowadays but as with all Christie mysteries the main storyline can be ageless.  But maybe we could also say that some of this book seemed even more suited to this day and age because of our world powers, wealth and prestige.

So even though it is not a straightforward murder mystery that I love from Agatha Christie you can tell by how quickly I read it that I really did enjoy it.

 Here is a link to a list of her novels on Shelfari
Books by Agatha Christie




Disclaimer:
If buying through Amazon via the link above I get a little commission but that does not mean any extra expense to you.