Ghosts of Painters Past: Five Little Pigs | 1942

(image from here)

"It's psychology that interests you, isn't it? Well, that doesn't change with time. The tangible things are gone—the cigarette end and the footprints and the bent blades of grass. You can't look for those any more. But you can go over all the facts of the case, and perhaps talk to the people who were there at the time—they're all alive still—and then—and then, as you said just now, you can lie back in your chair and think. And you'll know what really happened..." - Carla Lemarchant, Five Little Pigs, p. 8

The Sum of It:
I was in for a real treat this week. Five Little Pigs is, in my opinion, one of Dame Agatha's finest Poirot novels in that a) the premise is very clever, and, b) this case highlights perfectly Poirot's preferred method of crime solving: thinking on the facts.

A Murder in Retrospect
As an alternative title of this novel suggests, this crime is solved sixteen years after the fact. Poirot is approached by a young woman named Carla Lemarchant with the request that he find out who killed her father, artist Amyas Crale. Here's the twist: Carla's mother, Caroline Crale, was at the time of the crime convicted of her husband's murder and hanged died in prison! Okay, so…then what is there to solve? asks Poirot. Carla says her mother wrote her a letter to be read when Carla turned 21 (which just happened, #happybdayCarla) and it claims she (Caroline) was totally innocent! So who actually dun it?!, says Carla. She needs to find out pronto because she wants to marry her cute fiancee, but this whole "my mom maybe poisoned my dad" thing is kind of casting a shadow over their impending marriage and she needs #closure. So Poirot agrees to take on the challenge of finding out the truth, solely based on the recollections of the key players (i.e. lawyers and witnesses).

The Five Little Pigs
Poirot starts off his investigations by talking to Caroline Crale's defense counsel, Sir Montague Depleach and one of her prosecutors, Quentin Fogg, K.C. (THESE NAMES!!!) These men give Poirot a good picture of Caroline's trial, and, most interestingly, that she made no effort to disprove her guilt, and in fact, seemed very resigned to her fate of a guilty verdict. This seems to vastly contradict Caroline's profession of innocence in her letter to Carla #hmmmmm

Poirot then moves on to those he refers to as the Five Little Pigs, namely, Elsa Greer (Amyas's latest painting subject/much younger mistress), Philip and Meredith Blake (two of Amyas's besties since childhood), Angela Warren (Caroline's disfigured younger sister), and Miss Warren (Angela's governess.) These five were on hand for Amyas's death by poison and Poirot conducts very thorough interviews of each, and gleefully (in his head) gives them each a little pig character from the nursery rhyme (Poirot is, for some reason, really into nursery rhymes). I won't tell you much about the actual events surrounding Amyas's death because they're fairly basic, and much more interesting to read in the book. Suffice it to say, the book's intrigue comes (brilliantly!) from the re-hashing of fairly straightforward facts, which Poirot then aptly interprets based on his knowledge of psychology.

The YOA Treatment:
While I generally adore the Poirot TV adaptations, I must admit I often avoid this particular episode because it is SO SAD! This is a fairly accurate representation of the book, because Five Little Pigs does have a somber tone which is kind of unusual for Poirot. He doesn't have Hastings by his side for (mostly unintentional) comic relief, and right from the get go the reader is left with a bit of a lose-lose situation because Caroline Crale is dead so even if she IS innocent, Carla is still left without her parents. That being said, this book has a very compelling ending because you are left both satisfied and unsatisfied, but not necessarily for the reason you think. I shall reveal no more because a) NO SPOILERS! and b) I want you to be so intrigued that you run and pick up a copy of this book right away!

One other interesting note: in Five Little Pigs, Poirot mentions Hawley Harvey Crippen as a real-life example of a murder case involving psychology. I did a little research into this case AND LET ME TELL YOU - this is some truth-is-stranger-than-fiction sort of stuff involving a body under floor boards and a dude fleeing to Canada with his mistress dressed as a little boy and undercover police work, etc. You can read all the fascinating details here.

-A.

But WAIT, there's more! #READALONG 2.0:
Guess what! It's about to be #READALONG time again! We are coming up on one of Agatha's most beloved novels, Murder on the Orient Express, and heartily invite you all to join us as we read it! We will be reading Orient Express starting May 9th, so head out to your local bookstore and nab a copy ASAP so you'll be ready to read along with us (and finish the last page by May 14)! Oh, and there just might be another #giveaway on the horizon as well…stay tuned for details!

First Quarter Faves | Top picks since we began our mission in January!

(image from our instagram!)

We started this project right after New Years 2016, and we cannot believe that we've already read almost 30 #GASP of Dame Agatha's iconic mysteries! So today we wanted to go ahead and report on our quarterly favorites (though there's no telling how many more favorites we might develop as the year goes on). For those of you who are just getting started with your foray into Agatha-dom, this could be a good starting list!

EMILY'S TOP THREE FAVES #SOFAR
These are in no particular order, b-t-dubs...
1)  The Man in the Brown Suit
GIANT SURPRISE right? I mean, I loved this one. So caper-y and adorable (and caper-y like cute adventures not like the salty food accessory [though no one here is demeaning capers they are wonderful, especially when combined with lox, cream cheese, and red onions I DIGRESS]).

From the book: "I would put all my eggs in one basket. 'First class,' I said. I was now definitely committed to the adventure." - The Man in the Brown Suit, p. 46

From the YOA review: "There's something fresh and sprightly about these early stories where the main character (in this case, narrator) is a plucky young girl whose curiosity and yen for romance and adventure gets the better of any sense of practicality. Agatha does such a nice job of creating these clever girls who remind me of no one so much as Clara Oswald from Doctor Who: the smartest, most charming, and cutest girl in the room but no one can help but like her anyway #soufflegirl."

2) The Secret Adversary
Again, another major surprise, but I LOOooOOOooVE Tommy & Tuppence, and especially this, their first appearance in print. They're charming and clever and fun, and keep you on the edge of your seat!

From the book: "You must stifle this longing for vulgar sensation, Tuppence. Remember that if Mr. Brown is all he is reported to be, it's a wonder that he has not ere now done us to death. That's a good sentence, quite a literary flavor about it." "You're really more conceited than I am--with less excuse!" - Tommy & Tuppence banter exhibit 4 million from The Secret Adversary, p. 57

From the YOA review: "In her autobiography, Agatha mentions how one of her grandmothers was always complaining of some vague ailment or another, which Agatha eventually divined was really just an act to demonstrate the feminine frailty deemed attractive in the 19th century. Agatha recognized this as an antique mentality; 20th century girls were made of heartier stuff. In Tuppence she created a leading lady who not only embraced the bobbed hair and ankle-baring fashions of her day but also the why-not-me spirit of the post-war girl."

3) IT'S A TIE! HaHA! The Secret of Chimneys and The Mystery of the Seven Dials
I didn't want to pick between these two, because they are both so fun and perplexing and have terrific protagonists, then I realized that since they were both set in the same place, the country estate of Chimneys, maybe it was cool for them to be a tie! So convenient.

From the book (Chimneys): "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

From the YOA review (Chimneys): "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."

From the book (Seven Dials): "I never faint," said Bundle. "But you might as well get me a cocktail. I shall certainly need it. Then lock the door of the room again -- don't forget -- and take all the door keys back to their proper doors. And, Alfred -- don't be too much of a rabbit. Remember, if anything goes wrong, I'll see you through." - The Seven Dials Mystery, p. 109

From the YOA review (Seven Dials): "Despite people (men) constantly fussing that she shouldn't be involved with solving the mysteries at hand on account of DANGER, Bundle takes it upon herself to get to the bottom of things. When trying to track the baddie, she puts on her riding pants and climbs down a trellis (after being told to stay safely ensconced in her room while the  men handle things). When she can't figure out what the mysterious Seven Dials entails, she insists on hiding in their lair to figure it out straight from the source (despite a fella telling her she musn't risk it; she just asks for a gimlet [both cocktail and tool varieties]."

AUDREY'S TOP THREE FAVES #SOFAR:

1) The Thirteen Problems
This was a surprise favorite for me. I had never read this first introduction to Miss Jane Marple before, and, as someone who is not historically a fan of short stories, I assumed it would not be up my alley. HOWEVER, I totally fell in love with the premise, and delightful Miss-Marple-ness of each story.

From the book: "'I know human nature,' said Miss Marple. 'It's impossible not to know human nature living in a village all these years.'" -The Thirteen Problems, p. 198

From the YOA review: "In Thirteen Problems, Miss Marple is at first seen as a background observer (muttering to herself as she counts her knitting stitches) to a group game of Raymond, Sir Henry, and a few others as they each present a sort of cold case they observed or heard about from their past, with the idea that their brain powers combined can deduce the culprit. However, it's unassuming Miss Marple who schools everyone with the correct solution every time (#madrespect #yaskween)." 

2) The Murder at the Vicarage
I always thought I was a Poirot girl, but I think the last four months might have turned me into more of a Miss Marple fan! When I was reading The Murder at the Vicarage I found myself literally laughing out loud, quoting long passages to my family and friends, and ready to pack up and move to St. Mary Mead.

From the book: "If I were at any time to set out on a career of deceit, it would be of Miss Marple that I should be afraid." - Leonard Clement, The Murder at the Vicarage, p. 194

From the YOA review: "Agatha seemed to take particular pleasure in writing Miss Marple, and her readers found a connection with her new character as well. Vicarage is considered one of Agatha's best works and even her contemporary, Dorothy L. Sayers, wrote to #DameAgatha to give her approval: "Dear old Tabbies [speaking of Miss Marple and her old lady cronies] are the only possible right kind of female detective and Miss M is lovely...I think this is the best you have done - almost.""

3) Sad Cypress
Though sans Hastings, Poirot is a somber delight in this novel. The case is more serious, but still so wonderfully clever. I have a feeling this will stay on my favorites list throughout the year.

From the book: "One does not practice detection with a textbook! One uses one's natural intelligence." -Hercule Poirot, Sad Cypress, p. 166

From the YOA review: "Agatha is said to have thought this book would have been better without Poirot. I highly disagree. I enjoyed this book immensely, and it made complete sense to have Poirot as the investigating mind to prove Elinor Carlisle guilty or not guilty, because this is just the kind of case he would enjoy solving."

Have you read any of our faves? Thinking of picking one up after perusing this post? We think any of these titles would be a great place to start.

-A. & E.

Energetic Amateur Detectives + Love: Why Didn't They Ask Evans? | 1934

from agathachristie.com

" 'Why didn't they ask Evans?' " Bobby repeated the phrase thoughtfully. 'You know, I can't see what on earth there can be in that to put the wind up anybody.' 'Ah! That's because you don't know. It's like making crossword puzzles. You write down a clue and you think it's too idiotically simple and that everyone will guess it straight off, and you're frightfully surprised when they simply can't get it in the least. 'Why didn't they ask Evans?' must have been a frightfully significant phrase to them, and they couldn't realize that it meant nothing at all to you.' " - Bobby and Frankie, Why Didn't They Ask Evans, p. 59

The Sum of It:

Bobby Jones (not the professional golfer, but instead a village vicar's organ-playing son), while playing golf (badly) with a pal, discovers a nearly-dead body who seems to have tumbled over a cliff in the fog. Bobby, while tending to the body as his friend ran for help, takes in the man's cryptic last words: "Why didn't they ask Evans?"

Bobby chalks it up to the man having fallen off a cliff and just assumes he's not making any sense. However he happens to see a photograph of a hauntingly beautiful lady in the man's pocket, and hopes the police can use that to find the man's next of kin once he is deceased (leaving a handsome, tanned, outdoor-adventurer looking corpse). Bobby, late to play the organ for his father's church service, is super relieved when a guy named Bassinton-ffrench (spelled that way, not a typo, #ohBritishpeople) wanders up and offers to sit with the corpse til help arrives so Bobby can go to church. 

Bobby is shocked upon attending the inquest for the man's death to see a woman, claiming to be the dead man's sister, who was allegedly identified based on the photo found in the man's pocket. She looks nothing like pocket-photo-lady (upon whom dear Bobby developed a bit of a crush)! This woman identifies the body as her brother, a man named Pritchard. Bobby laments what age can do to one, chalking up the lady's new appearance to bad makeup. Later when he's riding the train with his friend Lady Frances Derwent (aka Frankie), she gets all excited about this difference, thinking that ooooh there might be a bit of a mystery here! Bobby pooh-poohs the idea UNTIL he's snoozing by a river with a bottle of beer at hand, falls asleep and wakes up in the hospital with MORPHIA poisoning! An unsuccessful attempt has been made on Bobby's life (as Frankie says, "Only, having a most extraordinary inside or something, it didn't kill him.") NOW he and Frankie are sure that whoever killed the man allegedly called Pritchard thinks Bobby knows something, and is after him too. So they set about to solve the mystery, starting with ol' Bassington-ffrench, who is the only person who could have changed out the pocket photo. 

They determine that B-ff, a member of an aristocratic family, lives in a country house with his brother, sister-in-law, and their kid. Frankie decides to fake a car crash into their gates to gain admittance to the house so she can spy on them all from the inside. Once there, she meets a super creepy doctor, his spooky wife, makes Bobby pretend to be her chauffeur, and they all decide a different person has to be alternately innocent/guilty every other chapter. All along, they simply cannot figure out WHO IS EVANS?! This mystery literally takes to the very end to figure out, but they know that if they figure out who Evans is, and what context in which this person wasn't asked something, they will have found the key to the cliff-guy's death. Only after being locked in an attic do they sort it all out (and #fallinlove). 

This one is engrossing and so fun to read! It's another in the line of caper-style mysteries, bringing us some charming bon-mots and dual thinking-through of the evidence to resolution. Definitely recommend!

The YOA Treatment:

As noted in a previous post, I (Emily) insisted on reading this one because it's one of my favorite television adaptations, albeit altered into a Miss Marple story for TV. As we've seen with a few of the others that have made their way to the screen, the plots and characters sometimes get a bit altered for a different format, and this one is no different. While the adorable, crime-solving pseudo couple, Bobby Jones and Lady Frances Derwent (aka Frankie) is still present and up their mystery solving shenanigans, the bad guys and side characters are a bit jumbled up in this one. 

I think this is largely because sometimes Dame Agatha created these complex webs of characters in effort to throw all us readers off, when she was really totally overestimating our intelligence and we still would have been just as stumped with one set of mysterious people rather than three #wegetityouaresmarter #noneedtoshowoffAgatha. This plot is really clever, and we find that some of the red herrings are FAKE red herrings, and in fact are the real deal after all, which is a great type of plot twist. 

The TV adaptation is organized into a real creep-fest, complete with a main family named Savage (in the book the Savages are tangential, though significant, to the plot), basically a haunted house, two creepy teenage kids (one of whom has an enormous pet snake that he really likes freaking people out with), a drug-addled mom (there is a drug-addled character in the book, but it's a different family member), cruel and mysterious father, random visiting piano teacher who thinks he's smooth (his character in the book is Bassington-ffrench), and a creepy orchid-grower who is literally from out of the blue. While there's definitely some creepiness and haunted-house aspects of this story, the creative liscense used in the Miss Marple TV adaptation definitely added some drama and darkness to an already great tale. We recommend BOTH #doublefeature! Which do you like best??

-E. 

Death by Fish Paste?: Sad Cypress | 1940

(image from here)

"One does not practice detection with a textbook! One uses one's natural intelligence." -Hercule Poirot, Sad Cypress, p. 166

The Sum of It:
We begin this week's first book, Sad Cypress, in the company engaged-to-be-married cousins (#cousinlove #ohlala) Elinor Carlisle and Roddy Welman. The pair is slightly distressed because they have received an anonymous letter indicating a mysterious someone is nosing their way into their very sick aunt's favor. As it is likely that their aunt will die soon, they should be, the letter says, a bit concerned about the large inheritance they will inherit from said ill aunt. Elinor and Roddy don't really think much of the letter, but decide they should pay a visit to Aunt Laura anyway. Off they go, and find a house full of nurses and doctors and housekeepers and a childhood friend of theirs, Mary Gerard, who is all grown up now and has become very attractive. Roddy, not necessarily being Britain's best and brightest to begin with, turns into a complete goob, becomes entranced by lovely Mary, and basically forgets he has a cousin fiancee at all. Elinor tries to push aside the drama of brazenly unfaithful Roddy and focus on dying Aunt Laura who does, in fact, die like right away, but does so WITHOUT A WILL. So Elinor inherits all, but wins the award for Being the Bigger Person, and agrees to give fiancee-thief Mary Gerard a chunk of cash because Aunt Laura liked her so much. Elinor and Roddy break up and Elinor decides to clean out Aunt Laura's house and have one last quick tea party of fish paste sandwiches with Mary Gerard and one of her Aunt's former nurses, Nurse Hopkins. At the end of the tea party, who turns up dead? MARY GERARD! Since they all ate the same things at #deadlyteaparty, the police surmise that Elinor must have, in a jealous rage, secretly put poison in Mary's favorite sandwich paste, ensuring her demise.

Everyone assumes that Elinor is super guilty, except darling Dr. Peter Lord, who has a tiny bit of a crush on Elinor and enlists the help of Hercule Poirot to find the truth! Note, as Poirot tells Dr. Lord to on several occasions, that might mean confirming Elinor's guilt. Poirot embarks on his usual Interview Tour of all those involved, and does in fact, find the truth. The book is in three parts, the first all the events surrounding Aunt Laura and Mary Gerard's deaths, the second part focusing on Poirot's investigation, and the third is from the perspective of Elinor Carlisle during her trial for murder. The third part is particularly interesting, because it is another instance (like Witness for the Prosecution) where Agatha shows her compelling skillz for courtroom drama!

Agatha is said to have thought this book would have been better without Poirot. I highly disagree. I enjoyed this book immensely, and it made complete sense to have Poirot as the investigating mind to prove Elinor Carlisle guilty or not guilty, because this is just the kind of case he would enjoy solving.

The YOA Treatment:
One of the side Agatha Christie books we are reading this year is Poirot and Me by David Suchet. I highly recommend this book for any Agatha lovers (particularly those who enjoy the television adaptations as well!) because David Suchet gives such delightful insight into the process of becoming an on-screen Poirot for nearly 25 years. One particular story stood out to me from his memories in his chapter about filming Sad Cypress. Suchet talks about visiting a local hospice while filming and visiting many of the elderly residents in costume (and character!) of Poirot, most of whom were huge Poirot fans! (#preciousmoment #GodblessDavidSuchet) Suchet was still getting used to being famous for being Poirot, but his iconic-ness didn't totally hit him until a moment that happened around the same time. He was on the Tube in London and a nun came hurrying up to him, yelling "It's Poirot!" He was slightly mortified at first, but the nun went on. I'll let him tell the rest:

The nun explained to me that she had just 'come out of silence' and could not wait to express her joy at seeing me. She then went on to tell the entire carriage, pretty much at the top of her voice, that she and the other nuns at her convent liked to watch Poirot after dark on Sunday evenings, even though the rules of the convent did not really allow them to do so.
'It is one of our forbidden secrets,' she chortled, with a broad smile on her face. 'It is quite wonderful.'
...Looking back, it serves to remind me just how lucky I am to have so many different kinds of fans around the world, all of whom seemed thrilled by Poirot.

Thrilled by Poirot! We couldn't agree more.

-A.

In Which We Learn Some History of Agatha on TV

Aloha all! This week Emily is reading the Agatha classic (which ones aren't?) Why Didn't They Ask Evans? She insisted on reading this one because it is one of her favorite Agatha TV adaptations, though in TV land, Miss Marple is in the story, while in book land she is NOT #poeticlicense #orsomethinglikethat.

While snooping about on the internets to learn more about Evans and why Miss Marple got roped into it on the televisions (basically just to give them a reason to make a new adaptation, seems like), we found this super interesting article about the most recent (aka 2011 [or 2009 depending on what country you live in, apparently]) adaptation of this story plus Miss Marple (aka Julie McKenzie). We actually learned lots, not only about this adaptation starring some of your favorite British people  #asusual (Oliver Wood AND Mr. Weasley from Harry Potter! Lady Rosamund from Downton Abbey/Frances from Home Fires! The Doctor's daughter Jenny from Doctor Who!) but also about Agatha on tv. A highlight:

"Until the intervention of TV producer Pat Sandys - mother of Samantha Bond [AKA LADY ROSAMUND], who plays Sylvia Savage - the Agatha Christie estate had a marked aversion to TV adaptations of her novels. 'My mother persuaded the estate that if it was done with love and care, her work could translate to television,’ says Samantha. ‘They had previously taken the view the books could only be made into films. I even helped my mother type the 1980 version at our kitchen table!’"

OH OUR STARS. Without Lady Rosamund's mom (Pat, not Lady Grantham. This could get confusing.) we might never have been able to see Miss Marple or Poirot brought to life! No David Suchet as Poirot?? OMG Lady Rosamund's mom saved us from a terrible parallel universe. We can just imagine Agatha's grandson Michael up in Torquay, pooh-poohing television adaptations while having tea with the Queen and Lady Rosamund's mom and then PHEW she saves the day by reminding him that Jane Austen novels had been on tv [probably. Or at least eventually.] Anywho, we definitely feel like both the Miss Marple and Poirot television series [p.s. not possible to make that word plural #wut #oops #sorry] were made with tons of love and care, and engendered the same for the seriessss (dammit, how?), Agatha, and her books!

We also learn from this article that Julia McKenzie, who had just started playing Marple in this season (season 4), was SUPER surprised by how famous she became playing Agatha's most famous lady detective, but the we loved her reasoning as to why people are fans:

‘One of the problems of the modern world is a lack of trust, and I think people yearn for an innocent, more trusting time. There are always villains in Miss Marple but you can be pretty sure they’re going to get their comeuppance by the end!’ 

As we finish up our books for the week, we certainly recommend giving the Daily Mail article a read for some fun and slightly nostalgic #2011 (ah, 2011; Lana Del Rey, Ryan Gosling, Twitter... ok maybe not that nostalgic) Agatha info! See you Saturday.

- E. & A.

Are You Happy?: Parker Pyne Investigates | 1934

"Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne, 17 Richmond Street." - Mr. Parker Pyne's newspaper advertisement

The Sum of It:

Our most faithful readers are by now well aware of my disinclination towards short stories, so I was kind of bummed when I realized this book was yet another short story set. HOWEVER, once again due to my brief period of book-ordering-and-shipping-mixups-on-Amazon, I didn't have a hard copy of this one and listened to #DARLINGHUGHFRASER read it instead. I promise I'll be reading actual book versions of the next several books. But that said, I really enjoyed this one! 

For the first several stories, I was thinking "this book really should be called Parker Pyne Solves Problems," because the deal is Mr. Parker Pyne, a former government worker with some kind of expertise in statistics and psychology, places a regular advertisement in the newspaper that tells people if they're unhappy, they should consult him. He does far more deducting and setting of things in motion than investigating for more than half of the book. The first several cases in the book are of a domestic nature. Wives who think their husbands are enjoying an affair with a younger woman and are afraid he will leave them, husbands whose wives have asked for a divorce so they can marry a younger man, a girl who kind of accidentally stole her friend's diamond to pay off some debts and then bought said diamond back but can't figure out how to return it to her friend without the friend finding out, a working man who loves his family and doesn't make much money who just wants a little taste of adventure and a glamorous life while his wife and kids are on vacay, a rich lady who used to be poor and is bored to death, etc. etc. Parker Pyne analyzes their psychology and because he understands humans so well, he knows exactly what these people need to do in order to fix their problem. Here's the best part: LIKE 95 PERCENT OF THE TIME HE USES GIGOLOS TO DO IT. 

YOU READ THAT RIGHT. I was like whaaaaaat!!! Parker Pyne is basically a pimp. He employs all these fabulous young people who he deploys in different capacities to help his clients. Wife whose husband has a wandering eye and has been stepping out with his secretary? One of Mr. Parker Pyne's associates will start taking her to dinner and dances and eventually said husband gets jealous and realizes what he's throwing away: problem solved. Man who needs adventure? Parker Pyne will connect him with a manufacturing friend who's got some military secrets that need inconspicuous transport to another country, and sets up a scenario where a "Russian countess" must be saved from an evil villain on a train. Now he is a smuggler who rescues damsels in distress! It's all pretty charming and clever, especially because Parker Pyne arranges these things so discreetly that most of the time the clients have no clue that the situations they find themselves in have been orchestrated and are kind of like "oh bummer I paid that guy to fix my problem and he didn't do anything but OH WELL I'm happy now anyways." 

The last several stories in the book, though, take place while Mr. Parker Pyne is traveling throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean on a much needed vacation. But alas, like all of Agatha's detectives, there's no rest for the wicked! These stories were really where he started doing some investigating, rather than problem solving. There are murders and kidnappings and accidental-death-by-balcony, and Mr. Parker Pyne calmly and cooly solves them all. 

The YOA Treatment:

So as previously stated, even though I don't normally like short stories, I enjoyed the cleverness of Mr. Parker Pyne, and even though the stories were short, Agatha's excellent character and plot development skillz which are sometimes a bit less utilized in the short stories were on full display in most of these tales. Parker Pyne's use of psychology to figure out just how to manipulate people into solving their problems was really neat, and gave us a glimpse of why Agatha is perhaps such an addictive writer to read, because she understands what makes people tick. 

As we've noted before, it's always great when Agatha draws on her own love of travel and understanding of other countries for her books. She describes the scenery and travel experiences so beautifully and lovingly, from the cool and colorful courtyard of a Middle Eastern house to the trickiness of Pullman transport across the desert from the Gates of Baghdad. Her frustration at the modernization of many places in the Middle East is on display here, as Mr. Parker Pyne is totes disappointed in many of the cities he visits because they're not nearly so foreign and quaint feeling as he was hoping #projecting. 

One more fun fact: Those of you who have enjoyed the televised Poirots featuring David Suchet will be familiar with his secretary Miss Lemon, who (at least so far) hasn't been a character in the Poirot books. But guess where she turns up? In Mr. Parker Pyne's office!! He has a very efficient secretary named Miss Lemon who helps him with the little logistical details of all his gigolos and international military secrets and such. Always fun to bump into a familiar character in an unexpected place :).

So anyhow I, hater of short stories, give this book of short stories two thumbs up! If you're looking for a quick read or perhaps an Agatha to carry around in your work bag for when you have a minute that needs passing,  this would be a great option. 

-E.

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast: Murder is Easy | 1939

(image from here)

"No, no, my dear boy, that's where you're wrong. It's very easy to kill, so long as no one suspects you." -Lavinia Pinkerton, Murder is Easy, p. 10

The Sum of It:
We take a break this week from #DameAgatha's usual protagonists (i.e., Poirot, Miss Marple) and venture into Other Detective Options Land! First this week is Murder is Easy (also known as Easy to Kill). This novel begins with ex-policeman Luke Fitzwilliam returning to England for good from a stint in the Mayang Straits, and heading to do some gambling as soon as he gets of the boat #DerbyDay. In all his excitement of winning some moolah, he has completely forgotten to board his train to London. No matter, he catches the next one, and happens to sit next to a worried elderly woman, Lavinia Pinkerton, who announces her business in London as going to Scotland Yard with information about a murderer in her village. Luke humors her (what he assumes to be) wild fantasies or misunderstandings and asks some polite follow-up questions. Each instance Miss Pinkerton describes seems just like an accident to him...but she is so sincere about having seen an evil look in the murderer's eyes as they are sizing up their victim that he is rather moved by her story. His eyes grow wide a few days later when he reads in the paper that Miss Pinkerton was run over by a car in London THAT SAME DAY SHE WAS GOING TO REPORT THE MURDERS. Oh now something IS up, he concludes, and concocts a plan with his Wodehouse-esque pal, Jimmy Lorrimer to pose as Jimmy's cousin Bridget's OTHER cousin writing a ghost book in the village where Miss Pinkerton lived and sniff out the murderer for himself using his Mayang Straights Police Skillz. (HOW COULD THIS GO WRONG!?)

Luke manages to go really far with his SUPER lame story of being a ghost hunter to get most of the small village to spill on the deets of the many, many "accidental" deaths that have occurred over the past few months. In his down time, Luke bounces ideas off of Bridget (who is mostly described as having like a sexy witch look?), local still-living old lady, Miss Honoria Waynflete, and his own brain and then ALL OF SUDDEN OMG HE FALLS IN LOVE WITH FAKE COUSIN BRIDGET (didn't see that coming #jk). But ALAS Bridget is engaged to her boss, the eccentric old Lord Gordon Whitfield who was also at one time engaged to old Miss Waynflete (#lovesquare #jilted #yikes)! Luke juggles his dramatic love life and the crimes at hand by convincing Bridget to leave her rich Lord fiancé AND eventually getting to the bottom of the pesky murders #missionaccomplished. But just as he is patting himself on the back, Bridget coolly tricks the ACTUAL murderer into confessing everything, but not before finding herself in a dicey situation that may or may not leave her as the murderer's final victim!

The YOA Treatment:
Like Poirot, Luke spends a lot of time having long conversations with people and then having equally long methodical thinks about each of the suspects. This is very Agatha-esque to read and it's fun as a reader to go through the logical process of elimination with Luke, BUT it doesn't ring completely true that a former cop wouldn't spend time finding hard, physical evidence (although, in Luke/Agatha's defense, it would be odd for Luke to be going through people's things and constantly re-creating crime scenes.) Poirot is often mocked for pooh-pooh-ing the typical detective methods (dusting for finger prints, etc.), and while that doesn't seem to be Agatha's cup of tea either, it would have been interesting to see her take on more of a traditional approach, especially with a more traditionally-experienced protagonist in Luke Fitzwilliam.

It is also interesting to note that the 2008 television adaptation of Murder is Easy starring Benedict Cumberbatch (#blessed) has a VASTLY different plot line than the book. HOWEVER, I (eek) will go out on a limb and say I perhaps enjoy that story better? The inclusion of Miss Marple in the story is not totally necessary, but I think the conclusion/motive for the murders in the film story is more compelling and plausible. I'm curious to see if any of the rest of you readers think so as well!

-A.

100 Years of Poirot!

(image from agathachristie.com)

Happy Thursday, readers!

Did you know that the world's favorite Belgian detective (#HerculePoirot) is turning 100 this year!? Neither did we! Thank goodness the good people at Agatha Christie Limited are on top of things and have a fantastic collection of information on this beloved #DameAgatha character on their website. Of particular note is Hercule Poirot's Autobiography which is a for real thing that is absolute magic! Be sure to check out their website to read all the goodness.

For the two of us, Hercule Poirot means the terrific actor David Suchet.

Audrey says: I remember being very small, getting to stay up late and watch Poirot on Masterpiece Theater and falling in love with Agatha Christie's stories because David Suchet brought them completely to life. Even now Suchet's adorably fussy, but at the same time cunning and kind portrayal of Poirot holds a very special place in my heart.

Emily says: Suchet IS Poirot. He himself feels so personally attached to the character, it's incredible to watch some of the behind the scenes conversations with him and listen to him talk about Poirot like a best friend. I've tried to appreciate other Poirots (so sorry, Peter Ustinov) but they just don't get it quite right. The voice, the walk, the facial expressions, the accent; Suchet is the  master, for sure. Though I had read some Christie books as a teenager, I didn't start watching Suchet's Poirot until my mid-twenties, when dear Audrey realized my lack of awareness and insisted on correcting it (thank goodness for #mindtwins!) Suchet brings the stories to life in such a wonderful way, he is the perfect Belgian detective.

Poirot is one of Agatha's most famous characters, and has been portrayed on stage and screen many times. Though we're clearly biased to Suchet, do you have a case to make for a different Poirot? Or share our attachment to dear David? Let's also not forget precious Hastings, who shares this anniversary, and a place in our hearts, as does Hugh Fraser, our favorite Hastings of all)!

Conferences! Stockings! Fox Hunts!: The ABC Murders | 1936

(image from here)

"A madman, mon ami, is to be taken seriously. A madman is a very dangerous thing." -Hercule Poirot, The ABC Murders, p. 5

The Sum of It:
This week, we present to you, dear readers, our recap of what has become one of our favorite #DameAgatha novels: The ABC Murders. We begin with the dynamic duo of Poirot and Hastings reunited again (it seems like Agatha decided these two just weren't as great without each other and has decided to keep them together #4eva). Poirot is dying his hair (#scandal!) and Hastings pretends to be shocked, but has also adopted the combover technique for his own sparse locks. Having tried retirement and not liking it too much (since he always gets pulled into solving murders anyway), Poirot is back in London and looking for the cream of the crop of crime to solve. Just such a crime comes his way in the form of a mysterious letter announcing a murderer's intention to commit a crime in the town of Andover in a few days. Poirot is skeptical of the taunting note because there is something that just doesn't seem right to him about the whole thing. But sure enough, the appointed day rolls around and an elderly shopkeeper named Ascher is found #coshed with an ABC railway guide near her body! The game is afoot!

Before long Poirot is receiving more letters with dates and locations of future murders and they are all in a sinister pattern following the alphabet (#clever). Betty Barnard is belt-strangled in Bexhill! Sir Carmichael Clarke is #coshed in Churston! (and so forth). At each location an ABC railway guide is found, reinforcing the murderer's devious plan to work his or her way through the alphabet of towns in England. (Also causing the question to be asked "uh...what's gonna happen when they get to the letter X?" #goodquestion). Poirot becomes more and more frustrated as he attempts to get one step ahead of the killer, and yet the bodies keep piling up. Along the way, he collects a legion of family members of the victims who attempt to make sense of the crime, and do their part to stop the murders. Just when you think Agatha has given you some resolution (#ABC), SHE DOES THE UNTHINKABLE! Another twist! And a better ending than you could have hoped for. This is truly one of Agatha's most ingenious plots, and deserves to be in the top "To-Reads" for anyone looking to read more of the Queen of Crime.

A Brief List of Hilarities:
This recap would not be complete without noting some truly excellent Poirot & Hastings moments found in The ABC Murders:
>At one point, Poirot teases Hastings about his general extreme love of women by singing (in what appears to be a fairly grating manner) #hastingsinlove #poirotthesinger
>Poirot also suggests that Hastings should think about joining a nudist colony (Hastings is not amused).
>Hastings, trying to be considerate of Poirot's extreme need to "think things over" aka engage the Little Grey Cells! that he (Hastings) literally falls asleep rather that disturb his friend (#friendshipgoals).
>In the end, Poirot must admit that, though his friend Hastings has a rather basic mind, he is the Belgian's good luck charm once again! A stray, obvious observance from Hastings ultimately leads Poirot to solve the crime.

The YOA Treatment:
It's interesting to think in today's society full of TV show, book, and real life serial killers, that the notion of such a murderer was not common when The ABC Murders was written. agathachristie.com notes that, at the time of ABC's publication, the term "serial killer" was not even yet coined! It is this serial killer plot that caused critics at the time of its publication to initially question the book's significance, and yet ultimately to hail its brilliance. Edward Powys Mathers asked himself in a 1936 review: "Is Agatha Christie going to let me down? Does she think she can give us this kind of tale as a detective story and get away with it?" Of course she isn't and IS and even Eddie PM must admit that "Ingenuity...is a mild term for Mrs. Christie's gift."

#AgathaFacts (Part 1 of, we assume, Many)

(image from here)

Hello dear readers!

We assume that many if not most of you are fairly avid Agatha fans, and not only enjoy reading her novels, but learning more about the Queen of Crime herself as well! We have loved getting to know her more and more over the past few months and have compiled a few of our favorite #AgathaFacts for you below:

>In 1922 Agatha travelled around the world.
>Her first book waited five years before publication having been rejected by six publishers.
>Her home in Torquay, Greenway House, was requisitioned by the U.S. Navy during the Second World War.
>For many years she was the President of the local amateur drama society in Wallingford.
>Twice in her life she "saw" Hercule Poirot - once lunching in the Savoy and once on a boat in the Canary Islands.
>She was the first crime writer to have 100,000 copies of ten of her titles published by Penguin on the same day in 1948 - a Penguin Million.
>She wrote a film script for Dickens' Bleak House in 1962.
>In 1961 she was conferred with an honorary degree from Exeter University.

(All above mentioned facts found from the Agatha Christie Limited website)

-A. & E.

Cruella de Boynton: Appointment with Death | 1938

(image from here)

"You do see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?" 

- Unknown Whisperer (until the end of the book...), Appointment with Death, p. 1

The Sum of It:
We turn, dear readers, once again to the Middle East for our second book of this week: Appointment with Death. Set first in Jerusalem, this story focuses on the most depressing family of all time: The Boyntons. The Boyntons are a rag-tag group of emotionally abused, American step and half brothers and sisters who are (basically, literally) under the thumb of their disgusting (the exact words used to describe her are "the grotesque, Buddha-like figure" with fat hands, among other things) and super, duper psycho mother. #Yikes. These grown adults are constantly at their mother's beck and call, are not allowed to leave their home (uh...except on this random vacay), are not allowed to get jobs, and can only talk to people their mother says they can. Her list of Okay People most definitely does not include young hot shot doctor, Sarah King, who has developed a bit of a crush on Raymond Boynton. We see most of the first half of the book through the eyes of Dr. King, or Dr. Gerard, a French doctor who is also having a Middle East tour. These two are fascinated by the prisoner-like Boynton children and their crazy mom and the psychology behind the hold she has on them.

After several chapters of Truly Awful Things Happening to all the Boynton Kids, the group moves their vacation to a more remote location in Petra, along with another American woman (who has married a fancy Lord Downton-Abbey style), Lady Westholme, and old-maidy-type named Miss Pierce. The group is gelling as well as can be expected when, of course, one afternoon the horrid Mrs. Boynton is found #DEAD alone in her lawn chair! As you can imagine, none of her kids are terribly torn up and everyone seems cool with saying "oh yeah she def just died of regular heart stuff"...except for Hercule Poirot. With basically everyone having a motive for knocking old sourface Boynton off, Poirot needs to know if they are dealing with just #DEATH or #MURDER. Commissioned by a Colonel Carbury to solve the crime in just 24 hours, Poirot sits down for some long chats with each person involved and, of course, in true Poirot fashion, finds the truth with time to spare.

The YOA Treatment:
I must admit (without giving any spoilers), that the end of the book was slightly disappointing. And by the end I mean the solution. But while the ending might not be 100% satisfying, the ride truly is. Appointment with Death features a lot of the Poirot order and method we have come to know and love. For example, at one point he writes out a list of nine items that are just simply interesting about the case, and then goes back through to see if he can reconcile all of them together or if there are any that conflict (you guessed it, there are!) But Poirot also spends a great deal of time thinking through the psychology of this #MURDER. He considers each suspect and decides to prove each of them innocent if he can, and if he cannot...well they most certainly must be the guilty party. Appointment with Death shows the maturity #DameAgatha was reaching as a writer, not necessarily (in this case) with stunning plot development, but in a very logical and convincing understanding of psychology.

Another interesting tidbit - Appointment with Death mentions not one, but two of Poirot's previous cases! The work he did on the A.B.C. Murders and, most notably, his success with that little affair on the Orient Express. Now, I shall not reveal the context in which this case was brought up, for it shall spoil the end of that book which is considered one of Agatha's finest! But for those of you who are familiar with the ending of Orient Express, you will no doubt be able to sniff out the connection made between the two cases...

-A.

Psycho Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est: Lord Edgware Dies | 1933

(Image from original UK cover)

“One cannot be interested in crime without being interested in psychology. It is not the mere act of killing, it is what lies behind it that appeals to the expert.”  - Hercule Poirot, Lord Edgware Dies

The Sum of It:

Audrey and I are both reading books this week written after 1932, and both of us have agreed that Agatha has really hit her stride by this point. This book is a Poirot mystery, published in the US as Thirteen at Dinner, and at this point Agatha seems to have abandoned the idea of Poirot as a retiree and just gone ahead letting him solve mysteries. There's also not much mention at all of Hastings' wife, although at some point he mentions a trip back to the Argentine (where their ranch is located). 

As always there are a number of characters, the first of whom we meet in the book's introductory scene, an American comic actress named Carlotta Adams, whose "mobile features" and talent for mimicry lead her to impersonate another famous American actress, Miss Jane Wilkinson/Lady Edgware, as a part of her stage act. Hastings and Poirot happen to attend a Carlotta Adams show at the same time as said Miss Wilkinson, and chat with her, a fellow American film star with dashing good looks, Bryan Martin, Miss Adams, and her drunken and broke friend, Ronald Marsh (Miss Wilkinson's stepson and heir to Lord Edgware), at dinner. During this chat, the beautiful and seemingly dim Miss Wilkinson (bit of a Marilyn Monroe type) insists she must talk to Poirot about how she simply MUST get ride of her evil old husband, Lord Edgware, on account of wanting to marry a different and younger lord. She asks Poirot to go reason with evil Lord Edgware about granting her a divorce, which he and Hastings do with a surprising result, only to find out that later that same day Lord Edgware has been #MURDERED with a sharp stab to the medula oblongata shortly after the house staff claim a woman matching Lady Edgware/Miss Wilkinson's description marched proudly into the house! 

Suddenly, poor broke Ronald Marsh is the new Lord Edgware #reversaloffortune, Lord Edgware's nervous, pale daughter Geraldine is free of her tormentor, Jane Wilkinson is free to marry again, and people who dislike Jane (aka her future mother-in-law who doesn't want this dim bulb marrying her scholarly only son, aggrieved lovers, and lovers of aggrieved lovers) rejoice in seeing her as suspect numero uno. BUT WHO ACTUALLY DUNNIT?? And who commits the subsequent other murders?? In this glorious example of Agatha's cleverness, one (once again #brokenrecord) never knows til quite the very end. We'll just say that the solution to the mysteries has to do with Paris (the Greek, not the French capital/city of love) and Paris (the French capital/city of love, not the Greek) #OOOHLALA! 

The YOA Treatment:

Due to a momentary weakness of Amazon ordering skills, my copy of this book has not yet arrived at my house (let this be a warning to us all: always make sure you're shipping PRIME). This has resulted in somewhat unconventional digesting of this story on my part, which was actually kind of delightful. I read the first 20 or so chapters on some shady website online where every esteemed word of Lady Agatha was contrasted with dubious ads for magical age-erasing potions (#meaculpa, I justified this by telling myself that I did in fact pay for a copy of the book). However the last 11 or so chapters were not available from said shady website, so I used a free trial from #audible to listen to those as narrated by #DARLINGHUGHFRASER and BOY was that great. For reals, I definitely recommend the audiobooks of Agatha, especially as long as they are narrated by Hugh Fraser (aka TV's Hastings) who in addition to being the Hastings we all know and love the most is truly terrific at doing all the voices, from Scottish lads to Poirot to the indignant Inspector Japp (back again!). 

Anyhow, that said, I think my enjoyment of this book was enhanced by listening to at least part of it as an audiobook, which I can never decide is cheating or not when it comes to reading. However, this is an excellent Agatha specimen. I'm keeping a mental list of Agathas that I plan to recommend to friends who are interested in getting started (Secret of Chimneys, Secret Adversary, Seven Dials, Man in the Brown Suit, voila no longer a mental list) and I am totes adding this one to it. The pacing is quick, the characters clear, as are the various potential motives, and the plot trips along compellingly as narrated by Hastings. Some of the others, despite being well done of course, are a bit slower, and I find its the fast-paced ones I enjoy most. 

The final chapter of the book (NO SKIPPING AHEAD!) is a confession in the killer's own words, in the interest of having their cleverness preserved for posterity (including a stated disappointment that hangings are no longer public #goodlord). The killer is revealed to be a person in possession of cunning and vanity, and completely lacking in remorse or conscience. Poirot always works out his cases with the use of order and method, and searches for the rhyme and reason behind each crime. In this one he is repeatedly frustrated with himself for picking up a couple wrong rhymes before he lands on the right one, at which point he is startled by the psychosis of the murderer, quite the cool customer with purely selfish motives. As a case that even had the brilliant Poirot stumped most of the time, this book is as good as it gets. 

-E.