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All of Agatha: Murder is Easy
Aug. 13th, 2022 08:45 pmI had a 4 hour wait at the repair shop, and I finished Murder is Easy [1939]. Here's the summary:
Upon his return to England after his overseas job in the police, Luke Fitzwilliam shares a London-bound train carriage with Lavinia Pinkerton. She talks with him about her reason to travel to Scotland Yard, hoping for agreement. She plans to report a serial killer in her village and tells him who was killed and who will next be killed. Amy Gibbs, Tommy Pierce and Harry Carter have been killed, and Dr John Humbleby will be the next victim. This woman reminds him of a favourite aunt, so he replies politely and recalls what she said.
He reads of Miss Pinkerton's death the next day, and then of the death of Dr Humbleby, who has died of septicaemia. Luke will not let this rest, and he travels to the village, Wychwood under Ashe. He poses as one finding material for a book on beliefs in witchcraft and superstition, as he investigates.
There are things I like about it. I like the setup, the idea of hearing something on a train and finding out later there's a mystery attached. I like the idea of an expatriate returned home and at loose ends. I like the idea of a serial killer going undisturbed in a village, and the body count is Midsomer range. The whole idea of mistaking hat paint for cough syrup in the middle of the night and poisoning yourself is so bizarre as to be intriguing. These villages seem to be full of people who drink things in the middle of the night without paying attention to what they are. To their fatal folly!
The romance subplot I could have done without. The psychology of the killer is a bit suspect, too. But, in general, I liked it.
Oh, but NEXT! Next we have And then there were none, one of my favourite books of all time and Vera Claythorne, the fictional character I sometimes most identify with! She's not right at all, but I understand her. I will save it for September when the boys are back in school and savour it.
Upon his return to England after his overseas job in the police, Luke Fitzwilliam shares a London-bound train carriage with Lavinia Pinkerton. She talks with him about her reason to travel to Scotland Yard, hoping for agreement. She plans to report a serial killer in her village and tells him who was killed and who will next be killed. Amy Gibbs, Tommy Pierce and Harry Carter have been killed, and Dr John Humbleby will be the next victim. This woman reminds him of a favourite aunt, so he replies politely and recalls what she said.
He reads of Miss Pinkerton's death the next day, and then of the death of Dr Humbleby, who has died of septicaemia. Luke will not let this rest, and he travels to the village, Wychwood under Ashe. He poses as one finding material for a book on beliefs in witchcraft and superstition, as he investigates.
There are things I like about it. I like the setup, the idea of hearing something on a train and finding out later there's a mystery attached. I like the idea of an expatriate returned home and at loose ends. I like the idea of a serial killer going undisturbed in a village, and the body count is Midsomer range. The whole idea of mistaking hat paint for cough syrup in the middle of the night and poisoning yourself is so bizarre as to be intriguing. These villages seem to be full of people who drink things in the middle of the night without paying attention to what they are. To their fatal folly!
The romance subplot I could have done without. The psychology of the killer is a bit suspect, too. But, in general, I liked it.
Oh, but NEXT! Next we have And then there were none, one of my favourite books of all time and Vera Claythorne, the fictional character I sometimes most identify with! She's not right at all, but I understand her. I will save it for September when the boys are back in school and savour it.