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thedeadlyscimitar 's review for:
Death in the Clouds
by Agatha Christie
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Having only just finished Three Act Tragedy a few days ago, I'm happy to report that I enjoyed this one considerably more. The overall plot was more engaging, the setting was more interesting and there were a few characters that stood out to me more than the previous book. Unfortunately though, this book suffered from the same problem as the previous one. While I probably wouldn't have been able to guess the murderer just based off of the clues that were given, I was able to guess due to the same pattern that allowed me to guess the culprit in Three Act Tragedy.
I have noticed that in these novels, Poirot often chooses the person or persons whom he finds most suspicious to join him in his investigation. From his perspective, I can definitely understand why it would be advantageous to keep that person close for the purposes of observation and also as a means of giving that person a false sense of security. As Poirot himself says, people can't help giving themselves away. They love to talk about themselves and inevitably end up letting some important information slip.
However, I also think that this is a ploy on Agatha Christie's part to try an disguise who the true murderer is. The reader is given the false impression that the character(s) whom Poirot seemingly takes into his confidence are above suspicion, when in fact it is often the exact opposite. This plot device worked well a few times, but I feel like it is one that Christie overuses to the point where it starts to have the opposite effect of the one intended. As a result, I've learned to be far more suspicious of the characters who Poirot keeps close to him than of the ones whom he seems to be more interested in openly investigating.
In this case, I found it fairly obvious who the murderer was do to the plot device that I just mentioned. However, unlike Three Act Tragedy, the story itself was interesting enough to keep my interest in spite of this. Despite already having ascertained who the most likely culprit was, I was still very curious to know the how and the why. To be honest, I was completely stumped up until the very end as to HOW the crime was actually committed. I'm also a big fan of the murders that take place on trains, plains, boats, etc. The best of these obviously being Murder on the Orient Express. There's just something about the atmosphere that I really enjoy and it adds a unique flavor to the story. Overall, this book was slightly above average as Agatha Christie books go. I really enjoyed it and I had fun trying to unravel the clues to figure whoduit and how.
However, I also think that this is a ploy on Agatha Christie's part to try an disguise who the true murderer is. The reader is given the false impression that the character(s) whom Poirot seemingly takes into his confidence are above suspicion, when in fact it is often the exact opposite. This plot device worked well a few times, but I feel like it is one that Christie overuses to the point where it starts to have the opposite effect of the one intended. As a result, I've learned to be far more suspicious of the characters who Poirot keeps close to him than of the ones whom he seems to be more interested in openly investigating.
In this case, I found it fairly obvious who the murderer was do to the plot device that I just mentioned. However, unlike Three Act Tragedy, the story itself was interesting enough to keep my interest in spite of this. Despite already having ascertained who the most likely culprit was, I was still very curious to know the how and the why. To be honest, I was completely stumped up until the very end as to HOW the crime was actually committed. I'm also a big fan of the murders that take place on trains, plains, boats, etc. The best of these obviously being Murder on the Orient Express. There's just something about the atmosphere that I really enjoy and it adds a unique flavor to the story. Overall, this book was slightly above average as Agatha Christie books go. I really enjoyed it and I had fun trying to unravel the clues to figure whoduit and how.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder
Minor: Drug abuse