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Intriga en Bagdad
She fell head over heels for the charming young man one afternoon. And by nightfall, Victoria Jones had conspired to follow him to Baghdad.
But no daydream of love could match the real life adventure that unfolded: a stranger was stabbed in her bed, someone issued a hushed warning, and her rival for Edward's affections neatly arranged her kidnapping. From the steamy Arab marketplace to the vast and arid desert, Victoria was pursued by an unknown power that threatened not only her, but the fate of the entire world ...
But no daydream of love could match the real life adventure that unfolded: a stranger was stabbed in her bed, someone issued a hushed warning, and her rival for Edward's affections neatly arranged her kidnapping. From the steamy Arab marketplace to the vast and arid desert, Victoria was pursued by an unknown power that threatened not only her, but the fate of the entire world ...
200 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 1951
About the author
Agatha Christie
6,451 books79.5k followersAgatha 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)
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)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,399 reviews
February 25, 2018
As a Christie fan, I'm wondering how this little gem escaped my notice all these years?
I think Victoria may be the most adorable pathological liar you'll ever meet. You can't be mad at her because she's just so honest about it! <-- 100% true
And you really shouldn't like her so much considering all the idiotic choices she makes, which land her in incredibly dangerous situations. Starting with losing her job in the first chapter or so due to her need to perform a reenactment of a particularly embarrassing scene between her boss and his wife for her fellow typists. Of course, this frees her up to take off on an ill-advised adventure to Baghdad to find the handsome young man she exchanged a flirtatious conversation with on a park bench.
Oh come on, girl!
What ensues is the classic tale of a girl in love who follows her heart and gets mixed up in a political assassination attempt in another country, while working as an untrained mole in a cult...and becoming an amateur archeologist on the side.
Because why not?!
If you like Agatha, you'll like this one.
2022 Audiobook re-read
Emilia Fox does an amazing job bringing all the characters to life in this. I'd definitely recommend the HarperAudio version!
I think Victoria may be the most adorable pathological liar you'll ever meet. You can't be mad at her because she's just so honest about it! <-- 100% true
And you really shouldn't like her so much considering all the idiotic choices she makes, which land her in incredibly dangerous situations. Starting with losing her job in the first chapter or so due to her need to perform a reenactment of a particularly embarrassing scene between her boss and his wife for her fellow typists. Of course, this frees her up to take off on an ill-advised adventure to Baghdad to find the handsome young man she exchanged a flirtatious conversation with on a park bench.
Oh come on, girl!
What ensues is the classic tale of a girl in love who follows her heart and gets mixed up in a political assassination attempt in another country, while working as an untrained mole in a cult...and becoming an amateur archeologist on the side.
Because why not?!
If you like Agatha, you'll like this one.
2022 Audiobook re-read
Emilia Fox does an amazing job bringing all the characters to life in this. I'd definitely recommend the HarperAudio version!
February 21, 2022
Not your usual Agatha Christie mystery
This one is more thriller than mystery. It has intelligence agents, spys, murders, fraud, conspiracies, an international conference between the Russian premier and the American president and what we would now call terrorists plotting to ignite war. A strong female lead caught up in a tangled web. Who can be trusted?
The story begins in London. It quickly moves to Bagdad, a city with which Ms. Christie was familiar. Well written with good descriptions of the city and an archeological dig.
This one is more thriller than mystery. It has intelligence agents, spys, murders, fraud, conspiracies, an international conference between the Russian premier and the American president and what we would now call terrorists plotting to ignite war. A strong female lead caught up in a tangled web. Who can be trusted?
The story begins in London. It quickly moves to Bagdad, a city with which Ms. Christie was familiar. Well written with good descriptions of the city and an archeological dig.
September 21, 2026
I came to this hoping for "Agatha Christie does espionage". Instead I spent far too much of the book wondering what was happening, what was at stake, and why I was meant to care :(
Final Rating: 2.5/5 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
This was nearly a DNF for me. I pushed through because it’s Agatha Christie, and because there were a couple of things here I genuinely liked. But her thrillers just do not seem to work for me in the way Poirot and Miss Marple do.
Baghdad in its 1950s golden age, photographed by Latif Al-Ani.
Victoria Jones meets a man in London, decides—on very little information—to follow him to Baghdad, and promptly gets tangled up in spies, murder, fraud, an international political conference, and a rather enormous conspiracy. This is much more thriller than mystery, so don’t go in expecting a Poirot-style puzzle with a clear crime and a methodical trail of clues.
Plot and pacing: 2/5
The problem was that I rarely knew where the story was heading, what the actual danger was, or what I was supposed to be trying to work out. It’s an intricate plot, absolutely, but not in a way that pulled me along. The pacing also felt all over the place: very slow for stretches, then suddenly racing through multiple events in a chapter.
There are clues tucked away in true Christie fashion, and eventually everything is explained. But by the final 50 pages, I realised the big reveal was coming and… I just didn’t really care. I wasn’t trying to solve anything because I still wasn’t sure what the central question was. For a mystery-ish thriller, that is a fairly important missing piece.
There is a rough diamond of a bigger espionage story here: international tension, intelligence agents, and a conspiracy bigger than any one character. I could see the potential. The execution just never clicked for me.
Victoria and Baghdad: 3.5/5
Victoria is probably the book’s best asset. She is spunky, impulsive, a very convincing liar, and brilliant at thinking on her feet when things go sideways. She gets herself out of some ridiculous situations through sheer nerve and a knack for performance. You have to admire the gumption.
But I struggled with the central premise of her dropping her entire life to follow a man she barely knows. It felt hopelessly naïve, and I couldn’t quite suspend my disbelief enough to get behind it. She’s fun company, but not a character I could properly root for.
The other real strength is Baghdad itself. Christie had travelled extensively in the region with her archaeologist husband, Max Mallowan, and parts of the setting feel vivid and lived-in. Other parts felt strangely vague, as though the book assumes I can already picture them. Still, I enjoyed getting a glimpse of a 1950s Baghdad that feels far removed from the version most of us know through later conflict.
A different glimpse of mid-century Baghdad.
Enjoyment: 2/5
This book has charm in Victoria and in its setting, but not enough to carry the rest. I much prefer the structure, pacing, and satisfying detective work of Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple books. This one was convoluted without being gripping, and I was never on the edge of my seat—or even particularly keen to turn the pages.
If you already enjoy Christie’s thrillers, this may well be your thing. There are clearly readers who do. But if you’re coming for a classic Christie mystery, I would start somewhere else.
Note: I read this in print rather than on audiobook. Also, Christie’s time in Iraq was closely connected to Max Mallowan’s archaeological work there, which helps explain why the setting is often the book’s strongest feature.
Final Rating: 2.5/5 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑
This was nearly a DNF for me. I pushed through because it’s Agatha Christie, and because there were a couple of things here I genuinely liked. But her thrillers just do not seem to work for me in the way Poirot and Miss Marple do.
Baghdad in its 1950s golden age, photographed by Latif Al-Ani.
Victoria Jones meets a man in London, decides—on very little information—to follow him to Baghdad, and promptly gets tangled up in spies, murder, fraud, an international political conference, and a rather enormous conspiracy. This is much more thriller than mystery, so don’t go in expecting a Poirot-style puzzle with a clear crime and a methodical trail of clues.
Plot and pacing: 2/5
The problem was that I rarely knew where the story was heading, what the actual danger was, or what I was supposed to be trying to work out. It’s an intricate plot, absolutely, but not in a way that pulled me along. The pacing also felt all over the place: very slow for stretches, then suddenly racing through multiple events in a chapter.
There are clues tucked away in true Christie fashion, and eventually everything is explained. But by the final 50 pages, I realised the big reveal was coming and… I just didn’t really care. I wasn’t trying to solve anything because I still wasn’t sure what the central question was. For a mystery-ish thriller, that is a fairly important missing piece.
There is a rough diamond of a bigger espionage story here: international tension, intelligence agents, and a conspiracy bigger than any one character. I could see the potential. The execution just never clicked for me.
Victoria and Baghdad: 3.5/5
Victoria is probably the book’s best asset. She is spunky, impulsive, a very convincing liar, and brilliant at thinking on her feet when things go sideways. She gets herself out of some ridiculous situations through sheer nerve and a knack for performance. You have to admire the gumption.
But I struggled with the central premise of her dropping her entire life to follow a man she barely knows. It felt hopelessly naïve, and I couldn’t quite suspend my disbelief enough to get behind it. She’s fun company, but not a character I could properly root for.
The other real strength is Baghdad itself. Christie had travelled extensively in the region with her archaeologist husband, Max Mallowan, and parts of the setting feel vivid and lived-in. Other parts felt strangely vague, as though the book assumes I can already picture them. Still, I enjoyed getting a glimpse of a 1950s Baghdad that feels far removed from the version most of us know through later conflict.
A different glimpse of mid-century Baghdad.
Enjoyment: 2/5
This book has charm in Victoria and in its setting, but not enough to carry the rest. I much prefer the structure, pacing, and satisfying detective work of Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple books. This one was convoluted without being gripping, and I was never on the edge of my seat—or even particularly keen to turn the pages.
If you already enjoy Christie’s thrillers, this may well be your thing. There are clearly readers who do. But if you’re coming for a classic Christie mystery, I would start somewhere else.
Note: I read this in print rather than on audiobook. Also, Christie’s time in Iraq was closely connected to Max Mallowan’s archaeological work there, which helps explain why the setting is often the book’s strongest feature.
December 28, 2014
From my review at https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2014/...
Agatha Christie does thrillers.
Or not, depending on your point of view.
This one might work as a movie (I'm disinclined to find out, but if you are interested one was made in 1952), but fails to impress as a book.
Victoria Jones has been fired from her typist position. As she sits in a courtyard, eating her lunch, she's politely approached by a diffident young man who strikes up a conversation. In America, Miss Anna Scheele, personal secretary to the head of a firm of international bankers, informs her employer she must take a vacation to care for her sick sister in England. In the Iraqi countryside, Carmichael is trying to sneak back into Baghdad in time for a major world powers meeting with proof of a certain conspiracy. Mr. Dakin, the local Baghdad covert agent is charged with ensuring security for the meeting, and is hoping to preserve international peace. Richard is an archeologist fanatic just hoping to make it to Dr. Pauncefoot Jones' dig. After their brief meeting, Victoria decides she is in love with Edward and must find him in Baghdad, as soon as possible. Separate plot lines build and come together in a dramatic finish.
One of the ways Christie excels is in capturing the minutia of the small town life, the details that instantly identify a character, making them resonate in the imagination. In Baghdad, there's a full cast, but no one but Victoria Jones really gets the attention they deserve, and once introduced, they tend to fall out of the action, only to appear significantly later. As a non-thriller reader, I find I'm not particularly impressed by megalomania as character motivation.
Mostly, I blame the lack of world-building. Baghdad of the 1950s was an entirely different city from Baghdad of 2014. Its one of those books that was probably perfect for the decade is was published in, but works significantly less well for current times. I needed more atmosphere. I had the vaguest sense of place, most likely pulled from old memories. In my case, Christie's 1950s Baghdad felt a lot like Elizabeth Peters' Egypt in 1880, which most likely reflects time spent reading the Amelia Peabody series.
Baghdad, 1950
Baghdad, 2014
So many coincidences in this plot! The government recruiting a naif based on her spunky attitude and ability to lie convincingly? She was charming, no doubt, but it played like a Cary Grant script, not a thriller. Overall, I don't regret the time, but it wasn't a great example of Christie's capabilities. I prefer her Marple and Poirot series. It's passable, but I recommend it for fans of thrillers and Christie completionists.
Two and a half lackluster stars
Agatha Christie does thrillers.
Or not, depending on your point of view.
This one might work as a movie (I'm disinclined to find out, but if you are interested one was made in 1952), but fails to impress as a book.
Victoria Jones has been fired from her typist position. As she sits in a courtyard, eating her lunch, she's politely approached by a diffident young man who strikes up a conversation. In America, Miss Anna Scheele, personal secretary to the head of a firm of international bankers, informs her employer she must take a vacation to care for her sick sister in England. In the Iraqi countryside, Carmichael is trying to sneak back into Baghdad in time for a major world powers meeting with proof of a certain conspiracy. Mr. Dakin, the local Baghdad covert agent is charged with ensuring security for the meeting, and is hoping to preserve international peace. Richard is an archeologist fanatic just hoping to make it to Dr. Pauncefoot Jones' dig. After their brief meeting, Victoria decides she is in love with Edward and must find him in Baghdad, as soon as possible. Separate plot lines build and come together in a dramatic finish.
One of the ways Christie excels is in capturing the minutia of the small town life, the details that instantly identify a character, making them resonate in the imagination. In Baghdad, there's a full cast, but no one but Victoria Jones really gets the attention they deserve, and once introduced, they tend to fall out of the action, only to appear significantly later. As a non-thriller reader, I find I'm not particularly impressed by megalomania as character motivation.
Mostly, I blame the lack of world-building. Baghdad of the 1950s was an entirely different city from Baghdad of 2014. Its one of those books that was probably perfect for the decade is was published in, but works significantly less well for current times. I needed more atmosphere. I had the vaguest sense of place, most likely pulled from old memories. In my case, Christie's 1950s Baghdad felt a lot like Elizabeth Peters' Egypt in 1880, which most likely reflects time spent reading the Amelia Peabody series.
Baghdad, 1950
Baghdad, 2014
So many coincidences in this plot! The government recruiting a naif based on her spunky attitude and ability to lie convincingly? She was charming, no doubt, but it played like a Cary Grant script, not a thriller. Overall, I don't regret the time, but it wasn't a great example of Christie's capabilities. I prefer her Marple and Poirot series. It's passable, but I recommend it for fans of thrillers and Christie completionists.
Two and a half lackluster stars
August 13, 2009
I don’t even have words to describe the madcap charm of this book. No Miss Marple, no Poirot, just a heroine who redefines “spunky” and a plot that will leave you yearning for high jinks in the desert. International intrigue has never been such fun, nor has it probably ever been infiltrated by a mediocre shorthand typist. Miss Victoria Jones, freshly booted from her job, sits in a London park figuring out her next move. Enter a handsome lad named Edward who enchants Victoria but – oh no! – is leaving the next day for a job in Baghdad. Well, what’s to stop her from following him? Armed with a can-do attitude and a remarkable gift for invention (some would call her a pathological liar, but things sound so much better when she makes them up), she’s off to the unknown. Subterfuge, danger, and daring exploits await her as she becomes embroiled in shady dealings and . . . even better! . . . an international conspiracy. In one thrilling episode, a spy stumbles into her hotel room and DIES! Who can resist such drama?! Certainly not the resourceful Victoria, who’s up for anything.
Agatha Christie’s seamless style lends itself to this sort of action/adventure caper. But the dialogue is what really wooed me, probably because I listened to the audio version read by Emilia Fox. The voices she does for each character really bring out the comedy. At times I hooted with laughter. An absolutely delightful summer escape!
Agatha Christie’s seamless style lends itself to this sort of action/adventure caper. But the dialogue is what really wooed me, probably because I listened to the audio version read by Emilia Fox. The voices she does for each character really bring out the comedy. At times I hooted with laughter. An absolutely delightful summer escape!
August 2, 2018
It was almost like reading a Robert Ludlum novel. Great start, fast paced action spread across different cities, unconnected people , a mastermind brilliantly orchestrating the entire drama and all coming together in the end to give a nice satisfying closure. Written decades ago when espionage , compared to current standards, was novice, the story line holds your attention till the end. Nice gripping drama.
August 13, 2024
این کتاب رو خیلی وقت پیش خریدم،اما همیشه خوندنشو به تعویق مینداختم و الان واقعا از کارم پشیمونم.
این کتاب عالی بود.جدا از داستان معمایی و هیجان انگیزی که داشت.
آگاتا کریستی واقعا خیلی خوب تونسته کوچه پس کوچه های بغداد رو توصیف کنه.
گویا که خودت هم همونجا هستی در دل شهر بغداد و بصره.
شخصیت های جالب و دوست داشتنی که قرار نیست به این آسونیا فراموش کنی.
حقیقتا من عاشق شخصیت بامزه ی ویکتوریا شدم و بار دیگر خانم آگاتا کریستی منو با قلمش شگفت زده کرد.
البته در این کتاب خبری از کارآگاهان معروف نبود.
این کتاب عالی بود.جدا از داستان معمایی و هیجان انگیزی که داشت.
آگاتا کریستی واقعا خیلی خوب تونسته کوچه پس کوچه های بغداد رو توصیف کنه.
گویا که خودت هم همونجا هستی در دل شهر بغداد و بصره.
شخصیت های جالب و دوست داشتنی که قرار نیست به این آسونیا فراموش کنی.
حقیقتا من عاشق شخصیت بامزه ی ویکتوریا شدم و بار دیگر خانم آگاتا کریستی منو با قلمش شگفت زده کرد.
البته در این کتاب خبری از کارآگاهان معروف نبود.
July 30, 2022
Whenever I pick up a book written by Agatha Christie I know I’m in for a great read. This book isn’t about your usual Poirot or Marple, but it’s more about espionage than murder mystery, but with plenty of twists and turns to keep up with your interest and guessing.
They Came to Baghdad puts a hook in you from the very beginning and is an absolute treasure. I hated to see it end. Christie's descriptions of the Middle East culture and scenery are enchanting; you find yourself wishing you could be there in that time and space. The characters are interesting and imaginative. .
In true Christie fashion, the clues are hidden in plain sight throughout the novel. Only in the final chapters do the clues come together to reveal the true culprits!
The end was totally unexpected. She developed the characters so well that you find yourself believing how they wished to be perceived. She also described Iraq so well that it was almost like virtual reality. I don't want to reveal much about this book. Thus, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did! :)
They Came to Baghdad puts a hook in you from the very beginning and is an absolute treasure. I hated to see it end. Christie's descriptions of the Middle East culture and scenery are enchanting; you find yourself wishing you could be there in that time and space. The characters are interesting and imaginative. .
In true Christie fashion, the clues are hidden in plain sight throughout the novel. Only in the final chapters do the clues come together to reveal the true culprits!
The end was totally unexpected. She developed the characters so well that you find yourself believing how they wished to be perceived. She also described Iraq so well that it was almost like virtual reality. I don't want to reveal much about this book. Thus, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did! :)
June 19, 2022
Schools out for the summer and that means decompressing for a bit. And what a better way than reading the Queen of Crime. My go to is Poirot but I was intrigued by the Queen of Crime’s stand alone novels of which I’ve never read before. In Baghdad spy rings from both sides of the new world order converge. Least likely traveler turned heroine Victoria Jones finds herself wrapped up in the middle of the spy ring and has to choose which side to trust. Always fun reading the Queen of Crime but I found this departure from her two bread and butter detectives to be a more action, less trite than the ordinary. As I continue to read many of Dame Christie’s cases this summer in between heavier reads I will look forward to the stand-alone cases that might make me think less but are more fun to read.
March 26, 2025
„Среща в Багдад“ е много силен и интересен трилър! Атмосферата в Ирак от 50-те години на миналия век се оказа напрегната и вълнуваща. Виктория се влюбва от пръв поглед в Едуард и решава да го открие в Багдад, като се забърква в доста опасни премеждия...
„Скришом усърдно четеше, щом останеше сама в къщата. Имаше добра библиотека с богат набор книги по археология. Виктория успяваше бързо, макар и повърхностно, да усвоява прочетеното. Неочаквано за себе си, намери този нов живот за очарователен.“
„Скришом усърдно четеше, щом останеше сама в къщата. Имаше добра библиотека с богат набор книги по археология. Виктория успяваше бързо, макар и повърхностно, да усвоява прочетеното. Неочаквано за себе си, намери този нов живот за очарователен.“
February 25, 2020
Another standalone Christie thriller as she returns to the type of storytelling from some of her earlier novels.
Whilst I much prefer her crime mysteries, its certainly true that the much traveled author knows how to transport the contemporary reader to various different countries - this time Iraq.
The main protagonist Victoria Jones is actually quite fun, the short hand typist recent dismissal from work soon leads to a chance encounter with Edward.
Impulsively she decideds to follow him to Baghdad and she soon finds herself caught up in an elaborate conspiracy.
Even though I'm not overly keen when Christie tackles a more action packed storyline, the pacing definitely improves during the later half.
If you prefer a more traditional mystery then stick with Poirot or Marple, but like all her novels their are always good moments - especially the archaeological element.
I'd only recommend it to a Christie complesionist.
Whilst I much prefer her crime mysteries, its certainly true that the much traveled author knows how to transport the contemporary reader to various different countries - this time Iraq.
The main protagonist Victoria Jones is actually quite fun, the short hand typist recent dismissal from work soon leads to a chance encounter with Edward.
Impulsively she decideds to follow him to Baghdad and she soon finds herself caught up in an elaborate conspiracy.
Even though I'm not overly keen when Christie tackles a more action packed storyline, the pacing definitely improves during the later half.
If you prefer a more traditional mystery then stick with Poirot or Marple, but like all her novels their are always good moments - especially the archaeological element.
I'd only recommend it to a Christie complesionist.
May 10, 2018
ليست أفضل أعمال اجاثا كريستي
تسلسل الأحداث بطئ إلى حد ما، وهناك مبالغة في سرد التفاصيل أحياناً بطريقة تربك القارئ ولا تخدم العمل
تسلسل الأحداث بطئ إلى حد ما، وهناك مبالغة في سرد التفاصيل أحياناً بطريقة تربك القارئ ولا تخدم العمل
July 19, 2021
They Came to Baghdad is another thriller by Agatha Christie. I'm now a bit seasoned to the idea of Agatha Christie writing thrillers, so I can get on with her thrillers without much complaint. This particular thriller is based on a cleverly plotted story, only that we are convinced of that fact quite late. :) The beginning of the story was too fantastic and unreal. I couldn't buy it as plausible. Getting into it was quite a struggle. I had to keep my impatience and annoyance under control until I came to the final third. Only then did everything start getting into their proper places.
This thriller is set in a few cities in Iraq, and I must say, Christie has made a good attempt at capturing the middle-eastern atmosphere reasonably well. The story at times reminded me of another thriller of hers, The Man in the Brown Suit, but I found this book had more charisma given its vibrant setting. As to the characters, I was grieved at being unable to form any real connection with any of them. Except for Victoria Jones, none of the characters were fully-fledged. Also, these characters, except Victoria, appeared at random, so their contribution felt inadequate.
In any case, I will not recommend this to impatient souls like me who expect constant action in a thriller rather than awaiting events. But if you don't mind a slow-building action and can endure a lot of talking in the middle, be my guest!
This thriller is set in a few cities in Iraq, and I must say, Christie has made a good attempt at capturing the middle-eastern atmosphere reasonably well. The story at times reminded me of another thriller of hers, The Man in the Brown Suit, but I found this book had more charisma given its vibrant setting. As to the characters, I was grieved at being unable to form any real connection with any of them. Except for Victoria Jones, none of the characters were fully-fledged. Also, these characters, except Victoria, appeared at random, so their contribution felt inadequate.
In any case, I will not recommend this to impatient souls like me who expect constant action in a thriller rather than awaiting events. But if you don't mind a slow-building action and can endure a lot of talking in the middle, be my guest!
July 12, 2026
Lunchtime Listen June /July 2026
Well I was meant to read this as part of a challenge in 2021 but failed miserably as I think that was one of my house move years and they are always stressful. so when I saw it was on offer in a well known listening format I grabbed it for the old Lunchtime Listen. And what a good decision that turned out to be.
Despite having the book, I can see it from where I’m typing, my mother left me all her leather bound full set of Christies, it is one of the few I have never read.
Brilliantly read by Emilia Fox (of the Fox acting dynasty) this was just a great spy / semi romance / adventure mystery.
Victoria Jones at best an average shorthand typist, but a brilliantly inventive liar, is fired from her latest job and is wondering what to do next. Sitting in a park pondering this question she meets the man of her dreams , named Edward, but oh no he is off tomorrow to Baghdad working on some good works project disseminating information to the peoples of Northern Africa. And after a brief lunchtime chat he is gone
Determined she is not going to lose this chance Victoria, despite only having a few pounds to her name, searches for a role that will help her get to Baghdad and follow her new true love on an adventure.
At the same time an important meeting is being planned that will have ramifications for the whole world, the US President and the Russian President are planning to meet in Baghdad.
However some people are out to stop this meeting as world peace and agreement between superpowers, is not on their agenda, and into the middle of this cauldron of espionage walks our plucky but unlucky heroine Victoria Jones.
A great book, and a real fun listen. I shall have to read it soon, and also discover what other of all my Christie’s I have not read.
Well I was meant to read this as part of a challenge in 2021 but failed miserably as I think that was one of my house move years and they are always stressful. so when I saw it was on offer in a well known listening format I grabbed it for the old Lunchtime Listen. And what a good decision that turned out to be.
Despite having the book, I can see it from where I’m typing, my mother left me all her leather bound full set of Christies, it is one of the few I have never read.
Brilliantly read by Emilia Fox (of the Fox acting dynasty) this was just a great spy / semi romance / adventure mystery.
Victoria Jones at best an average shorthand typist, but a brilliantly inventive liar, is fired from her latest job and is wondering what to do next. Sitting in a park pondering this question she meets the man of her dreams , named Edward, but oh no he is off tomorrow to Baghdad working on some good works project disseminating information to the peoples of Northern Africa. And after a brief lunchtime chat he is gone
Determined she is not going to lose this chance Victoria, despite only having a few pounds to her name, searches for a role that will help her get to Baghdad and follow her new true love on an adventure.
At the same time an important meeting is being planned that will have ramifications for the whole world, the US President and the Russian President are planning to meet in Baghdad.
However some people are out to stop this meeting as world peace and agreement between superpowers, is not on their agenda, and into the middle of this cauldron of espionage walks our plucky but unlucky heroine Victoria Jones.
A great book, and a real fun listen. I shall have to read it soon, and also discover what other of all my Christie’s I have not read.
February 15, 2018
This wasn't so much interesting as the others Agatha Christie's books, but my purpose was improving my English knowledge through reading it and listening to the audio.
February 15, 2015
السيدة كريستي العظيمة ملهمتي منذ الطفولة للقرأة مشجعتي التي سحبتني من يدي واشركتني في تفاصيل عالمها الخاص التي تخلقه بفنها الراقي المتفرد و اسلوبها الذكي الجاذب المتكامل في التشويق و الإثارة إنها كاتبتي المفضلة في شتى حالاتها سواءً في روايتها الجيدة او السيئة احب الترحال معها فالعلاقة بيننا ليست علاقة قارئ بكاتب ينظر للعمل بعين النقد هذه النظرة لم تكن موجودة بيننا ابداً فهي الوحيدة التي تغمرني صفحاتها بالسعادة و الدفء حتى لو كانت رديئة في جودتها الفنية انني اتقبل كل ناتج ادبي من يديها فهي قد سحرتني منذ امد بعيد بابطالها وخاصة العبقري بوارو السيد البلجيكي قصير القامة لكن هذه المرة الرحلة لم تكن برفقته ولم تكن المشاهد فيها شوارع وشقق لندن او ارياف انجلترا بل مسرح الأحداث كانت في الشرق , الشرق الذي يأسر الأجانب بتراثه وعاداته وتقاليده وفتنته الخاصة وكيانه الغريب جذب هذه المرة القديرة كريستي إلى العراق لتنسج حبكة رواياتها الرائعة هذه في كل مدنها بدءً بقلب الشرق الأصيل وحاضنة قصص الخيال السحري الخصب بغداد مروراً بالبصرة وبابل وغيرها من المحافظات العراقية لتظهر المؤلفة درايتها بكل اقسام العراق من الشمال حتى الجنوب
و للحديث عن العمل المدهش هذا أحب ان أذكر اركان قوتها التي تمثلت بالرباط القوي المقنع الذي جمع الفصول و السرد الواضح الذي خلق لكل شخصيات الرواية رغم كثرتها زواياهم الخاصة يلعبون فيها دورهم باتقان بدون التخطية على مساحة الشخصيات الثانوية , أيضاً الفكرة التي شملت قصة رائعة وتضمنت مطاردة رومانسية هادئة لم تسلب الرواية البوليسية رونقها بل زادتها جمالاً وصنعت لها روحاً حقيقية يشعر بها القارئ ويتلهف معها لنهاية مُرضية إضافة الى وجود رسالة عميقة في المضمون عن نظرية السلام الدولي واشارة واضحة الى جهة ما متوغلة في كل المراكز و المناصب تحاول بشتى الطرق خلق الحروب واشعال فتيل الكراهية وسوء الفهم بين اقطاب العالم لخلق عالم جديد يحكمونها باهوائهم وافكارهم المتطرفة .
تبدء الرواية بحديث عن لقاء في بغداد سيجمع اقطاب العالم السياسي الولايات المتحدة الامريكية والاتحاد السوفيتي لدراسة وجهات نظرهم المتضادة املاً في الوصول الى نقطة تفاهم في أفضل السبل لإدارة العالم لكن تحقق هذا الهدف مرهون في نجاح عميل محترف وذو كفاءة عالية يدعى كارمايكل في جلب الوثائق والمستندات التي بحوزته لإظهارها امام رؤساء الدول هذه لكشف مخططات مؤسسة سرية مصالحها تتمثل في استمرار الصراع
مغامرة هذا العميل يشارك فيه اشخاص متعددون في شبكة متفرعة لأغراض شتى حتى تتورط شابة لندنية تدعى فيكتوريا جونز وهي بطلة الرواية رقيقة ومرحة ماهرة في تلفيق الأكاذيب تندفع بشغف حب مفاجأ يطرأ على حياتها خلف حبيبها الوسيم ادوارد لتعيش مغامرة خطيرة قرب نهر الدجلة
عمل رائع وممتع حقاً راعيها الرسمي هي الإثارة الانهائية وجودة الترجمة الجيدة انصح بها لكل عشاق أجاثا
من افضل كتب هذا العام حتى الان تستحق الخمس نجوم
متأكدة انني سامنح نفسي جولة في ثنايا صفحاتها مرة اخرى في نفس هذا العام
و للحديث عن العمل المدهش هذا أحب ان أذكر اركان قوتها التي تمثلت بالرباط القوي المقنع الذي جمع الفصول و السرد الواضح الذي خلق لكل شخصيات الرواية رغم كثرتها زواياهم الخاصة يلعبون فيها دورهم باتقان بدون التخطية على مساحة الشخصيات الثانوية , أيضاً الفكرة التي شملت قصة رائعة وتضمنت مطاردة رومانسية هادئة لم تسلب الرواية البوليسية رونقها بل زادتها جمالاً وصنعت لها روحاً حقيقية يشعر بها القارئ ويتلهف معها لنهاية مُرضية إضافة الى وجود رسالة عميقة في المضمون عن نظرية السلام الدولي واشارة واضحة الى جهة ما متوغلة في كل المراكز و المناصب تحاول بشتى الطرق خلق الحروب واشعال فتيل الكراهية وسوء الفهم بين اقطاب العالم لخلق عالم جديد يحكمونها باهوائهم وافكارهم المتطرفة .
تبدء الرواية بحديث عن لقاء في بغداد سيجمع اقطاب العالم السياسي الولايات المتحدة الامريكية والاتحاد السوفيتي لدراسة وجهات نظرهم المتضادة املاً في الوصول الى نقطة تفاهم في أفضل السبل لإدارة العالم لكن تحقق هذا الهدف مرهون في نجاح عميل محترف وذو كفاءة عالية يدعى كارمايكل في جلب الوثائق والمستندات التي بحوزته لإظهارها امام رؤساء الدول هذه لكشف مخططات مؤسسة سرية مصالحها تتمثل في استمرار الصراع
مغامرة هذا العميل يشارك فيه اشخاص متعددون في شبكة متفرعة لأغراض شتى حتى تتورط شابة لندنية تدعى فيكتوريا جونز وهي بطلة الرواية رقيقة ومرحة ماهرة في تلفيق الأكاذيب تندفع بشغف حب مفاجأ يطرأ على حياتها خلف حبيبها الوسيم ادوارد لتعيش مغامرة خطيرة قرب نهر الدجلة
عمل رائع وممتع حقاً راعيها الرسمي هي الإثارة الانهائية وجودة الترجمة الجيدة انصح بها لكل عشاق أجاثا
من افضل كتب هذا العام حتى الان تستحق الخمس نجوم
متأكدة انني سامنح نفسي جولة في ثنايا صفحاتها مرة اخرى في نفس هذا العام
June 30, 2022
This is another spy thriller by the master of murder-mystery—there are a couple of murders in here, but the nature of the spy thriller is that we know, more-or-less, why the victims were killed and who ordered the killing, if not the name of the particular thug. The tension, mystery, and excitement come from the good guys trying to accomplish their mission—to save the world in this case—and not be killed in the process.
This novel is a standalone, with unique characters, yet it is founded in the same basic premise as ‘Destination Unknown.’ Money and talented people in many fields have been disappearing, and an evil organization is growing, planning to destroy most of the world by encouraging the USSR and the USA to escalate their confrontations. Having used this theme twice, I speculate that Christie was concerned about the possibility of nuclear war between the superpowers. As a good storyteller should, she found a way to put a spin on the cold war and make the prevention of Armageddon depend on a few poorly equipped spies. And this was another opportunity for Christie to let British spies save the day with intelligence, experience, and devotion to the cause of peace.
The focus is on Victoria Jones, a typist who goes to Baghdad on a whim and becomes ensnared in the diabolical plot. This is the only plot-point where Christie stumbles: Victoria goes to Baghdad in pursuit of a handsome and charming young man she’s just met in London, who happens to be heading for Baghdad. Christie could easily have set this up more credibly; Victoria could have stumbled into a free way to travel to Baghdad (instead she seeks it out.) However, once you suspend your disbelief on this move, the rest of the story races by with lots of suspense, action, clever detection, and fine spy craft. Written in 1950 or so, Stalin is still in charge of the USSR. Christie doesn’t mention the US president by name, which was the style seven decades ago. (I think it was considered poor manners to use the name of real person in a fictional plot.)
This is a wonderful spy novel that holds up well, thanks to Christie’s crisp writing and her imaginative storytelling.
This novel is a standalone, with unique characters, yet it is founded in the same basic premise as ‘Destination Unknown.’ Money and talented people in many fields have been disappearing, and an evil organization is growing, planning to destroy most of the world by encouraging the USSR and the USA to escalate their confrontations. Having used this theme twice, I speculate that Christie was concerned about the possibility of nuclear war between the superpowers. As a good storyteller should, she found a way to put a spin on the cold war and make the prevention of Armageddon depend on a few poorly equipped spies. And this was another opportunity for Christie to let British spies save the day with intelligence, experience, and devotion to the cause of peace.
The focus is on Victoria Jones, a typist who goes to Baghdad on a whim and becomes ensnared in the diabolical plot. This is the only plot-point where Christie stumbles: Victoria goes to Baghdad in pursuit of a handsome and charming young man she’s just met in London, who happens to be heading for Baghdad. Christie could easily have set this up more credibly; Victoria could have stumbled into a free way to travel to Baghdad (instead she seeks it out.) However, once you suspend your disbelief on this move, the rest of the story races by with lots of suspense, action, clever detection, and fine spy craft. Written in 1950 or so, Stalin is still in charge of the USSR. Christie doesn’t mention the US president by name, which was the style seven decades ago. (I think it was considered poor manners to use the name of real person in a fictional plot.)
This is a wonderful spy novel that holds up well, thanks to Christie’s crisp writing and her imaginative storytelling.
December 4, 2020
This is a Cold War thriller by Agatha Christie,and not one of her traditional whodunits.
It is another of her books with a Middle Eastern setting,as she had travelled in the region with her second husband,archaeologist Max Mallowan.An archaelogist is part of the cast of characters and could well have been modeled on her husband.
The story has an unlikely heroine,Victoria Jones.She gets sacked from her job as a typist in London and while she mulls what to do next,comes across an attractive young man who tells her he is going to Baghdad shortly.
She is instantly smitten and decides to follow him to Baghdad,even though she has no money.But she manages to find a woman who will pay her fare and get her there to be with her man.
Victoria lands in Baghdad and finds herself caught up in a web of international intrigue and espionage.She lies and improvises on the spur of the moment and is offered a job as a spy.
And she does a great job of if,even as she finds herself in mortal danger.But she is equal to the task as she witnesses a man dying in her bed and is kidnapped herself.
She escapes and plays her part in foiling a Communist conspiracy which could destabilize the world.Christie keeps a nice little surprise for the end.
Great fun,though a bit silly at times.I found myself wishing she had written more thrillers.
It is another of her books with a Middle Eastern setting,as she had travelled in the region with her second husband,archaeologist Max Mallowan.An archaelogist is part of the cast of characters and could well have been modeled on her husband.
The story has an unlikely heroine,Victoria Jones.She gets sacked from her job as a typist in London and while she mulls what to do next,comes across an attractive young man who tells her he is going to Baghdad shortly.
She is instantly smitten and decides to follow him to Baghdad,even though she has no money.But she manages to find a woman who will pay her fare and get her there to be with her man.
Victoria lands in Baghdad and finds herself caught up in a web of international intrigue and espionage.She lies and improvises on the spur of the moment and is offered a job as a spy.
And she does a great job of if,even as she finds herself in mortal danger.But she is equal to the task as she witnesses a man dying in her bed and is kidnapped herself.
She escapes and plays her part in foiling a Communist conspiracy which could destabilize the world.Christie keeps a nice little surprise for the end.
Great fun,though a bit silly at times.I found myself wishing she had written more thrillers.
October 5, 2025
I officially finished reading Agatha Christie's bibliography, I kept this last thinking it won't be good, since I don't like her espionage genre but it was wonderful and I had fun.
#The52BookClub
10. Author's Last Name Is Also A First Name
June 28, 2018
2024 Re-read
I am still fond of this book and Christie fooled me again even on the re-read! She uses romantic attachments so skillfully to distract me from what's really going on. I liked Victoria even better this time around. Her lively imagination must be what Christie's mental life was like—always looking for material for the next novel. And I know that Christie was adventurous. You can clearly see her affection for the archaeological community is her gentle teasing of them, describing them as digging as determinedly as terriers. How sadly different is the situation in the Middle East today than it was in Christie's time.
Victoria is a highly self sufficient woman, sure that she can earn her way if given half a chance. Of course it helps that she is attractive and young. But Christie likes to create intelligent young women for her fiction, so Victoria fits the mould. I shall keep watch at the used bookstore and purchase a copy of this title if possible.
***2018 Summer of Spies***
I went into this novel with trepidation, as my friends’ opinions of it are all over the map. I think that reaction to it may be a function of timing & mood—are you in the market for some fluffy, silly spy fun or not?
It does get rather silly at several points—Victoria is remarkably self-sufficient for a Cockney lass who has never been out of London city before. Right after she loses her job, she has a brief encounter with the handsome Edward, which sends her looking for a way to Baghdad! When we are young, we are certainly willing to do ridiculous things to pursue members of the opposite sex that we find attractive, but this is just a bit over the top! Nor does she suffer from culture shock (or not for very long) and is very good at the spy biz, considering her only job experience is typing badly and telling tall tales!
Nevertheless, I couldn’t refrain from speeding to the end, to find out how everything resolved. I could enjoy the cheeky Victoria as she bumped from crisis to crisis and appreciate the other players (Sir Rupert of the swirling cloak, anyone?)
Buddy-reading this with some friends at Booklikes led us to discuss this book vs. Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale (1953). The tale that I had always heard was that Fleming got his spy’s name from the bird field guide to the West Indies (by James Bond), but a bit of googling revealed that Dame Agatha beat him to the name, using it for a character in The Rajah’s Emerald in 1934! Of course, it doesn’t need to be either/or, it could be both/and. There is also a scene early in TCTB where Anna Scheele examines her suitcases for tampering which is apparently very similar to a scene in Casino Royale, so now I must read CR in the very near future, while my tired, middle-aged brain is retaining Christie’s version.
I also have to say that I think this book and Murder in Mesopotamia must have been inspirations for M.M. Kaye when she began writing her “Death in [insert exotic location here]” books. I re-read both Death in Kenya and Death in Cyprus last year and to me they seem to have much the same vibe (although Kaye inserts a bit more romance, the atmosphere remains very similar).
All the comparisons made this a much more enriching read than just speeding through a fluffy spy novel, so I thank my BookLikes reading companions very, very much.
I am still fond of this book and Christie fooled me again even on the re-read! She uses romantic attachments so skillfully to distract me from what's really going on. I liked Victoria even better this time around. Her lively imagination must be what Christie's mental life was like—always looking for material for the next novel. And I know that Christie was adventurous. You can clearly see her affection for the archaeological community is her gentle teasing of them, describing them as digging as determinedly as terriers. How sadly different is the situation in the Middle East today than it was in Christie's time.
Victoria is a highly self sufficient woman, sure that she can earn her way if given half a chance. Of course it helps that she is attractive and young. But Christie likes to create intelligent young women for her fiction, so Victoria fits the mould. I shall keep watch at the used bookstore and purchase a copy of this title if possible.
***2018 Summer of Spies***
I went into this novel with trepidation, as my friends’ opinions of it are all over the map. I think that reaction to it may be a function of timing & mood—are you in the market for some fluffy, silly spy fun or not?
It does get rather silly at several points—Victoria is remarkably self-sufficient for a Cockney lass who has never been out of London city before. Right after she loses her job, she has a brief encounter with the handsome Edward, which sends her looking for a way to Baghdad! When we are young, we are certainly willing to do ridiculous things to pursue members of the opposite sex that we find attractive, but this is just a bit over the top! Nor does she suffer from culture shock (or not for very long) and is very good at the spy biz, considering her only job experience is typing badly and telling tall tales!
Nevertheless, I couldn’t refrain from speeding to the end, to find out how everything resolved. I could enjoy the cheeky Victoria as she bumped from crisis to crisis and appreciate the other players (Sir Rupert of the swirling cloak, anyone?)
Buddy-reading this with some friends at Booklikes led us to discuss this book vs. Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale (1953). The tale that I had always heard was that Fleming got his spy’s name from the bird field guide to the West Indies (by James Bond), but a bit of googling revealed that Dame Agatha beat him to the name, using it for a character in The Rajah’s Emerald in 1934! Of course, it doesn’t need to be either/or, it could be both/and. There is also a scene early in TCTB where Anna Scheele examines her suitcases for tampering which is apparently very similar to a scene in Casino Royale, so now I must read CR in the very near future, while my tired, middle-aged brain is retaining Christie’s version.
I also have to say that I think this book and Murder in Mesopotamia must have been inspirations for M.M. Kaye when she began writing her “Death in [insert exotic location here]” books. I re-read both Death in Kenya and Death in Cyprus last year and to me they seem to have much the same vibe (although Kaye inserts a bit more romance, the atmosphere remains very similar).
All the comparisons made this a much more enriching read than just speeding through a fluffy spy novel, so I thank my BookLikes reading companions very, very much.
September 10, 2022
Bueno no ha estado mal, un libro diferente de Agatha, no tanto de misterio sino de espías y confabulaciones mundiales.
Me ha gustado la protagonista Victoria Jones, toda una superviviente y que con sus historias inventadas consigue salir airosa más de una ocasión.
Sinopsis: Victoria Jones, una joven taquimecanógrafa inglesa, acaba de perder su trabajo cuando de pronto conoce a Edward, un joven que se va a ir a Bagdad a trabajar con el doctor Rathbone, un intelectual. Al verse inmiscuida en una típica historia de Romeo y Julieta, Victoria decide viajar a Bagdad y reencontrarse con el joven.
Sin embargo, una noche Henry Carmichael, agente británico, entra a la habitación de Victoria y muere, no sin antes decirle la palabra "Lefarge" en el oído. La joven, horrorizada, se ve pronto inmiscuida en un mundo donde la astucia sería el arma más eficaz que uno tendría a la mano.
Me ha gustado la protagonista Victoria Jones, toda una superviviente y que con sus historias inventadas consigue salir airosa más de una ocasión.
Sinopsis: Victoria Jones, una joven taquimecanógrafa inglesa, acaba de perder su trabajo cuando de pronto conoce a Edward, un joven que se va a ir a Bagdad a trabajar con el doctor Rathbone, un intelectual. Al verse inmiscuida en una típica historia de Romeo y Julieta, Victoria decide viajar a Bagdad y reencontrarse con el joven.
Sin embargo, una noche Henry Carmichael, agente británico, entra a la habitación de Victoria y muere, no sin antes decirle la palabra "Lefarge" en el oído. La joven, horrorizada, se ve pronto inmiscuida en un mundo donde la astucia sería el arma más eficaz que uno tendría a la mano.
July 21, 2025
"Whenever there is a chance of agreement being reached or any sign of dispersal of suspicion, some incident occurs to plunge one side back in distrust, or the other side into definite hysterical fear. These things are *not* accidents, Victoria, they are deliberately produced for a calculated effect."For this somewhat-rare foray into political intrigue (an entry with more than a hint of Graham Greene), AC takes as her protagonist Victoria Jones - a certain type of feisty, spirited young lady that allows the author a sort of madcap tone on which to anchor the plot.
Christie fans have met 'Victoria' before. She is very much part of what makes up the wisecracking Tuppence character in the Tommy & Tuppence series. She can also be seen in the Nancy Drew-esque character of 'Frankie' Derwent in 'Why Didn't They Ask Evans?'.
Sort of Teri Garr-ish, only British.
But there's also a shading. Victoria Jones enjoys telling lies. ~ not because she is morally compromised or has a built-in deceitful nature; she seems to feel that being able to lie has 'harmless' benefits. ~ and, to her, it can also be sort of... exciting, at times.
Victoria reminds me of the leading character (Lettice Douffet) played by Maggie Smith in the Peter Shaffer play 'Lettice and Lovage'--a woman who regularly needs to 'invent' out of necessity. (I wondered if Shaffer had read this novel.)
But the Shaffer play is more decidedly a comedy - while Christie is simply adding a comic touch (here and there) to offset the heaviness of her larger concern.
Frankly, I wasn't all that sure how I was feeling about this novel as I made my way in. It had a leisurely feel to it, a slower b-u-r-n that didn't seem characteristic of the author. Early on, we get murky bits like:
"And if the meeting comes off--comes off without a hitch--well, it might be the saving of--everything. If some kind of understanding could only be reached--" he broke off.Foggy stuff like that. Even when the 'clues' are a bit more transparent:
There was nothing to show that he was an Englishman, and that he carried with him a secret that influential men in almost every country in the world were striving to intercept and to destroy along with the man who carried it.... the narrative feels impregnable. But then you get to about halfway and - wham! ~ someone flicks the end of the domino line (with a potent monologue).
You will then, of course, have the clarity needed for the sake of the plot... even if the ideology involved remains a bit shrouded in obscurity. (Perhaps that's as it should be; you can then attach a more modern cabal, and the story will feel up-to-the-minute. I had no trouble 'translating' the subterfuge to something current.)
This is a welcome occasion in which Lady Agatha stretches herself in a compelling way. On its surface, it may seem a bit flawed but, for me, it has that unerring, unnerving tension / atmosphere which serves a spy thriller admirably.
September 28, 2018
بصراحة هذه اول كتاب اقرأه للكاتبة العظيمة أجاثا كريستي بعدما كنت اقراء مقتطفات لها, وكانت رائعة جدا وغنية جدا بالتفاصيل والاحداث الكثيرة والممتعة في كتاباتها بشكل جميل ورائع, يجعلك تدخل في احداث الرواية وتكون منغمس في قراءته نعمانها أجاثا كريستي.
هذه الرواية (ولو العنوان في اللغة الانكليزية تختلف بعض الشيء عن العربية وهو (they came to baghdad - انهم قادمون الى بغداد) وعلى رغم انه العنوان لو ترجم بشكل صحيح لكان اجمل واقرب لقصة الرواية ولكن شيء غريب تغيير الاسم.
يدور الاحداث بين اشهر مدن العالم في ذالك الوقت بغداد وبصرة ولندن والقاهرة, كان مدن الاحلام في ذالك الوقت والكل احبوا زيارتها او العيش بيها ولو تعمقنا بعض الشيء لسوف نعرف عمق الرواية من هذه المدن, انا اعتبرت هذه الرواية جاسوسية اكثر من ان تكون لغز او جريمة عادية, واكيد سوف تكتشف هذه الاشياء بعد قرأتك للرواية والانغماس بها مع جميل الاحداث والحوارات بها.
هناك بعض الاشياء كانت غريبة لدي خلال قرأتي للكتاب, الاحداث بعض الشيء كانت طويلة لدرجت احسست بعض الشيء ب الغرابة عن هذه الكم من الاحداث ولكن وحسب رأي الشخصي هذه كانت من قبل الكاتبة لتكون الاحداث طويلة وعدم اكتشافه او حل الاحداث بشكل اسرع, وايظا النهاية جيدة ولكن ليست ممتازة بس الاهم لدي هو القصة كانت ممتعة جدا واتسمتع به واكيد هي من بين افضل الكتب للكاتبة أجاثا كريستي
Honestly this is the first book I read to the great writer Agatha Christie after I read her excerpts, and she was very wonderful and rich in the details and the many events and fun in her writings beautifully and beautifully, make you enter into the events of the novel and be immersed in reading Numana Agatha Christie.
This novel (although the title in English is somewhat different from Arabic and they (they came to baghdad - they are coming to Baghdad) and although the title if translated correctly was the nicest and closer to the story of the novel but something strange change the name.
The events revolve around the most famous cities of the world at the time Baghdad, Basra, London and Cairo. The cities of dreams were at that time and everyone loved to visit or live with them, even if we deepened a bit to know the depth of the novel from these cities. I considered this novel a spy rather than a mystery or a crime. Normal, and sure you will discover these things after reading the novel and indulging them with beautiful events and dialogues.
There were some things that were strange to me during my reading of the book. The events were a bit long. I felt a bit strange about this number of events, but according to this personal opinion it was by the writer to be long events and not to detect or solve events faster. Is not excellent but the most important to me is the story was very enjoyable and enjoy it is sure is among the best books of the writer Agatha Christie
هذه الرواية (ولو العنوان في اللغة الانكليزية تختلف بعض الشيء عن العربية وهو (they came to baghdad - انهم قادمون الى بغداد) وعلى رغم انه العنوان لو ترجم بشكل صحيح لكان اجمل واقرب لقصة الرواية ولكن شيء غريب تغيير الاسم.
يدور الاحداث بين اشهر مدن العالم في ذالك الوقت بغداد وبصرة ولندن والقاهرة, كان مدن الاحلام في ذالك الوقت والكل احبوا زيارتها او العيش بيها ولو تعمقنا بعض الشيء لسوف نعرف عمق الرواية من هذه المدن, انا اعتبرت هذه الرواية جاسوسية اكثر من ان تكون لغز او جريمة عادية, واكيد سوف تكتشف هذه الاشياء بعد قرأتك للرواية والانغماس بها مع جميل الاحداث والحوارات بها.
هناك بعض الاشياء كانت غريبة لدي خلال قرأتي للكتاب, الاحداث بعض الشيء كانت طويلة لدرجت احسست بعض الشيء ب الغرابة عن هذه الكم من الاحداث ولكن وحسب رأي الشخصي هذه كانت من قبل الكاتبة لتكون الاحداث طويلة وعدم اكتشافه او حل الاحداث بشكل اسرع, وايظا النهاية جيدة ولكن ليست ممتازة بس الاهم لدي هو القصة كانت ممتعة جدا واتسمتع به واكيد هي من بين افضل الكتب للكاتبة أجاثا كريستي
Honestly this is the first book I read to the great writer Agatha Christie after I read her excerpts, and she was very wonderful and rich in the details and the many events and fun in her writings beautifully and beautifully, make you enter into the events of the novel and be immersed in reading Numana Agatha Christie.
This novel (although the title in English is somewhat different from Arabic and they (they came to baghdad - they are coming to Baghdad) and although the title if translated correctly was the nicest and closer to the story of the novel but something strange change the name.
The events revolve around the most famous cities of the world at the time Baghdad, Basra, London and Cairo. The cities of dreams were at that time and everyone loved to visit or live with them, even if we deepened a bit to know the depth of the novel from these cities. I considered this novel a spy rather than a mystery or a crime. Normal, and sure you will discover these things after reading the novel and indulging them with beautiful events and dialogues.
There were some things that were strange to me during my reading of the book. The events were a bit long. I felt a bit strange about this number of events, but according to this personal opinion it was by the writer to be long events and not to detect or solve events faster. Is not excellent but the most important to me is the story was very enjoyable and enjoy it is sure is among the best books of the writer Agatha Christie
August 1, 2022
I absolutely loved this book. I listened to the audiobook for this one. Adding to my enjoyment was Emile Fox’s absolutely perfect narration.
Victoria Jones is one of my favorite characters I’ve read this year. She’s so vivacious, adventurous, if not slightly crazy. It starts with Victoria getting fired after very successfully making fun of the boss’s wife just to be overheard by the boss. She then then met a handsome chap in the park. The two instantly make a connection but are disappointed that he’s leaving for Baghdad the next day.
Can Victoria, fresh with new found time on her hands, get to Baghdad to meet up with her new love interest?
An enjoyable mystery unfolds but the star of this one is Victoria Jones who is one of those characters who comes to life in a charming way that makes you want to hang out with her.
Very enjoyable!
Victoria Jones is one of my favorite characters I’ve read this year. She’s so vivacious, adventurous, if not slightly crazy. It starts with Victoria getting fired after very successfully making fun of the boss’s wife just to be overheard by the boss. She then then met a handsome chap in the park. The two instantly make a connection but are disappointed that he’s leaving for Baghdad the next day.
Can Victoria, fresh with new found time on her hands, get to Baghdad to meet up with her new love interest?
An enjoyable mystery unfolds but the star of this one is Victoria Jones who is one of those characters who comes to life in a charming way that makes you want to hang out with her.
Very enjoyable!
July 8, 2026
Betrayed in Baghdad
A review of the William Morrow Paperbacks eBook (September 16, 2003) of the Collins Crime Club (March 5, 1951) and Dodd, Mead & Co. (later in 1951) hardcover originals.
They Came to Baghdad is more of a spy adventure than a crime mystery, so it stands along with the early Tommy & Tuppence stories of Agatha Christie. The heroine Victoria Jones is one of Christie's young, feisty and daring female leads such as Tuppence Beresford or Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent.
Victoria becomes besotted with a dashing young man named Edward Goring whom she meets in England. Edward is a secretary to a publishing promoter in Baghdad and has to return there. She manages to finagle a one-way trip to Baghdad as a lady's companion. Shortly after her arrival, a mystery man dies in her hotel room where he had escaped to after being stabbed. He dies saying the enigmatic final words of "Lucifer ... Basrah ... LeFarge."
Victoria is then drawn in as an undercover operative of British Intelligence who are seeking to stop a mysterious organization whose plot involves causing a world wide conflict between the Western democracies and the Soviet Communist empire of the time. There is a detente meeting scheduled in Baghdad which they plan to disrupt. Will Victoria help to stop them before it is too late?
Christie manages to work in a side plot related to archeological excavations when Victoria hides out at such a dig while on the run from the villains. Christie wrote the novel based on her own experiences travelling with her archeologist husband Max Malloran to Baghdad in the 1930s to 1940s.
The novel They Came to Baghdad counts against my Complete Agatha Christie binge read goal, so I now have 7 novels (including 3 remaining Westmacotts), 2 short story collections, 7 full-length theatrical plays, 2 short 1-Act plays and 1 autobiography left to go.
Trivia and Link
There has been only a single screen adaptation of They Came to Baghdad and that was as an episode in the American TV series Studio One (1948-1958) where it was Season 4's Episode 35 in 1952. Not many further details are available about it.
Addendum
This is a reckoning of my remaining Agatha Christie TBR novels. The novels read are stroked through and those yet to be read are counted on the right hand side of the listing. The reckoning does not include the 3 posthumous novelizations of Agatha Christie stage plays made by Australian writer Charles Osborne, although I was initially counting them as I worked through the binge.
Note: The stroke-throughs cannot be seen on all platforms (mobile phones for instance), but the number count on the right hand side of the remaining titles should be clear enough.
1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles
2. The Secret Adversary
3. The Murder on the Links
4. The Man in the Brown Suit
5. The Secret of Chimneys
6. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
7. The Big Four
8. The Mystery of the Blue Train
9. The Seven Dials Mystery
10. The Murder at the Vicarage
11. The Sittaford Mystery
12. Peril at End House
13. Lord Edgware Dies
14. Murder on the Orient Express
15. Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
16. Three Act Tragedy
17. Death in the Clouds
18. The A.B.C. Murders
19. Murder in Mesopotamia
20. Cards on the Table
21. Dumb Witness
22. Death on the Nile
23. Appointment with Death
24. Hercule Poirot's Christmas
25. Murder Is Easy
26. And Then There Were None
27. Sad Cypress
28. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
29. Evil Under the Sun
30. N or M?
31. The Body in the Library
32. Five Little Pigs
33. The Moving Finger
34. Towards Zero
35. Death Comes as the End
36. Sparkling Cyanide aka Death Remembered
37. The Hollow
38. Taken at the Flood
39. Crooked House
40. A Murder Is Announced
41. They Came to Baghdad
42. Mrs McGinty's Dead
43. They Do It with Mirrors
44. After the Funeral
45. A Pocket Full of Rye
46. Destination Unknown 1
47. Hickory Dickory Dock
48. Dead Man's Folly
49. 4.50 from Paddington
50. Ordeal by Innocence 2
51. Cat Among the Pigeons
52. The Pale Horse 3
53. The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side
54. The Clocks
55. A Caribbean Mystery
56. At Bertram's Hotel
57. Third Girl
58. Endless Night
59. By the Pricking of My Thumbs
60. Hallowe'en Party
61. Passenger to Frankfurt
62. Nemesis
63. Elephants Can Remember
64. Postern of Fate
65. Curtain 4
66. Sleeping Murder
As Mary Westmacott
66. Giant's Bread 5
67. Unfinished Portrait 6
68. Absent in the Spring
69. The Rose and the Yew Tree
70. A Daughter's a Daughter
71. The Burden 7
A review of the William Morrow Paperbacks eBook (September 16, 2003) of the Collins Crime Club (March 5, 1951) and Dodd, Mead & Co. (later in 1951) hardcover originals.
“They’ve got people everywhere,” thought Victoria.
They Came to Baghdad is more of a spy adventure than a crime mystery, so it stands along with the early Tommy & Tuppence stories of Agatha Christie. The heroine Victoria Jones is one of Christie's young, feisty and daring female leads such as Tuppence Beresford or Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent.
Victoria becomes besotted with a dashing young man named Edward Goring whom she meets in England. Edward is a secretary to a publishing promoter in Baghdad and has to return there. She manages to finagle a one-way trip to Baghdad as a lady's companion. Shortly after her arrival, a mystery man dies in her hotel room where he had escaped to after being stabbed. He dies saying the enigmatic final words of "Lucifer ... Basrah ... LeFarge."
Victoria is then drawn in as an undercover operative of British Intelligence who are seeking to stop a mysterious organization whose plot involves causing a world wide conflict between the Western democracies and the Soviet Communist empire of the time. There is a detente meeting scheduled in Baghdad which they plan to disrupt. Will Victoria help to stop them before it is too late?
Christie manages to work in a side plot related to archeological excavations when Victoria hides out at such a dig while on the run from the villains. Christie wrote the novel based on her own experiences travelling with her archeologist husband Max Malloran to Baghdad in the 1930s to 1940s.
The novel They Came to Baghdad counts against my Complete Agatha Christie binge read goal, so I now have 7 novels (including 3 remaining Westmacotts), 2 short story collections, 7 full-length theatrical plays, 2 short 1-Act plays and 1 autobiography left to go.
Trivia and Link
There has been only a single screen adaptation of They Came to Baghdad and that was as an episode in the American TV series Studio One (1948-1958) where it was Season 4's Episode 35 in 1952. Not many further details are available about it.
Addendum
This is a reckoning of my remaining Agatha Christie TBR novels. The novels read are stroked through and those yet to be read are counted on the right hand side of the listing. The reckoning does not include the 3 posthumous novelizations of Agatha Christie stage plays made by Australian writer Charles Osborne, although I was initially counting them as I worked through the binge.
Note: The stroke-throughs cannot be seen on all platforms (mobile phones for instance), but the number count on the right hand side of the remaining titles should be clear enough.
2. The Secret Adversary
3. The Murder on the Links
4. The Man in the Brown Suit
5. The Secret of Chimneys
6. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
7. The Big Four
8. The Mystery of the Blue Train
9. The Seven Dials Mystery
10. The Murder at the Vicarage
11. The Sittaford Mystery
12. Peril at End House
13. Lord Edgware Dies
14. Murder on the Orient Express
15. Why Didn't They Ask Evans?
16. Three Act Tragedy
17. Death in the Clouds
18. The A.B.C. Murders
19. Murder in Mesopotamia
20. Cards on the Table
21. Dumb Witness
22. Death on the Nile
23. Appointment with Death
24. Hercule Poirot's Christmas
25. Murder Is Easy
27. Sad Cypress
28. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
29. Evil Under the Sun
30. N or M?
31. The Body in the Library
32. Five Little Pigs
33. The Moving Finger
34. Towards Zero
35. Death Comes as the End
36. Sparkling Cyanide aka Death Remembered
37. The Hollow
38. Taken at the Flood
39. Crooked House
40. A Murder Is Announced
41. They Came to Baghdad
43. They Do It with Mirrors
44. After the Funeral
45. A Pocket Full of Rye
46. Destination Unknown 1
48. Dead Man's Folly
49. 4.50 from Paddington
50. Ordeal by Innocence 2
52. The Pale Horse 3
54. The Clocks
55. A Caribbean Mystery
56. At Bertram's Hotel
57. Third Girl
58. Endless Night
59. By the Pricking of My Thumbs
60. Hallowe'en Party
61. Passenger to Frankfurt
62. Nemesis
63. Elephants Can Remember
64. Postern of Fate
65. Curtain 4
As Mary Westmacott
66. Giant's Bread 5
67. Unfinished Portrait 6
69. The Rose and the Yew Tree
70. A Daughter's a Daughter
71. The Burden 7
September 17, 2009
Easily one of my favorite Agatha Christie books! The more mystery books I read, the more I realize just how incredible Christie was at what she did.
This mystery centers around, not so much a murder, but the plot of a political overthrow (Is the overthrow a good thing? Or a bad thing? And even, does it exist?). Our protagonist, Victoria, finds herself suddenly placed in the middle of it all, and must decide just how involved she wants to be.
"They Came to Baghdad" has an intriguing blend of all sorts of mystery points: murder, mistaken identity, spies, lies, and even a bit of romance.
I think what really won me over was the detailed and diverse cast of characters, headed by the smart and clever Victoria, who has a fantastic imagination, and an ability to create elaborate lies and stories, but whom fails to tell convincing *true* stories. Victoria isn't really "book smart" and she's not entirely "street smart" but she's clever and has a wonderful ability to never give up, and an optimistic heart that makes her a pleasure to follow through the pages.
Not every chapter is devoted to Victoria's perspective, however, and in the beginning we have several chapters from several points of view. This could have been frustrating and annoying, but for some reason I did not find it so and was instantly drawn in and hooked to each of the mini-stories (if you do find it tiresome, I highly suggest you give the book at least 5 chapters or so, until you settle into the main plot).
This book isn't overly gruesome or graphic, and while there *may* have been a few points I'd have liked better clarification on, overall I thought the mystery was explained nicely and neatly.
Highly recommended!
This mystery centers around, not so much a murder, but the plot of a political overthrow (Is the overthrow a good thing? Or a bad thing? And even, does it exist?). Our protagonist, Victoria, finds herself suddenly placed in the middle of it all, and must decide just how involved she wants to be.
"They Came to Baghdad" has an intriguing blend of all sorts of mystery points: murder, mistaken identity, spies, lies, and even a bit of romance.
I think what really won me over was the detailed and diverse cast of characters, headed by the smart and clever Victoria, who has a fantastic imagination, and an ability to create elaborate lies and stories, but whom fails to tell convincing *true* stories. Victoria isn't really "book smart" and she's not entirely "street smart" but she's clever and has a wonderful ability to never give up, and an optimistic heart that makes her a pleasure to follow through the pages.
Not every chapter is devoted to Victoria's perspective, however, and in the beginning we have several chapters from several points of view. This could have been frustrating and annoying, but for some reason I did not find it so and was instantly drawn in and hooked to each of the mini-stories (if you do find it tiresome, I highly suggest you give the book at least 5 chapters or so, until you settle into the main plot).
This book isn't overly gruesome or graphic, and while there *may* have been a few points I'd have liked better clarification on, overall I thought the mystery was explained nicely and neatly.
Highly recommended!
October 31, 2014
I found this story quite enjoyable, despite being no admirer of Dame Agatha's struggle-for-worldpower-conspiracy plots in general.
The good, old-fashioned Poirot/Miss Marple mysteries are much more in my line.
Great narration by Emilia Fox.
The good, old-fashioned Poirot/Miss Marple mysteries are much more in my line.
Great narration by Emilia Fox.
August 11, 2022
Great literature? No. Realistic story? No. But a fun spy novel from Agatha Christie.
July 24, 2021
Although I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie, I much prefer her mysteries/crime novels to her adventure type books. Written in 1951, this is very much an adventure, with a bored young secretary, Victoria Jones, following a young man she met in a park, to Baghdad on a whim.
This throws her into a fantastic - and dangerous - conspiracy. There have been rumours of a meeting of superpowers to be held in the city, while a shadowy group are attempting to stop it. This results in Victoria having a man dying in her room, being chloroformed, imprisoned and even, like Christie herself, ending up on an archaeologists dig, posing as the archaeologist's niece.
All good fun, with plenty of false leads, conspiracies, bizarre characters and a great setting, which Christie knew well. Still, I must admit I yearned for a country house and some poison....
This throws her into a fantastic - and dangerous - conspiracy. There have been rumours of a meeting of superpowers to be held in the city, while a shadowy group are attempting to stop it. This results in Victoria having a man dying in her room, being chloroformed, imprisoned and even, like Christie herself, ending up on an archaeologists dig, posing as the archaeologist's niece.
All good fun, with plenty of false leads, conspiracies, bizarre characters and a great setting, which Christie knew well. Still, I must admit I yearned for a country house and some poison....
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