Myriam Bussi Bussi itibaren Ban Bo, Laos
Well-paced with plenty of twists and turns - I certainly didn't see 'whodunnit' until close to the end, though I had plenty of guesses! The character of McCaleb had me hooked, and absolutely rooting for him throughout, and the motives and machinations of the villain were pretty twisted and original too.
The Body in the Library Oddly enough for something that seems to be a cliché of detective fiction (the glamorous blonde lifeless in a grand country library) this has a very different feel from most other Agatha Christies. The cast is somewhat altered, throwing in a bit more showbiz than usual but the reassuring presence of the sweet Miss Marple serves to provide a familiar feel. Though enjoyable the resolution is somewhat unsatisfactory and certain aspects of it aren’t really indicated earlier. And the lack of clues to help point the reader in the right direction means that when all is revealed you’re left feeling somewhat cheated. Pocket Full of Rye This is much more what is expected from Agatha Christie, and yet for some reason I’ve never been overly fond of her nursery rhyme themed mysteries. The final chapter lacks the sense that all is right with the world and justice has been done and leaves you feeling perturbed. A Murder is Announced Rather unbelievable at times, and the blatant racism towards Mitzi is just downright uncomfortable. This distracts from the quality of the story and lets the narrative down significantly. The Moving Finger Here the murder plays second fiddle to the romance but the novel redeems itself by well-drawn characters. The main trio are convincing and supremely likeable and leaves you with a feel-good chuckle. Because of the narrative style (first rather than third person) Miss Marple takes much more of a backseat and really the plot could have coped well enough without her.