A review by clabepeterson
The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

At this point, I feel like I have a good handle on what an Agatha Christie book looks like. I think this is either my seventh or eighth book by her, so I've started to notice some patterns. The exposition is almost always boring. The characters are usually flat, with some exceptions. And the twist is always pretty brilliant—I've still never called any of her endings. The Secret of Chimneys is no different. Here, the exposition borders on being worse than the goddamn book where she made me google the rules of bridge. Christie immediately greets the reader with a complex political situation in the fictional country of Herzoslovakia—which, on it's own, sounds like a task—but then you are forced to factor in lineage, memoirs, letters, blackmail, "The Comrades of the Red Hand" both US and British meddling, and some guy named Baron Lolopretjyzl. It's a lot, and this is a short book. All of those details end up being more or less important, but they bog the story down, especially at the beginning. Yet, like any good Christie novel, it gets better the more you read. In this case, it mostly has to do with my favourite bunch of Christie characters so far. In particular, Anthony Cade. Cade is our main character throughout most of the novel, and is a charming perspective to see the world through. He's got some snark, which is a refreshing change from the normal Poirot, who can sometimes feel like a bit of a blank slate. Cade drives the plot through the middle of the book, and while much of it is unnecessarily convoluted, it does grip you by the climax. As for that climax—to not spoil it—it was surely a suprise, but not the most satisfying one. The tension is fantastic, but the reveal was a bit underwhelming. Overall, it's very middle-of-the-road. Some interesting characters and great tension get overshadowed by an overly convoluted and boring plot. Worth a read if you love Christie, but she's written much better.