Read Christie 2026 – Carol's Notebook

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

March 5, 2026March 5, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

Yes, I've read Murder on the Orient Express several times. Yes, I've watched the movies, also multiple times. But somehow I always enjoy it. We all know the plot. Hercule Poirot is a last minute addition to the first class carriage on the Orient Express from Istanbul to Calais. All the other rooms are taken, unusual for winter, The following morning, the train is stuck in the snow and one of the passengers, an American named Ratchett, is found dead in his bunk, stabbed multiple times. Of course, I know the whodunnit and it's not one you can forget, but it's always fun watching Poirot collect all the clue, lies, and red herrings. His friend/ company director, Monsieur Bouc, sits in on the questioning and you have to admire how quickly he jumps to conclusions only to have them just as quickly upended by Poirot. He's a good character, light-hearted, but in the the end his position allows him to...

Mrs. McGinty’s Dead by Agatha Christie

March 3, 2026March 3, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed Mrs. McGinty's Dead. This time around Superintendent Spence brings Poirot a case. A man has been convicted of Mrs. McGinty's murder based on Spence's investigations, but Spence is convince the man is not guilty. Poirot heads to the small town of Broadhinny to investigate. He stays in a poorly run guest house, which leads to several entertaining moments. We know how much Poirot loves comfort and good food, neither of which he gets here. Ariadne Oliver is also in town, working with a young playwright to adapt one of her books for the stage. Ariadne just makes me smile. She's the opposite of Poirot and yet they get along well. I love how Ariadne talks about her fictional detective, giving us a bit of insight into how Christie feels about Poirot. The plot was put together well, of course. The killer has to be one of the village residents, but Mrs. McGinty herself is rather uninteresting. Poirot,...

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

January 20, 2026January 27, 2026 by Carol2 Comments

Our story opens with Mrs. Dolly Bantry being woken up by a maid and told there's a dead body in the library. She, in turn, wakes her husband, Colonel Arthur Bantry, who takes a bit of convincing before he will go down and check for himself. Sure enough, there's a dead girl in the library, a stranger wearing a rather cheap dancing dress. Mrs. Bantry immediately calls Ms. Marple and states if there has to be a murder in her house, she intends to enjoy it. The two women end up heading to a nearby hotel, where one of the staff has disappeared. I enjoy Miss Marple. She's so observant and maybe a bit cynical. She allows people who don't know her well, to believe she's just a harmless, quiet older village lady when she is really quite shrewd and intelligent. She sees everything and bides her time, asking seemingly innocent questions and making seemingly absurd comparisons until she has...