Agatha Christie

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

I see that they will be filming some more in 2013, including "The Big Four". I'll be interested to see what they can do with that train-wreck of a book.

That's the one where we get to meet Poirot's smarter brother, isn't it? I think you're being a little harsh in describing it as a "train-wreck". It's basically 4 decent enough short stories, linked with an admittedly rather weak linking device; but the individual stories themselves are quite reasonable in themselves, I think. For an early book by an inexperienced writer, it's far from being a disaster, in my view.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

That's the one where we get to meet Poirot's smarter brother, isn't it? I think you're being a little harsh in describing it as a "train-wreck". It's basically 4 decent enough short stories, linked with an admittedly rather weak linking device; but the individual stories themselves are quite reasonable in themselves, I think. For an early book by an inexperienced writer, it's far from being a disaster, in my view.

All I can say is that I disagree. My summary after reading it in 2011: "Every author has a dud now and then. This is Agatha Christie's. References to Sherlock Holmes. Evil Geniuses bent on world domination. Secret Lairs. Masters of Disguise. Hercule Poirot getting things wrong and rushing around all over the place."

Since Hercule Poirot in this novel is acting completely out of character, it will, as I said, be fascinating to see what they manage to do with it.

[alex12ma]

I feel that "And then there were none" was Christie's best one..In fact I will say that it is the best mystery novel ever..I seriously doubt any one could guess who the murderer is..

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

All I can say is that I disagree. My summary after reading it in 2011: "Every author has a dud now and then. This is Agatha Christie's. References to Sherlock Holmes. Evil Geniuses bent on world domination. Secret Lairs. Masters of Disguise. Hercule Poirot getting things wrong and rushing around all over the place."

Since Hercule Poirot in this novel is acting completely out of character, it will, as I said, be fascinating to see what they manage to do with it.

I plan to systematically re-read all AC's books, in publication order, once I've finished Ngaio Marsh, so I'll let you know if my view of it have changed when I re-read it. It was many years ago that I read it - perhaps my view will change on a re-read.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I plan to systematically re-read all AC's books, in publication order, once I've finished Ngaio Marsh, so I'll let you know if my view of it have changed when I re-read it. It was many years ago that I read it - perhaps my view will change on a re-read.

I'm in the middle of reading them all myself. Perhaps this list of the editions in publication order will be useful. (And if you spot any errors, let me know!).

The numbers note the current ebook editions. The US-only editions seem not to have made it into ebook, with all the stories in them (except The Mousetrap) appearing in later UK collections.

Spoiler:

 1    1920    The Mysterious Affair at Styles    Hercule Poirot
 2    1922    The Secret Adversary    Tommy and Tuppence
 3    1923    The Murder on the Links    Hercule Poirot
 4    1924    The Man in the Brown Suit    Anne Beddingfeld
 5    1924    Poirot Investigates (short stories: eleven in the UK, fourteen in the US)
 6    1925    The Secret of Chimneys    Anthony Cade
 7    1926    The Murder of Roger Ackroyd    Hercule Poirot
 8    1927    The Big Four    Hercule Poirot
 9    1928    The Mystery of the Blue Train    Hercule Poirot
10    1929    The Seven Dials Mystery    Eileen "Bundle" Brent
11    1929    Partners in Crime (fifteen short stories; featuring Tommy and Tuppence)
12    1930    The Murder at the Vicarage    Miss Marple
13    1930    The Mysterious Mr. Quin (twelve short stories; Mr. Harley Quin)
14    1931    The Sittaford Mystery (Murder at Hazelmoor)
15    1932    Peril at End House    Hercule Poirot
16    1932    The Thirteen Problems (The Tueday Club Murders) Thirteen short stories; Miss Marple.
17    1933    The Hound of Death (twelve short stories – UK only)
18    1933    Lord Edgware Dies (Thirteen at Dinner)
19    1934    Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (The Boomerang Clue)
20    1934    Murder on the Orient Express
21    1934    Parker Pyne Investigates (Mr. Parker Pyne, Detective) Twelve short stories; Parker Pyne and Ariadne Oliver.
22    1934    The Listerdale Mystery (twelve short stories – UK only)
23    1935    Three Act Tragedy (Murder in Three Acts)
24    1935    Death in the Clouds (Death in the Air)
25    1936    The A.B.C. Murders
26    1936    Murder in Mesopotamia    Hercule Poirot
27    1936    Cards on the Table    Hercule Poirot
28    1937    Dumb Witness (Poirot Loses a Client)    Hercule Poirot
29    1937    Death on the Nile    Hercule Poirot
30    1937    Murder in the Mews (Dean Man's Mirror) (four stories; Hercule Poirot, In the US missing the story The Incredible Theft.)
31    1938    Appointment with Death    Hercule Poirot
32    1938    Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Murder for Christmas/A Holiday for Murder)
33    1939    Murder is Easy (Easy to Kill)
34    1939    And Then There Were None (Ten Little Niggers/Ten Little Indians)
      1939    The Regatta Mystery (US Only)
35    1940    Sad Cypress    Hercule Poirot
36    1940    One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (The Patriotic Murders/An Overdose of Death)
37    1941    Evil Under the Sun    Hercule Poirot
38    1941    N or M?    Tommy and Tuppence
39    1942    The Body in the Library    Miss Marple
40    1942    The Moving Finger
41    1943    Five Little Pigs (Murder in Retrospect)
42    1944    Towards Zero    Superintendent Battle
43    1944    Death Comes as the End    Hori
44    1945    Sparkling Cyanide (Remembered Death)
45    1946    The Hollow (Murder After Hours)
46    1947    The Labours of Hercules (twelve short stories; Hercule Poirot)
47    1948    Taken at the Flood (There is a Tide)
      1948    Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories (US Only, already in UK collections)
48    1949    Crooked House    Charles Hayward
      1950    The Mousetrap and Other Stories (US Only)
49    1950    A Murder is Announced    Miss Marple
50    1951    They Came to Baghdad    Victoria Jones
      1951    The Under Dog and Other Stories (US Only, included in Poirot's Early Cases)
51    1952    Mrs McGinty's Dead
52    1952    They Do It with Mirrors (Murder with Mirrors)
53    1953    A Pocket Full of Rye    Miss Marple
54    1953    After the Funeral (Funerals are Fatal)
55    1954    Destination Unknown (So Many Steps to Death)
56    1955    Hickory Dickory Dock
57    1956    Dead Man's Folly    Hercule Poirot
58    1957    4.50 from Paddington (What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw)
59    1958    Ordeal by Innocence    
60    1959    Cat Among the Pigeons    Hercule Poirot
61    1960    The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (six short stories – UK only)
      1961    Double Sin and Other Stories (US Only, included in other UK collections)
62    1961    The Pale Horse    Inspector Lejeune
63    1962    The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (The Mirror Crack'd)
64    1963    The Clocks    Hercule Poirot
65    1964    A Caribbean Mystery    Miss Marple
66    1965    At Bertram's Hotel    Miss Marple
67    1966    Third Girl    Hercule Poirot
68    1967    Endless Night    
69    1968    By the Pricking of My Thumbs    Tommy and Tuppence
70    1969    Hallowe'en Party    Hercule Poirot
71    1970    Passenger to Frankfurt    
      1971    The Golden Ball and Other Stories (US Only)
72    1971    Nemesis    Miss Marple
73    1972    Elephants Can Remember    Hercule Poirot
74    1973    Postern of Fate
75    1974    Poirot's Early Cases (Hercule Poirot's Early Cases)
76    1975    Curtain
77    1976    Sleeping Murder
78    1979    Miss Marple's Final Cases and Two Other Stories (eight short stories – UK only)
79    1991    Problem at Pollensa Bay and Other Stories (eight short stories – UK only)
80    1997    While the Light Lasts and Other Stories (nine short stories – UK only)

[HarryT]

Thanks, Paul. I have the hardback "The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie", by Charles Osbourne (the Christie biographer who also did the novelisations of her plays), so I'm good for the order to read it. Very interesting book, BTW - I recommend it, if you don't have it.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thanks, Paul. I have the hardback "The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie", by Charles Osbourne (the Christie biographer who also did the novelisations of her plays), so I'm good for the order to read it. Very interesting book, BTW - I recommend it, if you don't have it.

Added to my wish list. Thanks.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Added to my wish list. Thanks.

This is one case where I'd recommend that you get one of the numerous 1p 2nd-hand hardback versions from Amazon. Not only is it cheaper, but the book has lots of illustrations which aren't in the Kindle edition. The introductions in the AC eBook editions (the ones that FW sold, which I believe you have?) are cut-down versions of the material from this book.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by HarryT

This is one case where I'd recommend that you get one of the numerous 1p 2nd-hand hardback versions from Amazon. Not only is it cheaper, but the book has lots of illustrations which aren't in the Kindle edition. The introductions in the AC eBook editions (the ones that FW sold, which I believe you have?) are cut-down versions of the material from this book.

8MB and without illustrations? I wonder if the title is out of date in saying text only. I note that the release date for the Kindle version is 30 Jan 2012.

I'm tempted to get it and check, but not yet!

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

8MB and without illustrations? I wonder if the title is out of date in saying text only. I note that the release date for the Kindle version is 30 Jan 2012.

I'm tempted to get it and check, but not yet!

Good point. If it's 8MB, it certainly does sound as if it's illustrated, doesn't it, because it's not all that big a book! I should add, by the way, that the book doesn't give away "whodunnit", so it's safe to read even if you haven't read the books being discussed .

[Apache]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

Just a recommendation for the UK TV series of Poirot - a massive undertaking, and the marvellous David Suchet has made it his life's work to put all the works on screen.
Very high production values, beautifully filmed, brilliantly performed, with some stellar actors..........

Faultless - if you can get some videos, do so, you will not regret it.

I love David Suchet's portrayal of Poirot. I love the series.
Apache

[carpetmojo]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Good point. If it's 8MB, it certainly does sound as if it's illustrated, doesn't it, because it's not all that big a book! I should add, by the way, that the book doesn't give away "whodunnit", so it's safe to read even if you haven't read the books being discussed .

I have to confess I remember what used to be called a Rag Weeek, in my distant youth, and one stunt someone thought up was to parade up & down outside "The Mousetrap" with placards ... giving away who dunnit.......

They got some publicity, but it didn't last long.....

[stop__dreaming]

Are the Poirot books still as good as they were?

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by stop__dreaming

Are the Poirot books still as good as they were?

I reread many Poirot mysteries over the Christmas holiday and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were as enjoyable as when I read them as a teen. The amusing banter between Poirot and Hastings was a fun bonus, as it didn't make much of an impression on me back then, instead I'd been focused on the puzzle of solving the murders.

[stop__dreaming]

I do have a couple of Poirot books but never read them. Had the impression that 'they've had their time' and people don't really read them anymore.

Might start one soon.