Book Review: The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

What happens when you are reading too many detective books? You expect books with similar name to follow if not same, but with a similar story-line of whodunnit. And with that expectation, I started off reading The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, anticipating lot of suspense, murder mysteries to solve and of course more than one detective. But what did I find!! The exact opposite. And that was a dampener for me and resulted in a lesser rating for this book.

Though the book was written focusing on life in Africa (do not know much, since there is only one other book I have read till now), this has been highlighted by others I have interacted with that the characters and scenes have been kept realistic. Read this line from the book below and you can get a flavor of what is to come and that is good, only if I had a different set of expectations:

The problem, of course, was that people did not seem to understand the difference between right and wrong. They needed to be reminded about this, because if you left it to them to work out for themselves, they would never bother. They would just find out what was best for them, and then they would call that the right thing. That’s how most people thought.

Have you read Indian writers Ruskin Bond and Sudha Murthy and now think of their writing in fiction style and you have this book! Just remember mysteries are a very small part of these stories and you will like it.

Keep watching my blog for more book reviews!

Book blurb: When Precious Ramotswe has only just set up shop as Botswana’s No.1 (and only) lady detective when she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. However, the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witch doctors. This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witch doctors. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency received two Booker Judges’ Special Recommendations and was voted one of the International Books of the Year and the Millennium by the Times Literary Supplement..

About the author: Alexander McCall Smith, often referred to as ‘Sandy’,  is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. For many years he was a professor of Medical Law and worked in universities in the UK and abroad before turning his hand to writing fiction. He has written and contributed to more than 100 books including specialist academic titles, short story collections, and a number of immensely popular children’s books. Alexander’s various series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the popular The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. Alexander has received numerous awards for his writing and holds twelve honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and North America. In 2007 he received a CBE for services to literature and in 2011 was honoured by the President of Botswana for services through literature to the country. In 2015 he received the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and in 2017, The National Arts Club (of America) Medal of Honor for Achievement in Literature. Website: alexandermccallsmith.co.uk Twitter: @mccallsmith

Rating: 7/10

Genre:	Mystery
Book Name:	The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
Author:	Alexander McCall Smith
Pages:	235
Publication Year:	1998

Book Review: C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton

So tell me, as another book reviewer, how do you keep the interest going for reviews of similar books. Which by the way, brings me to a bigger question – how do authors keep the next ones in a series intriguing. And I am not giving credit to shitty Bollywood (a few Hollywood too) movies whose directors/ producers just for the sake of milking the success of first movie keeps on releasing next one in a series.

C is for Corpse is yet another rock-n-roll series where at the very start you know who is the victim/ client (both being the same in this case) and then along with Kinsey, you as a reader, have to explore and find out the correct sequence and motive. But you know all you hear is not true since people morph the telling suit their own personal needs. For example, a character was not so forthcoming to say he/she (hey, I am not giving any spoilers away and hence the neutral tense) was married once. But I tell you, this one is the best so far among A, B and C. So, keep your fingers crossed while reading the book so that there are no more murders in this one.

Next one on the line is, yes, you guessed it right, D is for Deadbeat. Keep watching my blog for more book reviews.

Excerpt from the back cover of the book: C IS FOR CALCULATED How do you go about solving an attempted murder when the victim has lost a good part of his memory? It’s one of Kinsey’s toughest cases yet, but she never backs down from a challenge. Twenty-three-year-old Bobby Callahan is lucky to be alive after a car forced his Porsche over a bridge and into a canyon. The crash left Bobby with a clouded memory. But he can’t shake the feeling it was no random accident and that he’s still in danger. C IS FOR CRIME The only clues Kinsey has to go on are a little red address book and the name “Blackman.” Bobby can’t remember who he gave the address book to for safekeeping. And any chances of Bobby regaining his memory are dashed when he’s killed in another automobile accident just three days after he hires Kinsey. C IS FOR CORPSE As Kinsey digs deeper into her investigation, she discovers Bobby had a secret worth killing for―and unearthing that secret could send Kinsey to her own early death.

About the author: Sue Grafton was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her “alphabet series” featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her earlier novels include Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me she gave us stories that revealed Kinsey’s origins and Sue’s past. Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y.” Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards. Website: www.suegrafton.com

Rating: 9/10

Genre:	Mystery, Thriller
Book Name:	C is for Corpse Kinsey Millhone/ Alphabet series, #3
Author:	Sue Grafton
Pages:	305
Publication Year:	1986

Book Review: B is for Burglar by Sue Grafton

When we have introduced our kids to A for Apple, B for Ball, C for Cat in Kindergarten, why should not we adults also have our own such naming games, right? And it seems that Sue Grafton answered many of our requests, what with her Alphabet series on murder mysteries/ thrillers!

So this is a book where I sort of expected what would happen. What with reading thrillers and murder mysteries back to back since past 6 months, and while having already read the first book in this series written by Sue Grafton. But this book B is for Burglar is the one where I finally started liking the protagonist or the female detective – Kinsey Millhone. In fact, there will be lot many people who would love her character – giving 100 percent of life to one’s job with no holds barred because of personal inclinations. Just kidding! I like Kinsey too. The mystery, of course, is not revealed till almost the end of the book. However, as a reader if you would have paid enough attention, you may have guessed a little this time. I, for one, sucked in this, for I was too much involved in becoming attuned to the regular characters of this series for the next ones to pick up.

Next one on the line is, yes, you guessed it right, C is for Corpse. Keep watching my blog for more book reviews.

Excerpt from the back cover of the book: Although business has been slow lately for P.I. Kinsey Millhone, she’s reluctant to take on the case of locating Beverly Danziger’s sister Elaine Boldt. It’s a small matter that Beverly should be able to handle herself. So why is she enlisting Kinsey’s services? Beverly claims she needs Elaine’s signature on some documents so that she can collect a small inheritance. But the whole affair doesn’t sit well with Kinsey. And if there’s something she’s learned in her line of work, it’s to always follow your instincts. Kinsey’s hunch proves true when she begins her inquiries into Elaine’s whereabouts and discovers that the attractive widow was last seen in a flashy lynx coat boarding a plane for Boca Raton. But the more Kinsey searches for Elaine the more questions she encounters. Is Elaine’s disappearance tied in to the brutal murder several months ago of one of her bridge partners? And what happened to Elaine’s Persian cat who seems to have also vanished? Things take a turn for the worse when a stranger vandalizes the home of one of Elaine’s neighbors and another neighbor turns up murdered. With her reputation and career on the line, Kinsey risks all to find a missing woman and a killer who’s waiting in the shadows to strike again.

About the author: Sue Grafton was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her “alphabet series” featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her earlier novels include Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me she gave us stories that revealed Kinsey’s origins and Sue’s past. Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y.” Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards. Website: www.suegrafton.com

Rating: 8/10

Genre:	Mystery, Thriller
Book Name:	B is for Burglar Kinsey Millhone/ Alphabet series, #2
Author:	Sue Grafton
Pages:	310
Publication Year:	1985

Book Review: A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

Last year I was able to complete 64 books, that too of my own choosing and I am proud of it since long back, I had given up taking book review requests from authors, publishers and publicists.  This meant reading the books I like with no qualms of leaving one in between because it was not interesting or not up to my expectations. And this is how I am going to keep this new year too. It is a pain to search which books to read next once one is done with, I propped myself up on the famous Alphabet series by late Sue Grafton. No no, I do not have any qualms on reading books of newbies, but I am just being my usual lazy. So this is my story of how I picked up the first one in the series – A for Alibi.

While reading the book, the first thing that came to my mind about the detective Kinsey Millhone is that she is a person just like me and you and not like Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot who are self-obsessed that they can solve any crime, come what may! And it helps for a reader to understand her by reading the character sketch of Kinsey Millhone that she is a one with natural human flaws but takes painstaking efforts in coming to a solution and does not sit idle till the crime is solved. However, when compared to other detective series, you may find this slow for the very reason I said in the previous statement but you have to let it linger to like/ get the hang of the reading style. And if you ask me, I started liking this book only from the second book in this series on-wards.

The book is also aptly named since the crime can be committed by anyone because of the methodology of the committed crime and no alibi will hold good in that sense. So what are you waiting for? Rush and pick up this book at the earliest and start on your alphabet series.

 

Keep watching my blog for more book reviews.

Excerpt from the back cover of the book: A IS FOR AVENGER A tough-talking former cop, private investigator Kinsey Millhone has set up a modest detective agency in a quiet corner of Santa Teresa, California. A twice-divorced loner with few personal possessions and fewer personal attachments, she’s got a soft spot for underdogs and lost causes. A IS FOR ACCUSED That’s why she draws desperate clients like Nikki Fife. Eight years ago, she was convicted of killing her philandering husband. Now she’s out on parole and needs Kinsey’s help to find the real killer. But after all this time, clearing Nikki’s bad name won’t be easy. A IS FOR ALIBI If there’s one thing that makes Kinsey Millhone feel alive, it’s playing on the edge. When her investigation turns up a second corpse, more suspects, and a new reason to kill, Kinsey discovers that the edge is closer―and sharper―than she imagined.

About the author: Sue Grafton was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her “alphabet series” featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her earlier novels include Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me she gave us stories that revealed Kinsey’s origins and Sue’s past. Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y.” Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards. Website: www.suegrafton.com

Rating: 8/10

Genre:	Mystery, Thriller
Book Name:	A is for Alibi Kinsey Millhone/ Alphabet series, #1
Author:	Sue Grafton
Pages:	320
Publication Year:	1982

Book Review: The Big Bow Mystery by Israel Zangwill

Genre:	Mystery, Thriller
Book Name:	The Big Bow Mystery
Author:	Israel Zangwill
Pages:	160
Publication Year:	1892

So, it so happened that after reading so many locked room mysteries by Agatha Christie, I wanted to explore books on similar analogy. Googling the concept gave the result of top books among which I found the summary of  The Big Bow Mystery most interesting. So, here is my story on how I started reading this book since this was also available free for Kindle devices through Project Gutenberg.

Keeping the mystery to mute in this review, the book has several interesting characters where the conversation and dialogues are kept simple. The twists and turns are handled beautifully, not what I had expected to be. The so-called sleuth seems to have a slight cocky attitude like Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. But ah, the end, it is fabulous.  Only if, as a reader, we could also have participated in solving the mystery, it would have been perfect. However, luckily, the mystery books are not kept open-ended and most of the times, readers reach an end. Overall, this book is worth picking up.

 

Keep watching my blog for more book reviews.

Excerpt from the back cover of the book: East End landlady Mrs Drabdump is alarmed when she cannot rouse her lodger Arthur Constant. She summons the assistance of her neighbour, retired Scotland Yard detective George Grodman. He breaks down the door to Constant’s room, only to find the man lying dead on his bed, with a deep-cut to his throat. No-one it seems, could have got in or out of the locked room and there is no sign of the murder weapon. Who was the killer and how will he be identified? A man is condemned to death for the seemingly impossible crime but Grodman is unconvinced that he is guilty. With its sardonic style and vivid, Dickensian characters, Zangwill’s short novel remains a cleverly plotted and ingenious murder mystery which will still appeal to readers today.

About the author: Israel Zangwill was a British novelist, short-story writer, dramatist and a Zionist leader.

Rating: 8/10

Book Review: A Pocket Full of Rye by Agatha Christie

Genre:	Mystery, Thriller
Book Name:	A Pocket Full of Rye
Author:	Agatha Christie
Pages:	315
Publication Year:	1932

I guess this book A Pocket Full of Rye ends my addiction of Agatha Christie for this year. Oh no no, the book is not bad. Then what, you ask! I am just bluffing. Just check the date on which this post is written – just a week to go and not much time left for the new year to come in and I have to complete my current book Coffee, Tea or Me and two more book reviews. Too much on my palette, right? But breaking addiction is difficult and this year I had let go of many many things but I am proud that I was able to sustain the temptation and to start a new journey altogether.

So this book again helped me in figuring out how authors find inspiration. For Agatha, it is also rhymes since two or more have already featured at the cusp of different books, for example And Then There Were None. So, let me give you a hint on where to focus to find the murderer. Read the poem carefully while you go ahead with turning the pages of the book (and hey, I am not misguiding you, I swear):

Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing;
Wasn’t that a dainty dish,
To set before the king.

The king was in his counting house,
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlour,
Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes,
When down came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.

Keep watching my blog for more book reviews.

Excerpt from the back cover of the book: A handful of grain is found in the pocket of a murdered businessman! Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his ‘counting house’ when he suffered an agonising and sudden death. On later inspection, the pockets of the deceased were found to contain traces of cereals. Yet, it was the incident in the parlour which confirmed Jane Marple’s suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme!

About the author: Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote eighty crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and several other books. Her books have sold roughly four billion copies and have been translated into 45 languages. She is the creator of the two most enduring figures in crime literature – Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple – and author of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre. Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan. To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club. In the 1971 New Year Honours she was promoted Dame Commande. Twitter: @agathachristie Website: www.agathachristie.com

Rating: 8/10

Book Review: The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

Genre:	Mystery, Thriller
Book Name:	The Thirteen Problems / The Tuesday Club Murders
Author:	Agatha Christie
Pages:	315
Publication Year:	1932

I thought I had read it all – all forms of Agatha Christie books – novels, playwrights etc, but there is one I recently discovered – short stories too. Agatha Christie is really the queen of mystery in the way she is able to hold off the mystery and solution in such delicate way in even a few pages. Hats off to her!

And who better to solve these short mysteries other than Miss Marple who is champion in analyzing human behavior through just a simple description of the characters. However, I believe that it is too much since the narrator may be prejudiced in favoring a given character basis his/ her own valuation. But but but, we are here talking about a short story collection where the narrator is none other than Agatha Christie herself in the garb of other people, and so we as a reader get a foray into the minds of Miss Marple  and deriving solutions in a marvelous way. In fact, it reminded me of the recent board game I had played – Sherlock Holmes series where the reader along with a team has to solve the case with minimum number of steps, oh that was so exhaustive – a sleuthing game that took us 5 hours.

Keep watching my blog for more of Agatha Christie books.

Excerpt from the back cover of the book: The unifying premise for this short story collection is the Tuesday Club: six people who meet socially one evening at Jane Marple’s home and then decide to meet regularly each Tuesday night to solve a mystery which a group member must relate. Unsolved mysteries… When author Raymond West proposes a regular gathering of friends with unique and disparate outlooks to solve mysteries, the Tuesday Night Club is formed.

About the author: Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote eighty crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and several other books. Her books have sold roughly four billion copies and have been translated into 45 languages. She is the creator of the two most enduring figures in crime literature – Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple – and author of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre. Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan. To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club. In the 1971 New Year Honours she was promoted Dame Commande. Twitter: @agathachristie Website: www.agathachristie.com

Rating: 9/10

Book Review: Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

Genre:	Mystery, Thriller
Book Name:	Cards on the Table
Author:	Agatha Christie
Pages:	324
Publication Year:	1936

This post is my 20th book review of Agatha Christie books and I wonder how to differentiate review of one book from the other since I like most of them, which makes me wonder how writers keep variety. If I am not even able to manage a 200 words post on each book, it takes so much more to write 200-300 pages of an entire book catering to the readers on the same genre. And that is where most writers of these days flounder – one book becomes a hit, probably 3-4 more, and then it is doom. A reader has to simply swear off them later!

This time Cards on the Table is an interesting take since it is not only Hercule Poirot who is the intelligent one. Of course, Poirot does draw the book to conclusion, but it is the others who lead him on to the correct path. The setup is excellent where the suspect is definitely one of the four playing cards in the same room as victim. However, till the end, I expected a third party altogether to just strike off this list. My bad! Thankfully, no Hastings this time, since we have our own Agatha Christie in the guise of Ms. Oliver playing the role, but not simply as a side-kick. Oh sorry, no more clues from my end, otherwise how better am I than other reviewers detailing story-line in the book review itself. Why would anyone want to kill the suspense from a prospective book reader I wonder! So, go ahead and enjoy the book!

Keep watching my blog for more of Agatha Christie books.

Excerpt from the back cover of the book: It was the match-up of the century: four sleuths – Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard; Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, famed writer of detective stories; Col. Race of His Majesty’s Secret Service; and the incomparable Hercule Poirot – invited to play bridge with four specially invited guests, each of whom had gotten away with murder! But before the first rubber was completed, the host was dead.

About the author: Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote eighty crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and several other books. Her books have sold roughly four billion copies and have been translated into 45 languages. She is the creator of the two most enduring figures in crime literature – Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple – and author of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre. Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan. To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club. In the 1971 New Year Honours she was promoted Dame Commande. Twitter: @agathachristie Website: www.agathachristie.com

Rating: 8/10

Book Review: A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie

Genre:	Mystery, Thriller
Book Name:	A Caribbean Mystery
Author:	Agatha Christie
Pages:	224
Publication Year:	1964

So you like reading fast-paced murder mysteries, then Miss Marple series is not the one for you. In fact, just a confession, I myself had not liked it when I had started off with Agatha Christie in my 9th class, it was all Hercule Poirot only. However, it has been years and since I can now (understand, oh sorry, the word is….) appreciate variety in characters, it is Miss Marple who seems more charming to me now. So here’s to another book review of a thriller featuring Miss Marple.

A Caribbean Mystery is again locked room mystery-kind since the murderer is among the holiday-ers on the island and there is not one but two victims and more to go. Just wondering, when someone keeps on talking yap-yap-yap about one’s golden days, or childhood or corporate jargon, how do you react? At one point, you shutdown, right? And this lays the foundation of the first murder. So keep your attention and do not lay it waver, you may be after-all becoming a detective, or if not, at least will earn brownie points of the people around you or help you in climbing corporate ladder.

Keep watching my blog for more of Agatha Christie books.

Excerpt from the back cover of the book: Stricken with arthritis, Miss Jane Marple has packed herself off, at the insistence of her nephew, for some rest and relaxation at a resort in the Caribbean. The sea is sublime and the weather is fine in this quiet paradise so far away from bustling St. Mary Mead. But suddenly the calm is interrupted by the death of Major Palgrave, one of her fellow guests at the hotel. Miss Marple finds herself quite disturbed by this turn of events. She’d just spent the previous evening speaking with the major, who’d seemed to her to be in perfectly good health. He’d been telling her about a photograph that he had – “a snapshot of a murderer,” he’d claimed. Convinced that the major’s death was not at all natural, she begins to ask difficult questions. It soon becomes clear that a murderer is lurking among her companions at the hotel, and it is up to Miss Marple to root out this person before he or she can strike again.

About the author: Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote eighty crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and several other books. Her books have sold roughly four billion copies and have been translated into 45 languages. She is the creator of the two most enduring figures in crime literature – Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple – and author of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre. Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan. To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club. In the 1971 New Year Honours she was promoted Dame Commande. Twitter: @agathachristie Website: www.agathachristie.com

Rating: 8/10

Book Review: Spider’s Web by Agatha Christie

Genre:	Mystery, Thriller
Book Name:	Spider’s Web
Author:	Agatha Christie, Charles Osborne
Pages:	231
Publication Year:	1954 (play), 2000 (adaptation)

How good are adaptations, one may wonder! Of course, it depends much on the skill of the person who is doing the same and a little on the work on which it is based. Thankfully, in individuality, the book is written “nicely” (not in a satirical way), but not in Agatha Christie books’ way. There is no sleuth to take credit to solve the murder mystery this time, but a general character who did not bat eye to save the person who all thought had done it.

As a play, this must have been a hit – drama with all the necessary twists and turns that may be required to make a play successful. What once made for an interesting instance for an innocent lie, will catch up with you as a reader in Spider’s Web, but how far will you go to lie for a person you like/ love and with what inherent motive, is the basis of this book. Let us give credit to Charles Osborne who did a wonderful job, not like other adaptations I had read till date. So, to conclude, do not read this as a Agatha Christie book, but as a general interesting matter.

Keep watching my blog for more of Agatha Christie books.

Excerpt from the back cover of the book: Clarissa discovers a body in her drawing-room but must discard it before her husband comes home with an important politician. She persuades her house guests to become accessories whilst trying to persuade a policeman there has been no murder at all.

 

About the author: Agatha Christie is the best-selling author of all time. She wrote eighty crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and several other books. Her books have sold roughly four billion copies and have been translated into 45 languages. She is the creator of the two most enduring figures in crime literature – Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple – and author of The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theatre. Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan. To honour her many literary works, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1956 New Year Honours. The next year, she became the President of the Detection Club. In the 1971 New Year Honours she was promoted Dame Commande. Twitter: @agathachristie Website: www.agathachristie.com Charles Thomas Osborne is 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.

Rating: 8/10