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stonepicnicking_okapi) wrote2022-11-28 10:24 am
stonepicnicking_okapi) wrote2022-11-28 10:24 am
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All of Agatha: four!
I am speeding right along--straight into 1941 and onto 1942!
Evil Under the Sun Summary:
During his holiday in Devon, Poirot notices a young woman who is flirtatious and attractive, but not well liked by a number of guests. When she is murdered during his stay, he finds himself drawn into investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder.
I remember this one very well, but I didn't like it as much as I remembered. I think there is a bit too much suspension of disbelief. The murder involves a lot of moving parts and timing, and I also don't wholly believe in the motivation. I mean, yes, money, but wow, that's a lot of work, and the murderers don't strike me as diabolical as they would need to be to go through with all this. Not convincing, that is what it is. Also, absolutely NEVER take relationship advice from Agatha Christie. She has some seriously fucked up ideas about marriage, compatibility, and romance.
N or M This is a Tommy & Tuppence one with spies in WWII. You can listen to it on Youtube unabridged read by James Warwick (who played Tommy in the 1980's series). Summary:
After the outbreak of the Second World War and many years after they worked for British intelligence, middle-aged Tommy and Tuppence Beresford feel useless and sidelined. Then, Tommy is approached by a secret agent named Grant to go undercover once more.
I was prepared not to like this one because I am not a huge fan of Tommy & Tuppence or espionage stories, but I really enjoyed parts of it (more than Evil Under the Sun, in fact). Parts of it are a bit trying but the misdirection is really, really clever, and they make Tuppence truly intelligence not just cutesy intelligent.
The Body in the Library. One of my favourite books of all time. We get Dolly and Miss Marple being besties, which I love. And re-reading it, I noticed at one point Sir Henry Clithering calls Miss Marple 'Fashion Queen'---CHEEKY! Not much else to say except the second murder (or other murder) struck me as incredibly cruel and psychopathic this time around.firecat linked to a New Yorker article about direction Rian Johnson talking about Agatha Christie works being not just detectives but also slasher (And then There Were None) and serial killer (The ABC Murders) and I think The Body in the Library could be an example 'kids in peril' genre which is a subset of thrillers these days. Summary:
The maid at Gossington Hall wakes Mrs Bantry by saying, “There is a body in the library!” Dolly Bantry then wakes her husband, Colonel Arthur Bantry to go downstairs. He finds the dead body of a young woman on the hearth rug in the library, with heavy makeup, platinum-blonde hair, and a silver-spangled dress. The colonel calls the police, and Mrs Bantry calls her old friend, Miss Marple.
Five Little Pigs This one is very clever, too. The cold case aspect of it is really tricky but she pulls it off beautiful. Once again, don't take relationship advice from ol' Aggie but after reading a few biographies of Great Artists, I do believe a lot of fucked-up scenarios with girlfriends and wives are plausible. Also, I love her twists and misdirection. Really a great case study in how to do it right. Summary:
The book features detective Hercule Poirot investigating five people about a murder committed sixteen years earlier. Caroline Crale died in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murdering her husband, Amyas Crale, by poisoning him. In her final letter from prison, she claims to be innocent of the murder. Her daughter Carla Lemarchant asks Poirot to investigate this cold case, based on the memories of the people closest to the couple.
Now: I am reading (or listening to, there's an unabridged version on Youtube) another Miss Marple: The Moving Finger. Props to Agatha Christie for titles, too.
Evil Under the Sun Summary:
During his holiday in Devon, Poirot notices a young woman who is flirtatious and attractive, but not well liked by a number of guests. When she is murdered during his stay, he finds himself drawn into investigating the circumstances surrounding the murder.
I remember this one very well, but I didn't like it as much as I remembered. I think there is a bit too much suspension of disbelief. The murder involves a lot of moving parts and timing, and I also don't wholly believe in the motivation. I mean, yes, money, but wow, that's a lot of work, and the murderers don't strike me as diabolical as they would need to be to go through with all this. Not convincing, that is what it is. Also, absolutely NEVER take relationship advice from Agatha Christie. She has some seriously fucked up ideas about marriage, compatibility, and romance.
N or M This is a Tommy & Tuppence one with spies in WWII. You can listen to it on Youtube unabridged read by James Warwick (who played Tommy in the 1980's series). Summary:
After the outbreak of the Second World War and many years after they worked for British intelligence, middle-aged Tommy and Tuppence Beresford feel useless and sidelined. Then, Tommy is approached by a secret agent named Grant to go undercover once more.
I was prepared not to like this one because I am not a huge fan of Tommy & Tuppence or espionage stories, but I really enjoyed parts of it (more than Evil Under the Sun, in fact). Parts of it are a bit trying but the misdirection is really, really clever, and they make Tuppence truly intelligence not just cutesy intelligent.
The Body in the Library. One of my favourite books of all time. We get Dolly and Miss Marple being besties, which I love. And re-reading it, I noticed at one point Sir Henry Clithering calls Miss Marple 'Fashion Queen'---CHEEKY! Not much else to say except the second murder (or other murder) struck me as incredibly cruel and psychopathic this time around.
firecat linked to a New Yorker article about direction Rian Johnson talking about Agatha Christie works being not just detectives but also slasher (And then There Were None) and serial killer (The ABC Murders) and I think The Body in the Library could be an example 'kids in peril' genre which is a subset of thrillers these days. Summary:The maid at Gossington Hall wakes Mrs Bantry by saying, “There is a body in the library!” Dolly Bantry then wakes her husband, Colonel Arthur Bantry to go downstairs. He finds the dead body of a young woman on the hearth rug in the library, with heavy makeup, platinum-blonde hair, and a silver-spangled dress. The colonel calls the police, and Mrs Bantry calls her old friend, Miss Marple.
Five Little Pigs This one is very clever, too. The cold case aspect of it is really tricky but she pulls it off beautiful. Once again, don't take relationship advice from ol' Aggie but after reading a few biographies of Great Artists, I do believe a lot of fucked-up scenarios with girlfriends and wives are plausible. Also, I love her twists and misdirection. Really a great case study in how to do it right. Summary:
The book features detective Hercule Poirot investigating five people about a murder committed sixteen years earlier. Caroline Crale died in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murdering her husband, Amyas Crale, by poisoning him. In her final letter from prison, she claims to be innocent of the murder. Her daughter Carla Lemarchant asks Poirot to investigate this cold case, based on the memories of the people closest to the couple.
Now: I am reading (or listening to, there's an unabridged version on Youtube) another Miss Marple: The Moving Finger. Props to Agatha Christie for titles, too.