Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1934
Genres: Novel, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
I really admired ''Why Didn't They Ask Evans?" It was such an exciting read that I couldn't put it down! I really loved it! I loved the suspense. I loved the character development and the excellent chemistry between the characters. It is such an excellent mystery that it kept me puzzled till the very end.
The story's central characters are Bobby Jones, a vicar's son, and his childhood friend, Lady Frances Derwent (Frankie). At the beginning of the novel, Bobby comes across a man who has fallen off a cliff. The man utters these few words before succumbing to his death: ''Why didn't they ask Evans?''
The man is identified as a certain Alex Pritchard by Mrs Cayman, a woman who claims to be the dead man's sister. The case is taken to be that of a suicide or a careless accident. However, Bobby's friend Frankie muses that it might have been a murder. When attempts are taken on Bobby's life, Bobby and Frankie become quite sure that ''Alex Pritchard'''s case was indeed that of murder and the murderer thought that since ''Alex Pritchard'' literally died in Bobby's arms, he (Pritchard) might have told Bobby something that could reveal the identity of the murderer. Bobby and Frankie set out to investigate with a few clues. Their ameteur investigation leads them to discover that things are not as simple as they seem, as they come across complex and layered people; they discover more hidden crimes related to the case, they come across dangers, they find more clues, and they can't quite decide who the hideous villain actually is...
I loved the way the story got more complex, more layered! What seemed a rather straightforward case became a really puzzling and unpredictable one! I kept reading it, and the revelations left me pretty astounded!
It is not just the mystery that makes this book so irresistible and hard to put down. All the characters are so well-developed! I loved, loved, loved Bobby and Frankie! I loved the chemistry between them! The secondary characters are complex and excellently-developed! All these characters and their chemistry kept the story really engrossing!
I loved this novel! I loved the suspense, the puzzling mystery, the way everything unfolded! I loved Bobby and Frankie! I loved the humor! I loved the character development.
4 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1945
Genres: Novel, Crime, Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
...Rosemary, that's for remembrance.
Memories of Rosemary Barton haunt the six people who had been witnesses to a tragedy a year ago- Rosemary Barton, a beautiful, bubbly socialite, apparently committed suicide taking potassium cyanide, during her birthday party. A year has passed, but the memories of Rosemary- and those of that dreadful evening- haunt these six people. There is Iris, Rosemary's younger sister. There is George Barton, Rosemary's middle-aged husband. There is Ruth Lessing, George's secretary. Anthony Browne, one of the many men Rosemary was friends with. And finally we have Stephen Farraday and his wife Lady Alexandra Farraday. These six people think of Rosemary, and their associations with the high-spirited, beautiful, brainless woman. Rosemary is dead, but her memory, her very presence, clings on to them.
George Barton receives anonymous letters stating that Rosemary had actually been murdered- that it had not actually been a suicide. Being restless, George gets determined to find out the person who had murdered his wife. And the murderer must be one of the six people present in the birthday party.
Who had a motive for Rosemary's murder? Insights into the minds and thoughts of the six people give light to more possibilities, more motives, more complex circumstances. And when a second murder takes place, things seem to get way complicated...
The first part of this book was rather slow paced, and it was absolutely necessary, as we get insights into the minds of the six major characters, their backgrounds, their thoughts. We come to know what they thought about Rosemary. The characters are really well developed.
Psychologically intense, complex, and quite unpredictable- I really enjoyed this novel. I really did. It is definitely not the one of the best Agatha Christie novels I have read, but it was definitely fascinating, complex and unpredictable.
4 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1959
Genre: Novel, Mystery, Crime
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
''Cat Among the Pigeons'' is about a school, Meadowbanks, one of the most successful boarding school for girls in England, run by Miss Bulstrode. A lot of important people are students in this school, like princesses and members of foreign royal families. A new term starts at the school, and several of the students and teachers feel that something unusual is going on in the school, that there is somebody unwanted present among them, that there is a ''cat among the pigeons'' present in the school. However, nobody can guess who that ''cat'' actually is...
However, things turn serious as two of the teachers are found murdered, and a student is apparently kidnapped...
One of the students, Julia Upjohn, finds out some clues about what might be responsible behind these incidents, and she goes to the famous detective, Hercule Poirot, and asks him to look deeply into the matter.
''Cat Among the Pigeons'' is not one of the best Agatha Christie novels that I have read, but it was certainly a wonderful, suspenseful read, a quick read. Some of the parts were really scary, and some of the suspenseful scenes were really well-written. Hercule Poirot makes a very late appearance in this novel. Before his arrival, the novel develops the incidences, characters, and the mystery. It helps to develop the situation and the atmosphere.
I didn't find it to be a predictable mystery, and overall, the mystery is quite good, it has quite a good cast of characters, and I really liked it.
4 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1961
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Crime
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
''The Pale Horse'' is not a great mystery novel, but the concept, the narration, and atm0sphere are so good that the book is hard to put down! I really enjoyed this novel. It had such a wonderful atmosphere and the narration by Mark Easterbrook is very engrossing.
''The Pale Horse'' is mostly narrated by Mark Easterbrook. He is a historian. Well, I guess this story will be a bit difficult to summarize. But the main thing about the story is, Father Gorman was recently found murdered, and a paper was found in his shoe, and it seems that the murderer wanted this paper. There are names of some people written in this paper--- and the people whose names are written have all died recently, of natural causes. Detective Inspector Lejune is puzzled.
Mark Easterbrook comes to know about the case from Dr Corrigan, who had been his friend at university. Mark is visiting a village, Much Deeping, where his cousin, Rhoda, and her husband, resides. Rhoda takes Mark and some other visitors to a pub, The Pale Horse, run by three strange women: Thyrza, Sybil and Bella. These three women are said to practice black magic. Most residents of the village think that it's nothing serious.
Thyrza takes Mark to the library of the pub, and tells him about a strange and mysterious way of death--- that she can send death rays that can eventually kill a person from natural causes. Mark is puzzled, and several incidences lead him to think about the connection of Pale Horse and case about which he heard from Corrigan. Something wicked and mysterious is certainly going on, and Mark teams up with Ginger, a woman who was also a guest in Rhoda's house, to solve the case.
It was a very puzzling novel, and it kept me guessing. Especially from the time Mark and Ginger take the initiative to solve the case, to know what is actually going on, the novel really gets exciting. It's not that it's a very great mystery novel, but it was really a puzzling, entertaining read, and I really liked the clever Ginger who comes up with such clever plans. Some of the things were a bit predictable but still this novel was absolutely entertaining and engrossing.
There are quite a lot of characters present in this novel. Ariadne Oliver, the famous novelist, appears in this one. I first read about Ariadne Oliver in the Hercule Poirot novel, ''Cards on the Table''. Though Mrs Oliver is a minor supporting character in ''The Pale Horse'', her appearances were still very memorable.
Overall, I really, really, really liked this book. It was very entertaining and very enjoyable. It's a good mystery novel, cleverly written and a smooth read.
P.S: The cover of this book is beautiful!
4 out of 5
Author: Wilkie Collins
Published: 1868
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Crime
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
''The Moonstone'' is my first Wilkie Collins novel, and I really adored it. I loved the storytelling, wit, narration, character development, and the way in which different characters narrate the story in their own style. I really liked this novel.
''The Moonstone'' tells the story of a valuable Indian diamond. Colonel James Herncastle, a corrupt soldier, had acquired this diamond in India as a result of war. He brings the diamond, known as the Moonstone, to England, and leaves it to his niece, Rachel Verinder.
Rachel Verinder lives with her mother, Lady Verinder. After the death of Colonel Herncastle, Franklin Blake (a cousin of Rachel Verinder), is given the task of taking the diamond to Rachel, and present it to her on her 18th birthday. On her birthday party, Rachel wears the diamond, and before going to bed, she keeps it in her cabinet.
However, that very night, the diamond is stolen...
Things get mysterious... who could have stolen the diamond? Apparently, the house was perfectly locked and secure, and no outsider could get into the house...
The renowned detective Sergeant Cuff is called. Everything centering the case seems puzzling, mysterious...
The book is divided into two parts: the first part is narrated by Gabriel Betteredge, the trusted elderly steward of the Verinders, and the second part is narrated by different characters.
I really liked the narration style. The style of each of the characters is reflected through their narrations. For example, Gabriel Betteredge's narrative, which, I think, is the longest narrative in the book (he narrates the whole first part), is a little slow-paced and sometimes witty. Gabriel Betteredge is the trusted old steward of the family, and Lady Verinder likes him a lot. He has quirks, which are reflected in his narrative. The first narrative of the second part is by Miss Clack, a relative of the Verinders. Miss Clack's narrative was amusing and also irritating! The narratives by Franklin Blake and Mr Bruff (and others) are more serious-sounding.
This is a long book, and a lot of things happen in the course of the novel, it takes several unexpected turns, making the mystery really enjoyable. Not only this, there are several characters that remain memorable, for whom we feel sympathy. Though the main subject of the book is the mystery, the characters also form a major part of the book, and over the course of the story, a lot of things happen to the characters, changing the lives of several of them. As mentioned a lot of times in the book, after the night of the birthday party, nothing remained same in the carefree, happy lives of the central characters; rather, they were being haunted by mysteries and suspicions.
I really liked this novel; I liked the narrative style, character development, and the development of the mystery. It's an amazing book, and I'm looking forward to read more Wilkie Collins novels.
4 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1931
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Crime, Thriller
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Review
Agatha Christie's ''The Sittaford Mystery'' is set in a snowy village, Sittaford. A woman named Mrs Willett, and her daughter Violet, have recently rented The Sittaford Cottage, owned by Captain Trevelyan. Captain Trevelyan lives in the neighboring town of Exhampton. Mrs Willett and her daughter are very sociable people. They regularly invite their neighbors for tea. The story begins with a tea party at the Sittaford Cottage. The guests are: Major Burnaby (who is a neighbor of the Willetts and also the best friend of Trevelyan), Mr Rycroft (a neighbor interested in criminology and ornithology), Mr Duke (a mysterious man), and Ronald Garfield (a young man who is visiting his elderly aunt in Sittaford). They play table-turning, when suddenly, through table-turning, a message comes to them: that Captain Trevelyan has been murdered.
Though everybody feels uneasy because of the message, they try to think that it was just an unpleasant joke. However, Major Burnaby feels uneasy, and goes to Exhampton on foot, in the snowy night, to see if Trevelyan's alright. However, he discovers that Trevelyan has indeed been murdered.
Inspector Narcott starts investigating the case, and the police arrest James Pearson, nephew of Trevelyan, who was in Exhampton the evening his uncle had died. However, James's fiance, Emily Trefusis, doesn't believe that James can murder anyone. She is sure that James is innocent. So she starts investigation the matter on her own.
Another pleasant mystery by Agatha Christie! The setting of this novel is really good. The isolated, snowy village Sittaford.
The most unforgettable thing about this book was the character of Emily Trefusis! It was such an amazing character! The way she takes the responsibility of personally investigating the case finding out who the actual criminal is... she was absolutely a very strong character! I found the character sweet, strong and unforgettable. The firm determination of the character is extremely noteworthy.
There are many characters in this novel: the family of Captain Trevelyan, the residents of Sittaford, and several residents of Exhampton. This cast of characters was quite strong and very remarkable.
This is a novel full of twists and turns! The solution comes quite unexpected (though I did have a faint--- very faint--- idea of who it might be, though I didn't have any idea of why), and the ways in which Emily solves the puzzle were really good!
This is not among my favorite Agatha Christie novels, but it was certainly a very, very pleasant, extremely satisfying, puzzling read that I would recommend! It is very cleverly written, engrossing, and has a very strong cast of characters.
3.5 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1948
Genres: Mystery, Crime
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Review
This novel stars Hercule Poirot. It starts with a prologue, set in 1944, where Poirot is, along with a friend, at a club. Major Porter informs the people at the club that a man named Gordon Cloade was killed because of an air raid in his house. None, except the young wife of Cloade, and her brother, survived the blitz.
Two years later, in 1946, Poirot receives a visit from Katherine Cloade- sister-in-law of the late Gordon Cloade. Gordon Cloade's widow has come upon a huge fortune after Gordon Cloade's death. The widow, Rosaleen Cloade, had been married previously to a man named Robert Underhay, who is believed to be dead. However, Katherine has been ''informed'' by spirit that Robert Underhay is still alive... Poirot, however, declines to take any initiative regarding this.
There is a flashback. We learn more about the members of the Cloade family. Gordon Cloade had been childless, and had promised all his relatives that he would protect them, that they would always be financially secure. But, then he married young Rosaleen, and, having not made a will before his death, Rosaleen had inherited all his wealth. The Cloades thus bear a grudge against Rosaleen, and especially her brother, David Hunter, who apparently manipulates her and controls all her decisions.
But then something unpredicted and puzzling happens... and Hercule Poirot is finally compelled to look into the matter...
This novel takes a lot of time to develop the characters and develop the atmosphere, to make us understand the condition of the Cloade family and it's members. I really liked this thing about this novel. After the prologue, the book is divided into two parts: in the first part, the Cloades, Rosaleen, and David Hunter are described with depth, and Hercule Poirot doesn't appear in this part. The second part deals with the investigation and has a lot of unexpected revelations.
I really enjoyed ''Taken at the Flood''. I didn't love it as much as to say that it's among the finest Agatha Christies I've read, but I'd really recommend this one. The character development is intense, the story is extremely engrossing, and the solution comes completely unexpected and unpredicted, with an (or several) unexpected twist. Hercule Poirot is amazing as always.
3.5 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1940
Genres: Novel, Crime, Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
Hercule Poirot visits his dentist, Mr Morley. That day, the other patients of Mr Morley and his partner Mr Reily include: Mr Amberiotis (a Greek man), Miss Sainsbuy Seale (a good-natured middle-aged woman), Howard Raikes (an angry-looking young man), Alistair Blunt (a very powerful and influential banker), and Mr Barnes.
After Poirot arrives home from his appointment with Mr Morley, he gets a call from Chief Inspector Japp, who tells him that his dentist, Mr Morley, is dead. Apparently, he committed suicide. But Morley was not the kind of person who would commit suicide. There was no reason. And the death doesn't look like suicide either... Apparently, he was murdered.
This is followed by a lot of other events, tragic, perplexing incidences, and in some way or other, they are all connected with the patients of Mr Morley...
I loved One, Two, Buckle My Shoe! It was such a very perplexing, complex mystery! It was very cleverly written, extremely engrossing, very perplexing! And once again, it was very complicated and twisted, and it was a joy to read this one!
With a solution so unpredictable, and a mystery so well-written and well-presented, and suspenseful and puzzling, I guess it will be, though not my favorite, one of my favorite Hercule Poirot novels.
4 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1936
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
It had been some time since I last read a Hercule Poirot novel (the last I read was Sad Cypress, which I read back in September). It was a great experience reading Cards on the Table! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought it had a wonderful premise and character development.
The great detective, Poirot, comes across Mr Shaitana, a well known, notorious man, whom everybody is, for some unknown reason, afraid of, but who gives excellent and memorable parties. Mr Shaitana tells Poirot something rather odd: that he knows some murderers, murderers who escaped punishment. Poirot is curious, and Mr Shaitana invites him to his home for dinner.
As asked, Poirot goes to Mr Shaitana's house for dinner. The other guests present are Colonel Race, Superintendent Battle, and Ariadne Oliver, a well known detective novelist. The remaining guests arrive soon: Dr Roberts, Mrs Lorrimer (a woman in her sixties), Miss Anne Meredith (a young woman, in her mid-twenties), and Major Despard).
After dinner, the group of guests play bridge: Poirot, Race, Battle and Oliver play in one room, and Robert, Lorrimer, Despard, and Meredith in another, while Mr Shaitana sits in the latter room.
Poirot, Race, Battle, and Oliver go to the other room, somebody says something to Mr Shaitana... only to realize that he is dead!
Anybody could have murdered Shaitana. Roberts, Lorrimer, Meredith, Despard. Anyone of them could have done it. Poirot remembers something that Shaitana had told him, that the purpose of the invitation was that he (Shaitana) wanted to show something to Poirot: Shaitana wanted to show him murderers who had escpaed punishment. Apparently, these four people where those whom Shaitana had referred to. And that means, one of these four people understood that Shaitana knew his/her big secret, and murdered him.
But who did it?
The four sleuths, Poirot, Colonel Race, Superintendent Battle, and Ariadne Oliver, investigate...
''Cards on the Table'' had a great premise and it was actually really very, very unpredictable. There are four suspects--- and just these four suspects, nobody else could have done it--- and any one of these four could have done it. Each of them had the motive, each of them had the oppotunity. And so it becomes a complicated case with a wonderful investigation and unpredictable solution.
I really liked the character development. I liked reading a Poirot novel after such a long time! In this novel, Hercule Poirot hardly shows any arrogance! Ariadne Oliver--- I had heard of her before, but this is the first time I haveread a novel featuring her!
It was a cleverly crafted, cleverly written, really interesting and engrossing novel. There are a few moments when there is plenty of suspense--- and by the the time the mystery was solved, I was really impressed.
4 out of 5
