The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie

 

What types of books do you like to read when winter weather keeps you indoors?

The Sittaford Mystery was the #ReadChristie2021 selection for December.  The theme was 'A story set during bad weather.'  I didn’t get a chance to read it until the end of January, but I’m glad that I did.

On a Friday night with a winter storm brewing, six neighbors have a séance.  The message from  beyond is that “Captain Trevelyan … dead…murder.”  His friend Major Burnaby rushes through the storm only to indeed find Captain Trevelyan dead.  Captain Trevelyan may have lived a low-key life in a rural village, but there seem to be plenty of people with a motive to kill him.  Was it his mysterious nephew, Jim Pearson, who arrived in town the day of the murder?  His other nephew that is supposed to be in Australia?  Who are the mysterious tenants that have leased his home?  Clues are around every corner and Inspector Narracott, reporter Charles Enderby, and Jim Pearson’s fiancée Emily Trefusis are on the case.

I enjoyed this mystery, and it was a perfect winter weather read.  I really loved the character of Emily Trefusis.  She had spunk and was the driving force behind the investigation.  Her wit and humor made the novel for me.  I once again did not figure out the murderer in this one.  I was surprised at the end, but it all did make sense. 

The characters were all fun and interesting in this novel, except for Emily’s fiancé Jim Pearson.  We don’t learn much about him and Emily’s descriptions of him make him seem easy to manipulate.  I was rooting for Charles and Emily to end of up together.

The Sittaford Mystery is a standalone Christie novel.  I started watching a Miss Marple episode titled, “The Sittaford Mystery,” that is from 2006.  I only made it about twenty minutes into the episode. Besides the book not being in the Miss Marple series, the plot up to that point had nothing to do with the novel.  The music for the episode was also quite terrible. Are there any other films or shows of this mystery that are more enjoyable?

Overall, The Sittaford Mystery was another enjoyable Agatha Christie mystery.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

Crooked House by Agatha Christie

 

Crooked House was the November pick for #ReadChristie2021 Challenge.  It was another new book for me, and I was intrigued in the author’s foreword to discover it was one of Agatha Christie’s personal favorites.  I would agree with this assessment.  It was a perfect murder mystery.

 The narrator of the novel, Charles Hayword, meets Sophia Leonides in Egypt towards the end of World War II and they fall in love.  They reconnect in England and her grandfather and patriarch of the Leonides family is murdered shortly thereafter.  Charles’s father works for Scotland Yard and Charles is used as an “in” to the family. He listens to all of the conversations family as he gets to know them as Sophia’s young man.  Who murdered Aristide Leonides?  His young wife who may have been having an affair?  His son who was going bankrupt?  Is it Sophia herself to gain her inheritance? There are plenty of people with motive, but what is the answer?

 As has become typical with my reading of Agatha Christie novels, I did not guess the answer to this one and was caught off guard.  It did make sense though.  This novel flowed really well narratively, and I enjoyed it.  I really liked the narrator being Sophia’s love interest, it added an additional depth to the novel.  I will admit that I was reminded a lot of one of my favorite movies from two years ago, Knives Out.  It seemed to have borrowed quite a few items from this book. 

 Favorite Quote:

 “I don’t think, in my experience, that any murderer has really felt remorse. . . And that, perhaps, is the mark of Cain.  Murderers are set apart, they are ‘different’ – murder is wrong – but not for them – for them it is necessary – the victim has ‘asked for it,’ it was ‘the only way.’”

 Overall, Crooked House is an excellent mystery.

 Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie

 Death on the Nile is my October pick for #ReadChristie2021.  The prompt was “a story set on a mode of transport.”  I already owned Death on the Nile and wanted to read it before the new movie finally gets released.  It’s an Agatha Christie classic and I am excited that I finally read it.  Are you reading any books to be ready for a movie or show release? 

 Linnet Ridgeway is young, beautiful, and rich.  She appears to have everything she wants, until she wants the fiancé of her friend Jacqueline de Bellefort.  Unfortunately for Jacqueline, Simon Doyle is entranced by Linnet, and they are soon wed.  As they honeymoon in Egypt on the Nile, Jacqueline follows them to exact her revenge.  Detective Hercule Poirot is also on the trip and realizes that although Linnet seems to have the perfect life, there are several people who are out to get her.  After several people are murdered on the trip, will Poirot be able to untangle this web to find the murderer?

 Yes, Agatha Christie did it again and surprised me by the ending. I thought I had this one all figured out, but she perfectly had it plotted out all of the way to the end.  I love how there was a lot of backstories before the murder in this novel to get to know more of the cast of characters.  This one had passion and intrigue, and I felt more for the murder victims as you had gotten to know them more before they were killed.  I loved the beautiful setting in Egypt.  It makes me want to go on a cruise on the Nile . . . but without the murder.

 Favorite Quotes:

“Poirot sighed.  He was glad that he was no longer young.”

 “Love can be a very frightening thing.”  “That is why most great love stories are tragedies”

 Overall, Death on the Nile is another great classic Agatha Christie mystery.

 Book Source:  Purchased from Barnes & Nobles

 

 

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

 

I read Evil Under the Sun at the end of August for the #ReadChristie2021 challenge.  The prompt was a story on a seaside.  Poor Hercule Poirot never gets a break, even when he is on a seaside vacation.  He goes to visit the Jolly Roger Hotel, Smuggler’s Island, Leathercombe Bay on a promontory that is cut off from England at each high tide.  He meets a motley crew of characters and soon enough, one is found dead on the beach.  Who committed this murder during a seaside vacation and why?

I enjoyed this Christie as I’ve been enjoying each one as I read them for the first time.  Christie tricked me again, but I loved going along for the ride and seeing how this mystery turned out.  This novel did not have a narrator and I liked how chapter one set up the seaside location including a map.  I loved how once again Poirot uses his little grey cells to understand people’s characters and to really look at how much they are saying or not saying.  He shows the reader and the characters of the novel that sometimes or own biases are what make it so that a murderer can be hiding in plain sight.

Favorite Quotes:

“It is romantic, yes. It is peaceful.  The sun shines.  The sea is blue.  But you forget, Miss Brewster, there is evil everywhere under the sun.”

“One can’t go back, can one?  That – never.  But I’d like to have gone on - a different way.”

Overall, Evil Under the Sun is the perfect mystery to take along on your next holiday.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

The July read for #ReadChristie2021 was The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie.  The theme for July was “story with a vicar.”  Do you have a favorite story, movie or show that involves a vicar, pastor, or priest?

In a small English village, Colonel Protheroe has been found murdered in the vicarage.  It seems like it is an open and shut case at first, but it is soon discovered that just about everyone in the village had a reason why they would want to kill Colonel Protheroe.  Miss Marple is a neighbor who sees all and helps to solve the case.  Who murdered Colonel Protheroe?

This has been one of my favorite narrators in a Christie novel so far.  I really loved the vicar.  Miss Marple is a character is the story with someone else narrator just like in the Hercule Poirot novels.  I loved her character and all of the old ladies keeping an eye on everything.

I like that the book included maps so you could visualize what the characters were describing.  I loved the small English village setting filled with busybodies where secrets are hard to keep.

I was still surprised at the end of this one.  Having been surprised by Christie before, I overthought everything and made the wrong conclusion again!

Favorite Quotes:

“I’m afraid that observing human nature for as long as I have done, one gest not to expect very much from it.  I dare say the idle tittle-tattle is very wrong and unkind, but it is so often true, isn’t it?”

“There is no detective in England equal to a spinster lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands.”

“Not only does she see and hear practically everything that goes on, but she draws amazingly neat and apposite deductions from the facts that come under her notice.”

“The young people think the told people are fools; but the old people know the young people are fools.”

Overall, The Murder at the Vicarage is another delightful mystery from Agatha Christie.  I have loved everyone I’ve read so far!

Book Source:  Purchased by Amazon.com

 

A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie

I read a Pocket Full of Rye as the May selection for the Read Christie 2021 challenge.  The theme for May was a story featuring tea.

Rex Fortescue has just drunk a new cup of tea when he has a violent reaction and dies at a nearby hospital.  Mysteriously his pockets are found full of rye.  What caused his death?  Inspector Neele is immediately on the scene.  He discovers there are many who would wish Rex’s death, including his own family.  When Miss Marple arrives on the scene, she helps him to realize that the death is part of a story rhyme. “Sing a song of sixpence, a pocketful of rye. . .“  Who is the killer and where will they strike next?

I thought I had this one figured out – but Agatha Christie got me again.  I love her twists, turns, and surprises at the end.  This was my first Miss Marple mystery and what surprised me is that she wasn’t present until about one hundred pages into this novel.  I was surprised that she didn’t appear for so long and was a secondary character to the main inspector.  I’m interested to learn whether this is true for all of her novels or not.  Nemesis, another Miss Marple mystery, is the selection for this month.

Favorite Quotes:

“Confronted by the unexpected, her poise was shaken.”

“Human nature is much the same everywhere, is it not?”

Overall, A Pocket Full of Rye is an another great Agatha Christie mystery.  I can’t get enough of them!

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

 

What do you like about mysteries?  Do you have a favorite Agatha Christie mystery? 

 I read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie in April as part of the Read Christie 2021 Challenge.  It is a mystery set before World War II, which meets the prompt for the month.  I knew nothing about this novel going in. I loved it and was completely surprised by the ending.  How does Christie do this to me every time?

 Hercule Poirot has retired to the countryside.  Even in retirement, excitement finds him when a local wealthy man, Roger Ackroyd, is found murdered.  This novel is narrated by the local Dr. Shepard who writes a narrative of the investigation like a Dr. Watson figure to Poirot.  He is single and has a delightful sister Caroline who is in tune with all of the gossip in town.  Who is the killer?  Is it his stepson?  The mysterious maid?  His niece?  The man servant?  Poirot uses his little grey cells to solve the mystery.

 I enjoyed this mystery and the small-town setting.  The characters were great, and I loved the ending.  I really want to talk about the ending, but don’t want to ruin it for others!  Feel free to comment if you’d like to discuss the ending.  I think Christie really turned the genre on its head when she wrote this mystery in 1926.

 Favorite Quote:

“Our hobbies and recreations can be summed up in the one word, ‘gossip.’”

 Overall, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is another superb mystery by Agatha Christie.

 Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie

I read about the ReadChristie 2021 Challenge on Instagram and decided I wanted to join.  Lord Edgware Dies is the March pick, so I am a bit behind, but I’m going to keep on plucking along.  I just started reading Agatha Christie mysteries a few years ago and I’ve found I really enjoy them.  This challenge is a good way for me to read even more of her mysteries.

Lord Edgware dies is a Hercule Poirot novel.  It has an interesting start. Hercule Poirot and his friend, the narrator of the novel, Hastings, meet the American actress, Jane Wilkinson.  She asks Poirot to meet her husband, Lord Edgware to ask him for a divorce as she would like to marry someone else.  Poirot meets with Lord Edgware and is surprised when he is found murdered shortly thereafter.  All signs point to Jane as she has often talked about getting “rid” of Lord Edgware.  Jane was a party with friends at the time of the murder, how could she also have been seen entering Lord Edgware’s library at the same time? 

I greatly enjoyed this mystery.  Christie really knows how to have an interesting and intricate plot.  I had no idea how this would end, but as the pieces came together at the end, it made perfect sense.   This was a unique mystery and I loved it!

Favorite Quote:

“The memory of the public is short.  Already the intense interest and excitement aroused by the murder of George Alfred St. Vincent Marsh, fourth Baron Edgware, is a thing past and forgotten.  Newer sensations have taken its place.”

Overall, Lord Edgware Dies is a great mystery with an interesting and intricate plot.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com.