"He was still some distance from the house. Not a sound could be heard anywhere. Some fast yellowing leaves detached themselves from one of the trees overhead and fell with a soft rustling sound that was almost sinister in the stillness. Anthony started; then smiled. 'Nerves,' he murmured to himself. 'Never knew I had such things before.'" - The Secret of Chimneys, p. 226
I had seen the movie version of The Secret of Chimneys before, which is altered into being a Miss Marple story, (the book is not). It's also altered in a number of other ways including one of the central plot points, the main character-ness of more than one of the main characters, the identity of the killer, the addition of a ton of melodrama, a really dramatic real estate issue, and the establishment of a completely fictional Eastern European country [Hail Herzoslovakia! A whole new world. Or at least a whole new Eastern block.] All that to say, basically this was a whole new story for me, which was great because I was definitely wondering who-dunnit.
The Sum of It All:
Before attempting to summarize, I will say that I understand why the people who made the movie version felt that they needed to simplify the story. There is A LOT going on here, and there are A LOT of characters, several of whom have sinister sounding Russian-style names mainly composed of consonants (one of them gets nicknamed Baron Lollipop because his name is just too complicated. That's Agatha's joke, that's not even mine!).
This one doesn't include any of Agatha's familiar detectives, and it's written in the third person, which is also not super typical (at least so far). There is, however, a main character who borders on a narrator role: the handsome, daring, and charming Anthony Cade. We meet Anthony in South Africa, where he's bored and flirting with the biddies on the tourist bus for which he's responsible. When his friend proposes an adventure that involves delivering a mysterious manuscript to some publishers back in jolly old England, Anthony is intrigued. His curiosity grows when he finds out that the manuscript is linked to the legendary Herzoslovakian Count Stylptitch and he soon sets off to England. The pal also has a secondary mission for him: to return a packet of love letters to a lady named Virginia Revel that some dude was using to blackmail the poor woman.
Once he gets to England, Anthony quickly realizes that the manuscript he's carrying is a valuable document to a few different people, including representatives of the Herzoslovakian nobility, the British government, and a socialist revolutionary group. When a sneaky Italian waiter sneaks sneakily into his hotel room at night to rifle through his bag and steals the letters (but can't find the manuscript), Anthony goes to find the lady associated with them, Virginia Revel, and develops a big ol' crush on her. Naturally, almost directly after that, she finds a dead guy in her house and Anthony agrees to help her deal with it.
Gawd, this is so complicated to summarize but ANYHOW, Virginia's cousin George is a mamby-pamby government minister who is on the lookout for Anthony and the manuscript, which could have dire political consequences, so he invites Anthony to a country house, Chimneys, for a bit of a summit. Also attending will be a Herzoslovakian prince in disguise, a famous financier, and some British government officials who would be backing said prince in a bid to regain the throne of the imaginary and oil-rich country. They are also trying to keep secret a missing diamond that was lost at Chimneys during the last diplomatic get-together there. The home's owner, the grumbly but loveable Lord Caterham, has also invited his daughter Bundle (ohh British people) and some of his friends, including Virginia and an American sporting Agatha's favorite last name -- Fish.
Confused yet? I'm trying here, people. Anyhow, then comes MURDER #deadprince. Anthony and Virginia start working with the Scotland Yard detective team that shows up and gradually piece together the mystery both of the dead prince and the missing diamond. There are a couple surprise twists related to the crimes, but also a surprise twist or two about our almost narrator, Anthony, which are worth hanging around for.
The YOA Treatment:
This one really didn't have a theme to tease out, though some of the now-old-standbys are there: a flirty, crime solving relationship, mysterious foreigners, Americans who say "sonny" in every sentence, a plucky, captivating lady, etc. etc. I'm not saying it wasn't enjoyable, because honestly I really liked it and had no trouble devouring it in two days.
One thing about this story that really kept the intrigue going was the narrator situation. Even though the story wasn't written in the first person, we mostly see things through Anthony's perspective. We filter the red herrings, the scary home invasions, the mysterious gunshots, and the tense situations through his lens. But all the while, Agatha drops hints that there's something Anthony knows that he isn't telling us. Why is he so uncomfortable when the dead prince's loyal valet declares his new allegiance is Anthony's? Why is he still nervous around the Scotland Yard detective even after we think he's confessed all his secrets? You think you know what's going on, and then in the end when Agatha ties everything up in a nice bow you're like OH RIGHT THAT is why I had a little nagging feeling that I was missing something, like the mom in Home Alone before she realizes they forgot Kevin #iforgotmyreadingglasses. This clever little device is yet another way Agatha figured out to keep things fresh while she adjusted to her new status as a genuine lady of mystery, can't wait to see what else she's got in store for us!
-E.
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