Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie Narrator: David Suchet
Series: Hercule Poirot #24
Published by Harper Audio on July 3, 2012 (first published 1941)
Source: Purchased
Genres: Vintage Mystery
Length: 6 hrs 25 mins
Pages: 289
Format: Audiobook
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The beautiful bronzed body of Arlena Stuart lay facedown on the beach. But strangely, there was no sun and she was not sunbathing... she had been strangled.
Ever since Arlena's arrival the air had been thick with sexual tension. Each of the guests had a motive to kill her. But Hercule Poirot suspects that this apparent 'crime of passion' conceals something much more evil.
Poirot is on holiday at a secluded hotel on an island in Devon and, as always, is very much interested in the people around him. The other guests are a varied lot, including an actress and her family, a young married couple, and several single individuals. Most of the conversation (gossip) centers around the actress, Arlena Marshall, who is obviously flirting (having an affair) with Patrick Redfern, upsetting both her husband and Patrick’s wife. When Arlena is found dead, strangled, at one of the coves, no one seems surprised.
Evil Under the Sun is not kind to its women characters. With one or two exceptions, their importance/ relevancy to the plot comes from the men in their lives. But the plot is clever and the clues fit together well. I liked the setting too. The small, isolated hotel seemed relaxing, until with the murder it becomes isolated and claustrophobic.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by David Suchet and feel like a traitor admitting I prefer when Hugh Fraser reads them. Suchet obviously does a good job. I just prefer, on audio, Fraser’s Poirot.
About Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English crime novelist, short story writer and playwright. She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around her fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world’s longest-running play, a murder mystery, The Mousetrap, and six romances under the name Mary Westmacott. In 1971 she was elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contribution to literature.
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