Agatha Christie Challenge discussion

I just started a collection of short stories, "The Regatta Mystery." I completed the title short story, which features Mr. Parker Pyne, an investigator of sorts. I really enjoy the short-stories, usually. They aren't necessarily the best examples of Ms. Christie's writing, but concise and satisfying none the less.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think? No spoilers, please!

I have JUST started the challenge of reading the books in published order -- based on this site
http://acrccarnival.blogspot.com/

and so am following the list on the wikipedia site (which doesn't list all the books later published by Charles Osborne -- any suggestions on where to find the ones he got into print?? other than Black Coffee) --

and I am almost through the Mysterious Affair at Styles, and I am so loving it! I remember trying to read some of the Perry Mason novels, and hating them -- I thought it was the time period, but if that were the case I should hate Agatha's stories too, and I don't.

Anyway, glad to have this group to share our thoughts with...I remember reading many a Christie novel when I was younger, but I think I focused more on the Miss Marple novels, I liked her better than Poirot.

A note on the Charles Osborne, particularly "Black Coffee": this was a play and so this is just a novelization of the script. So technically, it is based on, not the actual complete work of Christie.

The same is true for the "original" "And Then There Were None." This was the title of the play, which was written after the novel, "Ten Little Indians," but due to political correctness, this title was dropped in favor of the play's title, though the play ends differently than the novel. I have not been able to find a publication of the play version of "And Then There Were None."

I just finished the short story collection, "The Regatta Mystery." Some were better than others, and a varied selection indeed! There are stories featuring many favorite recurring characters: Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Mr. Parker Pyne. Very entertaining. I especially enjoy reading these before bed. I can read one in about 10 minutes.

I'm getting ready to start "Sad Cypress" featuring our old friend, Hercule Poirot. How about you all? Anyone reading anything of note lately?

The next Agatha Christie on my list is either An Autobiography or The Thirteen Problems (also published as The Tuesday Club Murders). I've worked them both into my challenge plans in another group, so I should definitely get to both of them before the end of the year.

Luann wrote: "The next Agatha Christie on my list is either An Autobiography or The Thirteen Problems (also published as The Tuesday Club Murders). I've worked them both into my challen..."

Luann:

Sounds good! I'm preparing for Dame Christie's birthday coming up soon. I thought I'd read the journals that were just published over the spring/summer. I finished "Sad Cypress" and now I'm reading "Evil Under the Sun." "Sad" was a clever story, as usual, but "Evil" is so very entertaining!

Fun, Ruth! I reread "Evil" last year since it is on the Lost Lit List. It had been so long since I'd first read it that I could only remember vague details - which didn't help me in remembering who the murderer was. In fact, the details I remembered to be suspicious of only led me in the wrong direction! :)

I have just the last little bit of "Evil Under the Sun" to finish, but I've had the big reveal by Poirot. Awesome! It's like all the characters & suspects are wine glasses placed on a table with a beautiful white table cloth and then Poirot pulls it out from under them, only to have the guilty fall.

Getting ready for a guest blog I need to write about Christie for her birthday. I'm trying out new phrases. :)

I am currently reading Murder on the Links and am planning to finish it tonight. Still have no idea who did it (which is quite typical of a Christie book for me - I never know!).

I'm finishing up "Five Little Pigs" today during lunch.

I don't know who did it, either. Love that!

I'm reading Poirot Investigates. I've not read any of the stories before, but many of them have made their way onto the tv screen with David Suchet playing M. Poirot and so I'm often not surprised with the solutions & I keep having to banish images from the tv versions. I much prefer to picture things on my own.

I just finished up "The Moving Finger" and really liked that one. Miss Marple is not as predominant a character, and in fact, the main character/narrator of the story didn't even realize she was "on the case" until after the culprit was brought to justice!

I just finished Poirot Investigates (Hercule Poirot Mysteries. A bit samey but a nice collection nonetheless. I've got a bunch of other books on TBR so I probably won't get to The Man in the Brown Suit until January.

I had to skip a bit out of order... My mother is bringing me some books this weekend, so I made due with what I had on hand. I read "Mrs. McGinty's Dead," which I remembered watching not long ago on "Mystery!" with David Suchet. I did remember who-done-it, but it was still very interesting and fun.

Up next? I'm not too sure. Maybe "They Came to Baghdad," which is neither Poirot, Marple nor any other recurring characters for a nice change.

I will be starting Murder at Hazelmoor (aka The Sittaford Mystery) tonight. This book is also a perfect example of the one thing that drives me crazy about Agatha Christie's books - the 2 titles. So many of her works have a British and a US title. Why did the publishers feel the need to change the title when they published it in the US?? I don't get it.

Linda wrote: "I will be starting Murder at Hazelmoor (aka The Sittaford Mystery) tonight. This book is also a perfect example of the one thing that drives me crazy about Agatha Christie's books - the 2 titles. ..."

I'm currently reading a book that's a prime example of that phenomena: "An Overdose of Death." That's the title on the copy I'm using from my mother's collection. BUT, there are at least two other titles: "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe," and "The Patriotic Murders." I think the most appropriate title is "One, Two.." since the rhyme figures very much into the story.

Blame the marketing department. That's all I can say about it. :)

This doesn't seem to happen quite as much as it used to, but it did famously in the case of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" which was first released in GB as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." That book was actually edited differently, too, to make it more palatable to American readers with changes in slang.

Picked up The Man in the Brown Suit on CD today at the library. I have two other audiobooks to finish before I begin it, but it will likely be tomorrow or Christmas Eve...

Turned out that I just got a chance to start it today.

I just finished The Tuesday Club Murders (aka The Thirteen Problems) and really enjoyed it. Sometimes I think I enjoy the short story collections more than the full lenth novels. These were fun and I was even able to come up with the correct solution a couple of times.

I read So Many Steps to Death (APA Desitination Unknown) Tuesday night. It was good, nto one of her best, but still good. This was the BOTM for the Yahoo group Agatha Agape.

I'm also reading Poirot Investigates ... a few stories a week before bed on non-reading nights. This is a group read for a group here on Goodreads...this group? I don't remember!

Christine wrote: "I read So Many Steps to Death (APA Desitination Unknown) Tuesday night. It was good, nto one of her best, but still good. This was the BOTM for the Yahoo group Agatha Agape.

I'm also reading Poi..."

We haven't really started doing group reads - I started this group as a part of my effort to read all the Agatha Christie mysteries.

I finished up "An Overdose of Death," which is also known as "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe."

Next will be "Death Comes as the End." I had to skip "An Overdose of Death" due to unavailability, but now that I went back and picked it up, I'm moving on.

According to Wikipedia, this novel is set in 2000 B.C. and not her contemporary period. Fascinating! I can hardly wait!

Sorry, I meant for other groups...although I thought the 'Poirot Investigates' was a group read for a Goodreads group...wasn't this one?

I'm reading that one bit by bit before bed on non-reading nights. They are all short stories and I think probably all of them have been made into TV episodes with David Suchet as Poirot.

Christine wrote: "Sorry, I meant for other groups...although I thought the 'Poirot Investigates' was a group read for a Goodreads group...wasn't this one?

I'm reading that one bit by bit before bed on non-reading..."

Many of Christie's short stories were trial runs for certain plot ideas she wanted to work out, as well. There are some that were later developed into a full novel.

I got The Secret of Chimneys on InterLibrary Loan, and have read the first few pages. The intro to the story is set in Africa, not very far away from where The Man in the Brown Suit ended, so that's a little odd. I wonder if she did that on purpose?

I just completed a few days ago, "Death Comes as the End." I liked it very much, but it was very similar to an earlier novel so I was able to figure out where Christie was going. The biggest mystery was regarding the protagonist and who would she marry, if they survived, that it. This novel is a bit Shakespearean in the death toll.

Finished The Secret of Chimneys. Very similar to The Man in the Brown Suit and The Secret Adversary, with the "villain" incognito. It bore no resemblance to the Masterpiece Mystery episode.

I probably won't get to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd until spring. That's a re-read for me & I remember who the murderer is, so the interest will lie in the re-visit.

I just finished "Partners in Crime" which is a collection of short tales with Tommy & Tuppence, first introduced in "The Secret Adversary." I had read this book for the first time back in middle or high school, so I thought I'd read it again. I'm so glad I did! I really enjoyed it. I had always loved Tommy & Tuppence, but now rereading these stories from the perspective of a married woman makes them even more resonant.

Right now I'm reading Poirot's Early Cases. I'm always surprised when I find that some stories have been made into tv shows fairly accurately and many of these are fairly close. Reading the stories, though, details Poirot's personality so much better than tv, but since I wasn't alive then I appreciate the visuals of the time.

I'm now reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. This was the first Christie book I ever read back when I was 12 or 13. I remember who the murderer is (pretty much the only thing I do recall about it), so unfortunately the pleasure of the surprise at finding out whodunit is lost on me this time around.

Last night I read the short story, The Dressmaker's Doll, and it was a creepy story with not a very satisfactory ending. It's part of Miss Marple's Final Cases though it's not a Miss Marple story. The Listerdale Mystery and 11 Other Stories are somewhat creepy (there must be a better word for that) but not like this.

Last night I read the short story, The Dressmaker's Doll, and it was a creepy story with not a very satisfactory ending. It's part of Miss Marple's Final Cases though it's not a Miss Marple story. The Listerdale Mystery and 11 Other Stories are somewhat creepy (there must be a better word for that) but not like this.

A Murder Is Announced can be added to the "read" shelf.

I really liked the twist in this story, the way in which it was presented. It's hard to describe without too much of a spoiler. Highly recommended!

I'm off to read They Do It With Mirrors.

Started today on The Big Four. It's another one of these "secret master criminal" stories she was so fond of at the beginning. Except there are 4 master criminals in a secret partnership.

Ruth wrote: "A Murder Is Announced can be added to the "read" shelf.

I really liked the twist in this story, the way in which it was presented. It's hard to describe without too much of a spoiler..."

So I ended up reading After the Funeral next instead.

A rich old man dies, apparently of natural causes. His estranged sister comes to the funeral after a 20 year absence and says in her well-remembered way, "He was murdered, wasn't he?" and sets the other members of the family into a tailspin of suspicion until finally Hercule Poirot is called in to solve the case.

This is classic Christie. Nothing out of the ordinary or extraordinary, but I thought some of the family members were very nicely fleshed out. Quite enjoyable!

Luann wrote: "The next Agatha Christie on my list is either An Autobiography or The Thirteen Problems (also published as The Tuesday Club Murders). I've worked them both into my challen..."
I'm glad you answered that question for me. I'd read The Tuesday Club Murders and was trying to find out if The Thirteen Problems was the same. I know some of the books have different titles in GB and, apparently, some weren't even released here at first. Thanks.

I started out trying to read the books in the order of the three lists at http://us.agathachristie.com/ - Marple, Poirot, and all the rest. But I've gotten a bit out of order listening to some on audio and I've left some of the short stories until latter so I can buy one of those big collection type books. I mostly read the Christie's on my Kindle because they're cheap so that gets me out of order too.

I recently finished Miss Marple's Final Cases, Poirot's Early Cases, and Appointment With Death. The last one was a lot different than the tv movie. The book is much better.

I'm reading A Pocket Full of Rye. Miss Marple just entered the scene and we're already more than halfway through the story and 3 bodies down! :)

I'm now on to The Mystery of the Blue Train: A Hercule Poirot Mystery. I was worried that we were into yet another 'secret cabal of master criminals' story with the first couple of chapters, but now it seems to be settling down to some marital intrigue and surprise inheritor mystery.

I'm reading Third Girl. It's so interesting the passage of time reflected in the perceptions of Poirot and Arriadne Oliver; we're into the 1960s and all that implies.

I'm a newbie. I have seen a handful of Miss Marple stories on PBS (which I love), but I never read any until now. I finished my first one, At Bertrams Hotel, a couple of months ago. This week I bought They Do It With Mirrors, but I haven't started it yet. I have a feeling that I saw this one on PBS, but I may be wrong. Does anyone know if this is the one that Timothy Dalton was in a few years back with Geraldine McEwan? ...Well, even if it is, I don't remember any of it.

Abigail wrote: "I'm a newbie. I have seen a handful of Miss Marple stories on PBS (which I love), but I never read any until now. I finished my first one, At Bertrams Hotel, a couple of months ago. This week I ..."

Welcome, Abigail!

So often the BBC/Masterpiece MYSTERY! versions are so different, you lose very little in the reading. My favorite Miss Marple stories are The Body in the Library and 4:50 From Paddington.

The production you saw with Timothy Dalton and Geraldine McEwan was The Sittaford Mystery which wasn't even originally a Miss Marple story! The producers of MYSTERY! have done this MANY times with stories written with female detectives who were NOT Miss Marple, they just throw her in for good measure. Thank goodness, they've never stooped to having Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot on the same case! I enjoy the television productions, but within their own right; I try to never compare the book to the show.

Ok. That's good to know. I loved 4.50 from Paddington! I just saw it last week. I also like The Moving Finger. But I do want to get into the actual books. So thanks for the heads up.

Abigail wrote: "Ok. That's good to know. I loved 4.50 from Paddington! I just saw it last week. I also like The Moving Finger. But I do want to get into the actual books. So thanks for the heads up."

Those both ARE actually Miss Marple stories, and I really like them both, but also note that Miss Marple is hardly present in The Moving Finger, though she does solve the mystery. It's sort of strange, but I think ingenious of Ms. Christie.

Yeah, I liked it. I will definitely read it later on to see the differences in the book and the movie adaptation. I really loved the cast. I was sitting there with my jaw dropping every few minutes because everytime the introduced a new character, it was someone I had seen in another movie. Telulah was in Pride & Prejudice -the newer version. Emelia Fox was in Rebecca and Pride & Prejudice (A&E version) as Georgiana. Imogene Stubbs was Lucy Steel in Sense & Sensibility (1995). Anyway, I enjoyed it too.

I just finished The Moving Finger and am ready to start A Murder is Announced. I'm planning on reading all the Miss Marple's in order. I must see the production of The Moving Finger--sounds like a lot of my favorite actors are in it. Thanks, Ruth and Abigail!

I'm rereading Nemesis which is a later Miss Marple. It's just wonderful! Whereas some people get annoyed by Hercule Poirot's personality, Miss Jane is always a delightfully pleasant, if somewhat negative person. She expects the worst in people and is never disappointed.

I just started this whole thing, so I recently read both The Mysterious Affair at Styles and The Secret Adversary. I thought that Poirot was hilarious. I can't wait to read more.

Jjo wrote: "I just started this whole thing, so I recently read both The Mysterious Affair at Styles and The Secret Adversary. I thought that Poirot was hilarious. I can't wait to read more."

That's what I think of Poirot! He's such a comical figure, yet so deadly serious in the end. He plays his part to a tee!