For Your Consideration
I've really recently finished all of Agatha Christie's mystery novels. I'm proud of that accomplishment. It was a 19-year process. 19 years?, you say. Yep. Of course, in those years I returned to some old favorites. Old classics. The epitome of the best of Agatha's work. It's always great to return to something comfy and familiar.
Anyway, let's get back to my having read all of AC's mystery novels. I told this news to two of my coworkers. Jonathan Slaughter and Mark Dearing were pleased for me, I think. And yes, I admitted that during the long journey I wanted to reread some great stories. Jonathan asked me which of her novels would I recommend to someone new to Agatha Christie.
And Then There Were None, of course, is what I suggested. Of course, there are classics (Hercule Poirot stories) such as Death on the Nile, The ABC Murders, and Murder on the Orient Express. I told him that The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was excellent, too. I change my mind on that; I'd recommend Ackroyd to someone who has already read a few Poirot stories.
Let me discuss and defend these novels as some of AC's best (and Poirot's).
Death on the Nile finds our Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in Egypt with the good adventurer Colonel Race. Together, they ferret out a ruthless killer aboard a boat on the River Nile. Great choice of book, for Race is a great friend for Poirot to team up with, and it's great for the exotic location Poirot is in. Several murders make it a great novel, but it also features several separate tragic storyies among some of the characters. There are plenty of red herrings to mislead the reader. Oh, and yes--a twist ending at the end!
If you'd like the villain match his wits with Poirot's, take a look at The ABC Murders. A series of murders--all random and throughout England--baffle Scotland Yard. More baffling is that the murderer actually writes Poirot to warn him about each murder--ahead of time! At each scene of the crime, the murderer leaves behind a copy of the ABC Guide--a railway guide listing all times and stations. The serial killer starts at the beginning of the alphabet--will death continue to X, Y, Z? With Poirot are Captain Hastings the narrator of this story, and Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard.
Murder on the Orient Express is truly a tour de force for Agatha. This novel is famous for its surprise ending and a wonderfully done film based on it. It tells the story of Poirot riding on the Orient Express train, heading back to England. He his offered a "job" by a loathsome man named Mr. Ratchett, who fears for his life and asks Poirot to be his bodyguard. Poirot turns Ratchett down, telling him, "I do not like your face." Later that night, Ratchett is murdered by multiple stabbings! Poirot really relies on his gray cells of his brain, for their are many contradictions of time and among the passengers' testimonies. What will surprise you is the identity of the murderer, and even how Poirot handles the situation.
I finish my first thoughts of this new blog with a word or two about The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. This novel is a must-read simply because it is controversial now as it was then (1926). Certainly it broke the rules of detective fiction. A few lessons are taught by Agatha here. 1) Not every "clue" has the same value of importance; 2) Read carefully to what everyone says and does; 3) No one should be above suspicion; and 4) Everybody in every Christie mystery lies (see above, Murder on the Orient Express). This classic contains the main ingredients of an "older" Christie: the rich murdered man, the large estate, the mysterious stranger at night, the big game hunter, the estranged son, the nosy butler, and the issue of blackmail. What makes this novel unique is Christie's choice of murderer and what Poirot does about it.
Next time, we'll discuss the ultimate Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None, the world's best-selling mystery novel.
Anyway, let's get back to my having read all of AC's mystery novels. I told this news to two of my coworkers. Jonathan Slaughter and Mark Dearing were pleased for me, I think. And yes, I admitted that during the long journey I wanted to reread some great stories. Jonathan asked me which of her novels would I recommend to someone new to Agatha Christie.
And Then There Were None, of course, is what I suggested. Of course, there are classics (Hercule Poirot stories) such as Death on the Nile, The ABC Murders, and Murder on the Orient Express. I told him that The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was excellent, too. I change my mind on that; I'd recommend Ackroyd to someone who has already read a few Poirot stories.
Let me discuss and defend these novels as some of AC's best (and Poirot's).
Death on the Nile finds our Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in Egypt with the good adventurer Colonel Race. Together, they ferret out a ruthless killer aboard a boat on the River Nile. Great choice of book, for Race is a great friend for Poirot to team up with, and it's great for the exotic location Poirot is in. Several murders make it a great novel, but it also features several separate tragic storyies among some of the characters. There are plenty of red herrings to mislead the reader. Oh, and yes--a twist ending at the end!
If you'd like the villain match his wits with Poirot's, take a look at The ABC Murders. A series of murders--all random and throughout England--baffle Scotland Yard. More baffling is that the murderer actually writes Poirot to warn him about each murder--ahead of time! At each scene of the crime, the murderer leaves behind a copy of the ABC Guide--a railway guide listing all times and stations. The serial killer starts at the beginning of the alphabet--will death continue to X, Y, Z? With Poirot are Captain Hastings the narrator of this story, and Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard.
Murder on the Orient Express is truly a tour de force for Agatha. This novel is famous for its surprise ending and a wonderfully done film based on it. It tells the story of Poirot riding on the Orient Express train, heading back to England. He his offered a "job" by a loathsome man named Mr. Ratchett, who fears for his life and asks Poirot to be his bodyguard. Poirot turns Ratchett down, telling him, "I do not like your face." Later that night, Ratchett is murdered by multiple stabbings! Poirot really relies on his gray cells of his brain, for their are many contradictions of time and among the passengers' testimonies. What will surprise you is the identity of the murderer, and even how Poirot handles the situation.
I finish my first thoughts of this new blog with a word or two about The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. This novel is a must-read simply because it is controversial now as it was then (1926). Certainly it broke the rules of detective fiction. A few lessons are taught by Agatha here. 1) Not every "clue" has the same value of importance; 2) Read carefully to what everyone says and does; 3) No one should be above suspicion; and 4) Everybody in every Christie mystery lies (see above, Murder on the Orient Express). This classic contains the main ingredients of an "older" Christie: the rich murdered man, the large estate, the mysterious stranger at night, the big game hunter, the estranged son, the nosy butler, and the issue of blackmail. What makes this novel unique is Christie's choice of murderer and what Poirot does about it.
Next time, we'll discuss the ultimate Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None, the world's best-selling mystery novel.
Oh, MOTOE was quite a book. Great read. I always thought Poirot's idea of justice in that one was different. Does that say anything about Christie's own ideas about justice? The ending was a surprise because I don't remember if another of her books has that kind of end. Keep up the good work, nice site!
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Dear sir,
I should like to thank you for your fantastic work. When I was much younger (1976), I was a journalist in a Portuguese newspaper and I wrote an article about Agatha Christie by the time she died. Then, it was almost impossible to find one of her stories. I like to think that because of what I wrote, a major publisher, published her entire work in double books.
Thank you again and don't stop.
Yours sincerely,
Manuel Freire
Journalist
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