SheriC’s Reviews > Midwinter Murder: Fireside Tales from the Queen of Mystery > Status Update

"The Plymouth Express" 4 stars. Still no magnificent moustaches or egg-shaped head, but this is the first Poirot where I guessed the whodunnit before the reveal. Also, lots of almighty little gray cells!

"The Clergyman's Daughter" 3 stars. Only the 2nd Tommy & Tuppence I've read, and this one was much more interesting. The mystery and solution wasn't all that much, but T&T characters were charming.

"The Coming of Mr. Quin" 4 stars. Again, using a version of the parlor storytelling device, but in this case instead of just telling the story, it is a group of people actually involved in the mystery, figuring it out as they re-tell it to themselves.

"A Christmas Tragedy" 3 Stars. The mystery was interesting, but I dislike the story framing of a group of people sitting around and telling a spooky (mystery in this case) story to each other. I thought that device went out of fashion after the Victorian period.

"Three Blind Mice" 4 Stars. You can tell this was originally a radio drama from the structure and the characters. This may be the first AC I've read that doesn't have a recurring detective. She's packed it with misdirects and red herrings, but whodunnit is not hard to guess.

Good Lord, that foreword! Agatha Christie reminiscing on the gluttony of the good old days. The thought of drinking straight cream, and worse, raw cream makes me shudder.