Friday, August 9, 2019

Friday Fives - My Five Favorite Agatha Christie Mysteries

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.


1.  Lord Edgware Dies - This is Poirot story that really should have more attention.  It asks and solves the question - how can 1 person be 2 places at once?


2.  Three Blind Mice and Other Stories - I adore Christie's short stories and this is one of my favorite collections thanks to the primary story.  It's the ultimate house party/locked room mystery and is a short novella that is incredibly intricate but never feels rushed.

3.   Murder in Mesopotamia - This is one of Christie's "exotic location" books and I love seeing life on a dig site in the 30s and 40s.  There's also a practical and down to earth nurse which is one of my favorite Christie character types and the mystery itself is pretty fantastic.

4.  Sleeping Murder - This was the last Marple book published but it was written during the war and set aside to be published after her death.  It's a little bizarre to read the Marple series in order as several characters suddenly come back to life and Miss Marple has made miraculous strides in her health since the previous book.  The plot is one of my absolute favorites with family secrets and a house that may be driving the young wife crazy.


5.  The Secret of Chimneys - This is an early work and a stand alone.  While Inspector Battle is in it neither Poirot or Marple make an appearance.  I love her earlier more espinogage themed books and this one has one of my favorite Christie characters - Virginia who goes along with a blackmailer just to see what it feels like.  It's fun, a bit silly, and a super fast read.

4 comments:

  1. Can't believe I haven't read any of these. She really has a huge expanse of books for me to catch up with.

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  2. I've been reading some of the British Library Crime Classics lately and they're making me want to take an Agatha Christie plunge! Also I love the art style on that first cover.

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  3. I've only read two Agatha Christie novels -- AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. I haven't even heard of the ones you listed. I'll have to check them out when I'm in the mood for some classic British crime stories.

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  4. I really need to plan a re-read of all the Christie books, much like you did.

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