John’s top 10 movies of 2022
2022 movies: The horror genre enjoyed a particularly strong year, but I rallied toward the comedies as I ranked my favorites.
Agatha Christie
‘Absent in the Spring’ (1944) a never-dull dive into one woman’s mind
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): In her third Mary Westmacott novel, Christie holds a reader’s attention the whole way by exploring inner thoughts.
‘Giants’ Bread’ (1930) a tragedy of love, creative drive
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): We take a temporary break from sleuthing to examine Agatha Christie’s excellent first Mary Westmacott novel.
‘Elephants Can Remember’ (1972) easy to forget
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): This isn’t a good novel, yet it’s fascinating when one considers Christie suffered from dementia.
Marple unleashed like a bloodhound in ‘Nemesis’ (1971)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): The penultimate Miss Marple novel is overwritten and unlikely in parts, but it’s solvable and enjoyable.
‘Unexpected Guest’ (1999) a basic but enjoyable puzzle
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Charles Osborne’s second novelization of an Agatha Christie play showcases her mystery-puzzle plotting mastery.
Rockwell, Ronan make ‘See How They Run’ a comedic delight
Movie review: Great actors team up with a sharp screenplay by Mark Chappell that understands the humorous side of Agatha Christie’s whodunits.
‘Passenger to Frankfurt’ (1970) is a globe-trotting mess
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Late in her career, Agatha Christie reaches a dubious achievement: a novel that’s worse than “The Big Four.”
Christie chips in on Detection Club’s ‘Floating Admiral’ (1931)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): This fascinating but failed experiment finds 14 authors handing off a baton as they choose their own adventure.
‘Endless Night’ (1967) shows the ‘happily ever after’ … not so happily
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Rightly labeled as one of Christie’s “horror” novels, “Endless Night” is light on killings, but drenched in foreboding.