Quote:
Originally Posted by astrangerhere
I have read all of Poirot and most of Miss Marple and I am somewhat shocked that this book came from the same pen. The front half of the novel was much more enjoyable - when Anne was sleuthing and not under the thumb of a rich conspirator and being obsessed with and hoodwinked by men in turn.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
Yes, these days I can see some of the flaws (the over-convoluted plot, the various info-dumps), but I love it nonetheless. It's only Christie's fourth published novel and in this we get to see her humour shine free. Her second novel, The Secret Adversary, has a similar feel, but I never really warmed to Tommy and Tuppence, whereas Anne Beddingfeld was an instant hit with me.
I am wondering if she let the villain go at the end in the hope that she might get to continue with Anne the Adventuress in subsequent books. Only to discover that people, for some unfathomable reason, preferred Poirot. (Don't get me wrong, the Poirot stories are often clever, sometimes fun and almost* always good reading, but - for me - none have the spark of Anne the Adventuress.)
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I was reading on Wikipedia that reviews of this book were mixed, and many were expecting another Poirot novel. I also read that some reviewers like the start but not the finish, and it reminded me of astrangerhere's comment. Looking back at the book, the half-way mark is where the story shifts from the boat to land. It also shifts from deduction and a slower-pace to more of the thriller fast-paced style with one outlandish episode after another.
It was originally serialized under the title of
Anne the Adventuress. I wonder if that reflected an intent that more Anne books starring her would follow. I like the title
The Man in the Brown Suit better since it puts the emphasis on the mystery, and I think it is better for a stand-alone book.