It has been at least 15 years (although it is most probably much more than that) since I first started reading Agatha Christie. You would assume I would be bored of her writing by now. But, no, not at all. In fact, she continues to amuse and surprise me to this day. I guess I will just never grow out of her writing!
Plot
The story is about a man who walks into a murder scene, with a man in a wheelchair dead and a woman standing over him with a gun. He decides to help her cover up the her crime by planting evidence that would indicate toward someone from outside, a person from the past. However, as the day progresses, it becomes clear that the woman is not the murderer after all. She was just trying to protect someone. But almost everyone in the house had motive to kill the victim. So who could it be?
Review
The novel is a very short one. It took me just a few hours to finish reading it. But in this short novel, there is so much going on. Agatha Christie knows how to play with her reader’s (viewer’s) minds. She starts off the story by showing us the murderer. But things are never this straightforward with Christie. The story seems like a regular thriller at first, just a cover-up of a crime scene, without any mystery as such. However, as is always the case, things come forward that make the reader wonder what is going on. What seemed clear at first seems completely hidden a few chapters later.
This was originally a play and was later novelized by Charles Osborne. There were times in the story that actually would’ve made more sense and looked better as a play. But overall it was a good adaptation.
Spoiler Alert
Although I didn’t think so while I was approaching the end of the story, the end was nicely done; it really brought everything together and showcased some human emotions as well.
My rating: ★★★★☆
Book Reviews and Opinions 