Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz

by Carol3 Comments
If you've read the first two in this series, you know that Susan should stay far away from Atticus Pünd novels, they only lead to trouble. If you've read the blurb above, you know that this time is no exception, even though there's a new author since Alan Conway was killed in book #1. I would suggest at least reading Magpie Murders first, since a.) there are spoilers in this one, and b.) there are a couple of returning characters who have major pieces in this one. As usual in this series we have a book within the book. In Pünd's Last Case written by Elliott Crace, Lady Margaret Chalfont has been poisoned. Elliott believes his own grandmother, renowned author Marian Crace, was murdered 15 years ago and has worked clues to who the killer was into his novel. Then Elliott is killed in a hit and run before finishing the book - with Susan being the main suspect in...
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Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
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...
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Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
Most Agatha Christie's are rereads for me, including Cards on the Table. I remembered the setup. Mr. Shaitana invites Poirot to a dinner party, promising to introduce him to one of his collections, murders who have gotten away with their crimes. It turns out there are four "murderers" and four of Christie's detectives, Poirot, Colonel Race, Superintendent Battle, and Ariadne Oliver, at the dinner. After dinner, they play bridge and by the end of the night Shaitana is dead. It's a clever mystery. We only have four suspects, but figuring out which one is guilty is not as easy as it seems. All of them have the same motive - Shaitana made several veiled references to the crimes and, if they were actually guilty, any of them may have been afraid he would go to the police. Poirot is the lead, but he does a nice job collaborating with the others. It's fun to see the different personalities and...
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Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz

Forever and a Day by Anthony Horowitz

by Carol4 Comments
I like Horowitz. I enjoy James Bond. Apparently the two put together are annoying. It’s the early ‘50s and British intelligence is worried about unusual activity in Marseille’s underworld so they send one of their elite agents to check it out, but 007 is murdered. His replacement? A young man named Bond. James Bond. And it is a stereotypical Bond story. We have a beautiful, intelligent woman and the bad guy is appropriately evil and easy to describe. We have food, drinks, cars, gambling, and plenty of violence. Maybe that's what had me rolling my eyes. It was predictable. The plot does move along quickly and if you're looking for a James Bond story, it is definitely that. Maybe that's just not what I was in the mood for....
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The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
I've read most if not all of Christie's book before, but The Seven Dials Mystery is not one I remember well. Maybe Battle just doesn't grab my attention like the rest of Christie's detectives. It starts out promising. We've got a weekend house party at Chimneys. One of the young men, Gerry Wade, always sleeps late and the others decide to play a prank on him, setting eight alarm clocks in his room to ring one after another. But then he still doesn't wake up - turns out he died overnight. Of course, since this is a Christie, we know it wasn't just coincidence. Then another man is killed and Lady Eileen 'Bundle' Brent decides they need to investigate. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention to the audio or maybe all the young people just blended into each other, but I got a little confused. And then it veers off into international intrigue, and it turns out I just wanted a traditional...
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The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie

The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie

by CarolNo Comments
The Three Act Tragedy led me to a reread of The Mysterious Mr. Quin, collection of short mystery stories that feature Mr. Harley Quin and Mr. Satterthwaite. Mr. Satterthwaite, is upper class, single, a man who loves his comforts and is rich enough to afford them. He enjoys life’s dramas, watching rather than participating. Satterthwaite is both the main character and the sidekick. It’s his reasoning and actions that solve the mysteries, but it’s Harley Quin who mysteriously shows up at just the right time and asks just the right questions. Mr. Quin is a touch supernatural, he seems to intercede on the behalf of lovers or the dead, those whose mysteries still need solved. The stories in the collection are a variety of situations. Sometimes cold cases are solved, tragedy prevented because a wrong is righted, and sometimes a murder is solved. I think I enjoyed them more this time around because I knew what to expect. I listened to...
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