January 2016: Agatha Christie

We'll be starting out the new year with the queen of mystery herself, Agatha Christie. With so many books to pick from, which will you choose?

Despite her prolific output, only one Christie novel is on the list of 1001 Books to Read Before You Die: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

My plan is to start with the first book in the Miss Marple series: The Murder at the Vicarage.

Roger Ackroyd is fabulous, as is And Then There Were None. Though it may be better not to start with her very best works and then delve backwards. ;) The Miss Marple books and Tommy & Tuppence books (of which there aren't so many) are a lot of fun, I love the sly witty characters that sort of wiggle their way into things with no one the wiser.

I have no idea which I will pick up, I have at least a dozen or so waiting. :P

I know, with so many choices, it's hard to know where to start! I figured I'd just pick one of the series, start at the beginning, and then work my way from there.

Her series are very loose, which is good with so many titles to have difficulty tracking down, heh. There are sometimes small allusions to such & so incident from the past, but aside of featuring the same "detective," that's all that ties them together. If you haven't read the book with the allusion in question, you don't miss anything at all, it's just a little nod. I always read series in order, but it's kind of impossible with her, so I'm pleased she realized with such a huge collection that it would be good to keep them essentially unconnected! :P

Good to know. I use FictFact to keep track of my series. As you can see, they do all the work for you -- all of Christie's series are sorted & organized in order: http://www.fictfact.com/author/994/christie-agatha

please let me know which book is selected.....
I wish to join thus group and read whichever Agatha in January.
Suggestions:
A murder announce
Halloween Party.

>7 Persan: That's not how this group works. Everyone can read whatever selection(s) they like by an author, the point is simply reading the works of the particular selected author.

It looks like the titles you're suggesting folks look into are A Murder Is Announced and Hallowe'en Party, though it should be noted the reviews on Hallowe'en Party aren't especially favorable.

>7 Persan: Hi Persan, welcome to the group! To reiterate what >8 .Monkey.: said, the group selects the author for the month but each individual person decides which title or titles they'd like to read by that author. Sometimes we overlap on specific books and sometimes we don't. You can choose to read either or both of the books you suggested or another book by Agatha Christie altogether. Hope you join us in discussing Christie in January :)

I have no idea what to read for Agatha Christie month. I have only read The Mousetrap and hated it. Mystery is not really for me even though I keep trying. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to start with Christie? I might just skip this month.

Like I said at the beginning, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd or And Then There Were None. I would definitely give them a shot, they're fabulous. If you don't like either of those, then don't bother with any other Christies in the future.

And Then there Were None was also reprinted with the title Ten Little Indians.

>12 nrmay: You have that backwards ;) It has had several names, because the first iterations were considered racist.

>13 .Monkey.:

I still think the original American title in 1940 was And Then there Were None.
Anyway it was also published as Ten Little Indians.

Discovered the following interesting bit while fact-checking -
a new BBC TV adaptation of And Then There Were None, with the original ending, will air in the UK on Dec 26, 2015 at 9pm and run for three nights. See trailer here! http://www.agathachristie.com/watch/and-then-there-were-none

Well the true original title was Ten Little -quite racist word-s, which was deemed unsuitable for the US publication. Such times! Heh.

>15 .Monkey.:

You're right. That original title was deemed inappropriate for the American audience.
I just today learned of that first title and was unpleasantly surprised by it.

Yup. One of the risks that comes with reading older works!

>15 .Monkey.: Ugh! You're right.

It's still a great read though, regardless of the flaws of its time!

The locked-in-a-house-dying-one-by-one motif is one of my favorites. :)

Hey all! Sorry I've been AWOL recently (started a new job and moved in January, so a lot going on IRL).

What Christie book did everyone pick in January and what did you think of it?

I'm working on an audiobook version of The Murder at the Vicarage, the first book in the Miss Marple series. I'm only a little more than one-sixth in to it, so I'm holding off final judgement obviously, but I was surprised off the bat that there's a first-person narration going on, and that narrator isn't Miss Marple herself.

I haven't read too many Miss Marple titles yet (though she's a favorite), but my experience has been that she is usually not the prominent character, but more like one who sets the story going and comes in later to help with the wrap, lol.

>22 .Monkey.: Yeah, she has definitely seemed fairly inconsequential so far. She's been mentioned a few times, but so also have a number of other town members. If it weren't for my background knowledge, I think I would have completely glossed over her character as not important.

Better late than never ... I picked up a copy of The Moving Finger (Miss Marple #4) at the library yesterday.

If you like Miss Marple you should check out her Tommy & Tuppence ones, there's only a few but they're great and have a similar sort of feeling as Marple gives. :)

>.Monkey
I am a fan of Christie's ... I've read a couple of the Tommy & Tuppence books. I like them, but find them dated due to the focus on espionage in that time frame.

Is anyone planning to see the TV miniseries adaptation of And Then There Were None which is set to air on Lifetime in the USA beginning next week (I think). It was aired on BBC in 2015.

Personally I don't see them as any more dated then anything else she wrote, all the quaint little villages, country doctors making housecalls, etc. It is not the same world today as the one she lived in. And actually the focus on espionage, to me, is more of a timeless thing as it is always going on, even if the exact circumstances shift a bit. Whereas taking in a girl to do the cooking for the manor when someone's died of arsenic poisoning, or having one's old school chum down for a visit at the family hall when mum happens to be sleep the good sleep by a dose of laudanum, etc, are simply things that someone these days cannot related to at all. Hahaha.

>27 .Monkey.: Funny, because as I'm reading The Murder at the Vicarage, I'm of two schools. Yes, there are all these very English and very dated references, like the abundance of servants that even middle-class folk seem to hire. But some of the observations about human nature and the police procedurals aspect seem very relatable to today.

edited to attempt to fix touchstones issue ... no such luck

Oh sure, I think nearly any well-written book has worthwhile aspects for future generations to enjoy. I think Christie is a lot of fun, even if the old Englishness of her stuff can be utterly unrelateable for me. I was merely commenting that I feel the opposite about which aspects of her work is furthest off for me. :)

>29 .Monkey.: Right, there's definitely worthwhile aspects in well-written books, but not necessarily relatable aspects. Still, I think we may sort of be arguing the same thing at the end of the day. :)

I finished Murder at the Vicarage and while I had some minor quibbles, it was a quick, entertaining read. So I decided to try another Christie and found The Body in the Library also available on audiobook through my library. I started that today. Interesting to find that Christie now has switched to an omniscient third-person narration and Miss Marple seems like more of a main character rather than a small secondary character you could easily overlook until she unravels the whole mystery.

Finished The Moving Finger – Agatha Christie
2.5**

The fourth installment in the Miss Marple series has the reader visiting the small village of Lymstock. Jerry Burton has come to the quiet town along with his sister, to recuperate from a bad accident. But they are greeted with a vitriolic anonymous letter, and soon discover that someone has been sending such poison pen missives to most of the women in town. The local solicitor’s wife commits suicide after one such note … or does she?

This is an intricately plotted mystery, but Miss Marple doesn’t appear until page 153 (out of 216 total pages). Most of the detective work is done by Jerry Burton and the local investigator, Superintendent Nash. They don’t lack for suspects; it seems that almost everyone in town is a potential culprit, including the vicar’s wife! But of course, after hearing a few casual remarks Miss Marple solves the entire case.

There are a couple of romantic subplots which are really ridiculous and do nothing to further the mystery. I recognize that Christie frequently included such elements in her earlier works, but it just irritates me.

>31 BookConcierge: Hmm, interesting. Miss Marple wasn't a huge character in The Murder at the Vicarage, but she definitely showed up early. She's been more of a figure in The Body in the Library. I guess with any series, there's some variation when it comes to quality....

The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side – Agatha Christie
Audiobook performed by Emilia Fox.
3.5***

This is book # 9 in the series. Miss Marple is showing her age and the doctor insists that she have a nursemaid/companion. But she’s really not so frail as people think, and she can still out-detect the most experienced Scotland Yard inspector. When a local woman is dies during a large charity event at an estate now owned by Hollywood actress Marina Gregg and her latest husband (is he # 4 or # 5?) authorities discover that the cocktail she drank was doctored. But who would want to kill Mrs Badcock? It appears this was a terrible accident, but that the lethal dose was meant for Marina Gregg.

Christie really kept me guessing on this one. There are plenty of suspects, and lots of red herrings. Miss Marple is at her best in using her knowledge of human behavior and deducing the truth. I did pick up on that final clue, but was at a loss right up to that. I also really enjoyed the subplot of Miss Marple’s need for a companion.

Emilia Fox did a superb job narrating the audiobook. She was able to give the many characters unique voices, although her deep, gravelly voice for some of the male characters was a little over-the-top.

In catching up with your group, I chose to read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie for your January challenge. I rated it 4 stars & thoroughly enjoyed this mystery.

My thoughts & comments:

Mystery at its very finest; taut, compelling, absorbing. Ten people are brought to an island under rather odd circumstances. They are welcomed in the absence of owner, U.K. Owen, and after their shock at the playing of an audio recording accusing each of them of murder, one of them dies. Then another. Then another. The remaining survivors do their best to defend themselves and identify the person killing them by addressing the issue of whether it's one of them or someone hidden on the island. The rapid fire beginning introduction of characters is supplemented well by their words and actions on the island so they become quite clear. The clues are there but this reader found them subtle enough to miss them sometimes and obvious only in retrospect of the ending revelations. It is different than the modern mysteries I enjoy, but it simply shines as the epitome of the mystery genre. Yes, I found it a bit unnerving but it is amazingly well constructed. A complete pleasure to read and this one works as well today as when it was written.

>34 rainpebble: Ooo, sounds interesting. I'm going to have to get back to some more Agatha Christie mysteries soon, I enjoyed the ones I read.

>34 rainpebble: The mini-series was great as well.

One Two Buckle My Shoe – Agatha Christie
Book on CD read by Hugh Fraser.
3***

Hercule Poirot series, # 22

Even Hercule Poirot hates to go to the dentist, but a toothache requires attention, so he visits Dr Morley’s offices. A few hours after leaving, he is called back to the dentist’s surgery – to examine the body of the dentist, an apparent suicide. But as Poirot begins to interview the other patients who also visited the dentist that same morning, he finds more questions than answers.

Christie always delivers a well-constructed plot, with plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. While I did catch on to a few of the tricks, I didn’t figure out the real culprit until Poirot revealed the answer. Bravo!

Hugh Fraser does a fine job performing the audio. He plays Hastings in the BBC series, but he’s definitely up to the task of voicing Hercule Poirot and the many other characters.

>37 BookConcierge: Hm, sounds like an interesting one. I'm always looking for a good new audiobook.

Death in the Clouds – Agatha Christie
3***

Hercule Poirot is flying back to London from Paris along with ten other passengers. From his seat (No. 9), he should have a clear view of all that’s happening, except that he sleeps through most of the flight. When he’s disturbed it’s to discover that a woman has died, apparently from a wasp sting. Or was it murder?

Christie’s Belgian detective has become my go-to comfort read. I never tire of watching Poirot exercise his “little gray cells” to the amusement and astonishment of fellow investigators, suspects, innocent bystanders, and, of course, the culprit. I was startled by several racist terms and condescending statements regarding women, but I recognize this work is a product of the times in which it was written, and prevailing attitudes in that era.

This is number twelve in the series, but readers do NOT really need to consume them in any specific order; they are more like stand-alone novels, featuring the same detective.

Note: This is book # 12 in the Poirot series.

Death on the Nile - Agatha Christie
Audio book performed by David Suchet
4****

Christie is at her best in this mystery starring Hercule Poirot.

Linnett Ridgeway has everything – beauty, youth, intelligence and incredible wealth. When her dear friend Jacqueline de Bellefort asks her to please give her fiancé, Simon Doyle, a job so that they can get a start in life together, Linnett agrees. But a few months later it is Linnett and Simon who are on their honeymoon, though Jackie seems to turn up everywhere … even aboard their cruise ship up the Nile. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!

When Linnett is found dead in her cabin, the obvious suspect is Jackie. But at least five people can swear that she couldn’t possibly have done it. So who is the murderer? And why? Hercule Poirot may be on holiday in Egypt, but his “little grey cells” are working overtime. There are plenty of suspects and almost as many motives.

David Suchet is perfect in his performance on the audio. He reads at the brisk pace a mystery requires, and seems to effortlessly handle the many different voices required for the large cast of characters. I could listen to him all day.

UPDATE: 28Sep17 – finished a re-read of this classic Christie.

>40 BookConcierge: ooo, that sounds good. I'm always looking for a new audiobook for my commute.