The Seven Dials Mystery

Superintendent Battle #2

by Agatha Christie

A healthy young man dies in his sleep, despite the ringing of seven separate alarm clocks…Gerry Wade had proved himself to be a champion sleeper; so the other house guests decided to play a practical joke on him. Eight alarm clocks were set to go off, one after the other, starting at 6.30 a.m. But when morning arrived, one clock was missing and the prank had backfired with tragic consequences.

For Jimmy Thesiger in particular, the words ‘Seven Dials’ were to take on a new and chilling significance…

Genres: Mystery, Agatha Christie, Fiction, Crime, Classics, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

235 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1929

About the author

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)

Reviews

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agatha Christie Book Reading Challenge

BOOK 32 :- JULY 2021

3.25 STARS

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Seven Dials.
An international secret society of super-villains?
Perhaps.
And it looks like it will be up to Lady Eileen (aka Bundle) to step in and figure out just what the hell is going on after a houseguest is found dead in her family home.
Again.
Much to her father's dismay.



Remember good old Bundle from The Secret of Chimneys?
No? I do, but I think that's because I only recently finished the book.
Well, I liked her a lot in that one, so it was nice to see her pop up and star in a story of her own.
Superintendent Battle is another of my favorites, and I loved the role he played in this story from start to finish.



This one is a murder mystery with a hint of spy thriller in it. That kind of gave this a bit of a different/cool vibe. I really liked that Bundle was ready to go, willing to act, and not afraid to think outside the box people tried to stuff her in.
I don't want to say anything that could spoil the story, but I thought the reveal had that special touch of classic Agatha to it.



This was yet another of her books that I'd not heard of prior to actively seeking out everything that she's written.
If you're looking for something new, The Seven Dials Mystery might turn out to be one of the hidden gems in Christie's library for you.
Recommended.

[Saranya · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a curious jest it seemed at first. A country house gathering, a prank of alarm clocks, a harmless joke among the Bright Young Things.

What began as a jest- the infamous “𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚊𝚕𝚜” prank- becomes a symbol of something far more sinister. I was lured into believing that I was watching a comedy of manners, only for my lovely Miss Christie to pull the rug and reveal a shadowed underworld of secret societies, coded meetings and the ever-present possibility of betrayal.

Characters who appeared shallow prove unexpectedly resourceful. Clues that seemed trivial bloomed into revelations. And yet beneath the riddles, my fav Bundle Brent, spirited and reckless (I saw myself in her) sets off to find out the truth. It was such a thrill of adventure when I was seeing everything through her eyes but at the same time the uncertainty felt quite chilling.

◈ 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝: ◈
UNPUTDOWNABLE!
Bundle is just like me when it comes to stubbornness🤭
HOLY SHI-
WHAT WAS THAT ENDING!

𝐏𝐫𝐞-𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝:
Reading something by Agatha Christie after such a long time<3

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seven Dials is Christie's subversion of the 1920s style thriller, only with a plucky female heroine and a subtle commentary on English society. A manor murder, a secret society, a slummy club in the East End, and international espionage that make it seem artificially complicated, but it was enjoyable enough, with a few chuckles and a sweet little romantic angle to neatly round it out.

A group of young people gather at the English estate the Chimneys, rented out to steel magnate Sir Oswald and his wife, Lady Coote. One of the young men visiting has a propensity for coming late to breakfast, so the group forms a plan to plant eight alarm clocks in his room to wake him with a violent noise. Coincidentally, he never wakes again. Lord Caterham owns the manor, and his daughter, Lady Eileen Brent, "known to her friends and society in general as "Bundle," becomes involved when she realizes she knows several of the people involved. Besides, it'll be smashing good fun, right? Her father's an old dear straight out of Wodehouse--he might have been Bertie in 50 years. "They needn't die in my house,' said Lord Caterham... 'Naturally I expect Brents to die here--they don't count. But I do object to strangers. And I especially object to inquests.'"

Initially, Bundle is just satisfying her curiosity about poor dead Gerry as she pokes around the house. She finds part of a letter she feels she should deliver to his surviving sister. As she's taking the car out for a quick errand, she runs into a man in the road. Not long after, she joins forces with one of the men in the house party who works for the government, and then the sister of the murdered lad. Investigation takes them from the countryside to a seamy club to a political house-party. If you forget the murder, it's charming fun.

Therein lies my greatest problem with the story: tone. Murder mystery? Light-hearted romp through the English countryside? Mock-up of English society? Daring espionage thriller? It just doesn't quite work. A forward discusses Christie's similarity with Wodehouse, and while I can understand, part of Wodehouse's charm is the sheer daffiness of the capers, and the utter inconsequence of any of the events. However, with one murder down and state secrets at stake, her social commentary doesn't jibe as well as it could with the plot.

Characters, however stereotypical, are drawn with depth. Christie could be master of the subtle, and one of my favorite characters by far was Lady Coote who kept her aggressive husband firmly in check through seemingly daffy actions and her ability to cheat at bridge. Oh, and perhaps "the girl called Socks. Subtle was a word of which she was rather fond. She used it a great deal." Her lines were great fun as well, especially when she forces the use of subtle in a most unsubtle way:
"'We don't want a subtle clock,' said Socks. 'We want one with a good loud ring.'"

Overall, enjoyable without being gripping or especially memorable. One of Christie's more light-hearted stories.


*Note--read and owned as part of Murder At The Manor: An Agatha Christie Lost Classics Omnibus

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why read Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery? For starters, it’s been adapted for the screen—so if you love seeing Christie worlds come to life, this one is especially satisfying. But even without the adaptation buzz, the book delivers exactly what you want from classic Christie: crisp pacing, sparkling dialogue, and enough red herrings to keep you happily second-guessing yourself.

Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent--bright, bold, and just the right amount of nosy--gets swept into a tangle of suspicious deaths, beginning at one of her parents’ country houses. What starts as intrigue quickly turns darker, and Bundle finds herself asking the deliciously unsettling question: is the danger coming from outside…or from within the circle of friends?

Christie herself described it as a “light-hearted thriller” style novel, and that’s the perfect expectation to bring. This isn’t the bleak, brooding side of her work--it’s brisk, playful, and packed with witty banter. The stakes are real, but the reading experience is pure entertainment.

In short: it’s good, clean fun…and playing armchair sleuth alongside Christie is always good, clean fun.

I read this with my new book club, The Terrific Darling Book Club, comprised of Darla, Tina and Molly. We had fun!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A topnotch whodunnit and a bit of a thriller and comic novel too, The Seven Dials Mystery is a stand alone by Agatha Christie written in 1929. It has a marvelous cast of characters with my favorite being Bundles. She is the heroine and she's not one to stand around and let others do the sleuthing, Bundles had guts and smarts and is a tough cookie. I couldn't figure it out, but enjoyed the ride tremendously.

[mark monday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Choose Your Own Adventure!

You are Agatha Christie and you are in the first decade of your career. For this outing, you will construct a conspiracy thriller - a genre currently much in favor. It shall have everything the public desires: clever, attractive young women and clumsy, handsome young men; spies, plots, and even a secret society of super|spoiler|s; country estates covered with ivy and threaded with dark hallways; a cast chock-full of bright young things and dignified elders and heroically efficient servants; secret identities, masks, and no one is as they seem; a nightclub that is the cat's pyjamas; droll banter and witty comedic scenes; and a couple of murders in the beginning to start things off on the right note. And you will write an ending that will blow the reader's mind! They will want to immediately re-read the whole thing, just to catch what they had missed.

You have a stolid sleuth ready to solve this and other mysteries: Superintendent Battle. But you have been recently experimenting with a more continental detective, suave and eccentric. And you've been giving some thought to deploying another sort of investigator - a gossipy old village senior. There are other options as well. Which sleuth shall you choose to continue your journey towards becoming the Queen of Crime? Shall it be the Belgian or the biddy or Battle? Perhaps it shall be all of them, and more!

If you choose Youth, in the form of an enthusiastic albeit rather grating young couple, choose this adventure: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

If you choose to follow the 7th commandment and not stray from your austere superintendent, choose this adventure: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Veronique · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I love Poirot and Marple, it is refreshing to read stories without them. Somehow I feel Christie is "freer" in these. The Secret of Chimneys is one of my favourites and it was with pleasure that I followed Bundle's adventures once more. She is a brilliant character, and her conversations with her father, Lord Caterham, are hilarious! Actually, most of the dialogues are highly entertaining. A lot of "I say!" and such. There is a very Wodehouse-esque feel to many of the scenes. Even with these, Christie still succeeds in delivering an entertaining mystery/thriller :O)

[Simona B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as intriguing as I thought it would be, but the surprising ending almost makes up for how uninteresting all the rest was.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every year I say I will read more Agatha Christie. This is going to be the year. There is just something about her writing that stimulates my brain to begin making connections. I may not be as clever as the iconic author, but I feel smarter after reading her intricate prose.

What is the Seven Dials Mystery all about?

Here are some notables from my read:

🕵This is listed as Superintendent Battle #2. I have not read the first one, but I will note that Lady Eileen (Bundle) is also a significant sleuth in this mystery.

⏰ Early in the book, eight "alarum" clocks are set up as a prank. After the first murder, only seven are left --there seven dials. There is also a Seven Dials Club and a mysterious society. Fun!

📚The book is bursting with amusing supporting characters and situations. One of my buddy readers described the writing as "SUBTLE."

🍀I read this along with three other GR friends. We have a new book group we call The Terrific Darling Book Club. Watch for reviews from the terrific Tina, Barbara, and Molly on this title.

🎧While there are some really engaging audio versions of this book available, I am glad I chose the Kindle edition. It was such a treat to highlight my observations, quirky phrases, and the clues I discovered a long the way.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it most entertaining. The writing is quite delightful and the pace of action and interaction constant, as there is always someone coming or going or an event happening. I enjoyed reading these descriptions of the characters involved:

“One of those large men,” said Lord Caterham, shuddering slightly, “with a red square face and iron-grey hair. Powerful, you know. What they call a forceful personality. The kind of man you’d get if a steam-roller were turned into a human being.”

“Bill is rather nice […] just like a large, clumsy dog that wags its tail when it’s pleased to see you.”

“He was thin and weedy in appearance and looked anaemic and delicate.”

“This man sucks in soup and eats peas with a knife.”

“It struck her now, as so often before, how remarkably little camouflage there was about him. He was large and solid and noticeable. He was, somehow, very English.”

“Lady Caterham was a large woman – large in every way. Her proportions were majestic, rather than ample.”

There is a wonderful, dark, or subtle humor also. Here are some examples:

““I hope we shan’t go and shoot the wrong person,” said Bill with some anxiety. “That would be unfortunate,” said Mr. Thesiger gravely.”

One person announces to another, “By the way […] the fellow died in your room,” and then, follows up with, “Inconsiderate. Everybody’s damned inconsiderate nowadays.”

“Very spirited the young people of the upper classes nowadays, very spirited indeed, but not at all easy to understand. He turned with relief to attend to the vicar’s wife, who wanted a new kind of dripless teapot.”

A daughter states to her father, “You’re going to lose me.” His response is, “Don’t tell me that you’re suffering from galloping consumption or a weak heart or anything like that, because I simply don’t believe it.” When he learns that his daughter is not dying, she is getting married, he further responds, “Very nearly as bad,” and adds, “I suppose I shall have to come to the wedding, all dressed up in tight, uncomfortable clothes, and give you away.”

Finally, a few examples of delightful phrases that I found pleasing:

“Most vexatious”
“Occasionally, she interpolated a comment of her own.”
“thrilled to the marrow.”
“He twinkled a little.”
“what awfully jolly flowers”
“those mauve thingummybobs”

[Piyangie · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

It seems that Agatha Christie's Superintendent Battle series belongs more to the thriller genre than to the mystery. This feeling began when I read the first in the series - The Secret of Chimneys - some years ago. And now, after reading The Seven Dials Mystery, I'm convinced that it is so, for this second novel of the series is an espionage thriller. Those who have read my Agatha Christie reviews know that I have an aversion to her thrillers. It is not because they are bad (although it's my personal view that she writes her mysteries better), but because I prefer the mystery genre. I like a murder properly investigated by a thorough police detective. I want an extensive police procedure. I guess it comes from my law background. So, if I have a complaint about The Seven Dials Mystery, it is those associated with a thriller.

However, some compensatory components do diminish my grievance here. The first is the characters. I found them interesting and refreshing. Most eminent is Lady Eileen Brent (Bundle). She was absolutely delightful. I enjoyed reading about her amateur sleuthing. And the funny part is that I liked the criminal and the accomplice, too, until they were revealed to be criminals! :) Second is the humour. Agatha Christie has written the story, especially the dialogues, with such wit that it was hilarious at times. I had a real fun time reading it.

As is the case with a thriller, only a limited police investigation is apparent. Yet, Superintendent Battle's role, though not dominant, wasn't inadequate either. So, I was less disappointed in that quarter. However, I drew the rating at 3.5 because I wasn't pleased with how Agatha Christie worked the end. It lacked action. We only hear Battle's explanation of who the criminals are and their motive. We don't see the action of apprehending the criminals, but are only told. It was a bit disappointing, all the more so because Christie cleverly conceals the identity of the criminal and the accomplice. Just being told without seeing the criminal whose identity came as a surprise was unsatisfactory.

More of my reviews can be found at http://piyangiejay.com/

[Cristina Lazăr · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://carti.blog/2025/05/01/misteru...

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great fun Christie mystery.

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 STARS

This Christie mystery was very different than her usual fare and I found it so entertaining. One of the reasons I was anxious to read this one was because we did a walking tour that took us to the Seven Dials area when we were there in December. I love it when I’ve been to an area mentioned in a book.

In this novel we mostly deal with amateur sleuths, although Superintendent Battle is in the background. A death by accidental overdose (or was it!) occurs at Bundle’s (Lady Emilia’s) home, while it is being rented out. She decides to investigate further after she finds a suspicious letter. This will lead us to The Seven Dials Secret Society. Bundle is a young lady who loves adventure in her life. But will all her snooping be the death of her? The ending was totally a surprise for me.

There were a few super hilarious moments in the book between Bundle and her father. Who knew Agatha Christie could be so funny? Honestly, suspend some disbelief and just go along for the ride. It was so much fun!

Fabulous narration by : Emilia Fox.

Published: 1929

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jimmy Thesiger

[Rodrigo Unda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este es uno de los libros flojitos de Agatha. Tiene una premisa súper intrigante y un misterio que se resuelve de manera muuuuy lenta y con muchas páginas innecesarias. Pero una vez que llegas a la revelación, la disfrutas porque te explican con manzanas cómo el asesino pasó desapercibido todo el tiempo. Y amo esa sensación. Saber que es un misterio bien planeado.

Y la neta me gustó su final. Me gustó el personaje de Bundle, que parece ser la protagonista en este caso donde los detectives más famosos de la autora no están. Me gustaría leer más libros donde salga, a ver si hay jaja

En fin, leí el libro pa estar listo con la adaptación. Espero me guste mucho.

[Geevee · Rating 4 out of 5]

With over 4.2k reviews I'll keep this very short, and simply say it was very enjoyable with a good plot. I liked Bundle as a character and thought she could have been a more longer term feature in Christie's books.

[Ginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've decided that you cannot go wrong with Agatha Christie. Her books are character driven and sometimes I get confused about who's who, but she never fails to keep me reading on. This was a test in who-dun-it skills which I need to master. I thought that the Superintendent/police chief was the bad guy. I got it all wrong. The story is wrapped up in tons of funny, aristocratic dialogue. And then all of a sudden Christie adds a couple of sentences like this:

There is no need to describe in detail the conversation of the next ten minutes. It consisted mostly of repetitions.

Classic! It's funny because before you get to this sentence there seems to be ten minutes of a gushy love scene full of repetitions.

On the whole, a good historic/espionage/who-dun-it. I'm a huge fan. Now onto the next one. Crooked House or Ordeal By Innocence?

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was different. I really enjoyed it, but yeah, definitely unique compared with the other Christie books I've read. The espionage, spy-type angle, I liked it. I did find some things a tad muddled, as there's a lot of characters and motives to track, but overall, very fun.

I loved Bundle. She was so courageous and determined. I loved her pluck. She's definitely an MC I'd love to see more of. Spoiler Alert: the new Netflix adaptation is vastly different.

Full review to come...stay tuned!!!

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women’s history month 2025 has finished much like it began, with a mystery by the Queen of Crime. When the month began, I did not think that I would be able to sustain reading only women authors for an entire month. My personal interests fall into the category of books written by men, and, in addition to that, men and women have different writing styles even within a genre. As a reader it is why I attempt to vary what I read as much as possible. Over the course of the month I read award winners, classics, and memoirs, and I needed a break. Having decided to engage in the Read Christie challenge again, finishing my month with Dame Christie seemed as good of a time as any to read next month’s selection. Yesterday was stormy. We had thunderstorms and tornado watches until midnight. The weather made it difficult to sleep so a fast paced mystery/thriller was just what I needed to take my mind off of the storm (disclosure, I’m terrified of them). Thankfully no harm was done, just a few stray branches, and I finished up this morning. Although I am partial to Poirot, this month’s book features Superintendent Battle and a number of youths during the 1920s, one of my favorite decades to read about. A new character to me, I had a feeling that The Seven Dials would be entertaining, and my hunch proved me correct.

Dame Agatha Christie enjoyed poking fun at England’s upper classes. Many of her books and stories featuring Poirot occur in landed country estates. Even Miss Marple ventures into mansions from time to time. It is 1929 and the upper class youth have money and time on their hands. A number of single young people are invited by Lord and Mrs Coote to spend the weekend at Chimneys, a manor they are renting from Lord Caterham. There is much entertainment such as tennis, dancing, and card games, and a wonderful time is had by all, especially Lady Coote who appears to enjoy her time in the presence of young people. While weekending, one Gerald Wade never appears at mealtime until well past lunch. The other youths lead by one Jimmy Thesiger decide to play a joke on him by purchasing “alarum” clocks (alarm in the US) and setting them all to 6:30 am. As a mother of teenagers who savor sleeping late when they have no school, that is a no no; however, Thesiger convinces the other youthe to go along with his charade. Much to everyone’s shock, Gerald Wade is found dead, most likely poisoned, the next morning. Arranged on the mantle in his room: seven alarm clocks, rhe eighth tossed aside. This must be the work of the sinister Seven Dials society.

Although I have not read many thrillers from this era, the introduction explains that at the time there existed in Europe a number of secret societies. They worked as a forerunner or in conjunction with the secret service, of which Britain had the best in the world at the time. Many will point out that thriller is not Dane Christie’s usual mode of writing, having established herself as the master of the detective novel featuring Poirot and later Miss Marple. I have enjoyed the thrillers of hers that I have read in the past including Man in the Brown Suit and They Came to Baghdad. While not Poirot, Christie’s ability to write thrillers and also gothic novels speaks to her breadth as a writer. Because I am not so familiar with secret societies, I am not certain if Christie portrayed them accurately or if she poked fun at them as she often did with the upper classes. Here, the Seven Dials society is supposed to be comprised of those who love Britain and want to serve their country. What the modus operandi of the society is, readers are uncertain. Gerald Wade perhaps was killed because he knew too much about the group’s mechanisms. Only one person caught on to the society’s purpose, one Lady Eileen Brent, known to her many friends as Bundle.

Bundle is the daughter of Lord Caterham, who appears to readers as staid yet slow to catch on to the happenings in society. Bundle is the embodiment of a modern woman. She drives a two seat car and is astute to what is going on, probably without attending university because upper class women of the time did not need college to get a leg up in life. They all belonged to the upper crust although Bundle being quick witted caught the attention of many young gentlemen, many fantasized about marrying her, others with more wits to them thought that she should stand for Parliament. Bundle had no interest in politics; although had she been born a few generations later, she would have been a savvy businesswoman or attorney. Here it is Bundle who figures that Seven Dials is behind Gerald Wade’s death and engages her friends to assist in infiltrating the society’s secret headquarters. One person tries to discourage Bundle from snooping is Superintendent Battle, a friend of her family’s. I came across Battle as well meaning but not the top detective in Scotland Yard. Perhaps, it is is because I am biased in favor of Poirot and Battle thinks without telling all around him about grey cells. His distinct style is perhaps better suited for engaging in secret societies. He tells Bundle not to meddle only because it is the 1920s, and she is a woman. Otherwise, he sensed that she has a sharp mind.

The few thrillers if Dame Christie’s that I have read featured a woman who knew much information in regards to crime rings. It is the woman who unravels the case yet for the most part a male detective takes credit for solving it. I enjoyed the character of Bundle Brent because I believe if Dame Christie had gotten her start a few decades later, she would have created a female PI rather than a male sleuth. On the other hand, Christie coming from the era that she lived in, maintained conservative views on marriage. Too often at the end of a case, Poirot encourages young people to marry. In this case as well Bundle entertains marriage offers although she is known to not stay in one place for more than two minutes. In the jazz age, a husband might be able to tolerate her behavior patterns. So between the Superintendent and Bundle Brent, readers get a glimpse into the inner workings of English secret societies. I found The Seven Dials to be entertaining and a window into the world of the British upper class as told by Dame Christie. If she took the time to write more thrillers, she might have become the queen of that genre as well. Not all writers branched off into writing multiple genres of books, yet, she did and wrote all well. So women’s history month ends the way it began with the Queen of Crime. I look forward to continuing with the Read Christie challenge every four weeks or so.

4 stars

[Alan (The Lone Librarian) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

November 9, 2025 Update Teaser trailer is up for the Netflix adaptation which arrives January 15, 2026. Watch it on YouTube here.

September 20, 2025 Update There was a recent teaser reveal on Instagram for the upcoming Netflix adaptation of The Seven Dials Mystery which will star Mia McKenna-Bruce as Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent.


Bundle Proves Her Mettle
A review of the William Morrow Paperbacks eBook (August 1, 2022) of the William Collins & Sons hardcover original (1929).

“Somehow those clocks have always given me the shivers. I dream of them sometimes. I’d hate to go into that room in the dark and see them there in a row.”
“You wouldn’t be able to see them if it was dark,” said Bundle practically. “Not unless they had luminous dials—Oh!” She gave a sudden gasp and the colour rushed into her cheeks. “Don’t you see! Seven Dials!”

This continues my reads and re-reads of the early books of Agatha Christie which began with a recent recovery of a box of old paperbacks from storage. Those were mostly Hercule Poirot mysteries so I've now expanded my reading to include the early Colonel Race, Inspector Battle, Tommy & Tuppence, Harley Quin and Parker Pyne books as well. I had binged all of the Miss Marple books already in 2023 and 2024.

The Seven Dials Mystery initially returns us to the setting of The Chimneys estate of Lord Caterham to which we were introduced in The Secret of Chimneys (Inspector Battle #1 - June 1925). Again, Inspector Battle plays what seems at first to be a minor role. It is Lord Caterham's daughter Lady Eileen, called by the nickname Bundle, who does most of the actual footwork in the investigation.

The Chimneys estate is the setting of a new murder by poisoning followed by another by shooting. The only clues are a set of seven alarm clocks on the mantelpiece of the first victim and the final words of the second. Lady Eileen sets out to investigate and is drawn into the uncovering of a conspiracy which ends with a rather surprising reveal.


This is not directly tied to the book, but I happened to see this photo of masked conspirators which does go with the theme of the secret group of Seven Dials. Image sourced from Eventbrite.

The Seven Dials Mystery is more along the lines of an adventure thriller rather than a detective procedural. There are a huge number of coincidences, narrow escapes, improbable situations along the way. But it is all good fun entertainment with a plucky female lead in the forefront. I enjoyed it quite as much as the first Inspector Battle, and the reveal was almost as shocking as that of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, although not in the same manner.


The front cover of William Collins & Sons (1929) original edition. Image sourced from Wikipedia by https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31090816800, Fair use, Link.

The Seven Dials Mystery (January 1929) was Agatha Christie's 4th book for the publisher William Collins and Sons after her initial 6 books for The Bodley Head. It was followed by the Tommy & Tuppence short story collection Partners in Crime (Tommy & Tuppence #2- June 1929).

Trivia and Links
The Seven Dials Mystery is one of the most recent Agatha Christie book to enter the public domain in the USA (as of January 2025) and can be read at various online sources such as Standard eBooks and Project Gutenberg.

The Seven Dials Mystery was adapted as a feature length TV film in 1981. It was reasonably faithful to the original book.

There is a current production planned by Netflix for a future TV production. Known information is available here.

[Rodrigo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha gustado más que el 1º que leí de Battle, ha estado más entretenido.
El final como siempre, increíble, me ha dejado totalmente descolocado y evidentemente he fallado estrepitosamente en acertar el culpable. Ha sido un giro de 180 grados.
Valoración: 6.75/10 casi le doy la 4 estrella...
Sinopsis: Siete esferas relacionadas con siete relojes constituyen la llave de esta misteriosa aventura que envuelve una extravagante organización secreta y pone en escena a tres deliciosos personajes de Agatha Christie:
El experto superintendente Battle de Scotland Yard, el simpático Lord Caterham, dueño del célebre palacio de Chimneys, y su encantadora y valiente hija Eileen. Juntos, tendrán que enfrentar uno de los más hábiles y crueles asesinos de que se tuviera noticias, creado por la imaginación inagotable de la “vieja dama” británica.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Agatha Christie mystery very much. It had quite a different feel to it from the Miss Marple and Poirot mysteries. Dare I say, it was almost an adult Nancy Drew (ish) style mystery; mainly due to the fact that the protagonists were young people, rather than the more mature sleuths that Christie peopled her stories with. You find wealthy, carefree, Lady Eileen (aka Bundle) Brent and Jimmy Thesiger and their acquaintances trying to solve the murders of two of their friends. What it the Seven Dials group? Who are the mysterious members? I thought it was a pretty standard thriller/ mystery, but in the last section, there were many twists and turns and any guesses I had about the culprit and the mysterious group were turned on their heads. Excellent story.

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up at Page 199.

[Kavita · Rating 2 out of 5]

A young man dies while on a visit to a country house, and very soon a secret society is suspected of murdering him. We have the dead man's sister, a young man working at the Foreign Office, our heroine, Eileen Brent aka Bundle, a Police Superintendent, and a young man working in politics, all more or less banding together to solve the mystery.

This book is written in a very light vein and there is plenty of humour in the Wodehouse style. But unlike the other Christie books, this one somehow lacks substance. The plot is a little far-fetched and I really resented that Bundle was set up as a heroine by the author but then made a fool of at the end by others. Why didn't they tell her about their own suspicions instead of acting all high and mighty about it?

The mystery was never solved for me. It was all about some vague plot about papers of international importance stolen and then somebody randomly 'solved' the mystery without letting us readers in on it, while we, along with Bundle, were off on a wild goose chase. How did anyone ever begin to suspect the murderer? Nothing about this part is made clear. It was a fun read because of all the quirky characters but it all led nowhere in the end. and made no sense at all. AC should never have forayed into spy thrillers genre.

[Tereza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, the only thing that initially drew me to this book was the new Netflix miniseries. With this out of the way, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Mia McKenna-Bruce is also the narrator—and I adore her. She was absolutely amazing; her tone and manner of speaking fit the story to a tee.

As for the plot itself, this is a classic Agatha Christie mystery, full of wit and her signature style, which we all adore. While there may be stronger entries in her catalogue, this one was still very enjoyable and easy to digest. I would definitely recommend picking up the audiobook version.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Overall rating: 3.5 stars

[Anoushka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was astounding. It starts by describing Mr Wade, a respectable man who appears to sleep through earthquakes. Four children decide to buy eight alarm clocks, which start ringing immediately after each other. Surely no one can sleep through that! But when Wade is late to breakfast again,it’s up to the butler to wake him up. What happens next is the classic agatha Christie style.

Later, upon investigation the police realise that there were only seven alarum clocks present, but the kids are sure that there were eight. After some time,the police discover a letter addressed from seven dials.
SEVEN DIALS??THERE WERE SEVEN DIALS PRESENT ON HIS DEATHBED.

Bundle takes it upon herself to solve this enthralling mystery.


Warning spoilers in the next paragraph!


*I can’t believe that I used to think that seven dials was evil. Now when I think back I realise that apart from the detectives words, there was no proof at all that seveb dials was evil. JIMMY!*

Ps I’m sorry about the stupid review. Hey, it’s my first time after all.

[Repellent Boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pues me he encontrado una novela bastante diferente en la obra de Christie, al menos en comparación con las que ya he leído. Las historias de la autora siempre tienen un esquema similar, un grupo de personas, normalmente en un mismo recinto, son investigados sobre la muerte de uno de ellos.

En este caso, El misterio de las siete esferas se aleja bastante de este tipo teatral de búsqueda del asesino. Nos vamos a encontarar con la típica novela negra de gánsters y criminales, robos de objetos importantes, traiciones y amores.

No era consciente de que Agatha tuviera este tipo de historias dentro de su extensa obra y la verdad es que ha sido un grato descubrimiento. La investigación es llevada a cabo, en gran medida, por una joven mujer, cosa bastante atípica en el género, donde la mujer suele estar reservada para el papel de la femme fatale.

El final me dejó, una vez más, totalmente desconcertado. No me lo esperaba para nada. Espero encontrar en el futuro más libros de este tipo entre sus novelas. Christie es una reina y siempre lo será <3.

[Lou · Rating 4 out of 5]

My parents bought this for me on Christmas, but I was too interested in Poirot's adventures to care about any other book Christie had written.
Well, this is sort of an apology.
I literally cannot believe how Agatha Christie can write so many characters you feel for and care about - and a twisty plot that literally had me gasp when it was revealed. I will say that the plot was kinda slow paced, and the story d r a g g e d a bit in the middle - but the twist made up for that! I'm gonna have to read it again and spot things I didn't before!!

Also Bundle and Bill's relationship is so cute - omigoodnessomigoodnessomigoodness
i can't. i cannot even even #whenyoureunabletoeven