Murder in Three Stages

by Charles Osborne (Adaptation), Agatha Christie

For the first time in one volume, the three full-length novels by Charles Osborne based on Agatha Christie's acclaimed stage plays Black Coffee, Spider's Web and The Unexpected Guest. With 66 crime novels and 14 books of short stories to her name, Agatha Christie became the best-selling novelist in history, translated into more languages than Shakespeare. But her canon of work extended beyond books into world record-breaking stage plays. Charles Osborne, author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie, has adapted three of her original plays into full-length novels. Combining her typically beguiling plots and sparkling dialogue with his own faithful narrative, this trilogy of ingenious stories can now delight a new legion of fans. BLACK COFFEE: When a plan to recover a stolen formula ends in murder, Hercule Poirot must unravel a tangle of family feuds, old flames and suspicious foreigners and prevent a global catastrophe. SPIDER'S WEB: Discovering a body in her drawing-room, the wife of a diplomat attempts to unmask the murderer while convincing the local police inspector there has been no murder at all.THE UNEXPECTED GUEST: Agreeing to help concoct an alibi for a dead man's killer, an unwitting accomplice begins to wonder if he isn't shielding the wrong person after all.

Genres: Agatha Christie

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Charles Thomas Osborne was a journalist, theatre and opera critic, poet and novelist. He was assistant editor of The London Magazine from 1958 until 1966, literature director of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1971 until 1986, and chief theatre critic of Daily Telegraph (London) from 1986 to 1991. He is the only author the Agatha Christie Estate has ever allowed to produce adapted works in her name. (wikipedia)

Reviews

[Eshal Mahmud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its really entertaining and its quite a shame that her plays weren't as popular as her books because they are just as good!

[Kym Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This triple dose of Christie plays that have been transformed into novels was an unusual way to acquaint myself with three of mysteries that I had not read before. As usual were are secrets, lies and plenty of trademark twists and turns. However I felt that in each case, the murderer was obvious vs some of Christie's other stories i.e. And Then there Were None. I'm not sure that this would have been my feeling with the original plays or whether some of the subterfuge was lost in Osborne's translation of them into prose form. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable and not-too-taxing read to start the year.

[Riccardo Mainetti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vicenda avvincente adattata sapientemente da un'opera teatrale di Agatha Christie da parte di Charles Osborne.
Una storia nella quale si susseguono i colpi di scena e nella quale viene evidenziata la difficoltà di essere crediti, specie per chi ha fama di avere una fantasia assai spiccata

[Francesco · Rating 3 out of 5]

stile: 9
contenuto: 9+
globale: 9

[Iaia · Rating 2 out of 5]

La scrittura di Agatha Christie è inimitabile. Leggere i suoi testi riscritti da un’altra penna ha lo stesso effetto di mangiare il brodo con la forchetta.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read these 3 books separately

[Guanidinio]

Agatha me encanta. Soy del team Poirot a muerte

[Ella Bennet · Rating 5 out of 5]

tre deliziosi romanzi brevi.

un breve commento a questo link
https://ellalestorie.home.blog/2021/0...

[Marijean Miyar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Verity Honor Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is Agatha Christie what more can I say.

The intriguing characters of Black Coffee and Spider's Web were the best but The Unexpected Guest could have been better.

[Alessandra Picco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Al ser 3 historias, algunas me gustaron más que otras.

[Andrea Ika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nearly a quarter-century after her death, Agatha Christie remains the most popular mystery writer of all time. Now, in a celebrated publishing event, fans and newcomers alike are treated to another Christie novel. Created in 1930 as a stage play and faithfully adapted by Charles Osborne, Black Coffee brings back beloved detective Hercule Poirot to exercise his "little grey cells" one more deliciously deductive time... An urgent call from physicist Sir Claud Amory sends famed detective Hercule Poirot rushing from London to a sprawling country estate. Sir Claud fears a member of his own household wants to steal a secret formula destined for the Ministry of Defense. But Poirot arrives too late. The formula is missing. Worse, Sir Claud has been poisoned by his after-dinner coffee. Poirot soon identifies a potent brew of despair, treachery, and deception amid the mansion's occupants. Now he must find the formula and the killer...while letting no poison slip 'twix his low lips.

My thought
Black Coffee is a novelisation by the Australian-born writer and Charles Osborn of the 1930 play by crime fiction author Agatha Christie

The play first opened at the Embassy Theatre in Swiss Cottage (now London's Central School of Speech and Drama) on December 8, 1930, but ran only until December 20. On April 9, 1931 it re-opened at the St Martin's Theatre, where it ran until May 1 before transferring to the Wimbledon Theatre on May 4. It then went to the Little Theatre on May 11, finally closing there on June 13, 1931.The story concerns a physicist named Sir Claude Amory who has come up with a formula for an atom bomb (Black Coffee was written in 1934!). In the first act, Sir Claude is poisoned (in his coffee, naturally) and Hercule Poirot is called in to solve the case. He does so after many wonderful twists and turns in true Christie tradition.
It reads like a novel that Agatha Christie would have wriiten herself. Osborne did a good job of adapting her play into a readable book.I enjoyed that characters and plot and it was hard to figure out who did the deed. A mystery book isn't any fun if you figure out who did it too early in the story.

[Asb · Rating 5 out of 5]

These novelisations of Agatha Christie plays were a good read indeed. Very easy to read and I found myself picturing it all on a stage. The story line of Black Coffee has similarities with other AC stories but still a nice read. Spider's web - classic tale and with a secret passage. The unexpected guest - I thought I had guessed correctly then seemed to be wrong ... and wrong again ... and after the final twist ... I had been correct in the first place!

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh! La pluma de la dama del misterio es deliciosa y de tan inegable virtuosidad, extrañaba al magnifico Poirot, y sin duda las otras dos novelas fueron increibles, cada giro, el lector quizá pretende saber quien es el autor de cada crimen, pero de alguna manera terminamos por errar el camino, y cuando se nos presenta la realidad, es una tremenda bofetada.

[Jack Zivvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly good for this sort of thing, adaptations not by Christie herself can be problematic and although these novelisations still read in places, like plays, they are very enjoyable! A very good book and a solid 5 stars.

[Cleo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though not written by the esteemed author herself, this collection was an entertaining whodunit, filled with classic prose, a cozy mystery setting and echoes of Christie's enjoyable diabolical plot twists.
3.5 stars.