Reviews - Ordeal by Innocence

899 reviews for:

Ordeal by Innocence

Agatha Christie

3.68 AVERAGE

cepbreed's review against another edition

3.5

mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

“It's not the guilty who matter, it's the innocent.”

Unfortunately my least favorite Christie novel I’ve read to date. I’m making an effort to read her ten favorites from her collection this year and the synopsis really piqued my interest. My lack of love for this book doesn’t mean it’s bad per se, but it’s hard to stand next to her other masterpieces like The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and And Then There Were None. My main gripe has to do with the ending. I understand Christie’s choices, but I feel as though another murderer would’ve been more compelling because the thing I enjoyed most about this story was the characterization. The Argyle family (+ extensions) is fascinating. I loved seeing the corruption and devolvement of the original victim herself, Mrs. Argyle. As we learn about her family, employees, and others somewhat involved in the narrative we come to understand that looks are deceiving. Where she tried to show off her picture perfect family she was actually only breeding resentment amongst her children. She completely indulged her whims and adopted each child for the same purpose; portraying an air of benevolence. Adopting the children was only meant to satisfy her own emptiness and support the reputation she had gained as a charitable person. The other character that really caught my eye was Mary. She is a twisted reflection of her mother. The entire read through I kept hyper focusing on those similarities. She has latched onto her disabled husband and assumed the role of his caretaker to satisfy only herself. She thinks not of his needs but of what she can do. Just like her mother she thinks she is owed his undying affection, which only causes his frustration with her.

Content Warnings