Posts Tagged Agatha Christie
My Exciting Saturday Evening (& a TV Rec)
Posted by lectorsbooks in Movie/TV, Mystery Movie/TV on August 11, 2012
While some 27 year olds might consider a night out on the town to be the epitome of a great Saturday evening, this is what I’ve got lined up: Agatha Christie’s Poirot, chocolate chip cookies, and a crochet project. I couldn’t be happier. And no, I was not more exciting before I got pregnant.
Agatha Christie’s Poirot is a tv adaptation of (naturally) Agatha Christie’s Poirot mysteries. Starring David Suchet, they are excellently done. There are several seasons, so it’ll be a long time before you run out. Obviously, some of them are more well done than others, and some of them follow the books more closely than others, but they’re just a fantastically fun watch. Most of them are “tv-hour” long episodes, but there are some movie length ones as well. Netflix now has the first parts of SIX seasons on instant view!
Bottom Line: If you enjoy Golden Age mysteries, period dramas, or just a good, clean tv show, give these a try.
Rating: Strongly Recommended
A Handful of Agatha Christie Mystery Recommendations
Posted by lectorsbooks in Classic Mystery, Golden Age, Mystery, Mystery Recommendations, Recommendations on April 9, 2012
Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors. That being said, most of her books are of the “read it and forget it” type of mystery. I think her talents tend more towards great storytelling/clever murder ideas (which she does better than just about anybody) than exceptional literary skill. You can go into just about any thrift store or library and pick up an Agatha Christie, knowing that odds are good it will be a really fun ride. As with many mystery writers, I find that once I’ve read one of her stories and know the solution, I’m not generally interested in rereading that book. However, these books below are some of my favorites, and I’ve enjoyed them over and over again. So, consider the following as “Strongly Recommended” and in no particular order:
Side note: for those of you who like to start from the beginning, or just want to try before you buy, check out my review of The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Christie’s first novel, and available for free on Kindle or free Kindle reader apps.
Click below to see list of recommendations:
Review of Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie (1920) (Hercule Poirot Book 1) Free Kindle E-Book
Posted by lectorsbooks in Book Reviews, Classic Mystery, Cozy, Free Mystery, Golden Age, Mystery on March 30, 2012
Bottom line: A classic Golden Age mystery, by the Queen of mystery, although not her greatest work. The first time the world was introduced to the Hercule Poirot – the funny little man with the egg shaped head and impressive mustache.
Rating: Recommended IF – you are looking for a free mystery, you want to try an Agatha Christie, or you are a Christie fan and want to see where it all began.
Blurb:
Agatha Christie’s famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot makes his debut in “The Mysterious Affair at Styles.” The mystery of the novel is the one of who poisoned wealthy heiress Emily Inglethorp and how did the killer get in and out of her locked bedroom. The suspects are many and Poirot must use Holmesian deduction to discover the killer. Mystery fans will delight in the first installment of Agatha Christie’s famous series of Poirot mystery novels.
Review:
This is Agatha Christie’s first Hercule Poirot mystery, and also her first novel. It was fun to see Poirot introduced to the world for the first time, along with his trusty sidekick, Captain Hastings. However, it was the first time for me to reread this book in a long while, and what struck me was how much it felt like a pilot episode of a tv show. If I’m trying a new show, I always watch the pilot first, and if there are even a few things I like about it, I’ll try the next episode. Often it feels like characters have little depth to them, and the action and dialogue haven’t quite melded into the right style yet.
That’s how I felt about this book – the plot twists felt a little contrived, and the characters (Hastings especially) felt a little one-sided compared to Christie’s later books. It’s still an enjoyable read, and an interesting mystery, I just didn’t think it was as good as some of her other books. However, given the dearth of free e-book mysteries, this is a good way to try out one of (if not the) most popular writers of all time. But if you liked it, even a bit, you must try some of her later books.
Available: Free Kindle E-Book at Amazon and iTunes, $0.99 – $2.99 for the Nook Book at Barnes & Noble. Also available as a paperback.
What did you think? Did you like the book?
