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Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie. 2016. 130 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: These novelists will stoop to anything for some attention!

Premise/plot: Agatha: The Real Life of Agatha Christie is a graphic novel for adults and perhaps even young adults, if they have read Christie's mysteries and can't get enough! I would say this one is primarily for fans of Agatha Christie. If you've never read Christie, if you've never met Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, then this isn't the way to be introduced to them. Trust me. What readers get are snippets of Christie's life.

The graphic novel opens in 1926 with the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie. It then flashes back to the beginning, to tell a more traditional life story. The flow of this one is start-and-stop. More like you're flipping through a stack of photographs of a person's life than actually taking the time to read a narrative biography.

One sees Agatha Christie as a writer--haunted in a way by her creations. Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple especially have a way of popping up and interacting with Christie. One also sees her as a world-traveler, a wife, and a mother. One catches the barest of glimpses of Christie during World War I and World War II.

My thoughts: I read the HUGE autobiography of Agatha Christie a year or two ago. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. Found it absolutely fascinating. Perhaps a little rambling for those who aren't big readers, but, just about perfect for me. This is very condensed and abbreviated.

That being said, I am glad I read this one. I liked it. I may not have loved, loved, loved it. But it is an entertaining read.

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Mysteries and London go together like tea and cake or jeans and Converse. Although not all of my favourite English mysteries take place in London, many do. Here are three (okay, maybe a few more than just three) of my top mystery novels set in London.

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Kenneth Branagh has signed on to star in a re-make of the Murder On The Orient Express movie. In the past, Branagh (pictured, via) has acted in several book-based projects such as Hamlet, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and My Week with Marilyn.

The Guardian reports that in addition to his acting role, Branagh will also serve as the director and a producer. The story for this film adaptation comes from Agatha Christie’s beloved mystery novel.

Here’s more from Deadline: “Famous for its labyrinthine plot and unconventional solution, the story first published in 1934 sees Christie’s detective Poirot stranded on the famous train during a terrible snowstorm. When a fellow passenger is murdered, Poirot discovers a great number of other passengers could be the culprit.” (via Vanity Fair)

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Sparkling Cyanide. (Colonel Race #4) Agatha Christie. 1944/2002. HarperCollins. 288 pages. [Source: Bought]

It's been a while since I've last read Agatha Christie. Though this one did not star Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple, I ended up LOVING it. Though I should add that my 'favorite' Christie mystery is usually--though not always--one of the ones I've most recently read. It's not unusual for my 'favorite' to change frequently.

Rosemary Barton is the victim. That isn't a spoiler. She's been dead almost a whole year when the novel opens. Sparkling Cyanide is written from multiple perspectives: six, I believe. Readers know that one of the six could in fact be the murderer, or at the very least know the murderer and are keeping quiet.

One other thing. Rosemary Barton's death is officially a suicide. It was never taken on as a murder case. Until....

There is so much I CAN'T say about Sparkling Cyanide. I love reading mysteries. I do. Vintage mysteries especially. And Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors to read. But I can't say I love reviewing mysteries. It's such a tricky thing to attempt. Because spoilers ruin mysteries more often than not. So, I'd definitely recommend Sparkling Cyanide. (It was originally titled Remembered Death in America.)


© 2015 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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At the beginning of a new year, many people often make resolutions to follow a healthy diet. mental_floss compiled a list of the “favorite workday snacks” of nine different authors. Jurassic Park novelist Michael Crichton enjoyed ham sandwiches while We Are Pirates author Daniel Handler enjoys raw carrots.

The other seven writers include Agatha Christie, Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, John Steinbeck, Stephen King, Emily Dickinson, and H.P. Lovecraft. What do you think? Which snacks help you to stay focused while you’re writing?

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Here are some literary events to pencil in your calendar this week.

To get your event posted on our calendar, visit our Facebook Your Literary Event page. Please post your event at least one week prior to its date.

Actor James Franco will sign copies of his new book, Hollywood Dreaming. Meet him on Monday, December 8th at The Strand from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (New York, NY)

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An Autobiography. Agatha Christie. 1977/1996. Berkley. 635 pages. [Source: Bought]

Agatha Christie's autobiography has been on my tbr pile for years now. I have looked forward to reading it for so long! I must admit the length had me a little intimidated. But once I started reading this one, I found myself completely absorbed in it. It is truly a fascinating read cover to cover. I think this one could prove appealing to a variety of readers.

Do you love history? I found Agatha Christie's Autobiography to be fascinating. This book is rich in details. Readers learn in great detail about her family and her growing up years. What Christie is describing is a way of life, and the way she saw the world around her. Her thoughts on her parents, grandparents, siblings, the family servants--the cook and the maids and nannies. You get a real sense of what it was to be a child (and teen) growing up in England in the 1890s and 1900s. She was "out" (ready to date) a year or two (or even three) before World War I began.

Are you interested in World War I? in World War II? Christie details what life was like during the war years. She was a nurse for a great part of World War I. She also assisted in dispensing drugs. She fell in love and got married during this time. During World War II she again did her part in the war effort. I believe volunteering in a hospital. She was in and around London during the War. She recalls how she rarely (if ever) took shelter during the raids because she was afraid of being buried alive under all the rubble. She had a grown daughter by that point. A daughter who fell in love, got married, and had a child during this time.

England was at war. It had come. I can hardly express the difference between our feelings then and now. Now we might be horrified, perhaps surprised, but not really astonished that war should come, because we are all conscious that war does come; that it has come in the past and that, at any moment, it might come again. But in 1914 there had been no war for--how long? Fifty years--more? True, there had been the "Great Boer War," and skirmishes on the Northwest frontier, but those had not been wars involving one's own country--they had been large army exercises, as it were; the maintenance of power in far places. This was different--we were at war with Germany. (257)

Are you interested in archaeology? in world-traveling? She spends a good deal of time recalling her travels around the world. She accompanied her first husband on an extended trip--covering several continents. (She left her (quite young) daughter with her mother and sister.) After her divorce--he fell in love with another woman and blamed her for it--she traveled on her own. On one of her trips to the Middle East, she met the man who would become her second husband. He was an archaeologist. While she did not stay with him the duration of all of his digs, she accompanied him on some, and visited on others. Readers learn that Christie LOVED, LOVED, LOVED to travel.

Are you a rehab addict? Christie loved looking at houses, buying houses in need of repair, fixing them up, renting them out, and selling them. She owned many properties at various points in her life. I believe the book said she owned eight during World War II. The book talks about her remodeling and redesigning houses.

Are you interested in writing, in her writing life? You'll find plenty to delight you within her autobiography. She talks about different sides of her writing life. Her novels. Her mystery novels. Her plays. Her short stories. Her poems. She talks about her mistakes and successes. Readers learn about which books she liked best and which book she really, really hated!

It was while I was working in the dispensary that I first conceived the idea of writing a detective story. (289)

People never stop writing to me nowadays to suggest that Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot should meet--but why should they? I am sure the would not enjoy it at all. Hercule Poirot, the complete egoist, would not like being taught his business by an elderly spinster lady. He was a professional sleuth, he would not be at home all in Miss Marple's world. No, they are both stars, and they are stars in their own right. (502)

Do you love to read? Christie shares her thoughts on her favorite writers and books!

I want to emphasize the fact that you do not have to love mysteries in order to find this autobiography of a mystery writer fascinating! I marked so many passages that I wanted to share with you. Too many to actually share. It would overwhelm any post. So just trust me, read this one!

I will choose a quote which happens to bring to mind a certain song from Frozen.

One of the first things that happens when you are attracted to a man and he is to you is that extraordinary illusion that you think exactly alike about everything, that you each say the things the other has been thinking. (228)

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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A new Google Doodle has been unleashed to celebrate the 107th birthday of National Book Award-winning author and marine biologist Rachel Louise Carson. According to The Washington Post, Carson became well known for her bestselling nonfiction titles: Under the Sea Wind, The Sea Around Us, The Edge of the Sea, and Silent Spring. In fact, Silent Spring has been credited as the work that "ignited the modern environmental movement." continued...

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My endless interrogation of myself continues... What keeps you awake at night? Everything that can wait until tomorrow. When were you happiest? When I realized that a congenial monotony is the best anyone can hope for. I'm not sure how old I was or what I was doing — perhaps I was 13 and hiking [...]

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For the next few weeks, we are going to dissect The Crooked House by Agatha Christie.

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Lord Edgware Dies (OR Thirteen at Dinner). Agatha Christie. 1933. 260 pages.

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this Agatha Christie mystery. It stars both Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings, a combination I find very hard to resist. The mystery begins with an American celebrity--an actress, Jane Wilkinson--asking Poirot for help. She's not asking him to solve a crime, exactly. She's asking him to go to her husband--whom she hates--and ask him if he'll grant her a divorce. After this consultation, she "carelessly" mentions how she wants her husband to die; at one point she even shares just how she would kill her husband. A few take her seriously pointing out to Poirot that Wilkinson is the type of woman who would kill without thinking it wrong. But Poirot likes to make up his own mind, come to his own conclusions about people's characters and motives.
So when a little time later, Lord Edgware is killed, Poirot becomes interested in the case...

This one was a delightful mystery! I just love Agatha Christie! This may be among my favorite Poirot mysteries!!!

Favorite quotes:

"I always find alibis very enjoyable," he remarked. "Whenever I happen to be reading a detective story I sit up and take notice when the alibi comes along." (122)

"Between the deliberate falsehood and the disinterested inaccuracy it is very hard to distinguish sometimes.."
"What do you mean?"
"To deceive deliberately--that is one thing. But to be so sure of your facts, of your ideas and of their essential truth that the details do not matter--that, my friend, is a special characteristic of particularly honest persons." (128)

"The positive witness should always be treated with suspicion, my friend. The uncertain witness who doesn't remember, isn't sure, will think a minute--ah! yes, that's how it was--is infinitely more to be depended upon!"
"Dear me, Poirot," I said. "You upset all my preconceived ideas about witnesses." (129)

"My good friend," he said. "I depend upon you more than you know."
I was confused and delighted by these unexpected words. He had never said anything of the kind to me before. Sometimes, secretly, I had felt slightly hurt. He seemed almost to go out of his way to disparage my mental powers.
Although I did not think his own powers were flagging, I did realize suddenly that perhaps he had come to depend on my aid more than he knew.
"Yes," he said dreamily. "You may not always comprehend just how it is so--but you do often, and often point the way."
I could hardly believe my ears.
"Really, Poirot," I stammered. "I'm awfully glad, I suppose I've learnt a good deal from you one way or another--"
He shook his head.
"Mais non, ce n'est pas ca. You have learnt nothing."
"Oh!" I said, rather taken aback.
"That is as it should be. No human being should learn from another. Each individual should develop his own powers to the uttermost, not try to imitate those of someone else. I do not wish you to be a second and inferior Poirot. I wish you to be the supreme Hastings. In you, Hastings, I find the normal mind almost perfectly illustrated." (133)

"You are like someone who reads the detective story and who starts guessing each of the characters in turn without rhyme or reason." (135)

Read Lord Edgware Dies

• If you enjoy murder mysteries with more than one murder
• If you enjoy Agatha Christie
• If you love Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings
• If you enjoy vintage, British mysteries

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Peril at End House. Agatha Christie. 1932. HarperCollins. 287 pages.

It is such a pleasure to read an Agatha Christie mystery. Peril at End House stars Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings. (I really love it when Hastings is "helping" Poirot solve a case.) This mystery is a hard one for Poirot to solve, though he doesn't realize that until the very, very end! This is a novel that could very easily be spoiled so I won't say much about it except that it was a pure delight to read this one! 

I think I LOVED this one so much because it kept me guessing, and it kept Poirot and Hastings guessing as well! While it's not unusual for a mystery--a crime--to keep Hastings guessing, it was satisfying to see Poirot stumble around a bit!

Favorite quotes:

“Poirot," I said. "I have been thinking."
"An admirable exercise my friend. Continue it.”

“You have a tendency, Hastings, to prefer the least likely. That, no doubt, is from reading too many detective stories.” 

“Evil never goes unpunished, Monsieur. But the punishment is sometimes secret.” 

 Read Peril at End House

• If you like Agatha Christie
• If you like classic or vintage mysteries
• If you like British cozy mysteries
• If you like Captain Hastings and Hercule Poirot

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Agatha Christie. 1920/2006. Black Dog & Leventhal. 224 pages.

The intense interest aroused in the public by what was known at the time as "The Styles Case" has now somewhat subsided. Nevertheless, in view of the worldwide notoriety which attended it, I have been asked, both by my friend Poirot and the family themselves, to write an account of the whole story. This, we trust, will effectually silence the sensational rumours which still persist.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles was one of my first mysteries to read, my first Agatha Christie. It is also among my first Christie mysteries to reread. This was Christie's first novel, and it stars Hercule Poirot.

Captain Hastings, our narrator, has been invited to the home of an old friend. While he's visiting this family, something horrible happens: a murder. It's not absolutely unexpected, he'd been informed by one of the occupants of the house that the family was a mess and that Mrs. Inglethorp is in danger. But it is a surprise. He decides that it would be wise if he called Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective he'd met previously. The two are definitely friendly, but, they aren't as close as they are in later books. In this first novel, Hastings is very amateurish and completely unused to Poirot's tricks and methods. Hastings instincts and observations seem to be all wrong. His insights amusing Poirot perhaps. Though it is one of Hastings comments that help Poirot find his missing link...

The presentation and arrangement of the clues is confusing, purposefully confusing I believe since the case is seen entirely through Hastings view point. Since Hastings was having a horrible time solving the case and focusing in on what was important and how the suspects fit into it...readers can at times struggle along with him. Hastings always has an idea, a guess, and he's always seeking confirmation from his hero, Poirot. Since Poirot is reluctant to share his own opinions on the case with Hastings, this can be frustrating to him. Why won't Poirot tell him if he's right or close to being right?

I would recommend this one.

Read The Mysterious Affair at Styles

• If you enjoy vintage mysteries, cozy mysteries, British mysteries
• If you enjoy Agatha Christie
• If you enjoy Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings

© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Tuesday Club Murders. Agatha Christie. 1932/2007. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. 256 pages.

I enjoyed The Tuesday Club Murders. While short stories are not my favorite, I prefer novels to short stories, I still enjoyed Miss Marple. This one may best be enjoyed one story at a time. There really isn't a need to rush through these stories all at once. There are thirteen stories in all: The Tuesday Night Club, The Idol House of Astarte, Ingots of Gold, The Blood-Stained Pavement, Motive v. Opportunity, The Thumb Mark of St. Peter, The Blue Geranium, The Companion, The Four Suspects, A Christmas Tragedy, The Herb of Death, The Affair at the Bungalow, and Death by Drowning. It wasn't so much that any one story WOWED me, it was more the fact that I enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of the stories as a whole. I liked Christie's writing and her characters. It was a pleasant way to spend my time.  

Read The Tuesday Club Murders

• If you like short stories
• If you like mysteries
• If you like Agatha Christie
• If you like Miss Marple

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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What’s your favorite kind of book? We’ve created a giant flowchart to help you browse the top 50 free eBooks at Project Gutenberg.

Click the image above to see a larger version of the book map. Your choices range from Charles Dickens to Jane Austen, from Sherlock Holmes to needlework. Below, we’ve linked to all 50 free eBooks so you can start downloading right now. The books are available in all major eBook formats.

Follow this link to see an online version of the flowchart, complete with links to the the individual books.

continued…

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Poirot Investigates. Agatha Christie. 1924/2011. HarperCollins. 256 pages.

I loved Poirot Investigates. Perhaps because I had low expectations? This was my first experience reading Christie's short stories. And since I'm not generally a fan of short stories, I didn't have great expectations for enjoying these fourteen stories. Each story is narrated by Captain Hastings. And he is a character that I tend to love and adore. I've found that Hercule Poirot needs a little help either from Hastings or Ariadne Oliver to help tame his arrogance. I have definitely come to love Hercule Poirot through the mysteries I've read, but, it was a long road for me. It wasn't instantaneous like it was with Miss Marple.

This collection of short stories was originally published in 1925. So it is "early" Poirot. The short stories in this collection are:

The Adventure of the Western Star
The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor
The Adventure of the Cheap Flat
The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge
The Million Dollar Bond Robbery
The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb
The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan
The Kidnapped Prime Minister
The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim
The Adventure of the Italian Nobleman
The Case of the Missing Will
The Veiled Lady
The Lost Mine
The Chocolate Box

It's not that any one story is amazing or incredible. That's not why I loved this collection. For me it is all about the relationship between Poirot and Hastings. Their conversations. Their friendship. Seeing these two together. There is just something DELIGHTFUL about spending time in their company. 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Mystery of the Blue Train. Agatha Christie. 1928/2011. HarperCollins. 320 pages.

I have gradually come to appreciate--dare I say even love?--Hercule Poirot. Even so, this one took three or four chapters to take to this one. At first I thought I couldn't even finish it, I just didn't like the flow of the first few chapters, introducing all these people (often nameless), the focus on a piece of jewelry, all this big build-up before introducing the main characters, etc. The story was oh-so-slow to start. But then at one point, everything started to click, started to move, and the novel became much better.

So what is this one about? Well, let's start with the victim, Ruth Kettering. She's in a very unhappy marriage. She's in love with someone else, her husband is in lust with someone else. (Well, to be fair, I think she's in lust with someone else too. Except I think she honestly thinks that that lust is love, while I think the husband, Derek, is more realistic and realizes it is what it is.) Her affair being somewhat mostly private and out of the public's eyes, his not so much, he's "in lust" with an exotic dancer. Ruth's father is an American millionaire, and he is pressuring her to divorce her husband and start over. When the novel really opens, he's gifting her with some very, very, very expensive and oh-so-rare jewels, rubies. These are gems with a PAST and then some. Several weeks, if not several months, go by, and the novel next opens with a train trip. Ruth is on her way to meet her lover, her husband and his mistress just happen to be on the same train, and yet supposedly no one knows this. But perhaps it isn't right to start with the victim? Since the main character, the main character besides Poirot, is a young woman who's just recently inherited money. Katherine. This is truly more her story. For she's on the train as well, and she met Ruth just hours before her death. The two took a liking to one another, and Ruth confided in her a good deal. Even told Katherine how uneasy she felt about this trip, like something horrible was going to happen to her.

It was easy to see why Katherine was so likable. It really was. This Agatha Christie novel was good. I wouldn't say that it's one of the best, best, best mystery novels ever. Christie wrote so many, so many GREAT novels, that it would be hard for this one to make the top five or top ten, but it is definitely a good novel. I liked it!!!

Read The Mystery of the Blue Train

• If you're a fan of Agatha Christie
• If you're a fan of Hercule Poirot
• If you're a fan of British mysteries, especially British mysteries set on a train 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Agatha Christie. 1952/2011. HarperCollins. 272 pages. 

I definitely LOVED Mrs. McGinty's Dead. I really, really, really LOVED the surprise appearance of Ariadne Oliver. But, of course, the main star of this one is Hercule Poirot. The novel starts off rather unpleasantly with Poirot thinking to himself how wonderful he is, how marvelous he is, and how much he needs someone to talk to so he can show off how wonderful he is. So when he receives an unexpected visit from Superintendent Spence who is asking him to take on a closed case, well, he can't resist. Spence was one of the men who helped convict James Bentley of murder, but, he's having doubts, strong doubts. He believes that if Bentley is executed, well, they'll be executing an innocent man. He's not sure who killed Mrs. McGinty, but he knows that Poirot can solve this case better than anyone else. So Poirot travels to the village of the crime and he learns what only he can learn...

I LOVED this one!!! Loved hearing Mrs. Oliver talk about her writing, loved seeing her "work with" someone who is adapting her character, her main detective, into a play. Loved hearing her grumble and complain about her Finn detective.

This one is a great mystery, and, it was just so much fun to spend time with Christie's characters.

Read Mrs. McGinty's Dead

• If you're a fan of Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot, or Mrs. Oliver
• If you're a mystery lover

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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One, Two Buckle My Shoe. Agatha Christie. 1940/2011. HarperCollins. 240 pages. 

I have such a hard time rating Agatha Christie novels. Do I rate it based on how it compares to just any book? Or do I just rate it based on how it compares to other mysteries? Or do I just rate it based on how it compares to other Agatha Christie mysteries? Or do I rate it based on how it compares just among the Marple mysteries or the Poirot mysteries as the case may be?

The truth is, I find Christie incredibly readable. I pick up one of her mystery novels, and, I'm almost always hooked. True, some mysteries may take two or three days instead of just one. Depending on so many factors. But. It's oh-so-easy to read Christie's mysteries in just one sitting. To just DELIGHT yourself in the experience of reading a good mystery.

Was One, Two, Buckle My Shoe the best, best, best mystery I've ever read? No, not really. This isn't by any stretch my favorite-favorite Agatha Christie mystery. It isn't even my favorite Hercule Poirot mystery. (And, yes, I do LOVE Poirot, just not as much as Miss Marple.) Yet. When I consider how unwilling I was to put it down, how much I enjoyed reading it while I was reading it, then I can definitely say it was a good book, a good mystery. Even a not-quite-the-best Christie mystery is better than many books...

Hercule Poirot visits the dentist in One, Two, Buckle My Shoe. Hours after his appointment, he receives a call from the Inspector. His dentist, Mr. Morley, is dead. At first, they weren't quite positive if it was murder or suicide. Poirot knew that it was murder--his instinct said it was. But others aren't ready to go that route--they feel suicide is a reasonable conclusion based on the evidence. But Poirot can't fathom why his dentist would do such a thing in such a way?

So Poirot conducts his own investigation, interviews all the patients that were there that day, etc.

This one may not be the best introduction to Agatha Christie or Hercule Poirot, but it is definitely worth a read. 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Seven Dials Mystery. Agatha Christie. 1929/2012. HarperCollins. 304 pages.

That amiable youth, Jimmy Thesiger, came racing down the big staircase at Chimneys two steps at a time. So precipitate was his descent that he collided with Tredwell, the stately butler, just as the latter was crossing the hall bearing a fresh supply of hot coffee. Owing to the marvelous presence of mind and masterly agility of Tredwell, no casualty occurred.

 Oh, how I LOVED The Seven Dials Mystery!!!! It was such a great book. I loved the tone of this one--the tongue-in-cheek-ness of it. It was just one of those books where you could almost open it to any page and find something to smile about. The characters. The characters' names. The dialogue. Some of the situations. The Seven Dials Mystery is one of those rare books that combines comedy or humor with drama and suspense. There is danger and suspense. There are murder victims. The murderer does manage to avoid detection, for most of the novel. And the reader knows that the murderer could strike again. So the threat is real, but, at the same time The Seven Dials Mystery does not read like a horror novel. It's not weird enough, creepy enough, scary enough. I don't think the point of this one is to scare you, I think it is all about entertaining you.

This Agatha Christie novel features several characters that I loved. The inspector from Scotland Yard is Superintendent Battle. And I definitely enjoyed him. Not quite as much as I enjoyed Eileen "Bundle" Brent. But still, I was glad to meet him. Bundle was one of a handful of young people who involve themselves in this case. They are working with Battle to solve the case. And there is a tiny bit of romance going on behind the scenes in this one.

The setting of this one, for the most part, is Chimneys. The novel opens with a houseguest being murdered. Well, that's not exactly true. The novel begins with all the other houseguests making fun of the would-be-victim's bad habit of sleeping way too late. Their teasing even takes it the next level--a big practical joke is planned and plotted for the next day. But the victim of the joke becomes the victim of a murderer. Who killed Gerry Wade? Was it one of the other houseguests?

Read The Seven Dials Mystery

• If you're a fan of Agatha Christie
• If you're interested in reading Christie's earlier works
• If you enjoy mystery/suspense novels
• If you enjoy a little comedy with your mystery/thriller
• If you want to smile 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Secret Adversary. Agatha Christie. 1922/2012. HarperCollins. 352 pages.

 I enjoyed The Secret Adversary. I have read Agatha Christie's novels out of order, without much of a plan. So I've read many of her later novels first. This is my first Tommy and Tuppence novel, however.

I definitely liked it. It has a certain charm to it, I suppose. This first novel introduces readers to the two characters, and introduces a romance between the two. A romance that perhaps seems obvious, but, a somewhat sweet romance nonetheless.

World War I has not been over that long when the novel opens, and both Tommy and Prudence (Tuppence) are continuing to make adjustments now that the war is over and their service has ended. (She was a nurse, I believe.) These two happen to bump into one another one day. And they happen to have a conversation. Their conversation is overheard by a gentleman, a man who assumes Tommy and Tuppence know more than what they in fact do, know a BIG secret somewhat connected to the early days of the War. A secret concerning the identity of Jane Finn. When this man approaches Prudence, all of their lives are changed...

Essentially, Tuppence and Tommy team up (with a few others for help now and then) to solve a mystery, to find out about a woman's identity, to trace her, to trace some important documents. Their adventure is dangerous. Both will risk their lives to find out the truth.

I liked this one. I didn't quite love it. But I did like it.

Read The Secret Adversary

• If you're a fan of Agatha Christie
• If you love mystery/spy novels
• If you want to read one of Christie's earlier novels
• If you love mysteries with a historical feel to them

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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The Secret of Chimneys. Agatha Christie. 1925/2012. HarperCollins. 336.

I definitely enjoyed The Secret of Chimneys. I picked this one up because I accidentally read The Seven Dials Mystery first. When I learned that Seven Dials Mystery starred so many characters first introduced in The Secret of Chimneys, I knew I would have to read this one right away!!! If I loved Seven Dials so, so, much, I knew I would probably love this one too. And I did enjoy it. And I definitely loved the characters, I probably would have loved them anyway even if I hadn't already known them, so I would definitely recommend these two books--and to recommend them in the proper order. Read Secret of Chimneys first.

The Secret of Chimneys is a bit over-the-top, I won't lie. I suppose you could call it a silly book that isn't exactly meant to be taken seriously. But it was a fun book, for the most part. I probably loved Seven Dials Mystery more than this one. But still, I liked it.

Anthony Cade travels to England as a favor for a friend. If he delivers a certain manuscript--a memoir--by a certain person (recently deceased) living in exile to a particular publisher by a certain day, he receives a good sum of money. Money that will be divided between them (Anthony and Jimmy). But that isn't the only package he's taking with him, he's also got a bundle of letters from a married woman to her lover. Jimmy has told him that these letters have been used (in the past) to blackmail the woman. He's gotten a hold of the letters, and he doesn't want to blackmail her, he wants to see them returned safely to her. Will his mission succeed? Well, it sounds easy enough, in a way, until you factor in all the different political factions that want to see him fail and the manuscript be destroyed.

The setting of this one is an estate called Chimneys. And we do meet many, many lovely characters. Including Eileen (Bundle) Brent, Superintendent Battle, Lord Caterham, George Lomax, Bill Eversleigh, Virginia Revel, Anthony Cade.

Read The Secret of Chimneys 

• If you love Agatha Christie
• If you love British mysteries, classic mysteries
• If you like a little humor/sarcasm with your mystery/suspense

 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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In South Carolina, Aiken Public Safety have closed a criminal investigation into a Schofield Middle School who read to his students from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. The investigation began when a mother complained to police and school officials over “pornographic” reading material in the classroom.

Here’s more about the case: “On March 12, the teacher was placed on administrative leave while police and school officials investigated whether he breached school policy or the law when he read from three books, among them Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, which became the focus of the probe when a 14-year-old student’s mother complained about the subject matter of the book.”

Despite the end to the criminal investigation, the Aiken County School District’s internal investigation is still ongoing. If you want to share your opinion about the controversy, here is contact information for the office of the school district’s superintendent.

continued…

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In South Carolina, Aiken Public Safety have closed a criminal investigation into a Schofield Middle School who read to his students from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. The investigation began when a mother complained to police and school officials over “pornographic” reading material in the classroom.

Here’s more about the case: “On March 12, the teacher was placed on administrative leave while police and school officials investigated whether he breached school policy or the law when he read from three books, among them Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, which became the focus of the probe when a 14-year-old student’s mother complained about the subject matter of the book.”

Despite the end to the criminal investigation, the Aiken County School District’s internal investigation is still ongoing. If you want to share your opinion about the controversy, here is contact information for the office of the school district’s superintendent.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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In South Carolina, Aiken Public Safety have closed a criminal investigation into a Schofield Middle School who read to his students from Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. The investigation began when a mother complained to police and school officials over “pornographic” reading material in the classroom.

Here’s more about the case: “On March 12, the teacher was placed on administrative leave while police and school officials investigated whether he breached school policy or the law when he read from three books, among them Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, which became the focus of the probe when a 14-year-old student’s mother complained about the subject matter of the book.”

Despite the end to the criminal investigation, the Aiken County School District’s internal investigation is still ongoing. If you want to share your opinion about the controversy, here is contact information for the office of the school district’s superintendent.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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