5. Poirot Investigates (1924)

Ah, dear Agatha,

I loved all the stories in this collection, but I have to tell you that this wasn't my favorite work of yours.  I'm sure it's not you; surely it's me.  I think each of these stories could have lent themselves to a full-length novel.  Each one was a fun read, but left me unsatisfied and wanting more.  Still, I chuckled throughout the book and loved every page.

I stumbled across this blog post when trying to learn more about the Laverguier method to combat seasickness mentioned in the book (and, it seems like I've heard it mentioned in another book of yours as well).  I thought it was pretty neat and made some great points, although his version of the book only contains 11 short stories.  https://therealchrisparkle.wordpress.com/tag/poirot/

For funsies I made a list of all the words I had to look up in the course of this work.  It actually doesn't feel like there were as many as usual, but still, quite a few:

colleen

dernier cri

courez

hein

epatant

joss-stick

celui-la

rook / rook rifle

widow's weeds

pecuniary

doucement

Michaelmas

tisane

bagatelle

punctilious

skinflint

voluble

dragoman

prefet

ignominiously

charlady / charwoman

punt

scarfpins

trinitrin

novitiate

But there was one thing in your book that made me gasp, dear Dame Agatha!  I'm not even sure what to make of it.  This book, published March 1924, pre-dates your own disappearance of December 1926.  I wish there was more out there about that, and it's my understanding that it isn't even addressed really in your autobiography (although admittedly, I'm not that far with that yet.)  In the story "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim," Poirot said of disappearances:

"They fall into three categories:  First, and most common, the voluntary disappearance.  Second, the much abused 'loss of memory' case - rare, but occasionally genuine.  Third, murder, and a more or less successful disposal of the body."

What, Agatha?!  What does this mean?

Still with admiration,
Beth

Plan interrupted

Dear Agatha,

I wonder what you would think, if you were alive today, about the works of JK Rowling and her world of Harry Potter.  She is the dame of British writing today, at least I think so, and at this moment I can't recall another single contemporary British writer at all off the top of my head.  I know that the world of wizardry isn't your genre, but I suspect you were quite well read in all genres and I'm sure you would have at least read these.

Well, Christianne bought me a book written by Rowling under her pseudonym, Robert Galbraith.  It is very, very different from the Harry Potter series!  Although I didn't feel like I was reading children's literature per se when I read the Potter books, this book is definitely more grown up.  It has lots of F-words.  And - the genre is also far different from the others: a crime drama.

So naturally I can't help comparing her work to yours.  And naturally she falls short.  But there are similarities that I wonder if extend even beyond the two of you.  Will I always need a dictionary by my side when reading British writers? 

She crafted the novel well enough.  I certainly did not guess the ending.  I enjoyed her characters and her writing style and finished the book definitely wanting more, considering a reread of this one before moving on to the sequel. 

A few days ago a post from my old (not old, but you know what I mean) English professor showed up on my Facebook feed referencing an upcoming writer's conference.  I haven't written in so long.  I used to be part of that world, or at least part of the atmosphere of would-be published writers who desired to support their family with their art.  But life.  Life happens and there is a husband, a very supportive husband who still would love for me to write, but there's also babies to raise and bills to pay and obligations to meet and dreams to put on hold.  And so, except for an occasionally lengthy Facebook post and irregular submissions to my blog, I stopped writing.

But what's funny, to me at least, is that the day after I saw that post from Professor Haake, I picked up Galbraith's The Cuckoo's Calling to finish it, and I felt this desire rekindle inside of me to write.  I'm sure the message from Haake put something into my subconscious perhaps, but Galbraith's style of writing reminded me of mine - not that I could ever write that well, mind you - but, except for her perhaps-excessive descriptioning, I resonated with her tone and the flow of her words.

Every time I finish one of your works I think to myself: I could never write a detective novel.  There are just too many pieces to figure out.  Nor do I really have any desire to, honestly.  But the novel by Galbraith made a sort of bridge in my mind ~ that a detective novel at least *could* be written the way that I write... if I could fit all the pieces together anyway.

Are you following me?  It makes sense in *my* head. 

Next up is Poirot Investigates.  Here we go.

With admiration,
Beth

4. The Man in the Brown Suit (1924)

Dear Agatha,

Wow.

I don't know much what else to say.  I love this book.

Love, love, love, love, love.

I never have you figured out - I'm always caught off-guard at who the culprit is, and who is actually innocent.

I loved the character of Anne Beddingfield.  She is so fun, sarcastic, independent, and yet soft enough to fall in love.  And how the men love her!  I actually wish she was a recurring character in your novels. I'd love to read more of her.

I've been so busy working that I haven't had any time to read for pleasure.  I re-started this book last Friday while at work.  While I'm working a lot, we've certainly slowed down and I have more time for reading.  Anyway, I re-started this Friday, and finished it yesterday morning before church.  Grace said, "Mom! You read fast!"  Not really.  I just enjoyed reading it so much that I turned off the TV and read.  I took a hot bath and read.  I even read while riding the stationary bike. 

It felt so good to read for fun again and this book was such a delight, dear Agatha.  I'm hoping to read some more of your autobiography soon before I start the next book you published, some short stories of Poirot.  (Actually Christianne bought me a book, recently, so I should read that sometime soon as well.)

I decided on a plan.  I want to read all your published works, then visit England and see where you've lived.  If money is not an object, I'd like to travel to Africa and other places you write about.  But after that I want to read all your works again.  Sounds like a good plan to me.  Robert only smiled when I told him.

Thank you, dear Agatha, for another beautifully crafted work.

With admiration,
Beth

It's tax season

Dear Agatha,

I miss you.

That's all.

Beth

3. Murder on the Links (1923)

Dear Agatha,

So twisty, this one!  Serious twists and turns at every advancement of the plot.  I thought we were wrapping it up, to find that, no - way off - let's just turn it the other direction.  Craziness.  I seriously couldn't believe it.

And this is your third novel?

This one is currently my favorite.

I finished this novel at work just before closing time, and I came home to have dinner and watch the BBC adaptation.  Ro watched with me.  He liked it, but I was once again disappointed.  This one stayed closer to the plot than The Secret Adversary did, but it just wasn't nearly as good.  Although I do love David Suchet as Poirot.  He's pretty perfect.

Thanks again for the fun.

Admiringly,
Beth

2. The Secret Adversary (1922)

Dear Agatha,

This was the most fun novel of yours I think I've read, at least in quite awhile. 

I remember starting a Tommy & Tuppence mystery before, but think I never finished it for some reason, and what little I remember about it made me not as eager to begin The Secret Adversary (I'm also not a big fan of spy / political conspiracy tales) - but I LOVED it! 

Did I figure it out?  Kind of.  I suspected the bad guy... but once again, talked myself out of it only to be surprised in the end that I was right.  Really a guess more than improvement of my little gray cells, I'm sure.  And I thought the end was coming much earlier than it did, so twisty and turny was your plot.

My favorite scene, I think, wasn't even about the mystery itself, but when Tuppence comes to terms with her feelings for Tommy, after declining a marriage proposal by Julius.  For some reason it reminded me of my Christianne:

"Fool," murmured Tuppence at length, making a grimace.  "Little fool.  Everything you want - everything you've ever hoped for, and you go and bleat out 'no' like an idiotic little sheep.  It's your one chance.  Why don't you take it?  Grab it?  Snatch at it?  What more do you want?"
          As if in answer to her own question, her eyes fell on a small snapshot of Tommy that stood on her dressing-table in a shabby frame.  For a moment she struggled for self-control, and then abandoning all pretense, she held it to her lips and burst into a fit of sobbing.
          "Oh, Tommy, Tommy," she cried, "I do love you so - and may never see you again..."
          At the end of five minutes Tuppence sat up, blew her nose, and pushed back her hair.
          "That's that," she observed sternly.  "Let's look facts in the face.  I seem to have fallen in love - with an idiot of a boy who probably doesn't care two straws about me." Here she paused.  "Anyway," she resumed, as though arguing with an unseen opponent, "I don't know that he does.  He'd never have dared to say so.  I've always jumped on sentiment - and here I am being more sentimental than anybody.  What idiots girls are!  I've always thought so.  I suppose I shall sleep with his photograph under my pillow, and dream about him all night.  It's dreadful to feel you've been false to your principles."

This is also the first book in a long time that I've stayed up late to finish, just because it was much fun.  And I can't wait to read more from The Young Adventurers.

Admiringly,
Beth

1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920), revisited

Dear Agatha,

Let's try this again, shall we?  For 3 1/2 years ago I had great intentions but... But what?  I have no idea what happened except that I fell off the planet I guess.  Or bookshelf.  ;)

I have missed you.  And while I've read a few other novels of yours since my last blog post here, for some reason I lost sight of my mission to read your works in order, all of them.  My 2016 reading goal is to read at least half of them by the end of the year.

This book is funny.  I read it before, of course, but as my memory is short,
I didn't remember a lot of it.  Actually I thought I remembered who the murderer was, only to talk myself out of it, only to find that indeed I had remembered correctly.  I do love it and plan to watch the movie of it again as well.  This has been a great way to start my new year.

With great admiration,
Beth