Quarantine Christie

[quarantinechristie]

#29 - Death in the Clouds

Having just gotten home from vacation I can gladly say I did not experience Death in the Clouds, but guess who did? 

Oh, you silly goose, I can’t tell you. That’d ruin it!

Death in the Clouds was a breath of fresh air (no pun intended). It actually ranks surprisingly high in the ongoing list I’ve got going for one of Christie’s less famous works. It’s got drama. It’s got fashion. It’s got romance. It’s got France. What more could you want? A particularly unique method and distraction mechanism, that’s what! 

This book is one of the greats when it comes to the old trope of that one clue that just doesn’t fit, throwing the whole case off. The blowpipe and the wasp on the airplane befuddle even Papa Poirot, who does much of his solving behind the scenes here. Poirot does some of his most thorough and solid detective work in this novel, really digging in on the ground to figure out what happened in the sky. The solution was also one of those where the actual thing itself is not surprising, but the characters involved sure are. This was one where I audibly gasped for the first time in a long time. 

To tell you the truth I might come back and edit this review because (cough cough just got back from vacation) my brain is foggy and I don’t feel I’m doing this book justice. Just...it’s really good, you guys. Read it. Please.

Rating: 8/10. Colour: wasp yellow. 

[quarantinechristie]

#28 - The Thirteen Problems

Wow, am I ever behind! In that case I’ve at least got some good news for you - I actually just finished my 31st Christie, which means you’re gonna get a couple of uploads in the next few days after these months of silence.

Today we’re checking out another short story collection - arguably the most beloved of all of Christie’s collections of this kind. It’s unlucky number The Thirteen Problems!

The short story collections seem to all share one thing in common, which is though the crimes they present are many, they are often less severe than what would take place in a full-length novel (read: theft or blackmail instead of murder). I think it’s important to know that going in, since it can be a little jarring. This text shows how clever it is by raising the stakes via connection as opposed to severity, as the crimes often concern people the members of the Tuesday Night Club know personally. 

It’s a lot of fun to watch Miss Marple and her mystery-maniac pals get to work, and though I was worried it would be repetitive, the ironic humor that comes with Miss Marple besting detectives and writers every time does not wear off. She gets to put her brilliance front and center here. 

It’s clear why this is the favoured collection of short stories, at least so far. You could make an argument that since the crimes have passed the stakes are lowered, but hey - if The Daughter of Time taught us anything, it’s that justice is compelling no matter the temporal distance. 

I give this collection an 8/10! The colour is moss green - a good mix of soft and mysterious...

Oh, by the way - I guess this is technically no longer quarantinechristie since we’re out of quarantine now, but I’m keeping the name cause it works! Love ya!

[quarantinechristie]

#27 - The Clocks

What time is it? Review time!

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Anyway, about The Clocks...

I have not heard a lot about this one. I don’t remember what inspired me to read it next and I’ve never read anything about it, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Good news: I liked it!

Christie creates a masterful misdirection here, with the two detectives looking in entirely the wrong place for almost the entirety of the book. I realize the more and more I read that I am easily misled, but once again I was shocked by the solution. I think it helps with enjoyment - the solution is so much better when you never expect it! 

The cast of characters has some gems (look out for Geraldine and Merlina Rival, who both have more than their fair share of spunk), but with so many neighbours it can get a little confusing who is who.

This particular story plays with meaning quite a bit - which details are important and what can we cast aside as part of the drama of it all? I thoroughly enjoyed the discovery that not all the clues were clues after all, which is not normally I tactic I appreciate. 

Overall, if I was making a chart, I would put this at the higher end of average for Christie. It’s not the most spectacular thing she’s even written, but it’s definitely not the worst. Also, although I don’t love the Poirot episode that this book was adapted to, I am a Lesley Sharp fan, so that was a nice addition. It gets a solid 6.5/10. Yes, I am into the 0.5 thing now. The colour is a nice rich mahogany - sturdy, reliable, and layered.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! This is a Poirot novel! He’s not in it much, but he’s quite delightful in it. Anyways, the ranking stands!

[quarantinechristie]

#26 - Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?

I’m back, baby!

After an extended hiatus, here we are once again asking Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? In the interest of honesty, I actually read this one about 6 months ago, before the hiatus began, meaning that, like the earlier books in this series, my memory is a little hazy. Bear with me!

This book features charming amateur detective Bobby Jones, marking Christie’s first mystery in three years that didn’t feature Poirot. Bobby teams up with equally charming and exceedingly spunky Lady Frances ‘Frankie’ Derwent after a series of unusual events following his discovery of a body on a golf course. The book takes a minute to really take off, but once it does, it’s full of hijinks and adventures typical of Christie’s best young socialite detectives. It’s a chase of a novel, with Bobby and Frankie constantly splitting up and coming back together, taking on aliases, and running about from place to place. It starts off slow, but when it picks up the pace it really picks up. 

This book holds up well in the Christie canon. I’ve even seen it in other fans’ top 10 lists, and I understand why. I don’t know that it will fit into mine, but it will certainly be in the top half. This book is youthful, fun, and balances urgency with upbeat energy incredibly well. I give it a 7.5/10 (Gasp! A 0.5! What time will do...) and I think the green of a golf course does suit this book quite well. 

[quarantinechristie]

#25 - Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories

Well, I think we’re about a third of the way through here, although between the British and American short story collections it’s hard to say. Speaking of short story collections, this was my first collection of Christie’s: The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories!

The title story is a well-known one, with several adaptations featuring A-list actors like Marlene Dietrich, Diana Rigg, Deborah Kerr, and Wendy Hiller, who you may recognize from the 1974 cast of Murder on the Orient Express as Princess Dragomiroff. The story lives up to its reputation. It’s clever. The tone of it actually quite reminds me of MotOE, despite the stories and settings differing greatly. It is a classic Christie - a little bit of glamour, a little bit of jest, a little bit of drama and a whole lot of intrigue. 

The rest of the stories take on a different tone. This collection features a much wider range of crimes than Christie’s novels, which have so far been exclusively about murder or international criminal conspiracy. There’s theft, madness, crimes of passion, and of course there’s still a few murders (would it really be Christie if there wasn’t?). The atmosphere of these stories is very different from the usual as well.

Many of Christie’s books have playful and/or comedic elements to them to alleviate the fear. Several of these stories fall more into the category of And Then There Were None - dark, sinister, and above all, eerie. The crimes feel more dangerous and more immediate. I would even go so far as to say there are sections that are unnerving. It’s a really interesting display of skill and range. It reminds me a bit of Margaret Atwood’s Stone Mattress collection in tone if not in content, although I admit it’s been a while since I read that particular collection. 

I found this collection to be a nice, refreshing break. I love Christie’s work (clearly, and I’m assuming you do too if you’re here) and I love how cozy it is, but sometimes it’s nice to deviate from the norm. The shorter stories helped too - in a time with so many emotional draws it can be challenging to gear up for an entire book, but the 10-minute-read format worked nicely at this stage in my journey. I’d give it a steady 7/10. In terms of a colour...it’s hard to pinpoint, but I’d say a dark rust. Or maybe a foggy navy. Take your pick!

Speaking of taking your pick, I currently have a couple of unread Christies on the shelf and can’t decide which to pick up next. It’s between Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?, Passenger to Frankfurt, The Clocks, and Murder on the Links! If you’ve got a suggestion as to order, feel free to let me know!

[quarantinechristie]

#24 - Three Act Tragedy

Cards on the Table is a tough act to follow - my entertainment of choice was Three Act Tragedy, also titled Murder in Three Acts!

At this point in my Christie journey, there are features of many of her books that remind me of other books. The main one here is the theatrics, which are reminiscent of Lord Edgware Dies (another book with two titles, interestingly enough!). This is another book that features characters plucked from the world of the stage. It is hard to say whether Agatha Christie loved actors or hated them (although I admit I have not done research on this) - she tends to portray them either as pompous fools or arrogant killers, but she makes some of them pretty darn lovable for all their self-importance. 

One of the more intriguing facets of this book was that a clear murder relied on an unclear one, meaning that the first murder was not revealed as a murder until a second murder occurred (does that make any sense at all? I don’t know but it’s fine). Why anyone would wish to kill the first victim is unknown to such extent that no one assumes he is a victim (there we go!). 

Though many of Christie’s stories are hinged on romantic relationships, it seems that they more often pre-existing/from the past than established further on in the main plot of the text. Think about it - Gwenda and Giles, the Crale-Greer triangle, the Doyle-Ridgeway-de Bellefort situation...all of these are relationships created for the text, not in the text. In Three Acts, however, not only do we see an investigation intensifying but a romantic relationship as well. 

This was by no means my favourite Christie, but it’s not at the bottom of my list either (as it stands now, that’s Sleeping Murder. Sorry Miss Marple!). It’s somewhat creative, somewhat surprising, and somewhat enjoyable. It’s a solid, middle-of-the-road 5/10, and it reminds me of a nice warm chestnut brown. It’s just steady, and that can be just right. 

[quarantinechristie]

#23 - Cards on the Table

Cards on the Table is sharp in every way! 

This one actually had a forward written by Christie herself, warning the reader that there would not be the normal set of clues that would allow them to guess, and that the solution was based on psychology. I don’t know about you (I’m not psychologist, after all), but that just made me want to guess at it even more, which may have been the point. 

Here’s the premise: Mr. Shaitana invites M. Poirot to a bridge party. The party includes four guests that Shaitana expects have committed murders in the past and four sleuths: Poirot, Superintendent Battle (Seven Dials), Colonel Race (Death on the Nile), and my favourite meta wordsmith Ariadne Oliver, who we’ll talk about in a moment. One of the nine will not leave the party alive...

As it turns out, Agatha was right about my investigative abilities. Of the four suspects, I suspected all of them at one point or another. In fact, I was sure I had it figured out three separate times, and was wrong on all, which means I was sure of the guilt of everyone except the killer! I was jolted left, right, and centre, and the answer ended up being above. Christie definitely employed one of her more popular strategies of seeming to rule out or write off the killer before bringing them back in and revealing their guilt at the end. 

The entire way through the book, Poirot asks each suspect about their bridge habits and the tendencies of their fellow-suspect opponents. Now, I don’t know anything about bridge, so I couldn’t help but question why Poirot was doing this, but it’s important, and it was one of those “hit-you-in-the-face” moments when it’s revealed why. 

This is another book in which Ariadne Oliver truly shines! This energetic, eccentric, egalitarian portrayal of Christie’s maybe-alter-ego is so entertaining. Interestingly enough, she uses one of her own future book titles as the title of one of Oliver’s mysteries, so she must have been fond of it! Oliver has so many dashes of the real Christie here, but I think my favourite is their shared love of apples. It’s a little detail that’s sweet and cozy and fitting!

Apparently this book has its detractors, but I cannot understand why. If not quite in my top 10, it is certainly in my top 15 (I am keeping track as we go). It’s a great portrayal of Poirot and a brilliant concept, with an impressively developed cast of characters. It gets an 8/10, and the colour is a deep, devilish sort of red. Like one of Mrs. Oliver’s apples!

[quarantinechristie]

#22 - Sleeping Murder

Next up is Sleeping Murder. The timeline on this one is a widely debated topic in the world of Christie fans. It was the last Miss Marple novel published, first released to the world in 1976, but it only seems to reference characters from the first three Marple novels, which is one of the factors that leads many to estimate that it was likely written between The Moving Finger and A Murder is Announced. 

Speaking of references, familiar faces and relationships crop up in this novel - both Dolly Bantry and Dr. Haydock make appearances, although in a much more humorous light now that the murder is neither immediate nor in their vicinity. You know I love a good familiar face in Marple’s world!

The concept of this story is similar in some aspects to Five Little Pigs - in fact, despite it being the alternate title of the latter, Murder in Retrospect is a phrase uttered quite frequently in this book. It is about a murder committed 18 years prior (similarity #1) where the main detective is called upon by the daughter (similarity #2) of both the victim and the assumed killer (similarity #3). However, Gwenda Reed plays a much larger role in the story than Carla Lemarchant, and where Carla charms M. Poirot, Gwenda charms us. 

The other departure of this text from the standard Marple is that this one is a pursuit, where the rest often feel more like collections. Marple does quite a lot of active detective work and so do the protagonists - their heads are much clearer than the usual Marple protagonists after 18 years and their desire to solve the crime is out of a yearning for justice, not out of fear the killer will strike again. 

The solution is clever but a little obvious - I had a similar reaction to it as I did to the end of Death on the Nile. However, I won’t give you more hints than that! Overall, it’s fine. It’s a good read with a pretty light atmosphere and a couple entertaining characters. It’s neither my favourite nor my least favourite! It gets a 6/10. The colour is a faded, misty sort of green. 

[quarantinechristie]

#21 - N or M?

What can I say? The Secret Adversary charmed me. I simply had to get my hands on another T&T mystery! Next up was N or M?. This is one of my absolute favourites yet!

It’s important to note that as opposed to Marple and Poirot, which can be read in just about any order (although I’ve been told to leave Poirot’s Last Case until the end and so I shall), the five Tommy & Tuppence have a chronological order following the lives of the two protagonists, and N or M? is technically third, not second. The second volume of T&T tales is Partners in Crime, which is a short story collection.

I am so taken with Tommy and especially with Tuppence. I love this representation of a female protagonist in a classic mystery, especially one with such character. Tuppence’s story does not revolve around Tommy, and she isn’t just written as spunky in order to be seductive. Tuppence has every bit as much of a right to partake in detective work as Tommy, and she is (and we are) fully aware of it! I adore the two of them and their dynamic - they’re so witty that they practically bounce off of each other, and they don’t lose their personhood to parenthood or age, which was a common fate at the time (and heck, it still is). They also clearly love each other and show that love in a really healthy way even by today’s media standards through trust and respect for each other. All this set in a lovely Christie countryside villa just makes for such a loveable story!

Completely grown up compared the The Secret Adversary, the pair feels a little less like our contemporaries and a little more like the cool-yet-doting aunt and uncle. It’s very warm and fuzzy watching these characters grow throughout their lives, falling in love, becoming parents, and of course knocking out international crime syndicates. 

The twist in this book should not be absolutely mindblowing, and yet somehow it is anyway. Actually, this is one of the few so far in which I’ve found no lulls. I thoroughly enjoyed this entire book from cover to cover, if not for the well-paced story than for the completely endearing characters. It gets a 9/10! The colour: anything you’d find in the countryside. Lovely soft greens and bright sky and sea blues...just sweet. 

[quarantinechristie]

#20 - They Do It With Mirrors

Number 20 already? We’re officially over the quarter-line, people! And the book that got us there was They Do It With Mirrors. This was my first Marple in a while, and it was lovely! 

What particularly struck me about this story is that for once, all the characters were likeable to a certain degree. It was hard to pick someone to suspect because I didn’t really want to suspect anybody. They were all pretty much agreeable or they had what felt like logical reasons not to be so. It was interesting to read a mystery novel where everyone appears either exceptionally innocent or exceptionally guilty to the point that it seems we’re being lead on and circles back to innocent. These lovably eccentric characters kept it fairly light and enjoyable to read no matter the level of action. 

There was a great sense of theatre around this novel, the solution of which makes use of a magic trick, which only amped up the entertainment value. It has a bit of an And Then There Were None style lead-on, but I daren’t say more lest I spoil it for you...anyways, this was both an incredibly clever solution and definitely another great mysterious palate-cleanser. It was like a nice mint: sweet, light, and nice and refreshing. 8/10. Colour: a terra cotta sort of blue. 

Oh, by the way - after tomorrow updates may come a little less regularly, but don’t worry - I plan to take this right to no. 78 (or however many there are - I can’t do any math right now. Anyways, all the novels and mystery short story collections)!

[quarantinechristie]

#19 - The Pale Horse

I started The Pale Horse only hours after finishing The Secret Adversary, and while it is no palate-cleanser by any means, it’s a totally different flavour. 

Let’s start by addressing what we must address - this book has some extremely racist undertones. Well, overtones. I call out this one specifically because it is woven directly into the plot. This is definitely one of the major incidences in which we have to call back to the “very important note” post I made before we got started here and hold both Christie and ourselves accountable for what is clear prejudice. If you plan on reading this book (or even if you don’t), please make the effort to educate yourself on what makes this book prejudiced and problematic and seek out opportunities to support the communities affected by it. 

From a mystery standpoint it was quite the read. It’s a mystery whose answer is being pursued out of an engaging mix of curiousity, urgency, and fear. Mark Easterbrook is definitely one of Christie’s more tolerable one-off amateur sleuths and Ginger Corrigan stands as one of my favourite supporting characters to date. But it was really the ladies of the Pale Horse who got me intrigued. You can practically see all of them in front of you, the way Christie so vividly describes them. 

This is the first book in which I’ve run across Ariadne Oliver! To give a brief rundown, Ariadne Oliver is Christie’s self-insertion into her novels. Basically, many members of the fan base have estimated that Ariadne Oliver is how Agatha Christie sees herself, or at least she is the character with the most reflections of herself. And she is hysterical! Christie portrays Mrs. Oliver as strong-willed, sarcastic, and self-deprecating, and it’s just a riot to read. 

One last note: this was the first time the method really, truly shocked me since Endless Night. It was sharp and clever, left in the open for anyone to see but unlikely to be figured out. It gets a 9/10 for the twist, and the colour again matches the cover: a soft sparkling lavender. 

[quarantinechristie]

#18 - The Secret Adversary

Rounding out the circle of detectives is both mine and Christie’s first foray into the world of crime-fighting couple Tommy and Tuppence with The Secret Adversary! 

This book is a breath of fresh air! It takes on a completely different tone from most of Christie’s folksy rural mysteries. It features a brand new setting and viewpoint class-wise, exploring working-class post-WWI London through working-class characters struggling to find work after the war. It also features a much larger-scale crime and higher stakes - another departure from her usual family-unit or household-based crime. 

I was surprised to figure out that Tommy and Tuppence actually spend most of this novel apart from each other, but Christie still manages to paint them as an inseparable pair. They’re just perfectly loveable with their wit and their nicknames and their hopeful and hilarious attitude towards life. From the first “Tommy, old thing!” I knew this was a book I would enjoy. T&T feel much closer to the average reader than the lofty ranks of Aristide Leonides or Emily Inglethorp, and they’re just the perfect pair. The mystery is still very serious and it feels like a grand and important investigation, but these two navigate it like a dance. 

It’s also important to note that this was only Christie’s second novel and she’s clearly still figuring out the kind of writer she wants to be. It can be a bit of a confusing read at times, but overall it’s one of my favourites so far for the sheer energy it gives off, if nothing else. It’s a 9/10. Colour: mustard yellow paired with plum. Another fitting cover. 

[quarantinechristie]

#17 - Lord Edgware Dies

Not long after I finished Towards Zero I found myself with a good deal of time on my hands due to pandemic-related things, so I got on a real kick. Just before that time arrived, though, I read Lord Edgware Dies, also titled 13 at Dinner. This one was sly! I liked it (then again, has there been one yet I truly didn’t like?)!

It wasn’t a crazy solution by any means, but it was very theatrical, both in that it revolves around actors and that it’s Poirot, who brings theatrics with him wherever he goes. Poirot is especially well-placed in this story - he adds a perfect dash of light-heartedness to the story that I love him for. 

Overall, it’s a nice read full of Poirot’s camp and intrigue. It would also make a nice introduction to Christie’s storytelling. It gets a 7/10, and a colour of burgundy. 

[quarantinechristie]

#16 - Towards Zero

Ooh, Towards Zero was oh-so-refreshing. It was the last of Christie’s personal favourites that I read, and it was quite the read at that. Definitely a mysterious palate-cleanser. The pale mint-green cover on this edition is very fitting. 

This is a book where it’ll be more fun if you keep guessing. One of my favourite parts of reading a mystery novel is guessing at who the killer is, and this book is awesome for that, because you’ll have a new guess every chapter (or at least, you’ll go back and forth). It’s easy to get involved in this one because it’s so focused on the playing-out of interpersonal issues. I felt like I knew these people so well so quickly, and yet I didn’t at all. That’s the fun! It’s an exceptionally clean and clever yet still pretty classic whodunit. It’s just bright and engaging and...well, really the only word I can think of is fun. The end was a nice burst of energy in that it threw me for a loop in exactly the way you want to be thrown for a loop when reading one of these comfy mysteries, but I truly enjoyed the entire book. It’s an 8/10. 

Oh also - the way I shrieked when I saw Julie Graham in the adaptation?! Between Jean McBrien and the Queen herself Cat Stone (with an honourable mention to Rhona Kelly, of course), her characters will always have a special place in my heart. Plus she just seems like a very cool and socially aware individual, tbh. Basically I’ve learned that if Julie Graham is in it, I’m going to enjoy it. And if you’re here on book 16, I’d say there’s a good chance you will too (seriously, if anyone needs something new to watch right now, check out Queens of Mystery. And then come back here and discuss it with me, because it’s one of my all-time favourites and nobody I know watches it yet! Get in on the ground floor, people)! 

Oh, and the colour is that cartoon-grass green on the cover! It fits just right. Crisp and bright. Hey, that rhymed!

[quarantinechristie]

#15 - The Body in the Library

Alright, don’t come for my neck one this one (no pun intended)...The Body in the Library is not my favourite. 

As much as Miss Marple shone here, the story itself was just not all that engaging. I always love the stories that take place in St. Mary Mead, because it feels like coming home to old friends. Knowing the names of the characters makes me feel as a reader that I have a bit of a place in the town, and it’s just nice and warm and fuzzy. But ultimately, I didn’t find the story all that engaging. It was a fine whodunit, but nothing too crazy! In fact, if I hadn’t watched the adaptation fairly recently, I don’t know that I’d be able to tell you what happened, save the initial call from Dolly Bantry and a few trips to a hotel. 

One thing that gives it a bit of intrigue is that it’s an investigation that takes place on multiple plains, and not just the vicarage and the woods. This one features characters from several social and physical worlds. It also features a really satisfying arc for Miss Marple - I love it when she gets to teach those who underestimate her a lesson. Never underestimate the investigative powers of the other divine Miss M!

It’s a 6/10. Colour: orange-y beige. 

[quarantinechristie]

#14 - Endless Night

So, Endless Night is pretty puzzling. I spent the majority of the book wondering whether I had picked up the right one, because (spoiler alert) the murder doesn’t actually take place until the last few pages. I was really confused, but ultimately I’m glad I went through with it, because this book captures a very specific vibe that I haven’t seen in any of Christie’s other works. 

I call this one devilish. It’s devilishly clever, devilishly sneaky, and sort of spooky. I haven’t done a full study by any means, but it feels like it’s bordering on gothic with its eerie atmosphere and uncanny sensations. On the other end of things, it’s also quite witty the whole way along! I wouldn’t say I was particularly fond of the narrator, but at a certain point I was able to see the humour written into his character. 

Another important mention for this one: this is probably one of the most unique methods of murder in the mystery canon. If I were to write a list of Christie’s most creative methods, this would be at the top of the list. It’s so clever it’s almost...undetectable...

You know what? I’m giving this a 9/10, which is higher than I thought I’d give it at the start. I’m even tempted to give it the extra point, but I’ll save that for another day! The colour I associate with this one is a deep navy. Like the night sky (get it?).

[quarantinechristie]

#13 - Murder at the Vicarage

Here we are in 2021, and off to a great start with Murder at the Vicarage! This was the very first Miss Marple novel and I enjoyed it immensely! The character of this little town of St. Mary Mead is so charming and almost cheeky. This is a cast of villagers that know each other well, and that makes it all the more fun to pay them a visit. 

It’s an interesting mystery, and the disruption of the villagers’ natural trust for each other makes for a fascinating dynamic shift. It’s so well-done, so clean, and so engaging. I won’t say too much because I don’t know that I can do it justice. This is definitely one of Christie’s coziest mysteries, and despite the murder she makes St. Mary Mead feel like home. It’s sweet and delightful. A 10/10. The colour is a mottled green, with a dash of the dark teal of the cover in the mix. 

Also Griselda, I love you. You’re my favourite sassy/semi-relevant fictional religious leader’s paramour.