The latest BBC rendition of an Agatha Christie classic , 1936’s The ABC Murders, has just dropped onto Amazon Prime. Now we forward-thinking Americans can add our two cents to the European reaction over Sarah Phelps’ treatment of the Mistress of Mystery. (I believe the words “Burn the witch and her laptop!” have been uttered in … Continue reading GAD = GORY AND DARK: Sarah Phelps Takes On the Establishment
Agatha Christie
“THESE PRECIOUS ILLUSIONS IN MY HEAD DID NOT LET ME DOWN . . . “
Author and blogger Margot Kinberg, who comes up with something thought-provoking every . . . single . . . day . . . recently offered up a tantalizing article about illusion. Her focus was on characters in mysteries whose lives, built to varying degrees around an illusory view of the world around them, form the … Continue reading “THESE PRECIOUS ILLUSIONS IN MY HEAD DID NOT LET ME DOWN . . . “
REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST: The Stirring of Memory in the Novels of Agatha Christie
I know, I know, friends! I was waxing reflective on Agatha Christie only the other day, and here I go again. Forgive me, but January is always a rough month to get some reading in. It’s the final stretch of rehearsals for the big school show, and this year’s entry, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, is … Continue reading REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST: The Stirring of Memory in the Novels of Agatha Christie
SINISTER OR SILLY: When Does Agatha Go Too Far?
Last month on the Facebook Golden Age Detection page, the great blogger Xavier Lechard opened up the proverbial can of worms, and I have this to say about that! First, though: if you are a GAD fan like me (and still brave membership on Facebook) yet do not belong to this amazing group . . … Continue reading SINISTER OR SILLY: When Does Agatha Go Too Far?
A CHRISTIE FOR CHRISTMAS: The Moving Finger
I grew up in a wondrous world where every year, as the yuletide approached, an advertisement would appear in the newspaper announcing that Agatha Christie had done it again! Mind you, this began for me in the late 60’s, so we’re not talking about the titles that regularly make it on anyone’s Top Ten list. … Continue reading A CHRISTIE FOR CHRISTMAS: The Moving Finger
OH, THE PRESUMPTION OF THE MAN! (Listing the Best Women in Christie)
Today, my buddy Kate at Cross Examining Crime posted a review of Agatha Christie’s The Man in the Brown Suit. It wasn’t her first reading of the book, but she still didn’t love it, and I have to say – good for you, Kate! This is supposed to be one of Christie’s finest thrillers, featuring … Continue reading OH, THE PRESUMPTION OF THE MAN! (Listing the Best Women in Christie)
TWO REVIEWS, TWO QUESTIONS: Part Two
“’There’s a bloody footprint out on the terrace, if you care to take a look. It might give you a shoe size. I’d say the killer left down the fire escape into the alley, so perhaps you’ll catch him on CCTV. But we didn’t see anything. We got here too late.’ “’All right, then. You … Continue reading TWO REVIEWS, TWO QUESTIONS: Part Two
TWO REVIEWS, TWO QUESTIONS: Part One
Here is the first question: Why is Sophie Hannah writing the new Poirot novels? For many of you, the real question is why anyone should endeavor to continue Hercule Poirot’s career forty-five years after his true creator’s death? It’s a good question, but it’s not my question. Notice the italics on the name "Sophie Hannah." It … Continue reading TWO REVIEWS, TWO QUESTIONS: Part One
FELICITATIONS, DAME AGATHA!
You may not be reading this until tomorrow (Monday) because I’m sure that, like everyone else, you’re outside celebrating Agatha Christie’s one-hundred-twenty-eighth-and-one-day birthday! Some fools posted yesterday during the pre-celebratory festivities, but the real fans are out there right now, spreading the cheer about the world’s most famous mystery writer. Okay, look, I had a really busy … Continue reading FELICITATIONS, DAME AGATHA!
THE BRIDGE TWIXT GAD AND MODERNITY: Christie’s The Body in the Library
The difference between Agatha Christie in the 1920’s and the 1930’s was, in every way, startling. Although she was thirty when she published her first novel, there was something of the gawky girl in Christie’s writing and the tragic romantic in her personal life. Of the nine novels she published between 1920 and 1929, five … Continue reading THE BRIDGE TWIXT GAD AND MODERNITY: Christie’s The Body in the Library
Ah Sweet Mystery! 