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
Agatha Christie
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
NO FRIENDLY DROP: Agatha Christie and Poison
“A strangled cry from the bed startled me. A fresh access of pain seized the unfortunate old lady. . . A final convulsion lifted her from the bed, until she appeared to rest upon her head and her heels, with her body arched in an extraordinary manner . . . Mrs. Inglethorp cried out in … Continue reading NO FRIENDLY DROP: Agatha Christie and Poison
THIS WAY LIES MADNESS: The 1944 Novels of Agatha Christie
By 1944, World War II had been raging for nearly six years. Started by a madman, the widespread death and devastation on the battlefield was matched by the enemy’s constant attempts to undermine the morale of the Allied nations through frequent random bombings of cities and towns and through vicious radio programs designed to shake … Continue reading THIS WAY LIES MADNESS: The 1944 Novels of Agatha Christie
DUMB WITNESS: Deconstructing Second-Rate Christie
Agatha Christie often complained about Hercule Poirot, but don’t you think she was more or less having us on? Yes, she claimed to have grown tired of his mannerisms and foibles, the very qualities she had instilled in him: his obsession with neatness and order, his vanity over his moustaches and his shoes, his taste … Continue reading DUMB WITNESS: Deconstructing Second-Rate Christie
PLOT VS. CHARACTER: Thoughts Inspired by a Fellow Blogger
“No plot is devoid entirely of character, and even the most character-rich study has to give them something to do – particularly in my given field of crime fiction. At a more atavistic level it’s really about writing over character or plot, but give me that choice and – 63 times out of 80 – … Continue reading PLOT VS. CHARACTER: Thoughts Inspired by a Fellow Blogger
A CASE OF IDENTITY: Losing Oneself in Agatha Christie
The Tuesday Night Bloggers are focusing on vacations this month, and I myself am on the verge of an eleven-week-long break from school. In fact, I have just two more days to go, so you must forgive my greater-than-usual fuzziness this week. I won’t discuss trains, boats or planes this time. Instead, I wanted to … Continue reading A CASE OF IDENTITY: Losing Oneself in Agatha Christie
THIS TRAIN IS BOUND FOR GORY: Christie and Hitchcock Ride the Rails
I recently read an article about what a boon the self-driving car will be to all of us who like to multi-task as we travel. “Driving is the biggest waste of time,” the proposers of this dubious technology cry, “because the only thing you accomplish is getting from one point to another!” I only hope … Continue reading THIS TRAIN IS BOUND FOR GORY: Christie and Hitchcock Ride the Rails
Ah Sweet Mystery! 