Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie

Title:  Ordeal by Innocence

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  Hugh Fraser

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 7 hours and 5 minutes

Source: Checked out with Libby through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

Have you watched any Agatha Christie adaptations?  I have enjoyed the different adaptations on PBS, and the new Kenneth Branaugh movies, but I still have many film versions to enjoy.  I have not watched an adaptation of Ordeal by Innocence.  Do you have any recommendations for a good version?

I read Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie this past month for #ReadChristie2024.  #ReadChristie2024 has a theme this year of through the decades.  January – March were books written by Agatha Christie in the 1920’s, April through June were books written by Agatha Christie in the 1930’s, and July through September were books written by Agatha Christie in the 1940s and 1950s.   Ordeal by Innocence was published in 1958 and was my September selection.

A young man, Jacko, threatened his mother for money.  Afterwords, his mother was found murdered and he was found on a train carrying a large sum of money.  Jacko died in prison but is found afterwards to be innocent.  If Jacko is innocent, who is the real killer?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       It is discovered that the mother had adopted five children and loved them more than her husband.  Jacko was the “black sheep” of the family, so it was easy to believe he was the killer.  It seemed that there were a lot of cruel theories on adoptees and their parents in this time period in which this book was written. 

·       Mentions of Sputnik put this novel firmly in the 1950s time period.

·       I liked that the geologist, Dr. Calgary, seeks justice for Jacko.  Dr. Calgary was a witness and could prove Jacko’s innocence, but he was in an accident and had his memory lost for a time due to a concussion.  He then went to Antarctica to explore and missed the murder trial.  He was not a strong lead investigator, however, and seemed to repeat his thoughts a lot.

·       This book centers on the Argyle family, getting to know the characters, how they interacted, and whether any of them are involved in the murder.  It was a very dysfunctional family.

·       This is a standalone mystery.

·       Hugh Fraser was an excellent narrator as usual. 

·       I didn’t connect with this story as much as I have with other Christie novels.  I didn’t really like any of the characters.  I didn’t like how Rachel Argyle had taken the children from their families.  The adult children seemed very angry and whiney.  The resolution was just rather blah to me.  I was surprised to read that this was one of Christie’s favorite books that she wrote in the 1950s.   

My favorite quote, “How can I go on living here and suspecting everybody?  Justice is, after all, in the hands of men and men are fallible.  He felt lost without his hatred – lost and afraid.

Overall, Ordeal by Innocence was an interesting mystery, but not my favorite Christie novel.