Tag: Agatha Christie

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

3 out of 5 stars

Read in December 2008

Not as engaging as And Then There Were None , but still an entertaining exercise in murder mystery theatre. I confess I did not discover the true murderer until Hercule Peroit telegraphed it to me in the final chapters. However, I did suspect that the obvious in-your-face suspect was just that – too obvious. For the longest time, I was convinced Inspector Crome was the mastermind behind the serial murders, but thankfully, I was wrong on that count.

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The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

4 out of 5 stars

Read in February 2010

I almost gave this book three stars (or less) because of the ending. I was disgusted with Agatha Christie’s cleverness. Up until the last couple of chapters, she strung me along, had me guessing, had me re-reading previous chapters to double-check facts. And them BAM! the last couple of chapters just made me cringe. I won’t spoil the ending or what frustrated me so thoroughly.

All the characters were vividly drawn and enthralling. The plot and storytelling delivered page-turning fervor and middle-of-the-night marathons. The mystery … I can’t comment on without spoiling.

I’ve read two other mysteries by Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None and The ABC Murders. This mystery falls in between those two from a reading and likability standpoint.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

(aka Ten Little Indians)

4 out of 5 stars

Read in December 2008

I don’t read mysteries very often, but perhaps I should pick them up more frequently. And Agatha Christie is definitely one of the masters of the mystery writing craft.

I could not put this book down. I just had to know what came next. I was even a bit confused after finishing the epilogue and still not knowing for sure who had orchestrated the elaborate scenario that resulted in ten murders and one suicide. But like nearly all serial killers, the murderer craved recognition and left us a message in a bottle.

Ten people stranded on an island a mile off the coast all of whom have skeletons in their closets. A nursery rhyme rewritten as a prophecy (self-fulfilling in more than one case) of doom. Mix the ingredients and let it bake in the August sun for two to three days and wallah! No survivors and many unanswered questions.

Definitely a must read for any mystery aficionado.