by Agatha Christie

Synopsis:

Roger Ackroyd knew too much. He knew that the woman he loved had poisoned her brutal first husband. He suspected also that someone had been blackmailing her. Then, tragically, came the news that she had taken her own life with an apparent drug overdose.

However the evening post brought Roger one last fatal scrap of information, but before he could finish reading the letter, he was stabbed to death. Luckily one of Roger’s friends and the newest resident to retire to this normally quiet village takes over—none other than Monsieur Hercule Poirot.

If you can read Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd fresh, without knowing anything about it, I recommend you do! It’s a very clever story, and the reveal often surprises people.

That said, don’t let knowing the solution spoil it. For me, this time was a reread, but with enough time in between that I’d forgotten the significance of the clues, so that was a lot of fun too, trying to piece together the puzzle and remember the meaning/significance of the clues, while knowing the end result.

It’s a merciful break from my pet hate, Poirot’s friend Hastings. The book is narrated rather by a local man, James Sheppard, and though he also indulges himself sometimes in thinking that Poirot’s ridiculous, it’s less prominent. (I know some people feel fondly that Hastings is a himbo, and I can see that, but… he’s not my cup of tea.)

I don’t want to say too much about it, but it’s definitely my favourite of Christie’s work so far, even now I’ve read more of them (it was also the first of her books I read, back when I studied the development of crime fiction for a course at university).

Rating: 4/5

The Murder on the Links

by Agatha Christie

Synopsis:

On a French golf course, a millionaire is found stabbed in the back…

An urgent cry for help brings Poirot to France. But he arrives too late to save his client, whose brutally stabbed body now lies face downwards in a shallow grave on a golf course.

But why is the dead man wearing his son’s overcoat? And who was the impassioned love-letter in the pocket for? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse…

The Murder on the Links is the second Poirot book, and mercifully gets rid of Hastings by marrying him off. He’s just unbearable — one can believe there’s someone so self-absorbed and unable to learn from mistakes, but one would rather not have to. Not that I love Poirot as a character, either, but Hastings’ deficiencies are much more aggravating.

The plot here is a bit over-convoluted, to my mind, and of course relies on characters appearing and disappearing like jack-in-the-boxes. “Cinderella” and Hastings’ relationship is based on less than nothing, and Poirot’s posturing toward Giraud does him no credit in my eyes.

There’s a satisfaction in seeing the plot work out, but it wasn’t enough for me. I wonder if I’ll get along better with Poirot without Hastings — I know I liked The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, back when I read that.

Rating: 2/5

The Mysterious Affair At Styles

by Agatha Christie

Synopsis:

With impeccable timing Hercule Poirot, the renowned Belgian detective, makes his dramatic entrance on to the English crime stage.

Recently, there had been some strange goings on at Styles St Mary. Evelyn, constant companion to old Mrs Inglethorp, had stormed out of the house muttering something about ‘a lot of sharks’. And with her, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere. Her presence had spelt security; now the air seemed rife with suspicion and impending evil.

A shattered coffee cup, a splash of candle grease, a bed of begonias... all Poirot required to display his now legendary powers of detection.

For someone who loves Golden Age mysteries, I’ve read shockingly little of Agatha Christie’s work. So when I had the random thought to try using the app Serial Reader again, the first serial I picked was Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles. In the past I haven’t been the greatest fan of Poirot per se (while thinking that The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was pretty genius), and I can’t say my mind was changed like a lightning bolt by this one.

Which is not to say it’s not a fun mystery, but I disliked Hastings quite a bit. It’s the whole trope of a helper to the detective, who is a lot less clever, draws wrong conclusions, and both leads the reader astray and bigs up the detective in comparison. It’s a trend that started with Holmes and Watson (though Watson’s cleverer than many of the type, including Hastings), and just… not one I particularly enjoy. Perhaps that’s why, by and large, I prefer Sayers and Lorac.

Still, the solution is fun, and I enjoyed the read — it’s just inclined to make me think that Christie’s enduring popularity is in part due to her sheer prolific output, and thus the memorability of her name. Lorac is, for my money, a better writer, and much less well-known.

This does come across as rather negative, evaluating the book by what it’s not, but I find I have very little to say about the book in and of itself. It’s a fun mystery, I didn’t immediately see the solution, and if you’re interested in the Golden Age of crime, it’s definitely of interest.

Rating: 3/5