Quote:
Originally Posted by crich70
I don't know if her books would be considered 'fair' (i.e. giving you a even chance to work out who the murderer is) but she is always a good read I think.
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In my opinion, Agatha Christie plays fair. Always.
She was one of the founders of
The Detection Club in 1930; a club dedicated to what today is referred to as the classical detective mystery. The oath that every member of this exclusive club takes upon themselves when admitted into the club is this:
Quote:
”Do you solemnly swear never to conceal a vital clue from the reader?”
”I do.”
Source: John Dickson Carr in his essay The Grandest Game in the World
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This sacred oath is sworn upon Eric the Skull, the mascot of the detection club; a skull with red lights in its eyes. For a photo, look at the end of
this article. She was elected president of The Detection Club in 1957; this alone should testify to her achievement in a lifetime devoted to fair play.
H.R.F. Keating, president of The Detection Club from 1985 to 2000,
has written that
Quote:
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When Agatha Christie was asked to be President of the Detection Club in 1958, the only possible successor to Dorothy L. Sayers, she agreed but made it a condition that she should not be asked to speak at its public meetings.
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Emphasis mine. QED.
Edit:
According to
wikipedia, the oath taken upon admittance into the club is:
Quote:
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Do you promise that your detectives shall well and truly detect the crimes presented to them using those wits which it may please you to bestow upon them and not placing reliance on nor making use of Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, Coincidence, or Act of God?
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The Detective Club agreed upon some rules of fair play. Here is a link to them:
http://www.seattlemystery.com/rules-fair-play