Sparkling Cyanide

by Joy Wilkinson (Adapter), Agatha Christie, Peter Wight (Narrator)

"‘There’s Rosemary, that’s for remembrance."

Published in 1945, Sparkling Cyanide is all about remembrance. It begins with six characters recalling the horrific death of Rosemary Barton, a beautiful but shallow young heiress poisoned by a cyanide-spiked glass of champagne while celebrating her birthday at a smart London restaurant. Rosemary haunts all six characters, each of them a suspect, throughout the story—and it’s not until her killer is found and her ghost laid to rest that the group can move on, though they will never forget.

Adapted by Joy Wilkinson for BBC Radio 4, with a distinguished cast including Naomi Frederick, Peter Wight, and Amanda Drew, this wonderfully entertaining production retains the thrill of Agatha Christie’s clever, compulsive story.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 - 30 January to 13 February 2012.

2 CDs. 1 hr 30 mins.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction

2 pages, Audio CD

First published February 23, 2012

Reviews

[Alyson Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The death of Rosemary Barton haunts all six guests present at her murder and no one can rest until the culprit is found. I have read this story before but must say I enjoyed this dramatisation immensely, so full of feeling and a great little listen!

[Marlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting, fast-paced, emotional. A great story.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio podcast 2022

[Laura Hine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-acted, quick dramatization. Production was great, crime was okay. The killer pretty much gives themselves away right at the beginning.

[KatieK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever story

[A.M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rich, popular Rosemary outshone her younger sister Iris - all of seventeen - when at Rosemary’s birthday celebration she drank poison in her champagne and died. Still centre stage, as always. The verdict was suicide. She left behind a grieving husband and two lovers.
But pretty much everyone at the table had a motive to want her dead.
Her husband starts to suspect it was murder and asks Col. Race to investigate for him. Luckily for Race, he was unable to attend the first dinner.
***
What an extraordinary cast of characters. Christie excels at this. The murder is almost secondary to the characters.
I suspect you could plonk the whole story down in a modern setting, and it would almost work perfectly. [no, brain!]
Originally published as a serial, each person gets their own chapter to narrate, and you get a fuller picture of the victim.
This is the 2012 BBC production, a three-part adaptation by Joy Wilkinson was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 directed by Mary Peate, with Naomi Frederick as Iris, Amanda Drew as Ruth, Colin Tierney as Anthony, James Lailey as Stephen, Sean Baker as Colonel Race and Jasmine Hyde as Rosemary.
Very cleverly done
5 stars

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a variant on the murder in a remote posh house. The sparkling cyanide was at a posh restaurant and all the surviving guests were the usua suspects. The adaptation for was very good, which made it ideal for an audiobook. If you like AG then this is for you!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had previously read this title in paperback. Listened to the BBC radio dramatization. Quite well done with very good voice talents.

[Nemo Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good adaptation of a good book, I enjoyed listening to it very much. I do however still prefer the original text in its entirety.

[OishM · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️