I’d like to wish all visitors to this blog a merry – no, a criminally merry – Christmas. It’s always been a favourite time of year for me, usually made all the better by the fact that despite the tinsel having appeared in the shops for months in advance, I never quite seem to realise that the big day is approaching until it is almost upon me.
Over the Christmas and New Year break, posts on this blog will be continuing to appear on a daily basis, thanks to the advance scheduling function of Blogger.
And since there’s a lot of debate at this time of year about seasonal mysteries, I should say that there’s little doubt about my own top choice. It’s Hercule Poirot’s Christmas, a complex and skilfully plotted novel by the one and only Dame Agatha. If by any chance you are a fan of the traditional mystery who has somehow managed to miss out on this one, you will enjoy it. Classic setting, excellent clueing, a touch of the ‘locked room mystery’ and a neat solution combine to make it one of the best Golden Age whodunits.
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Merry Christmas!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Happy Holidays!
I must confess that I prefer Miss Marple to Proirot. Her mysteries and solutions seem to spring more from an understanding of human nature. His are more "gimmick" related: the train timetable, the missing button, that kind of thing. They are still cleverly plotted, and his character merits all of the attention he has received, but I just like the solutions to the Marple stories better.
Hi Paul. I agree that the stories are of different types and that Marple is the more original and fascinating detective, with her emphasis on the eternals of human nature. What I like about the best Poirots is the combination of complex plotting and fair play detection. The ABC Murders is a good example of this and there are various others.
Belated festive greetings, Martin!
And to you, Sarah - let's hope our paths cross in 09.
Post a Comment