45. Sparkling Cyanide (1945)

{also published as Remembered Death}

I loved this one, dear Agatha - especially the structure of it, with the first half-dozen chapters being remembrances of Rosemary (rosemary means remembrance) by different characters.  In fact, I might just go back and re-read the chapter of the murderer now that I know whodunit...

Some of my favorite passages:

Race to George:  "I don't like it, George.  These melodramatic ideas out of books don't work.  Go to the police..."

George:  "These women who have children when they're over forty never seem to learn any sense.  Spoil the brats from the cradle by giving them every damned thing they want!"

"But like most people with an idea, George thought only of that idea."

"'What about the cyanide? Was there any container found?'

     'Yes.  A small white paper packet under the table.  Traces of cyanide crystals inside.  No finger-prints on it.  In a detective story, of course, it would be some special kind of paper or folded in some special way.  I'd like to give these detective story writers a course of routine work. They'd soon learn how most things are untraceable and nobody ever notices anything anywhere!'"

"'Moral:  every murderess was a nice girl once.'"

I loved this book, Agatha.  It definitely goes into the "read it again" file... if there's ever enough time.

Love,

b.

31. Appointment with Death (1938)

Ah, Dame Agatha ~

This novel felt so different to me, at least in the first half.  You really spent that half of the novel in a psychological work-up of the victim that I did find fascinating.  Like Ratchett in Murder on the Orient Express, the "victim" was a despicable human being who, by most accounts deserved to die (although I agree with Poirot - that the despicableness of the person does not warrant our playing God and Judge on their life).

That first half - the psychological study, so to speak, of the Boynton family - is one of the three things I loved about this book.  To be more exact, I'm not really referring to the story so much as the devices I guess.

I love, dear Agatha, when you reference your other works / Poirot's other cases.  Maybe that's not something exclusive to you, but it reinforces this fictitious world as being ... well ... real.  It's like your characters believe (and it makes me grin every time) that *they* are the real world and not fictitious at all.  

Colonel Carbury:  "We might have known he'd be out of it. Being, as in detective stories, the most likely person..." 

   "You read the detective stories, yes?"

   "'Thousands of them,' said Colonel Carbury.  He added, and his tone was that of a wistful schoolboy: "I suppose you couldn't do the things the detective does in books? Write a list of significant facts - things that don't seem to mean anything but are really frightfully important - that sort of thing?"

"Ah, said Poirot kindly. "You like that kind of detective story? But certainly, I will do it for you with pleasure."

I like *that* kind of detective story, too.  * wink *  Also:

"Your position certainly seems impeccable," said Poirot with gravity. "In a work of fiction you would strongly be suspected on that account."

I love your sense of humor, Agatha. Those references to the detective stories make me chuckle, and the references to other cases - the ABC murders, the Orient Express, and Shiatana from Cards on the Table... I just love it.

I'm trying to read these few Christies quickly as I'm seeing And Then There Were None on stage in 9 days and I'm nearly to that book.  I *really* want to read it beforehand and in order.  I've only ever played the video game!  That said, time to get moving on the next...

29. Death on the Nile (1937)

This could also be titled The Love Boat, or maybe even What Happens on the Karnak Stays on the Karnak.  Yes, I'm chuckling to myself.

*spoiler alert*

At the end of this book, a number of family secrets and "lesser" crimes are hushed up ("Race sighed. 'That's all right,' he said. 'This is the Hush Hush House.'"), four people are engaged to be married, and five people are dead.  You've got to admit, it has all the makings of a Hollywood movie.  Oh, and looky there - they *are* making a new one to debut in November 2019, following the success of last year's Murder on the Orient Express.

(Actually, as I searched Google for the details on the new movie, I was surprised to find that the 1978 movie version has Angela Lansbury in it!  How I love Angela - another Dame, if I'm not mistaken!  I will have to find this version soon and give it a watch!)

One disappointment in this read - and it had nothing to do with the novel itself.  I was searching my friend Google again to understand a phrase, and my eyes inadvertently traveled to a paragraph revealing the culprit of the story.  I was bummed to know this up front as I was only about 1/3 of the way through the book.  Still... it was fun to see how it turned out, as the solution seemed impossible.

I was talking to Joshua just yesterday I believe about how at times some of your personal experiences and ideas come through in your story.  I talked about how you seemed to admire, if not share, Max's love for archeology and how that was sometimes a backdrop in your stories.  In this one, archeology has nothing to do with the story, and yet it does drop in, with this beautiful description by Poirot of the methodology of solving a mystery:

"Once I went professionally to an archaeological expedition - and I learnt something there.  In the course of an excavation, when something comes up out of the ground, everything is cleared away very carefully all around it. You take away the loose earth, and you scrape it here and there with a knife until finally your object is there, all alone, ready to be drawn and photographed with no extraneous matter confusing it.  That is what I have been seeking to do - clear away the extraneous matter so that we can see the truth - the naked shining truth."

One final comment - this may have been obvious, but I only just realized in this novel what a foil Colonel Race is to Captain Hastings.

Thanks again for the ride, Dame Agatha.  Always a pleasure.

27. Cards on the Table (1936)

First, I wish I knew how to play bridge.

I thought about saying that I'd like to learn, but I'm not sure I want to for any other reason than to re-read this book with more understanding.

That said, while I didn't have the insight of Poirot by studying the bridge scores, neither did Battle, so I can't say I'm too terribly off.

So many things I loved about this book.

1)  Ariadne Oliver:

"Mrs. Ariadne Oliver was extremely well known as one of the foremost writers of detective and other sensational stories.  She wrote chatty, if not particularly grammatical, articles on 'The Tendency of the Criminal,' (sic) Famous Crimes Passionnels,' 'Murder for Love v. Murder for Gain.' She was also a hotheaded feminist and when any murder of importance was occupying space in the press there was sure to be an interview with Mrs. Oliver, and it was mentioned that Mrs. Oliver had said, 'Now if a woman were the head of Scotland Yard!'  She was an earnest believer in woman's intuition.

I love this character.  I've read of her before, but since reading in order, I believe she's only been mentioned so far in Parker Pyne Investigates.  She is over the top and the descriptions of her sure make me chuckle, especially as she believed wholeheartedly a woman should be in charge of the investigations:

"'... there are lots of crimes you people at Scotland Yard never find out. Now if you had a woman there - '
   'As a matter of fact we have - '
   'Yes, those dreadful policewomen in funny hats who bother people in parks!  I mean a woman at the head of things.  Women know about crime.'"

and

"'If I were you, Superintendent Battle, I should arrest him at once.'
   'I daresay we would if there was a woman at the head of Scotland Yard,' said Superintendent Battle, a momentary twinkle showing in his unemotional eyes, 'But you see, mere men being in charge, we've got to be careful. We've got to get there slowly.'"

2) Nods to Doyle, such as this comment by Poirot, which may also reveal a little authorial confession:

"It reminds you of Sherlock Holmes, does it not? The curious incident of the dog in the night. The dog did not howl in the night.  That is the curious thing!  Ah, well, I am not above stealing the tricks of others."

3) Potentially more authorial confession, on the labors of a writer's life as described by Mrs. Oliver:

"'It doesn't happen exactly like that,' said Mrs. Oliver.  'One actually has to think, you know. And thinking is always a bore. And you have to plan things. And then one gets stuck every now and then and you feel you'll never get out of the mess - but you do!  Writing's not particularly enjoyable. It's hard work like everything else.'
   'It doesn't seem like work,' said Rhoda.
   'Not to you, said Mrs. Oliver, because you don't have to do it! It feels very like work to me. Some days I can only keep going by repeating over and over to myself the amount of money I might get for my next serial rights. That spurs you on, you know. So does your bankbook when you see how much overdrawn you are.'"

4) This reference to Murder on the Orient Express (MotOE spoiler):

"'What is it?' cried Rhoda.
He lowered his voice. "A knife, mademoiselle, with which twelve people once stabbed a man. It was given me as a souvenir by the Compagnie International des Wagons Lits.'"

5) Yet another twisty (tortuous, the word in this book is), surprise ending.

6) The fact that I paid $1.50 for this (maybe $0.75 if it were on sale) at a thrift store when the cover price was only 50 cents.

Oh, dear Agatha, thank you again for the fun.  You never disappoint.

With great admiration,
b.