65. Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (1960)

 Dear Agatha,

I've gotta be honest.  I read this book months ago and don't recall much detail, although the memory of having read it is favorable - hahaha.  This book completed my 2021 reading goal on Goodreads - but then with the end of the year, tax season, general kid issues, health issues, life life life - I haven't logged the last number of my reads at all.  That said, I unfortunately don't have a lot to say.

I did mark this little gem in "Adventure of the Christmas Pudding":

Mr Jesmond made a peculiar noise rather like a hen who has decided to lay an egg and then thought better of it.

I did, as I read this short, Google some info on Christmas pudding, and English puddings in general.  I think I am glad that it is not a big part of our traditions, as it doesn't appeal to me in the slightest.

"The Mystery of the Spanish Chest" felt familiar - and indeed it seems that it is a reworked version of a previous short story, "The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest."  "The Under Dog" and "Four and Twenty Blackbirds" I have read before, although I never remember the outcome.  And "The Dream" and Greenshaw's Folly" were new and fun.

'Nough said.  Thanks always,

b.

64. Cat Among the Pigeons (1959)

*Spoilers*

Hi Agatha,

As I finished this one a bit ago, my daughter said, "Has there ever been an Agatha book you didn't like?"  No, I don't think so.  Maybe some of the occultish stories weren't my favorite, but I just feel like you hit it out of the park every single time.

I enjoyed the setting of this one, a prestigious girls' school called Meadowbank.

I enjoyed the fact that the culprit was a woman - sorry if that's a spoiler, but it says so on the back of the book, and really, what can you expect from a cast that is 95% female?

I enjoyed the humor.  It can be subtle, but it always makes me smile.

I was so involved in the story that I was surprised at the appearance of Poirot 2/3 of the way through the book.  I had completely forgotten it was a Poirot novel, and even checked back at the front cover.  I thought one of the girls would solve the mystery (and pretty much one did).  But Hercules came to put all the threads together and wrap it all up.

There was a lot going on in this one plot-wise, and while I typically don't enjoy political, war-related, coup-related, whatever-type stuff, I did enjoy this, and was hoping until the very end that the prince and his pilot weren't really dead.

Now, Agatha, I'm off to read my final book for my reading challenge for 2021 - and it's set at Christmastime!  Christmas is three weeks from today!  Woot woot!

My heart is happy.  

b.

63. Ordeal by Innocence (1958)

 Dear Agatha,

Apparently I read this 8 years ago this month for the reading circle I joined for about... 2 books.  I think I enjoyed it more the first time, to be honest, although I still loved this read.  It just felt repetitious in spots to me this time.

Being an adoptive parent (I wasn't in 2013 and it wasn't even remotely something I had considered), this struck me:

It was an article of faith with her (Rachel Argyle) that the blood tie didn't matter.  But the blood tie does matter, you know.  There is usually something in one's own children, some kink of temperament, some way of feeling that you recognize and can understand without having to put into words.  You haven't got that tie with children you adopt. One has no instinctive knowledge of what goes on in their minds. You judge them, of course, by yourself, by your own thoughts and feelings, but it's wise to recognize that those thoughts and feelings may be very widely divergent from theirs. -- Leo Argyle

Food for thought, anyway.

Again, a wild and inventive plot, wonderful characters, a twisty road, and great fun.

Always,

b.

60. Hickory Dickory Death (1955)

 {also published as Hickory, Dickory, Dock}

Dear Agatha,

Hickory, dickory, dock, the mouse ran up the clock.  The police said, "Boo," I wonder who, will eventually stand in the Dock?

Twisty, twisty, twisty.  When you know it can't be X, because it's too obvious, so you suspect Y, Z, and A through E, and then we get right back to X again.  Bad person, that X.  

Glad I never resided at 26 Hickory Road.  What an absolute mess.

Thanks for the fun,

b.

55. Mrs McGinty's Dead (1952)

{also published as Blood Will Tell}

Agatha!  Bravo!  Bravo!

Some of my favorite parts were Ariadne Oliver's clear references to what it's like for you to be writing of Hercule Poirot:

Mrs. Oliver interrupted:  "He's 60."
"Oh no!"
"He is."
"I don't see him like that.  Thirty five - not a day older."
"But I've been writing books about him for thirty years and he was at least thirty five in the first one."

...

"How do I know?" said Mrs Oliver crossly.  "How do I know why I ever thought of the revolting man? I must have been mad!  Why a Finn when I know nothing about Finland? Why a vegetarian? Why all the idiotic mannerisms he's got? These things just happen. You try something - and people seem to like it - and then you go on - and before you know where you are, you've got someone like that maddening Sven Hjerson tied to you for life.  And people even write and say how fond you must be of him. Fond of him? If I met that bony gangling vegetable eating Finn in real life, I'd do a better murder than any I'd ever invented."

...

And this, though not in reference to Poirot, but it made me giggle because I get it:

"I'm afraid you're tired," said Robin.
"Not really. The truth is I'm not very good with people."
"I adore people, don't you?" said Robin happily.
"No," said Mrs Oliver firmly... I think trees are much nicer than people, more restful."

...

This one, I just thought was right on:

"Madre," (Robin) said solemnly, "would have wished me to go on with my work."
Hercule Poirot had heard many people say much the same thing. It was one of the most convenient assumptions, this knowledge of what the dead would wish. The bereaved had never any doubt about their dear ones' wishes and those wishes usually squared with their own inclinations.

5 stars on this one, dear Agatha!

Always,
me

54. The Under Dog and Other Stories (1951)

Good morning, dear Agatha,

Nothing like a global pandemic to get me reading more, eh?  The kids and I are doing another reading challenge, too - seeing how many pages we can read by the beginning of May.  I'm over 800.  I would guess Grace is about the same, and Josh probably has 246,129.

So, I really enjoyed the main story of this collection, "The Under Dog."  I also liked hearing from sweet Hastings again for the rest of the stories.  

When people talk about you, Dame Agatha - it's always to call you the Queen of Crime and discuss the different complicated plots and solutions of your mysteries.  One thing that isn't mentioned that much, in my humble opinion, is your humor.  I love it because it's subtle, but these scenes from "The Under Dog" certainly made me chuckle.

"I believe in small men!  They are the clever ones!"  (Followed up by Poirot's observation that Inspector Miller is a tall man)

"A heavy thud," he said impressively.

"If I mistake not, it is a dull thud in most works of romance," murmured Poirot.

"Maybe, sir," said Parsons severely.  "It was a heavy thud I heard."

"A thousand pardons," said Poirot.

"Do not mention it, sir.  After the thud, in the silence, I heard..."

Some of the stories seemed vaguely familiar to me.  Perhaps I'd read them before I started this blog - I'm not sure.  I don't see reference to them in skimming my blog posts and the only other collection I see them as part of is Poirot's Early Cases (1974).  For example, the scene of "The Submarine Plans" where the bold young man stole a kiss from the French maid on the stairs seemed familiar, as well as the masquerade of "The Affair at the Victory Ball" (although granted the characters they dressed up as do pop up here and there in some of your other works).

All in all, while I do prefer your novels over your short stories, this was, as always, a great read.

52. Three Blind Mice and Other Stories (1950)

{also published as The Mousetrap}

Agatha!  

How I loved "Three Blind Mice"!  I kept seeing it in my head as a brilliant play.  I Googled it to see if it had been done.  I'm an idiot.  I knew "Mousetrap" has been one of the longest-running plays in history in London and I have always wanted to see it - but it took until this morning to realize it's the same play.  Doh!

But...!  This was such a wonderful, fun read.  I loved every minute of it and now I doubly can't wait to see the play performed.  Someday...

Other stories -

With Jane Marple:

• "Strange Jest" 
• "Tape Measure Murder"
• "The Case of the Perfect Maid"
• "The Case of the Caretaker"

With Hercules Poirot:

• "The Third-Floor Flat"
• "The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly"
• "Four and Twenty Blackbirds"

And with Satterthwaite and Harley Quin:

• "The Love Detectives"

What a tremendous volume of stories, dear Agatha.  Obviously "Three Blind Mice" was my favorite, but I enjoyed every one of the others, too - even those strange birds Satterthwaite and Quin.

We are in a strange state of the world today, dear Agatha.  We are in the midst of a worldwide panic over the coronavirus pandemic.  I've never seen any reaction like this at all.  Schools closed, many, many businesses closed.  I'm not sure how I will navigate the next few weeks.  But one good thing about it - there will be lots of time for reading.  And I have lots of books.

Back soon,

b.

PS:  Another mystery...:

43. Towards Zero (1944)

{also published as Come and Be Hanged}

Agatha!  This book was so much fun!  Seriously, this might be one of my favorites.

When you read the account of a murder - or say, a fiction story based on murder, you usually begin with the murder itself.  That's all wrong.  The murder begins a long time beforehand.  A murder is the culmination of a lot of different circumstances, all converging at a given moment at a given point.  People are brought into it from different parts of the globe and for unforeseen reasons... The murder itself is at the end of the story.  It's Zero Hour."

That comment by Superintendent Battle at the end of the story brings Mr. Treves's comment at the beginning of the story full circle:

"Even now," thought Mr. Treves to himself, "some drama - some murder to be - is in course of preparation.  If I were writing one of these amusing stories of blood and crime, I should begin now with an elderly gentleman sitting in front of the fire opening his letters - going, unbeknownst to himself - towards zero..."

That of course, is exactly how the novel played out brilliantly. 

One more amusing thing - I love how Battle gave nod to Poirot, who makes no appearance in this novel, but he is certainly there in spirit - inspiring Superintendent Battle.

Loved this, Agatha, reading it in nearly one sitting (finished over two days).  Thanks for the ride.

b.

42. The Moving Finger (1942)

{also published as The Case of the Moving Finger}

Ah, dear Agatha... I loved everything about this book - except the title.  I thought the title was dumb.  I thought a better title would've been something to do with a Poison Pen... 

BUT...

Then I googled the reason for the title and wise ol' Wikipedia told me:

The book takes its name from verse 51 of Edward FitzGerald's translation of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám:

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

The poem, in turn, refers to Belshazzar's feast as related in the Book of Daniel, where the expression the writing on the wall originated.

The title shows in the story figuratively and literally. The anonymous letters point blame from one town resident to another.^[3] The Scotland Yard agent determines the envelopes were all "typed by someone using one finger" to avoid a recognisable 'touch'.^[6]

So I am back to loving everything about this novel.

It does make me smile to think this is called a Marple mystery.  Miss Jane doesn't show up until the novel is 75% through, and the narrator - very likable Jerry - does most of the crime solving, although admittedly it does take Miss Jane to point it out.

I found Megan's character intriguing enough to make me want to read this again someday, paying more attention to the aspect of her relationship with Jerry.  There are some dated ideas in here, of course, but nothing to make me like it any less.

As always, dear Agatha, thanks for the fun! 

b.

34. And Then There Were None (1939)

{also published as Ten Little Indians}

First book I've read in one sitting in... years.

This.

Dear Agatha, I have always thought that The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was my favorite Christie.  Murder on the Orient Express is up, there, too.  But this... this book is different from any of the others I've read.

I'd almost classify it as horror or suspense rather than detective fiction.  Yes, there is a mystery to solve -- who exactly is U. N. Owen? - but it is solved in the context of ten people fighting for their lives.  That definitely brings a horror / suspense element to the normally cerebral cozy mystery that we are so used to from you.

Roger Ackroyd was written early on and certainly established your position as Queen of Deception, but the novels that followed were often formulaic (no criticism intended as I still can never guess the culprit!).  Then, somehow, you manage to do something so creative, so extraordinary with And Then There Were None - in the middle of it all.  It blows my mind simply that you published something like 5 novels in 1938 and 1939 - that alone is a feat of workmanship to be admired - but to come out with ATTWN in the middle? Astounding.

What else can I say?

I love that the mystery is not solved with the final chapter.  Or what you think is the solution is found not to be the solution in the epilogue.  It isn't until the final pages of the novel in one character's confession that everything is wrapped up neatly.  (If it weren't for that confession, we would have no solution!  What if...?)  Even structurally this book transcends norms.

Tonight we get to go see the stage version of the story.  I can't imagine how this will translate into a live production.  And I can't wait!

26. Murder in Mesopotamia (1936)

Dear Agatha,

I really enjoyed the narrator of this novel, Nurse Amy Leatheran.  I loved her honesty and willingness to retell the story as she remembered it.  Sometimes her honesty made me smile, like her attitude toward the archeological dig:

But would you believe it, there was nothing to see but mud!  Dirty mud walls about two feet high - and that's all there was to it.  Mr. Carey took me here and there telling me things - how this was the great court... and all I thought was, "But how does he know?" though, of course, I was too polite to say so.  I can tell you it was a disappointment!  The whole excavation looked like nothing but mud to me ... my aunt's house in Cricklwood would have made a much more imposing ruin!

I appreciated her perspective, too, because at first I was feeling a little intimidated at not having a knowledge of much ancient history nor a particular interest in finding out about what the dig would turn up.  Though the activity was important to the story, the story did not depend on the archeological theme.

Did that make sense?  I'm a bit tired and befuddled.

In all, though, I did enjoy Nurse's point-of-view over the typical Hastings'.  

Yet again, the murderer surprised me, and as always, I enjoyed the read.  

:)  Always with pleasure,

b.

25. The ABC Murders (1936)

{also published as The Alphabet Murders}

< contains spoilers >

Well, you did it again...

I thought, as I read this, that you had diverted from your typical patterns in two ways:  you were writing about a serial killer (indeed I thought this was worthy of Criminal Minds!), and you had his point of view from the beginning of the novel.

Well I guess this still qualifies as a serial killer, although three of the four murders were only done to draw attention away from the one the killer really wanted to do.  Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, maybe it's a little like Three Act Tragedy...

But the killer... dang it, you did it again.  Got me.

Surprise, surprise.

Last weekend Robert and I got to go see Chicago at the Buell Theater in Denver - definitely one of my favorite musicals.  Poor Alexander Bonaparte Cust - how he reminded me of Amos in Chicago!

Early in the book, this amused me - Japp's comment about Poirot:

"Mixed up in all the celebrated case of the day.  Train mysteries, air mysteries, high society deaths..."  

Sure sounds like a nod to the previous few novels.  And, is this a foretaste of what is to come in, I believe, Curtain?

"Shouldn't wonder if you ended detecting your own death!"

Only 50 or so more books until I find out.

Always with admiration,
Beth

16. The Tuesday Club Murders (1932)

(also published as The Thirteen Problems)

Dear Agatha,

Such an interesting book.  I don't know why you wrote it the way you did - 6 people share 6 dilemmas to be solved; at a later date a different set of 6 (some of the first set included) share 6 new dilemmas; and finally, Miss Marple solves one more crime.  It's odd to me, the structure.

But I liked it anyway.

(I'll admit I was hoping that someone in the club would be murdered whilst they discussed their unsolved mysteries - leaving the culprit to be one of the remaining 5.)

"...little Tommy Symonds, a naughty little boy, I am afraid, but sometimes very amusing... He said, 'Teacher, do you say yolk of eggs is white or yolk of eggs are white?'... and naughty Tommy said: 'Well, I should say yolk of egg is yellow!'"

Got me, and my daughter, too.

Of the beautiful actress Miss Helier:

"It was borne in upon her audience that the outside of Jane's charming head was distinctly superior to the inside."

Oh, dear Agatha, you make me chuckle.  One more, waxing philosophical:

"Perhaps it was better for her to die while life was still happy than it would have been for her to live on, unhappy and disillusioned, in a world that would have seemed suddenly horrible."

Just skimming the stories again, Dame Agatha - you are incredibly creative.  Some of your stories seem so far-fetched on the surface, but when explained they make perfect sense. 

As always, thanks for the fun.

Beth

14. The Murder at Hazelmoor (1931)

{Also published under the title The Sittaford Mystery}

Dear Agatha,

I'm not sure when the "cozy mystery" phrase developed as a genre, but one internet reader pointed out that the first paragraphs of Hazelmoor did set the stage nicely for such:

Major Burnaby drew on his gum boots, buttoned his overcoat collar round his neck, took from a shelf near the door a hurricane lantern, and cautiously opened the front door of his little bungalow and peered out.
     The scene that met his eyes was typical of the English countryside as depicted on Xmas cards and in old-fashioned melodramas.  Everywhere was snow, deep drifts of it - no mere powdering an inch or two thick. Snow had fallen all over England for the last four days...

As usual, you had me fooled until the very end.  I suspected the killer for a moment, but didn't take long to dismiss it.

As I read this, I visualized in my head not a movie, but playing through a video game.  Going to this character to gather this information, moving to the next room or character for more clues, continuing on and so forth - very much like the computer game I have for And Then There Were None.  It would make a great game!

A favorite line from Captain Wyatt:

"In a place like this you have to teach people to leave a man alone. Always knocking at the door and dropping in and chattering.  I don't mind seeing people when I am in the mood - but it has got be my mood not theirs."

I can relate!

And worldly wisdom from Robert Gardner:

"Teach him life can't be all beer and skittles!"

Today, dear Agatha, Skittles brings to mind candy more readily than a game of bowling, so the phrase made me giggle.  A little Google research shows that you're not the only one to use that phrase, but it was certainly new to me.

<< and more typos!!! >>

I'm going to spend some more time in your autobiography again before moving on to the next book.  I am making good progress through your works, but it's a little slow given book club commitments and such.  Grace keeps asking me when I'm going to read the book she gave me for Christmas (which is some obscure fantasy novel).  Sigh... I'm so behind.