I spooked myself this week reading Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
Have you ever read her novels? I have not. I saw it in the used book store on last Sunday and thought I would treat myself. Not much of a mystery reader, I thought simply that it would be a nice diversion from the usual fare. Oh, foolish me!
I was pleasantly surprised! I loved it. It was engaging and fast paced and totally provocative – and a bit spooky. I almost had trouble falling asleep on Tuesday – thinking about a dead man stabbed 12 times on a train. Every bonk and boop of the radiator gave me a stir!
That is what I call a good mystery, eh? It stays with you. Heart thumping, mind racing, and ego deflating when you find out that I totally didn’t get all the clues…. What a story!
I found myself re-reading the last section three times – you know the part, where the detective stands up, clears his throat, wraps up the solution neatly and grabs the wrist of the killer before he/she can escape. It took me three readings to really get it –he was highlighting things that I had forgotten as I read along, rapt in the story and missing clues right and left. I was even aware of this as I read – telling myself, Pay attention to details here, Missy. You will be able to suspect the right person! But of course, I didn’t get it right at all. It was a real twist in the tale. And a unique kind of justice that I liked very much. Good job, Agatha.
Always the glutton when it comes to new authors I discover, after a bit of a search through the used mysteries (funny, there are no Christie's to be found, people must like to keep them!) I found Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective this weekend at my favorite (and, sadly, the last independent one on the Upper West Side!) bookstore. It was one of the best $4 I ever spent, even though the binding is falling apart. It's a collection of short stories of a gentleman who is quite banal and bland, but after having spent a long career compiling statistics for the government, he claims he can diagnose and cure most common human ills. In fact, he's less a detective than a nice man who wants to help people with their problems. He advertises in a national publication for anyone who is unhappy to visit him.
Isn't that a wonderful premise! Dame Christie is brilliant.
So a wife finds out that a secret to marital bliss is to hold the memory of passion, even if there was no passion itself. And two young people fall in love over the exploration of a mysterious and exciting "treasure." And of course, there are a few murders to be solved and diamond thieves to be ensnared. Throughout,Mr. Parker Pyneis quite wonderful. Most of his "clients" find interesting things happening to them, but don't always connect them back to Mr. Parker Pyne. Although I'm just starting to get into Christie's voluminous works, I believe that Mr. Parker Pyne was an early character and some of his staff turn up in later novels, sometimes as more important players.
I'm excited to keep this journey going! What Christie novels do you recommend for this beginner?
Comments