Hello dear readers, congrats on surviving a month of stay-at-home orders, quarantines, and social distancing! For April, I took on some sleuthing and tackled some of Agatha Christie’s famous mysteries. If you haven’t read any of the following books, spoilers ahead!
Book 1: And Then There Were None
A clever tale of vigilante justice, the array of characters made each twist and turn quite enjoyable. There is no doubt in my mind why this book has been adapted into many forms, which I consumed whenever I could find it. All in all, I believe I went through this story 4 different times. Each time I was impressed more and more with the layers each character, especially those who survive the first 24 hours. I will be honest, I suspected Wargrave from the very beginning, because his character was the most logical and least featured in the action, giving him the most opportunity in nearly every death. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and see how it inspired certain tropes in more modern tales.
Book 2: Murder on the Orient Express
The first of two Hercule Poirot books I read, but thankful a colorful cast of characters and a deep tale of revenge helped gloss over the curious individual that is Inspector Poirot. Perhaps I am too bias in my love of Sherlock Holmes and many other childhood sleuths, but I cannot bring myself to like Poirot as a character. I acknowledge his brilliance in solving cases, but his peculiar style just doesn’t land for me. I happened to watch two versions of this book on film (1974 and 2017), and while the newer version had its recognizable cast and theatrics, the older version was much more true to the original tale. Ultimately the fact that everyone was in on it, and Poirot supported the act of revenge years in the making, did not surprise me in the least. It was enjoyable watching the pieces slowly fall into place however.
Book 3: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
The second of the Hercule Poirot books I read, but made much more tolerable because the audiobook I listened to was told through the eyes of the Doctor. This fact made the reveal of the guilty party all the more exciting. On my second undertaking, I was able to pick out all of the subtle hints that pointed to the true identity of the murderer. Poirot’s scrutiny of each suspect was impressive yet again, even if I still am not a fan of his unique peculiarities. By this point, I’ve started to pick up on Christie’s interesting views on love and relationships, which are often plagued by tragedy, jealousy, and betrayal.
Book 4: A Caribbean Mystery
A Miss Marple mystery, it spins a tale of greed, lust, and murder. The crafty way Marple “influences” the different characters into doing the things she isn’t physically, or socially, able to do was somewhat comical. Only one other individual at the resort is keen to her antics from the beginning, and he becomes her confidante as she begins to unravel the identity of the murderer. The cast of characters contains a typical assortment of stereotypes and tropes, so there wasn’t too much to talk about there. Overall it was an enjoyable read, and the 1983 film wasn’t too bad either.
Overall it was good to dip into the works of the First Lady of Mystery, as I haven’t really read many mysteries in recent years. I appreciated the shorter length of these stories, which made them easier to digest multiple times. Next (this) month I am reading works of Motivation and Introspection, so stay tuned to what I select and hopefully benefit from some of the lessons I learn from those!
S.D.G.
Stuck in Translation 