Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

 

Do you like to curl up to the fire with a cozy mystery, romance, or other type of genre? 

Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie is a collection of stories that was recently published in 2020 and contains a variety of stories that were originally published from the 1920s to the 1970s.  The stories have a holiday or winter theme. 

My thoughts on this collection of stories:

·       This was the November Pick for the Back to the Classics Book Club.  We all enjoyed it!  I’m also using it for a pick for #ReadChristie2024.  The challenge this year was exploring Christie’s works through the decades, which you can do with this collection as well!

·       My book club all liked the introduction which contained Christie’s memories of Christmas from her youth.  In the bibliography at the end, it looks like it was taken from her autobiography.

·       I enjoyed all the stories, but especially the first, “Three Blind Mice.”  It was longer like a novella and seemed to have more plot and character buildup.  Apparently, this later became Agatha Christie’s longest running play, The Mousetrap.  I still haven’t seen this play yet!

·       All the stories were different, interesting, and fun.

·       This was the first time I had read any stories involving Mr. Harley Quin.  We all thought he was interesting.  He only appears in Christie’s short stories but was apparently one of Christie’s favorite characters.  Two stories in this collection had Quin as a character.

·       While I was reading “The Plymouth Express,” it seemed very familiar to me.  It was later made into the full-length book, The Blue Train, which I had read earlier this year.

·       Tommy and Tuppence had a cute story in this collection and my fellow book club members enjoyed them as characters.  I highly recommend their full-length novels.

Overall, Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie was a great collection with stories that were unique, interesting, and fun.  It was a good Christmas read for my Back to the Classics Book Club.

Third Girl by Agatha Christie

Title:  Third Girl

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  Hugh Fraser

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 59 minutes

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

Which genre help you get out of reading slump?  Mysteries often get me out of a reading slump.

I read Third Girl by Agatha Christie last month for #ReadChristie2024.  #ReadChristie2024 has a theme this year of through the decades.  January – March were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1920’s, April through June were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1930’s, July through September were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1940s and 1950s, and October through December were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1960s and 1970s.   The Third Girl was published in 1966 and features Hercule Poirot. 

A mysterious woman shows up and tells Poirot that she thinks she murdered someone and then promptly disappears.  Poirot must figure out who the girl is and why she thinks she killed someone.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Hugh Fraser is such a great audiobook narrator.  He makes all the voices unique and in tune with their character.

·       Hercule Poirot is sad about being called old in this one.  As he has been retired since the books written in the 1920s and this one was published in 1966, I think he is doing well for his age.

·       Ariadne Oliver is a character in this one and is a great partner to Poirot.

·       Agatha Christie really seems to not like the youth of the day.  There is much talk about “dirty” and unkept youth, long hair, beards, drugs, and sex.

·       I learned what “third girl” actually means.  A first girl rents a flat and invites a friend (second girl), and then they place an ad for a third girl to share the rent.

·       Once a wig became involved in the story, I was suspicious, but I still didn’t solve this one on my own.

·       I thought it was interesting that it was the first novel in years where Hercule Poirot was present from the beginning to the end.

Overall, Third Girl was another good Agatha Christie mystery.  I think reading through the different decades was very interesting. 

The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side by Agatha Christie

 

Title:  The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  Emilia Fox

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 26 minutes

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

Do any “famous” people live in your neighborhood?  The children’s author, Patricia Polacco, lives in my hometown of Union City, Michigan.

I read The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side by Agatha Christie last month for #ReadChristie2024.  #ReadChristie2024 has a theme this year of through the decades.  January – March were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1920’s, April through June were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1930’s, July through September were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1940s and 1950s, and October through December were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1960s and 1970s.   The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side was published in 1962 and features Miss Marple. 

Movie star Marina Gregg has moved into Miss Marple’s neighborhood.  The neighborhood is excited when she holds a fundraiser for the local community.  Heather Badcock is excited to meet her idol and tell her a story, but she dies immediately afterwards.  As the murder is investigated it appears that Marina Gregg was the target.  Will Miss Marple solve this mystery?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This novel is firmly set-in post-war England.  St. Mary’s Mead is growing with new neighborhoods and a grocery story.  The new people have changed the make-up of the community.

·       I liked how Miss Marple is in her 80’s with a nurse and the nurse drives her crazy.  Miss Marple still wants to be about and about solving murder mysteries. 

·       The characters in the novel were great.

·       I was not sure how to feel when the novel had Miss Marple and another lady discussing Hollywood orgies.  That is something I never thought I’d hear Miss Marple talking about.  I think it was Christie’s attempt to make the novel more modern.

·       It was interesting how some of the Hollywood aspects are still true to life.  Marina, the star, has had many marriages.  She always wanted a child but was unable to have one.  She has heard that if you adopt a child, you may be more likely to have a child.  She adopted three children, and then abandoned them a few years later when she was pregnant with a biological child.  The adopted children were taken from their families, raised in privilege, paraded before the press, and then forgotten.  It was cruel.

·       I enjoyed this mystery and its twists and turns.  I thought I had this mystery solved, but I was wrong.

·       I loved the audiobook narrator, Emilia Fox.  She had a nice British accent and great character voices.

Overall, The Mirror Crack’d From Side to Side was another great Agatha Christie mystery.

Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie

 

Title:  Elephants Can Remember

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  Hugh Fraser

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 5 hours and 36 minutes

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

Do you like to read more than one book at once?  I am usually reading a physical book, ebook, and audiobook at the same time.

I read Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie last month for #ReadChristie2024.  #ReadChristie2024 has a theme this year of through the decades.  January – March were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1920’s, April through June were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1930’s, July through September were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1940s and 1950s, and October through December were books published by Agatha Christie in the 1960s and 1970s.   Elephants Can Remember was published in 1972 and was the last novel written to feature Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver.  Curtain:  Poirot’s Last Case was published after this but was written in the 1940s.  This is the December selection for #ReachChristie2024, but my hold came in October so that was when I read it!

Author Ariadne Oliver is at a literary luncheon when a strange woman, Mrs. Burton-Cox states that her son Desmond is engaged to Ariadne Oliver’s goddaughter, Celia.  She wants to know, did Celia’s mother kill her father or did her father kill her mother?  Both were shot with a revolver, found between them, with both of their fingerprints, and none other on them.  This sparks Ariadne’s curiosity, and she starts to investigate the cold case.  Will she be able to solve it using other’s memories from twelve years ago?  Will her friend, Hercule Poirot, be able to help her out?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I like how Ariadne is the primary investigator in this novel with help from her friend, Hercule Poirot.

·       The phrase “elephants can remember” comes up a lot.  People state it discussing how elephants remember everything.  This novel deals with memories and how they play into being interviewed, and oral testimony.

·       Always trust the dog, the family dog bit Celia’s mother the month before her death.  Why?  I liked that the mystery was partially solved by the actions of the dog.

·       This book features twins.  I always like when twins are in a mystery.

·       This book again brings up adoption and “real parents” and “real kids.”  This type of language made me uncomfortable.

·       This time I did mostly figure out the conclusion, but I still enjoyed the journey and explanation from Hercule Poirot.

·       Hugh Fraser is a great narrator for Agatha Christie’s novels.

Overall, Elephants Can Remember was an interesting Agatha Christie mystery dealing with memory set in the 1970s.

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.

A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie

What’s the last series you finished?  I’m still working on Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple series.  I am not reading them in order, but I hope to finish this series one of these days.  A Murder is Announced is book four in the Miss Marple series.

I read A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie in August 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.  A Murder is Announced was published in 1950.

An ad appears in a local paper stating, “a murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 28^th at Little Paddocks at 6:30 P.M.”  This piques the curiosity of many locals and they gather at Little Paddocks at the date and time.  Most believe this to be a “game.”  At 6:30 P.M., the lights go out and shots are heard.  A guest is found murdered.  Luckily, Miss Marple happens to be vacationing nearby and soon is helping the investigators.  Will Miss Marple be able to solve the crime?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Emilia Fox was a great narrator who was able to act out very different voices for a variety of characters.

·       There are many items in this book that set it right after WWII.  Miss Marple talks about bombs falling in London during the war.  There is also discussion of food rationing.

·       Miss Marple also doesn’t like how England is changing due to the refugees in England.  One character, Mitzi, is a refugee.  She mentions concentration camps, and she didn’t seem to be treated well in the book.  This was a book of its time and there were racist statements.

·       I was fooled again by red herrings and did not guess the ending of this one.  The murder mystery was great and perfectly plotted.

·       Agatha Christie writes great characters with faults and foibles that are a part of human nature.

·       Miss Marple arrives about 30% into the book and is active in the investigation.  I like this much better than other Miss Marple books where she doesn’t show up until the end and doesn’t have much to do with the investigation. 

·       I liked Inspector Craddock, the lead detective in the case.

Overall, A Murder is Announced is another great mystery by Agatha Christie.  I liked the unique premise and the characters.

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

 

Title:  The Secret Adversary

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  Emma Fenney

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 33 minutes

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

 

Do you have any favorite spy novels, shows, or movies?  I always enjoy watching the James Bond movies.

I read The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie in February for #ReadChristie2024.  #ReadChristie2024 has a theme this year of through the decades.  January – March are books written by Agatha Christie in the 1920’s.  The Secret Adversary was Agatha Christie’s second novel published in 1922 and the first novel featuring the detective solving pair, Tommy and Tuppence.  Christie wrote a novel or short story collection about this crime solving duo each decade of her writing career and they aged along with her.  I have read their first two books and I can’t wait to read the rest of their adventures!

The Secret Adversary is set right after the first world war or “The Great War.”  Friends Tommy Beresford and Prudence “Tuppence” Cowley run into each other in London in 1920.  They  discover they are both searching for a job.  They start the “young adventurers” to solve cases.  A man overhearing them talk asks for their help in in finding the missing Jane Finn who disappeared when the  Luisitana sank about five years before and may have had secret government documents with her.  They are off on an adventure that includes foreign agents, the mysterious Mr. Brown, amnesia, kidnapping, proposals, and more.  Will they find Jane and the missing documents?

I really like Tommy and Tuppence and their capers.  This was a fun adventure with witty banter, evil villians, and a lot of action.  It was a lot of fun to me, but it isn’t like her “typical” Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple novels.  I really like the Agatha Christie wrote such different types of mysteries.  I also liked the romance between Tommy and Tuppence.  She wants to marry a rich man and I enjoyed how they both realized their feelings for each other and that they didn’t want her to marry rich when given the chance.  This wasn’t my favorite mystery of Christie’s, but I did really like the fun and adventure.

I really liked the opening line of this novel, “It was 2 p.m. on the afternoon of May 7, 1915. The Lusitania had been struck by two torpedoes in succession and was sinking rapidly, while the boats were being launched with all possible speed.”  I thought it was interesting that this book used an event that had happened not too long before it was published.  I was also intrigued to learn that Tommy served in the military and Tuppence was a nurse during the Great War.

I listened to The Secret Adversary on audiobook and Emma Fenney was a great narrator!

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

 Title:  The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  Hugh Fraser

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 5 hours and 57 minutes 

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

Do you participate in any reading challenges?  I discovered the Read Christie Challenge a few years ago and I have been having a wonderful time discovering all of Christie’s works for the first time.  #ReadChristie2024 has a theme this year of through the decades.  (See Challenge Card Below).  January – March are books written by Agatha Christie in the 1920’s.  

If you’d like to join this challenge, you can do the following:

1. Go to https://www.agathachristie.com/news/2024/read-christie-2024 to see the reads for each month of 2024.

2. Print a Challenge Postcard, pick out your book for the month, and start reading.

3. If you post on social media, use #ReadChristie2024 on Instagram for your chance to be featured in monthly reading round-ups.  

4. You can also join an end of the month book club at the link above.

5. Have fun reading and seeing what others are reading for this challenge.

For January, I read The Mysterious Affair at Styles which was published in 1920.  This novel introduced her most famous detective, Hercule Poirot.  Captain Arthur Hastings has just returned from the Great War and is recuperating at Styles Court as the guest of the Cavendish family. While there, the family matriarch and owner of the estate, Emily Inglethorpe, mysteriously dies.  She appears to have been poisoned, but by who and why?  Hastings enlists his old friend Hercule Poirot to help solve the case.

This was an excellent first novel by Agatha Christie.  I love that Hercule Poirot was introduced as a Belgian refugee from World War I who is also a retired famous detective.  Series regulars Inspector Japp and Hastings first appear.  Hastings is still not great at putting clues together without Poirot’s help.  He is also helpless when it comes to a pretty face, just like he is in the follow-up novel, Murder on the Links.  Poirot uses his little grey cells and many of his mannerisms and characteristics first appear here that will continue over the many novels in which he is featured.  I find it interesting that he is already retired and supposedly old in this first novel.  

The mystery was good with lots of red herrings that fooled me as usual.  I liked the conclusion of the novel.  I also loved that Christie used her job experiences during World War I in a hospital dispensary to write about poison.  She even had a character in this novel that had the same job she did during World War I.  

Hugh Fraser is a good narrator of Agatha Christie’s novels.  I was very entertained by this audiobook.