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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
For a thriller by Christie (I prefer her murder mysteries), it was a pretty good one! The characters were fairly good, there was a fun romance, and the ending has a couple of twists.
How come I’d never heard of this book, before I swept it up at the 2nd-hand bookshop on my mission to buy lightweight books (suitable for moving across an ocean with essentially only a suitcase and a university acceptation letter, for the time being)? This is one of the best Agatha Christie novels — and one of the best thrillers — I have ever read. The previous AC thriller I read (Passenger to Frankfurt) was quite frankly (pun not intended) promising in premise, but excessively dull in execution. I thought to myself that perhaps AC had tried her hand in thrillers and failed. Fortunately (unsurprisingly?), I was wrong.
Particularly what I think makes the story click is the main character of Destination Unknown (AKA So Many Steps to Death), Hilary Craven: smart, quick-witted, and likeable, much like the plot of the novel itself… A plot which apparently many people agree is boringly straight-forward.
I can see where these people are coming from, being that I think the novel would benefitted from more time being spent on fully developing more of the side characters, however, I’d be one to argue that the plot here is not boring/straight-forward so much as classic.
In essence, this is classic old-time thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed, and would definitely recommend to others.
Particularly what I think makes the story click is the main character of Destination Unknown (AKA So Many Steps to Death), Hilary Craven: smart, quick-witted, and likeable, much like the plot of the novel itself… A plot which apparently many people agree is boringly straight-forward.
I can see where these people are coming from, being that I think the novel would benefitted from more time being spent on fully developing more of the side characters, however, I’d be one to argue that the plot here is not boring/straight-forward so much as classic.
In essence, this is classic old-time thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed, and would definitely recommend to others.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Another Christie that makes me think her standalones are the best - The premise of the book was very different than normal AC's, I quite liked it even if it was bizarre. I was not able to predict the ending, which had been my latest complaint of her books - that her tropes were used so much that you could see everything from a mile away. Isn't the title of the book so apt?
In the first third of the book I actually thought I was going to enjoy one of Christie's spy thrillers. I was wrong. The middle part dragged forever and the end just... The cartoonish villains, the ridiculous depiction of communists, the racism, the hero in blackface . I'm just glad it's over. Giving it half a point because I loved the premise of "I see you're thinking of commiting suicide, why not become a spy instead?".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I last read this in the 90s and really enjoyed it, but now with more maturity I notice flaws. FMC plans to kill herself because she's lost her child and husband, but her grief is barely referred to. Instead she throws herself into the mystery, reconnecting with life, and falling in love again, . This doesn't ring true to me. Still it was a fun, light read
Wonderful escapism and a change of pace for Christie! A Cold War era spy thriller that reads more like Ian Fleming than classic Christie, this novel is somewhat fantastic but still very entertaining. And not totally devoid of murder… she still sneaks one in at the end!
Read Christie 2022: August, Set in a hot climate
Read Christie 2022: August, Set in a hot climate
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No