the christie thread

[lovejuice]

i make it my habit to read christie's once every two or three monthes. i much prefer this british whodunit to american noir. and cliche be damned, i hardly read anyone who wrote as well as the queen of mystery. (i'm welcoming for suggestions though.)

just finished the body in the library. still in search of a good jane marple book. the trick itself is a bit of a cheat, i think, and the narrative is not as fun. i cast it as among average to lesser christie's.

[lovejuice]

i remember making this thread that no one cares about. anyway, i feel like i want a place where i can post my short thought on each christie's novel, and this place seems to be as good as any.

http://www.agathachristie.com/cms-media/uploaded-images/thumbs/DEATH_COMES_AS_THE_END_2_jpg_2 35x600_q95.jpg

christie's only historical novel, set in an ancient egypt. considered that her husband was an archeologist and that she had been with him on such expeditions, i wonder why she hadn't written more of this kind. (she did write poirots in the orient.)

this is a prime example of christie as a minimalist. Death Comes as the End is among her more -- or most -- atmospheric novels. and she achieves that with such ease and grace. regardless of characters speaking in modern logue and hardly any descriptive details of the world long gone, christie successfully transports her readers to the ancient time. her "less is more" principle has never been better exemplified.

the weak point? it's mystery aspect is kinda lame. ten little indians aside, this novel perhaps has the biggest number of victims, and by the end, it's not so hard anymore to guess the murderer. and the answer's not very compelling indeed.

[lovejuice]

http://www.angolhasznaltkonyvek.hu/images/murder%20is%20announced.JPG

i mentioned in the first post that i was in search of a good jane marple's. since then i have found a few. A Murder is Announced is one of them. i'm a bit biased since in this book i kicked ass. really i did. not only could i guess the murderer, but i saw all the tricks and traps. and i honestly didn't think it was one of those "easy" book. not particularly well written though, so don't read it for "literature value."

[D_Davis]

I don't know why, but I've never had the desire to read a straight forward murder-mystery novel.

[lovejuice]

I don't know why, but I've never had the desire to read a straight forward murder-mystery novel.
how's about noir?

[D_Davis]

how's about noir?

Yeah, I like noir, or, more precisely, the hard boiled stuff like Chandler, Hammett et al.

In my mind I guess I consider them a different genre than the Christie.

I probably shouldn't, although the two do have slightly different tropes and conventions. With the hard boiled stuff, the actual mystery is never really the focus of the narrative - they seem to be more about the character interactions and the milieu.

[lovejuice]

In my mind I guess I consider them a different genre than the Christie. I probably shouldn't...

you definitely should. i too consider them different. that way, it helps me appreciate noir more. by not subjecting the genre under the rule of "cozy." i just read this collection of short stories, the simple art of murder, by chandler, and even if i can't say i'm a fan, i really enjoy it to some degree.

christie is notoriously bad at short stories, and if anything, i can say chandler's are better. ;)

[thefourthwall]

Fun thread. I can only reading Christie's Ten Little Indians in junior high, but I liked it a lot, and I recently read a Dorothy Sayers that was excellent--she and Christie are similar enough. So, I say all that to say, I'll be reading this thread for recommendations!

[lovejuice]

I recently read a Dorothy Sayers that was excellent--she and Christie are similar enough.

which one? i have only read five red herrings and cloud of witness, and i can see how i might enjoy her other pieces.

[Mara]

I've read four or five of Christie's books, and found them all enjoyable, but never enthralling enough to justify plowing through her entire library.

It's fair to say I'm not a fan of the mystery genre, but she writes it very well.

[lovejuice]

http://www.unknowntrails.com/coversYF/Christie-Mesopotamia.jpg

the first book in poirot in the orient trilogy, among which surprisingly murder on the orient express is not one. the trilogy is very good, and i really encourage anyone who has never read the dame's to start from any of these. (they are all stand-alones, so the order doesn't matter.)

murder in mesopotamia is unique in that the whodunit is secondary to the howdunit. contrary to popular belief, christie is not avid on "locked room mystery". her bread and butter is misdirection; almost anyone can conduct the fatal act, but who has the chance and the motive? this book is among rare novels features one such "impossible case." (the room is not locked, but unaccessible to anyone who has no alibi.)

[jesse]

I devoured Christie novels in junior high/high school (must have been dozens), but I have to say, now they've all kind of melded together in a giant haze of English country houses, mysterious butlers, eccentric members of the minor aristocracy, etc, etc--I can't even figure out which ones I've read even when going through synopses!

That said, three do stand out, and they inevitably were my favorites: Murder on the Orient Express (the conclusion boggled my junior high mind), Death on the Nile and Ten Little Indians (which, I believe, was also my first). I'll probably revisit at some point.

Didn't read the Ms. Marple books though, could never get into them, so I'm afraid I can't recommend one to you!

[lovejuice]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/1636508666_acccb1f055.jpg?v=0

'tis perhaps the damnest christie's i've ever read. the premise is actually kinda nice. why do detective novels always start after the interesting bit, the killing? towards zero is supposedly a poe-ish tale about how a murderer commits his act, right? wrong! the killing is again at the beginning, and even the ultimate kill, the "zero", involves a stupid psychological trick. i really don't know what the dame's trying to achieve with this one.

[thefourthwall]

which one? i have only read five red herrings and cloud of witness, and i can see how i might enjoy her other pieces.

Whose Body?, which is the first in the Peter Wimsey series. I thought it was top notch--a good mystery that I wasn't quite able to figure out, but had interesting societal/cultural themes in the background (I love early 20th century England).

I think Cloud of Witness is the second in the series, which is sitting in the large pile next to my bed patiently waiting to be read.

[lovejuice]

http://www.agathachristie.com/cms-media/uploaded-images/thumbs/DeathonNile_final___jpg_232x50 0_q95.jpg

movie-wise, it's a sequel to murder on the orient express. in actuality -- or at least the way christie conceive them -- hardly any connection. the second book in the poirot in the orient series. this one is quite famous, and i agree with jesse, its quality justifies its fame.

no "big surprise." a simple, cleverly constructed whodunit. the story evolves around this love triangle with one guy and two gals. they're masterpieces of minimalistic characterization. always a wonder how christie puts depth into her stock characters.

generally i hate christie's "two murderers" trick. but this one is well done, and i don't feel offended comes the revelation.

[lovejuice]

http://www.agathachristie.com/cms-media/uploaded-images/thumbs/CARIBBEAN_MYSTERY_qx6__jpg_232 x500_q95.jpg

pretty sure my first christie ever. as such, i was so enthralled. in retrospective, it's a jane marple mystery that's not extraordinary in any way. only better than its horrendous sequel, nemesis. of course back then i was no match for the dame's tricks. now i consider it as one of her "easy" books. i read this while on a trip to the caribbean, and the book fails to paint a convincing picture of the location.

note: don't be deceived by this cover. it has nothing to do with a big ship.

[lovejuice]

http://www.agathachristie.com/cms-media/uploaded-images/thumbs/Appointment_jpg_232x500_q95.jp g

the last in the poirot in the orient series. christie raises this ethical question: if there happens to be a human being so wicked she's hated by all, and only good things come from her death, is her murder justified? though the answer might not be satisfactory to the more philosophical mind, this book provides some insight about christie herself.

in any case, the novel's a real blast. it's an endless fun to read about this dysfunctional family. poirot doesn't appear until the very end only to kick ass.

[lovejuice]

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0333989066.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

poirot's and christie's first appearance is, well, not that good. the central puzzle is too technical, and i dare anyone without the medical training to crack the case. in retrospective, the dame probably felt like she needed to come up with some impossible murder for her first novel, so she resourced to a trick only a wartime nurse like her knew. at least it's realistic enough. and the book features some really nice misdirection as well.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Thanks to this thread, I'm going to buy the Poirot on the Orient series next time out.

[megladon8]

Wow, totally missed this thread.

I'm a long-time fan of Christie, lovejuice. This is making me want to dig out all my ancient paperbacks :)

[lovejuice]

Thanks to this thread, I'm going to buy the Poirot on the Orient series next time out.

exquisite choice, sir!


Wow, totally missed this thread.

I'm a long-time fan of Christie, lovejuice. This is making me want to dig out all my ancient paperbacks :)

care to share some of you favorite? ;)

[lovejuice]

http://home.insightbb.com/~jsmarcum/vicarage_play.JPG

miss marple's first case is...even worse than poirot's. as someone who's already familiar with christie, i know the murderer and the trick the very minute the corpse is mentioned. weak, really. in fact, the only way to read this book is you have to have no idea who the hell jane marple is. probably work when it first published, but definitely not now.

[megladon8]

care to share some of you favorite? ;)


Some of my favorites were "The Hollow" and "Death on the Nile".

Honestly can't remember much about the books, though. I just remember those two being particularly great.

[lovejuice]

Some of my favorites were "The Hollow" and "Death on the Nile".


no surprise on DotN. it's that good. i bought the hollow, and was spoiled right afterward by this one criticism book that i read. :frustrated: probably will read it eventually.

[megladon8]

no surprise on DotN. it's that good. i bought the hollow, and was spoiled right afterward by this one criticism book that i read. :frustrated: probably will read it eventually.


I hate when that happens. Honestly, it's very crushing.

I'm sorry you had it spoiled. I think it's still very much worth reading, though.

[lovejuice]

I hate when that happens. Honestly, it's very crushing.

I'm sorry you had it spoiled. I think it's still very much worth reading, though.

i will. also i believe there's this one french movie based on the hallow which came out quite recently. the interesting part about it is that poirot is not in the film. :eek:

[lovejuice]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1310/1462115162_3137302aa6.jpg?v=0

this book's what makes me hooked on christie at the beginning. features a less well-known celebrity, superintendent battle (who also appears in towards zero.) the actual protagonists though are three amateur young sleuths. published in 1929, i'm not surprised if the novel's an inspiration to enid blyton's the famous five.

well known for her mystery, christie's also quite prolific in spy novels. her work in that genre read more like a mystery, and i don't think she's particularly good. (we'll talk more about this when we discuss tommy and tuppence.) the seven dials mystery is the only exception. the book's uber-fun, and the ending is very satisfying.

[lovejuice]

http://www.agathachristie.com/cms-media/uploaded-images/thumbs/Cards_on_Table_1936c_jpg_232x5 00_q95.jpg

poirot's "favorite case" is considered "a bore" by captain hastings. unfortunately we, layman, are prone to agree with his watsonian sidekick than the famous detective. the idea is pretty ingenious. instead of the usual big cast, the suspected is limited to four. no big twist. poirot and christie states early on that the murderer is one among the four. they all have equal opportunity and motive. it's all a matter of "psychology."

this is the book, i think, that's more fun to write -- and analyze -- than to read. christie does a really good job with her misdirection trick. she needs that badly because of the small number of suspected. the queen of mystery probably writes this book as a challenge to see how far she can push her craft. in a way she succeeds. the book is mediocre, but considered its uphill battle, still an achievement.

[lovejuice]

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3205/2770212381_6e10b67432.jpg?v=0

my personal favorite. relatively unknown, yet among her best efforts. christie is a certified conservative, and from time to time her politic shows. a well-known example is the encounter with the hot-headed commie on the nile. one, two, buckle my shoe is perhaps her most politic-heavy novel. lot of discussions on the pro and con of left versus right. she's pretty fair though, and even if you don't agree with her, it's not an ordeal to read through. (or perhaps it is. i don't know, i consider myself right-ish.)

to be honest, i don't quite recall the actual "trick" of the murder. so perhaps that aspect is not as successful.