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pbraue13's review against another edition
3.0
One of the "Queen of Mystery"'s rare forays into the world of organized crime (slightly) the plot is less of a detective novel and more of a light-hearted thriller. There are stolen jewels, mysterious manuscripts, oil concessions, compromising letters, a foreign throne, villains, heroes, and mysterious beautiful women - what's not to love. Toss in a murder and you have a very labyrinthine plot that verges on the romantic and requires a lot of suspension of disbelief to get through. It demands indulgence of the reader. I liked the characters (especially the protagonist - Anthony Cade - as he is so mysterious and we never know his true identity or purpose), but it was hard for me to really believe them and believe that some of them make the dumb decisions they do after displaying such smart tact throughout the first portions of the book. Not too bad, but not my favorite either. 3.5/5 stars
soinap's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
2.0
Really dated, and with a lot of really outdated slurs. One that was apparently more general than I'd realized ... and the politics of it all are very British Empire and pro-monarchy. Fun in a "he-man solves it all" kind of way if you like that sort of action thriller. The murder is hardly the point of this story - a mere by-product of the thriller plot.
jmbz38's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
imcraigoc's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
aggressive_nostalgia's review against another edition
2.0
Implausible characters, borderline ridiculous plot, confusing action. I usually enjoy Christie's mysteries, but this foray into international intrigue was not a good track for her (and it reads as uncomfortably dated {the characters don't skimp on classist and racist remarks} instead of as a cozy period piece). Back to Miss Marple and M. Poirot for me.
moiram's review against another edition
4.0
Another ripping yarn in the style of The Prisoner of Zenda, rather than a classical mystery.
darkereader44's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0