Spider's Web - Classic Mystery Review

 Goodreads:  Spider's Web by Agatha Christie and Adapted by Charles Osborne

Rating:  Liked It (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Purchased

Description:  Clarissa, the wife of a Foreign Office diplomat, is given to daydreaming. ‘Supposing I were to come down one morning and find a dead body in the library, what should I do?’ she muses. Clarissa has her chance to find out when she discovers a body in the drawing-room of her house in Kent.

Desperate to dispose of the body before her husband comes home with an important foreign politician, Clarissa persuades her three house guests to become accessories and accomplices. It seems that the murdered man was not unknown to certain members of the house party (but which ones?), and the search begins for the murderer and the motive, while at the same time trying to persuade a police inspector that there has been no murder at all.

Genre: Mystery - Classic

My Impression: This is the last of the 3 plays written by Agatha Christie adapted into novel form by Charles Osborne.  As usual while it is very readable and has a good flow I could definitely tell it had originally been in play form.  This is both good and bad as there are times it felt like I was reading stage directions but it also made it very easily to visualize how the action plays out.  

Clarissa is an entertaining main character  She loves jokes and pranks but at the core is a kind and loving woman.  I loved her relationship with her stepdaughter Pippa and I loved her frustration over when she told the truth she couldn't get anyone to believe her.  

The mystery is interesting but definitely not as well done and detailed as her actual novels.  This is a fun treat for Christie fans but maybe not the best choice for someone new to Christie's mysteries.  It does make me want to see more Agatha Christie plays!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Yes.  While this wasn't my favorite I would definitely read more of this combination of authors.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you are a Christie fan this is a fun way to get another Christie story but if you are new to her mysteries start with one of her many excellent novels.