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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
tense
fast-paced
Not one of Christie's best, but she's such a good writer that even when the mystery itself is not that great I want to keep reading. A little bit of intrigue, a little bit of romance, and a large cast of forgettable characters.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A medium-good Christie. Lots of social observation, a decent mystery, and a mixed-up family that could plausibly be imagined as real. Finish left a little to be desired, but overall was enjoyable to read. Mixed race character wasn’t particularly well-done and had some core racism that was probably normal speaking at the time. How far we’ve come.
I only have [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391120695l/16299._SY75_.jpg|3038872] to compare this to in terms of [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1589991473p2/123715.jpg]'s novels, but I have to say this one spoke to me far more than the former. It's an intriguing murder mystery, but at it's core it's a story about what makes a family.
The premise is that Jack Argyle was wrongly accused of murdering his mother, and the man who served as his alibi was out of commission for two years due to various life circumstances, and so could not testify. In the meantime, Jack died of pneumonia while serving his life sentence. When Mr. Calgary brings the news that he was the man who drove Jack the night of the murder, however, the rest of the Argyle household - consisting of four adopted children now in adulthood, a father, a secretary, and a maid - have to deal with the case being reopened, and face the knowledge that the killer was one of them.
I mention that the five children (including Jack) were adopted because it is at the heart of the story. When searching the motives, each character has something that could easily incriminate them. Many resent being removed from their "real" parents during the war, and all believed that Mrs. Argyle was too in love with the idea of motherhood to truly provide for her kids in the way they needed.
This then provides reasonable evidence that each member of the household may well be the murderer. The characters go through greater distrust because each person is not "really" their relative. It builds a sort of psychological suspense, as well as an internal scorn of every person in the family.
One thing I think Christie perfected in this novel was the lack of incriminating evidence against one person. I will admit that I often find it hard to see what others find obvious in novels; I can't easily make predictions. However, I do not feel like even the most experienced armchair detective would have figured this one out easily. I, for one, had very firm convictions throughout the novel of who the murderer was. Despite this, however, the conclusion makes sense.
I am hoping to delve more into the world of mystery novels. I sometimes feel like I've been missing out on a lot by not having read them for a number of years. I am definitely glad that I won this novel, and that between this and [b:The Infinite Blacktop|38532150|The Infinite Blacktop (Claire DeWitt Mysteries, #3)|Sara Gran|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523631136l/38532150._SY75_.jpg|58137013], my interest in mysteries has been rekindled.
Disclaimer:
The premise is that Jack Argyle was wrongly accused of murdering his mother, and the man who served as his alibi was out of commission for two years due to various life circumstances, and so could not testify. In the meantime, Jack died of pneumonia while serving his life sentence. When Mr. Calgary brings the news that he was the man who drove Jack the night of the murder, however, the rest of the Argyle household - consisting of four adopted children now in adulthood, a father, a secretary, and a maid - have to deal with the case being reopened, and face the knowledge that the killer was one of them.
I mention that the five children (including Jack) were adopted because it is at the heart of the story. When searching the motives, each character has something that could easily incriminate them. Many resent being removed from their "real" parents during the war, and all believed that Mrs. Argyle was too in love with the idea of motherhood to truly provide for her kids in the way they needed.
This then provides reasonable evidence that each member of the household may well be the murderer. The characters go through greater distrust because each person is not "really" their relative. It builds a sort of psychological suspense, as well as an internal scorn of every person in the family.
One thing I think Christie perfected in this novel was the lack of incriminating evidence against one person. I will admit that I often find it hard to see what others find obvious in novels; I can't easily make predictions. However, I do not feel like even the most experienced armchair detective would have figured this one out easily. I, for one, had very firm convictions throughout the novel of who the murderer was. Despite this, however, the conclusion makes sense.
I am hoping to delve more into the world of mystery novels. I sometimes feel like I've been missing out on a lot by not having read them for a number of years. I am definitely glad that I won this novel, and that between this and [b:The Infinite Blacktop|38532150|The Infinite Blacktop (Claire DeWitt Mysteries, #3)|Sara Gran|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1523631136l/38532150._SY75_.jpg|58137013], my interest in mysteries has been rekindled.
Disclaimer:
Spoiler
Free in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Goodreads Giveaways. Thank you to HarperCollins for listing.
Cuốn này là một trong những cuốn tệ nhất mình từng đọc. Câu chuyện thì lê thê, không có giá trị. Lời thoại rườm rà nhưng không mang nhiều ý nghĩa
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another classic Christie mystery.
This time a standalone without her usual Poirot or Marple.
Dr Calgary investigates the murder of Rachel Argyle after giving an albi to her son Jacko, who was originally found guilty of the crime.
We follow the story from his and various family members' viewpoints as more clue to the real culprit become visible. The story builds to it's dramatic conclusion where all is revealed.
This time a standalone without her usual Poirot or Marple.
Dr Calgary investigates the murder of Rachel Argyle after giving an albi to her son Jacko, who was originally found guilty of the crime.
We follow the story from his and various family members' viewpoints as more clue to the real culprit become visible. The story builds to it's dramatic conclusion where all is revealed.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well written and engaging, but suffers from too many investigators and few to no likeable characters. Still an enjoyable enough read and a good mystery, neither easily solved nor implausible once revealed. Even with the excuse of its age, the book's ableism, misogyny and casual racism detract from Christie's skill as a writer.
I hate to say this but I'm feeling quite disappointed with this book.
The premise really got me excited and intrigued but it might be the only thing I like about it. A mother/wife was murdered and one of her adopted sons, Jacko Argyle who eventually died while serving his sentence. Two years too late came Arthur Calgary and he provided and alibi for Jacko which proves that Jacko definitely didn't commit the murder. So, who did it?
In true Agatha Christie fashion, there are several suspect which I love. I like having a bunch of people to let my suspicion jumps around as I read.
What bothers me was that there wasn't a strong investigator voice. There were things and the characters' annoying point of views (for example, adopted children don't belong to their adoptive families) kept repeating in the book.
Anyways, the ending/reveal just got be really annoyed and was quite anti-climatic :/ I'm sad to say that I had to give this a 2 stars. I'm looking forward to watch the TV adaptation and see if it's better that way lol.
The premise really got me excited and intrigued but it might be the only thing I like about it. A mother/wife was murdered and one of her adopted sons, Jacko Argyle who eventually died while serving his sentence. Two years too late came Arthur Calgary and he provided and alibi for Jacko which proves that Jacko definitely didn't commit the murder. So, who did it?
In true Agatha Christie fashion, there are several suspect which I love. I like having a bunch of people to let my suspicion jumps around as I read.
What bothers me was that there wasn't a strong investigator voice. There were things and the characters' annoying point of views (for example, adopted children don't belong to their adoptive families) kept repeating in the book.
Anyways, the ending/reveal just got be really annoyed and was quite anti-climatic :/ I'm sad to say that I had to give this a 2 stars. I'm looking forward to watch the TV adaptation and see if it's better that way lol.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced