Another weekend sees the completion of another book. I am reading them so fast that I am almost in danger of falling behind in the reviews. There is the Agatha Christie one that I am about to discuss (completed last weekend) and now I can add another one to the completed list (Cornwell back on good form). I seem to still be on a reading roll! I have to say that today it has been kind of good reading weather - rainy, grey, noting enticing me to go out except for some essential groceries. Also it seems that my brain is ready for reading.. it needs the stories and wants to follow a narrative through to the end. Moving onto something a bit more meaty next... Sebastian Faulks.
Other major news this weekend is that I bagged myself a bargain in the Next Sale (a half price jacket) and that I have turned the heating on. I tried to put it off as long as I cold but when you are sitting still reading and your hands get cold holding the book then it is time.
### SPOILER ALERT ###
The Mirror cracked from Side to Side - Agatha Christie
Christie always amazes me with the simplicity of her stories. I mean that in the best possible way.
They are always so neat and tidy, they flow and fit together nicely. You spend the whole time thinking if what you are reading on this page or that is the one clue that you will end up having missed. You wonder about the characters and if what any of them are doing is going to turn out to be important or not. Her books are always like a little wrapped up parcel that is shaped like a square but you know is going to turn out to be a circle. I love her for it!
The world that this one is set in is a small village, although there seems to be some new kind of Development of houses that indicates the blossoming of the small village into commuter-ville. People are going about their business. Miss Marple is being patronised by her house guest, Miss Knight (who likes to talk in the royal we form... very annoying) and takes great pleasure in sending her on wild goose chase errands to the village. Miss Marple often gets sarcastic and a bit crabby with her and for good reason. Apparently someone thinks Miss Marple is getting old and needs looking after but from the way she acts you kind of doubt that from the start. She comes across as independent, astute, clever and inquisitive. People seem to be going about their normal business, shopping and tending their gardens and it is kind of like all is well with the world. Then suddenly someone dies. It kind of does not make sense for this person to die but they do.
The murder happens at a party for the local people. The Party is hosted by the new local celebrity (a film start in the autumn of her career trying to recapture her former fame) and all the local toffs are there. There are some unexpected guests as well but knowing Christie I picked up on them from the start and rules them out as potential murderers.... feeling all gloaty and good about myself. I should know better she always does this to me... it never ends well for me.
Miss Marple hears about the death at the party and it turns out she actually knew the woman that died. she met her a few days before when Miss Marple went walkabout in the new Development to see how the other side live.. very much like the rest of us mortals as she finds out for herself.
The great thing about this one is that Miss Marple does not even go to the crime scene until the very end of the book and then it is just to confirm what she already knows. She gets her clues from listening to the people that have been to the party. She also gets some information from her nephew who is a big shot Scotland Yard copper and has been asked to assist the local on the case. At times is feels that Christie is being lazy by having Miss Marple remain at home at talking to others the whole time while she works out what happened. It would be much more exciting to read about Miss Marple going about the village and running around chasing clues and running after criminals in the thick of the night but I kind of get the feeling that either Christie or Marple are done with that kind of stuff and are perfectly capable of putting a bit less effort in to get the same result. In this book Miss Marple's great strength seems to be in listening to other people and picking up on the importance of what they tell her in between all the irrelevant parts of their tales of adventure and woe. It is mainly from this that she manages to work out what actually happens. The story works kind of nicely in that you get a glimpse of something that could be important and then get steered away from it. Then we have the added confusion of who was actually the intended victim here... was it our local celeb as we all fear or was the right woman killed? Surely no-one in their right mind would want to kill a local busybody of a woman, someone who means well but does not have a clue on how her actions impact the people around her. As per usual there are a number of people put in the frame for the murder. All of them are dealt with and dismissed as they were either not in the right place at the right time or end up dead. I have to say that there is a surprising dead count even after the main murder and you are not sure why all these people end up dead until the end. Some of the deaths are quite clever whilst others are a bit more brutal. The woman who dies at the party turns out to be poisoned, one of the suspects ends up poisoned by her own inhaler and another ends up "simply" shot.
When in the end the motive comes out it is actually attached to a sad tale. You feel sorry for the woman and can sympathise with her and why the did what she did. But.. by then it is too late. I do not really want to give away too much but the reveal is unexpected to say the least.
The story moves at a good pace and the fact that there are several people bringing clues is a good little plot ploy to keep you interested as a reader. It is a clever little story and there are plenty of red herrings to distract your mind from the main players.
Title: The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side
Author: Agatha Christie
256 pages
Collins, The Crime Club
no ISBN nr
Books to be read: 84... and one more review to come!
No comments:
Post a Comment