Could you be Miss Marple? Now’s your chance: Death on the Cards

We were so excited when the folks at the Agatha Christie offices asked us if we would like to test out their new Christie-themed card game, Death on the Cards!

The game includes detective cards, event cards, secret cards, devious cards, and “not so fast!” cards. Each player is dealt a certain amount of each depending on how many players there are. All players are racing to see if they can catch the culprit (someone holds the “YOU’RE the murderer!” secret card!) or if the murderer will keep their secret card hidden and escape.

If you are a game person, and especially if you’re both a game person and a fan of Agatha Christie (the game is chock-full of little references and Easter Eggs for fans), we think you’d have fun playing this game with a group of pals! You can find the game through several outlets, including Barnes & Noble and Waterstones.

Happy playing!

E. & A.

Death by Physics: Murder in Mesopotamia 2.0 | 1936

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“Nurse Leatheran has been giving me valuable information about the various members of the expedition. Incidentally I have learnt a good deal - about the victim. And the victim, mademoiselle, is very often the clue to the mystery.” - Murder in Mesopotamia

The Sum of It:

Matter-of-fact nurse Amy Leatheran is spending some time in the Middle East, and just as she's planning to go home, she's offered a position tending to the wife of an archaeologist out on a dig and she's basically like "well, nothing better to do, sure" so off she goes to live among the various characters on the camp out in the desert. She quickly learns that Louise, the woman she's been assigned to care for, who's got a bit of a "nervous" condition, also has an interesting reputation among those in their small community. Though she seems to have a bit of a hold over the men, none seem to like her very much, with the exception of her husband who seems to worship her. The women nearly all despise her as a massive flirt and a bit of a biddy. Turns out Louise needs care because she's super paranoid that someone, namely her former husband who's supposed to be dead but has been sending her threatening letters every time she gets into a relationship, is trying to kill her. Yikes. Amy isn't really sure what to think, but when Louise quite quickly turns up dead of a mysterious head injury during rest time shortly after Amy's arrival, Amy is willing to help the big shot detective who comes in to solve the mystery (none other than Poirot) get to the bottom of things.

The YOA Treatment:

Though the murder method in this book borders on the physically impossible, the characters involved truly do make this one a who-dunnit, even for someone who's seen the television adaptation before (Audrey can never figure out how I can completely forget the key information about some of these stories, another mystery!) The character of Louise is so vividly written as someone nearly anybody would love to hate that each motive seems quite likely, and I changed my mind several times throughout reading about who the murderer was. The setting, given Agatha's fondness for the Middle East, and archaeological sites in particular thanks to #Max, was beautifully painted and provided a unique sense of place for the story. Amy was the narrator for this book, and she wasn't my favorite as Poirot narrators go, spent a good deal of time discussing details I found unnecessary to the story as a way to establish that she was a methodical person, which I could have done without. I found this to be a solid mystery, if slightly less charming than many of Agatha's books. Not my favorite, but certainly not my least favorite (looking at you, Harley Quin)! 

- E. 

Un-cancelled Dinner Plans: Lord Edgware Dies 2.0

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"'I've heard you're just the most marvellous man that ever existed. Somebody's got to get me out of the tangle I'm in and I feel you're just the man to do it.'

We got out at the second floor and she led the way along the corridor, paused at a door and entered one of the most opulent of the Savoy suites.

Casting her white fur wrap on one chair, and her small jewelled bag on the table, the actress sank on to a chair and exclaimed:

'M. Poirot, somehow or other I've just got to get rid of my husband!'"

-Lord Edgware Dies, p. 14

The Sum of It:

This story has, for some reason, always been another one of my favorites, so I was very excited to give it a re-read during this 2018 Year of Agatha! This is my third Poirot read in a row, and I am not mad about it. Poirot is living his best life (like he does) in London, hanging out with Hastings and going to fancy dinners and parties and theater-whatnots. Lord Edgware Dies opens with just such an event - an evening of comedy with an American actress and impressionist named Carlotta Adams. At the performance, Poirot and Hastings meet another American actress named Jane Wilkinson, and, in true Agatha fashion, Jane enlists Poirot's assistance with a little trouble in her personal life. She needs help getting rid of her husband #gasp! Apparently her richie-rich lord husband (Lord Edgware of the book title Lord Edgware #doomed) is kind of a meanie and won't give her a divorce even though she needs one very badly so she can marry another lord who is, also apparently, nicer and richer than her current husband. Poirot is quite taken in with the whole American husky voice hottie thing Jane has going on, and, never able to say no to a lady in distress, says he he will do everything he can to assist her. "Great!" Jane says. "Can you run over to my house and convince him to give me a divorce? K BYE!" 

So Poirot and Hastings trudge over to have a chat with Lord Edgware. Lord E. says hi this is kinda weird, but um, yeah I definitely already told Jane via letter that I was down with the divorce so....#hmmm? Poirot and Hastings are like okay yes also weird, but our work here is done and go to tell Jane Wilkinson the good news. Jane is so thrilled to hear all her second wedding plans can move forward, she decides to go out to a fancy dinner party that evening that she hadn't planned on attending AFTER ALL!

HOWEVER, it can't be that easy, can it? Whilst Jane is dining the night away, someone who looks just like her has stabbed Lord Edgeware to death (#spoilers #notreallythough)!!! Stranger still, the next day Carlotta Adams (seen by the entire cast of characters performing her dead-on impression of Jane Wilkinson earlier in the book) is ALSO found dead! Loads of people wanted Lord Edgeware dead, but who could also want the blame cast on poor Jane? As always, only Poirot can sniff out the mastermind behind this tangled tale.

The YOA Treatment:

It's been fun to go back to read our thoughts and feelings on each of these books from our first year of Agatha and see how they compare to our re-readings. What is particularly funny about this book is in 2016 Emily noted she listened to Lord Edgware Dies on Audible and thoroughly enjoyed it, and I happened to do the exact same thing for my read this year! Hugh Fraser is a #nationaltreasure and does a perfect job of reading this book. If you're looking to dabble in Agatha Christie on Audible, I highly suggest finding anything he reads!

One fun tidbit I learned about this book involves the dedication. I always love investigating those Agatha dedicated books to, because they usually have interesting stories. This one is no exception! Lord Edgware Dies is dedicated to Dr. and Mrs. Campbell Thompson. Dr. Thompson was an archeologist who enlisted Max Mallowan (Agatha's second husband) to come help on his dig in Ninevah. Apparently the Mallowan-Christies and Thompsons were pretty good pals, but Dr. Thompson was not a fan of spending money and was a bit perturbed that Agatha wanted to spend money at the dig on a good writing table so she could work on her latest book. Thompson must have somehow gotten over it, because write Agatha did, and thanked him and his wife for their friendship and hospitality by dedicating this book to them. 

When the finished product finally came out in 1932, it was well received, and I completely understand why. It has some great characters, a puzzling plot, and a truly smashing conclusion. If you're looking for a classic Poirot to read (or re-read!) this summer, I heartily recommend it!

-A.

Small Town Secrets: A Murder is Announced 2.0

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"Ye gods and little fishes," said Sir Henry, "can it be? George, it's my own particular, one and only, four-starred pussy. The super-pussy of all old pussies. And she has managed somehow to be at Medenham Wells, instead of peacefully at home in St. Mary Mead, just at the right time to be mixed up in a murder. Once more a murder is announced -- for the benefit and enjoyment of Miss Marple."
- A Murder is Announced, p. 71

The Sum of It

First of all how adorably quaint is that quote, which in these modern times COULD be read with one's mind in the gutter to much hilarity. So, exciting news in the little village of Chipping Cleghorn -- literally -- as the citizens open their morning papers over breakfast. "A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at Little Paddocks, at 6:30 p.m. Friends please accept this, the only intimation," reads a small announcement amid notices of available dachshund puppies and antiques for sale. The curiousity of several is stoked, and they turn up promptly at Ms. Letitia Blacklock's home, Little Paddocks, to see what the mystery is all about. Everyone is quite shocked when a sudden power outage plunges the drawing room into darkness, and then a voice yelling at everyone to put their hands up is followed by one gunshot and then another! When the room is re-lit, the hostess is covered in blood from a wound on her ear due to a near miss, and the masked intruder lies dead in the hallway #DRAMA. 

Who put the notice in the paper? Who planned this whole event? Was someone really trying to kill Miss Blacklock, and if so why? The police must sort through the curious inhabitants of Chipping Cleghorn to find the answers to these questions and more, particularly after another murder follows the death of the intruder. Fortunately for them, Miss Marple just so happens to be in town visiting the local vicar's wife, daughter of one of her old pals. It quickly turns out the shooting is only one of many mysteries as Miss Marple and the local detectives uncover multiple secret identities, money plots, hidden doorways, and old ladies on the coast of Scotland to get to the bottom of the murder announced. 

The YOA Treatment

J'adore Miss Marple, and her ability to be on the spot just as mysteries pop up around her certainly delights in this classic tale. She's at the top of her game in this book, still sprightly enough to go tramping down village lanes and hide in cupboards, and certainly not missing a beat in her analyses of human nature. This is a well-crafted mystery, one that keeps the reader guessing, but also one that does offer some good hints along the way that might allow the clever reader to figure out who-dunnit, a rarity in Agatha's books! 

One of the interesting aspects of this book among the Agatha-folk is the inclusion of the characters Miss Murgatroyd and Miss Hinchliffe, two spinster ladies who live together and take care of each other. It honestly seems quite clear that the two might even be a couple, which seems awfully open minded of 1950's Agatha, herself quite Victorian in her typical sensibilities! Another one of my favorite aspects of the book is the prominent role a goiter plays, as this malady can't help but being amusing in its randomness and drama. I really enjoyed this story, and though I was familiar with its twists from the television adaptation (which is great #MatthewGoode #HeartEyesForever), I was still eager to reach Miss Marple's reveal of the true murderer in the end. I'll certainly recommend this one to Agatha-curious pals.

- E. 

Poirot's Mythology Lesson: The Labors of Hercules 2.0

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"In the period before his final retirement he would accept twelve cases, no more, no less. And those twelve cases should be selected with special reference to the twelve labors of ancient Hercules. Yes, that would not only be amusing, it would be artistic, it would be spiritual." 

-The Labors of Hercules, p. 14

The Sum of It: 

Poirot is going through one of those phases where he's being kind of dramatic about retiring. In that he's like should I retire? Should I not retire? Should I work on my vegetable marrow cultivation? (The whole vegetable marrow obsession of Poirot's is one of my favorite things in all of Christie's writing.) He's having a little night in with a rando pal named Dr. Burton and they're discussing retirement among other things and Dr. Burton randomly pivots to ask the history behind Poirot's first name: Hercule. Dr. Burton is wondering if it's like a family name? Were his parents really into reading The Classics? Poirot is like uh IDK, also IDK about The Classics, NEVER READ THEM. The next day Poirot is feeling lame for not having read The Classics, particularly those tales about his namesake, Hercules, and, after learning a bit about said Greek hero, decides he will give himself a little challenge: before he retires he will accept only twelve more cases, and each case will match up with one of the twelve labors of Hercules. 

What follows in this book is twelve short stories outlining these twelve "final" cases of Poirot (as we know, Poirot rarely follows through with his retirement ultimatums and always gets pulled into doing "one more!" so we can never take the word "final" very seriously). Besides the mythology connection theme, there isn't necessarily an overarching mystery thread going between them all, but this is kind of a welcome change to Poirot's usual stories, and we get to see a lot of different cases involving kidnapped dogs, missing school girls, disgraced prime ministers, blackmailed hotel guests, and even Poirot's old girlfriend, Countess Vera Rossakoff! 

The YOA Treatment:

As you probably heard time and time again during our initial Year of Agatha, Emily and I were not huge fans of Agatha's short story collections. Nothing against short stories in general, we just prefer a longer, more in-depth mystery in novel form. However, reading The Labors of Hercules might have converted me to a short story liker, if not a full blown short story lover. I was not very familiar with these particular cases (since Emily read them for our first Year of Agatha, and I can't remember if I had ever read this book as a kid!) so it was fun to experience some puzzles that were unfamiliar. The concept seems a bit gimmicky, but Agatha does a good job of presenting plausible cases that tie into Hercules's labors and with a bit of a lighter tone than some of her other short stories. It was also interesting to see her, as she has done with other short stories, test out some ideas that make it into her later novels. The most obvious example from this collection is the similarities between The Girdle of Hippolyta and Cat Among the Pigeons. I was a little sad to not see Hastings by Poirot's side in this set, but Japp and Poirot's ever-faithful valet, George, make several appearances. 

Overall, I heartily recommend The Labors of Hercules as a fun, easy Poirot that can be read in multiple sittings or, honestly, just one dedicated afternoon. And if you're usually averse to short stories, I dare you to give this one a chance and see if it doesn't make you a convert as well.

-A.

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Weekend at Angkatell's: The Hollow 2.0

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"Then he looked down on the shot man, and he started. For the dying man's eyes were open. They were intensely blue eyes and they held an expression that Poirot could not read but which he described to himself as a kind of intense awareness. And suddenly, or so it felt to Poirot, there seemed to be in all this group of people only one person who was really alive - the man who was at the point of death." 

-The Hollow, p. 107

The Sum of It:

We begin our story with party planning. Lady Lucy Angkatell is wandering her house in the early hours of the morning, muttering to herself about her forthcoming house party, and wondering how she's going to make her guest list mesh. WE FEEL YA, GIRL #beenthere. She has an odd mix of friends and family coming to visit her home, The Hollow, and she isn't sure their personalities are going to be a good fit. On her guest list are the Christows: the husband a hottie, arrogant doctor named John who is simultaneously close to a breakthrough in his research into Ridgeway's Disease, having an affair with the dedicated sculptor, Henrietta Savernake, and being kind a bit of a jerk to his naive and devoted wife, Gerda; aloof cousins, David and Edward Angkatell, coming with some skipping Lucy in the line of succession inheritance business that seems a bit unfair; and ANOTHER cousin, Midge Hardcastle, who is sensible and described often as being "sturdy." The eccentric Lucy is right to be wary of the tensions between this group, as Midge is kind of in heart love with Edward, who is in love with Henrietta, who is having an affair with John, who married to Gerda. #YIKES. 

When everyone arrives for the weekend, it appears that everyone might make it out unscathed, until a neighbor shows up in the middle of their nighttime bridge game asking to borrow some matches. This neighbor is none other than glamorous film star, Veronica Cray...who happens to also be John Christow's ex #awkward. She asks John to walk her home after her SUUUUUPER plausible excuse to drop by, and he does so without much arm twisting. The next morning John is feeling a bit guilty, but before he can feel too bad about it, he is shot dead, his dying words being "Henrietta..." But Veronica isn't the only Angkatell neighbor, and, as it happens, Hercule Poirot has been invited to lunch on the exact afternoon John Christow is shot. As Poirot happens upon the tableaux that is everyone standing around gaping at the dying John, it's apparently that not everything is as it seems, and that it's going to take the brains of the world's greatest detective to solve this case!

The YOA Treatment:

The Hollow (also known as Murder After Hours) is one of those books that checks every box on the list of hallmarks of a Christie classic. Weekend party at a country home of some random Lord or Lady? Check. Love triangles galore? Check. Poirot? Check. It's interesting that Agatha, in true Agatha fashion, due to her dislike of her own Belgian detective, regretted putting him in this novel, noting in her Autobiography that the book would have been better without him. I thought he was a bit subdued, but worked for this particular puzzle. He's on vacay in one of his country cottages and, hilariously, a bit annoyed when he first stumbles upon the John Christow murder, thinking the Angkatells have put together some sort of fake murder mystery game for him to solve. HE DID NOT COME TO THE COUNTRY FOR THIS KIND OF NONSENSE! 

While not necessarily my favorite Christie, I did enjoy this book. I always enjoy hearing Agatha's memories of her own home or estates of people she knew come through her descriptions of country homes in her books. In this case, she modeled The Hollow after the home of British actor, Francis L. Sullivan, who famously won a Tony award in 1955 for his role in the stage production of The Witness for the Prosecution. 

-A.

The Local Gossip: The Moving Finger 2.0

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"You see," he said, "crude, childish spite though it is, sooner or later one of these letters will hit the mark. And then, God knows what may happen! I'm afraid, too, of the effect upon the slow, suspicious, uneducated mind. If they see a thing written, they believe its true. All sorts of complications may arise."
-The Moving Finger, p. 15

The Sum of It:

Brother and sister duo Jerry and Joanna have absconded from the city to the quaint village of Lymstock, where Jerry is meant to follow his doctor's orders of rest and relaxation as he heals from injuries suffered when an airplane he was flying crashed. They're renting a fusty little house from an equally fusty old lady, and Joanna, sophisticated city girl though she is, and her brother are trying to take an interest in local goings on #villagelife. 

Shortly after they arrive, however, they receive a so-called "poison pen letter," pieced together from letters cut out of a book, accusing them of being a risque couple as opposed to a perfectly innocent brother and sister, and calling Joanna some rather nasty names. They laugh it off, but find that they are only the most recent of many villagers who have received such letters making vicious but typically unfounded and untrue allegations against the recipients. When one of the recipients is found dead, her letter nearby and an apparent suicide note at her side, the police decide to track down the sender once and for all, as the letters have now begun to result in real injury. However, the case escalates when the dead woman's maid is found quite clearly murdered, having been bludgeoned in the head. Jerry and the police work to track down the letter writer and presumed killer, but run into frustration time and again. Meanwhile Jerry develops a bit of a crush on the dead woman's awkward daughter, and EVENTUALLY, like 3/4 of the way through the book, Miss Marple turns up, asks a few questions, and essentially solves the case. Quite like Miss Marple, really!

The YOA Treatment:

When Audrey read this one during the first go-around, she was adamant that I needed to read it someday, and now that I've finally gotten around to it, I can certainly see why. This book, written during Agatha's prime, is funny and clever, a page turner with a pleasant narrator in Jerry. The village of Lymstock is perfectly painted, and one can just imagine the fluffy old ladies gossiping about the most recent poison pen letter outside the adorable local grocer. Even though Miss Marple honestly barely figures in the story at all, I found this to be one of my favorite Christie reads. 

One of the most enjoyable characters in my opinion was Megan, the awkward young lady Jerry finds himself quite taken with. She's terribly self aware, and makes funny observations about the provincial opinions of the people in town and her own family's inability to figure out what to do with her #notagirlnotyetawoman. I very much enjoyed the scenes when Jerry and Megan take a day trip into the city so he can buy her some clothes befitting a lovely young woman rather than an awkward girl, and they escape themselves and the village for a sophisticated dinner and dance. Even though I have seen the (very good) adaptation several times, I wasn't quite sure who the killer was, and found myself quite satisfied by the build up and reveal. I often enjoy the light, fun mysteries more than the heavier ones, but this one seemed to have a nice balance that would suit any Christie reader, and I'm certain I'll find myself recommending it to many friends!

- E.