Saturday, August 24, 2024

Taken at the Flood - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads: Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie

Rating:  Really Liked It! (4.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  A few weeks after marrying an attractive young widow, Gordon Cloade is tragically killed by a bomb blast in the London blitz. Overnight, the former Mrs Underhay finds herself in sole possession of the Cloade family fortune.

Shortly afterwards, Hercule Poirot receives a visit from the dead man’s sister-in-law who claims she has been warned by ‘spirits’ that Mrs Underhay’s first husband is still alive. Poirot has his suspicions when he is asked to find a missing person guided only by the spirit world. Yet what mystifies Poirot most is the woman’s true motive for approaching him…


Genre: Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book:   This was the July pick for the Read Christie Challenge

My Impression:  As I was reading this one I kept wondering why this isn't on my favorite Christie list.  The mystery is an intriguing one.  A wealthy man is killed in a bombing two weeks after his sudden marriage to a much younger woman he met on board a ship.  Much to the unhappiness of all his relatives the new wife inherits and the sudden marriage voided his previous will leaving the family with nothing.  

Poirot is at his club when he hears the gossip about this event and then later encounters a family member who tries to hire him for help.  But it isn't until a body with a familiar name turns up dead in the small village where the family resides that Poirot heads down to save the day.  But while everyone in the family has a reason for the widow to be out of the way the victim is one that it seems they would all want alive.

The unraveling of all the whys and just what is going on kept me hooked and turning pages.   Each branch of the family had a motive and I liked seeing each of their POVs.  What keeps this book from being on my favorite list is one scene that didn't age well and kind of ended the book on a sour note for me.  Other than that this was a fun mystery that some interesting twists and I definitely recommend it if you're looking for some lesser known Christies to read.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors and I've been loving participating in the Read Christie Challenge this year.

Would I Recommend this Book? I would.  Other than the one scene that really rubbed me the wrong way I really enjoyed this book and it has some of the twists and turns I love most from Christie.

4 comments:

  1. Haven't seen this one of Christie's. She was such a prolific and amazing mystery writer.

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  2. This does sound really good! I've been working my way through Christie's mysteries, but I haven't read this one yet. Sounds like I need to move it up higher on my list. :D

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  3. I don't recognize this but I always have favored the Marple stories. I read everything about 30 odd years ago but I could refresh my reading.

    Anne - Books of My Heart

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  4. Does really sound fascinating. Pity about the scene that didn't work for you, but most of it did so that's a win.

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