When the Tuesday Night Bloggers selected October’s topic – Costume in Crime – I made straight for Agatha Christie, as is my wont. It only took me a moment to cover an entire page with titles that concern criminals in disguise. Christie’s use of this trick is frequent enough and varied enough that I’m sure … Continue reading DEVIL IN DISGUISE – Christie’s Costumed Criminals . . . AND a Quiz!
Agatha Christie
TELL ME WHY YOU CRIED (And Why You Died on Me)*
What’s this? Two posts in one day?!? My adoring fans will grow tired of me – both of them! But after all, it is Agatha Christie’s birthday, and the blogosphere is lit up with celebrations and personal confessions over why Christie means so much to mystery fans. Author Margot Kinberg really got into the swing of the … Continue reading TELL ME WHY YOU CRIED (And Why You Died on Me)*
CHRISTIE FIRSTS: Another Blogger’s Take
Happy 126th birthday to you, Happy 126th birthday to you! Happy 126th birthday, Dame Agatha . . . I can’t believe it has been a year since all the fuss occurred in Torquay over Agatha Christie’s 125th birthday! The panels, the performances, the men and women dressed up as Countess Vera Russakoff . . . … Continue reading CHRISTIE FIRSTS: Another Blogger’s Take
ALL MY DEADLY DAUGHTERS: Christie’s Children in Fact and Fiction
“I know all mothers rave about their babies, but I must say that, though I personally consider newborn babies definitely hideous, Rosalind actually was a nice-looking baby. She had a lot of dark hair, and she looked rather like a Red Indian; she had not that pink, bald look that is so depressing in babies, … Continue reading ALL MY DEADLY DAUGHTERS: Christie’s Children in Fact and Fiction
L’EXCROISSANCE or, Giving the (Moving) Finger to Christie
My buddy Kate over at Cross Examining Crime just wrote an interesting article on Agatha Christie’s The Moving Finger. While she’s not as fond of the novel as I am, she had a fascinating take on the character of Megan Hunter here. By an amazing coincidence, I happened to watch the TV adaptation of The … Continue reading L’EXCROISSANCE or, Giving the (Moving) Finger to Christie
THE SPINSTER’S DEBUT: The Murder At the Vicarage
“What are you doing this afternoon, Griselda?” “My duty,” said Griselda. “My duty as the Vicaress. Tea … Continue reading THE SPINSTER’S DEBUT: The Murder At the Vicarage
AGATHA CHRISTIE AND THE DEADLY DUO
I have received threefold inspiration to write the following post. First, as part of the 1930 celebration going on over at Past Offenses, I re-read The Murder at the Vicarage, which contains a prime example of a favorite murder motif of Agatha Christie’s that I have dubbed “the deadly duo.” Her variations on this theme form … Continue reading AGATHA CHRISTIE AND THE DEADLY DUO
DESTINATION UNKNOWN (a.k.a. “Taking a Bullet for Rich”)
“The travelers got out of the car. There was a big bell pull at the gate, but before they could touch it the gates swung slowly open. A white-robed figure with a black, smiling face bowed to them and bade them enter. They passed through the gate; at one side screened by a high fence … Continue reading DESTINATION UNKNOWN (a.k.a. “Taking a Bullet for Rich”)
MISSTEP: Christie’s “Third Girl”
Hercule Poirot appears late in 1963’s The Clocks, and the ostensible reason for this (disregarding Christie’s open dislike of the man late in her career) is that he is working on “his magnum opus, an analysis of great writers of fiction.” The first chapter where Poirot appears is mostly taken up with regaling his listener … Continue reading MISSTEP: Christie’s “Third Girl”
WAXING JOYFULLY ON MY FAVORITE POIROT NOVEL
The last great Hercule Poirot novel opens, appropriately enough, with a funeral. It’s 1953. Agatha Christie will continue to write for twenty more years, and twenty two more novels will be published. Many of them will be grand stories. Miss Marple will come into her own with seven of her twelve novels appearing after this … Continue reading WAXING JOYFULLY ON MY FAVORITE POIROT NOVEL
Ah Sweet Mystery! 