Saturday, October 22, 2022

The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads:  The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories by Agatha Christie

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

Description:  The title story in this mystery collection revolves around the case of a man charged with the murder of a wealthy elderly woman. It is a gripping tale of courtroom suspense with a dazzling double climax, perfectly suited to the audio format. Other stories range from the strange tale of a French peasant girl with four personalities, to the letters "SOS" scrawled in dust on a nightstand, to the mystery of a blue Chinese jar and its connection to a murdered woman. Each suspenseful, each different, the tales are of brutal murder, brilliant criminals and detectives, and love in the face of death. Together they showcase the versatility and genius of Dame Agatha Christie.

Genre: Mystery - Classic, Short Stories

My Impression:  The title story is the best known in this collection and also the strongest story.  I've read this story several times and it always surprises me a bit.  I also really liked Accident which has an interesting twist and is a bit different from the typical Christie short story.  The Fourth Man is probably my least favorite and is a supernatural story.  While I do love seeing Christie try out different styles I typically don't love her stories with a more supernatural flare.  This is an interesting short story that involves mostly standalone stories but does have a few Poirot stories sprinkled in.  

I always enjoy Christie's short story collections and I did enjoy this one very much.  It's a mix of styles and settings and a must read for Agatha Christie fans.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  Christie is one of my favorite authors and I could reread her books pretty much nonstop.  

Would I Recommend this Book? I would!  This is a good example of Christie's later style and a good mix of stories.  

3 comments:

  1. Terrific review, You have me convinced to try some Agatha Christie books.

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  2. While I most likely will never read them I really enjoy reading about your thoughts on Agatha Christie, and that you reread them says a lot about her stories.

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