‘Pocket Full of Rye’ (1953) a pocket full of tropes
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Agatha Christie pulls out all the rules of the game in “A Pocket Full of Rye,” a comfortably familiar murder tale in a manor.
Agatha Christie
‘Pocket Full of Rye’ (1953) a pocket full of tropes
‘Funerals are Fatal’ (1953), especially in this family
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Christie doesn’t reinvent anything here, but this family-based mystery does offer a few wrinkles.
‘Last Séance’ (2019) gathers Christie’s spooky stuff
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): This collection gathers Agatha’s supernatural yarns in one place, including the rare “Wife of the Kenite.”
‘Hallowe’en Party’ (1969) can’t capture spirit of season
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Although it doesn’t have the spooky vibe I hoped for, there are things to like about this Poirot novel.
‘Murder with Mirrors’ (1952) novel-length sleight of hand
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): This is a gripping page-by-page read with an engaging theme. But does Christie play fair with the reader?
‘Mrs. McGinty’s Dead’ (1952), and everyone’s a suspect
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): This might be Christie’s most convoluted, unsolvable mystery. But it’s a solid character piece for Poirot.
A twist: ‘Death Comes as the End’ (1944) set in ancient Egypt
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Christie ventures outside of contemporary England to tell an ancient Egyptian story – albeit one with familiar parallels.
‘N or M?’ (1941) encapsulates life during World War II
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): The T&T novels keep surprising me as being better than their reputation. I think “N or M?” is the best of the first three.
Christie dives into romantic minds in ‘The Hollow’ (1946)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): “The Hollow” is Christie’s elite piece of character writing to this point. As a bonus, it’s a strong Poirot potboiler too.
Christie reflects on death in ‘Sparkling Cyanide’ (1945)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): One of Christie’s most cinematic novels shuffles the chronological approach but in other ways goes by the book.