6 Jul 2006

Dumb Witness (by Agatha Christie)

'Dumb Witness' is a fairly typical Agatha Christie mystery featuring Hercule Poirot. The only slightly unusual feature is that he starts his investigations on behalf of a woman who has already died.

As ever, there is a cast full of suspects, and the eventual solution relies primarily on their characters which are gradually drawn through the book. I hadn't guessed 'whodunit' but the outcome as described by Poirot was believable, when I thought about it.

I'm not, in general, a fan of crime fiction but Agatha Christie's are pleasant enough for a light read, without any gore or too much suspense. Her plots are always cleverly crafted, and although her characters don't have a whole lot of depth, they're interesting enough to keep me reading.

Recommended for holiday reading or similar, to anyone who likes this genre.

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