'The adventure of the Christmas pudding' is the main title of a collection of two longish short stories, and four short ones by Agatha Christie. She is probably the world's best known light crime writer from the middle of the 20th century. The first five stories feature Hercule Poirot, and the last involves Miss Marple.
I thought the longer stories were pretty good, and particularly enjoyed the Christmas Pudding one. It revolved around an old-fashioned country Christmas mixed up with the theft of a jewel. Poirot comes across well, and the author even slightly pokes fun at detective stories in general.
However I felt that the short stories were all rather disappointing. Because of being so short, there's no real characterisation; yet crime stories tend to rely rather on understanding the personalities involved. So the detectives made what appeared to be intuitive guesses that were impossible for a casual reader.
I think this author generally does better with full-length novels which give her a chance to get deeper into the psyche of each of the characters, since she doesn't tend to use much fast action or (thankfully) any gore or horror to pad out her books.
Still, these weren't bad stories to while away a couple of hours. Just not the usual enjoyable logic puzzles that can be solved by careful observation from a reader.
On the whole, I enjoy Agatha Christie's crime fiction novels. They're light, without too much gore. They're also very cleverly plotted, and they often leave me guessing right until the last chapter.
However, I was not impressed by 'Nemesis'.
Miss Marple is asked by letter to solve a mystery (or right a wrong) for a friend who has died. Gradually she manages to find clues, and discovers what she is supposed to do.
Unfortunately, the plot is repetitive, with lengthy monologues, as everything discovered up to that point is explained again and again. The 'clues' are very obvious, and the idea of Miss Marple as 'Nemesis' is mildly amusing rather than chilling.
All in all, I thought this the dullest Agatha Christie book I have ever read. Had this been the first of her books I came across, I probably would never have bothered with others.
Really not recommended, although it seems to be highly rated by some other readers.
I discovered yet more of Agatha Christie's books at a relative's house..It seems that I am becoming hooked on light crime novels. It is such a relief to discover that there's no horror, little suspense, and a minimum of gore in these books, even if they do contain murders galore.
'A Caribbean mystery' features the gentle Miss Marple. She confuses people by seeming like a little old lady, who couldn't possibly know anything about murders or mysteries. In this book, she is on holiday abroad when - surprise, surprise - a murder takes place.
In her usual gentle fashion, Miss Marple discovers what happened, and who was responsible. It's perhaps a bit convoluted, but still an enjoyable story.
Recommended.
Inevitably, as I read my way through dozens of Agatha Christie books, I will like some more than others. It seems, so far, that I find those featuring Miss Marple slightly less appealing than the others. Having said that, I do very much appreciate the idea of a 'dear old lady' turning out to be an excellent crime investigator.
In the novel 'They do it with mirrors', Miss Marple is visiting an old friend, when a murder is committed and a second one is attempted. She tries to solve the mystery of who did it, and in turn each member of the household falls under suspicion.
The truth, when it is uncovered, seemed a bit forced to me, and rather unlikely. Still, as ever with Agatha Christie, it was cleverly written and enjoyable on the whole.
Recommended in a low-key way.
There is, of course, a certain sameness to many of Agatha Christie's crime novels. She found a successful formula, and used it repeatedly. I can say this having only just started reading her books fairly recently. So perhaps it's more obvious because I am reading a lot of them one after the other.
'The Body in the Library' is quite a formulaic book. It begins when a dead body is discovered, in Mrs Bantry's library. The police are called, as well as Mrs Bantry's friend Miss Marple. I don't like Miss Marple as much as Hercule Poirot, although on the surface she is a much more likeable character.
Unexpected twists occur in the story, as Miss Marple sets to work to solve the mystery. Naturally, she does it a great deal more effectively than the police.
I thought this book was a good light read, but nothing special. Nevertheless, as with most of Agatha Christie's novels, it has been consistently in print for many years.
Recommended in a low-key way.
After reading four of Agatha Christie's crime novels, and a short break reading something else, I thought I'd try a book of her short stories. So I started on 'The thirteen problems'.
They're actually inter-related short stories. Miss Marple and some friends, sitting around chatting, decide to relate some past mysteries to each other. They they all attempt to solve them informally by deduction and intuition.
Every time, not surprisingly, the frail-looking elderly Miss Marple is spot on in her observations. She always manages to reach the correct answer due to her ability to observe and deduce.
They are all clever stories; it was an enjoyable collection.
Recommended.
I have just read four books by the same author, one after another. It is probably not a good idea, as they can become a bit samey when that happens. But having never read anything by Agatha Christie, I was determined to catch up. So the next one I tried was '4.50 from Paddington'.
This is the story of Mrs McGillicuddy. She sees a gruesome murder from a railway carriage as she's travelling along. She mentions it to her friend Miss Marple. Miss Marple, who is always interested in a mystery, enlists the help of a young friend, who discovers the body.
After various false starts, Miss Marple successfully unmasks the murderer.
It was a cleverly written book, though nothing special. Just as well I didn't try this one first, or I might not have become so enthusiastic about this author's work.
I finally decided I would try out some Agatha Christie crime fiction. Having very much enjoyed 'Hercule Poirot's Christmas', I thought I would read a few more.
The second one that looked appealing on our shelves had the title of 'Murder at the vicarage'. Not that it was really my choice of a good-sounding title. But this kind of crime fiction is generally about solving murders, so I gave it a go.
The story is about the pompous Colonel Potheroe. He is murdered early in the book in the Vicar's study. There are no unpleasant details, thankfully, and we never really get to know the victim in the first place.
Someone confesses to the crime, then another person confesses... and both are cleared. The police are baffled. But the elderly and gentle Miss Marple, who observes village life and people, unerringly solves the mystery.
I didn't like Miss Marple quite as much as the arrogant Hercule Poirot. But I thought it was still a well-written and clever story.
Recommended.
