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books_cats_etc 's review for:
The Seven Dials Mystery
by Agatha Christie
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story:
Young Gerry Wade is a pleasant house guest, although somewhat given to sleeping in and coming down late to breakfast… But a practical joke to wake him with a host of alarm clocks hidden in his room comes to a tragic end when Gerry is discovered dead. Is the cause really an accidental overdose, or is there something more sinister at play? And why were seven alarm clocks found lined up on his mantlepiece? The discovery of a mysterious letter mentioning Seven Dials can’t be a coincidence… But who would want to kill Gerry Wade?
My thoughts:
I last read this book a long time ago, and reading it again for the April #ReadChristie2025 prompt of ‘Butlers’, I enjoyed it more than I remembered! It’s a very early Christie novel, first published in 1929, and continues the story of some of the characters first introduced in 1925’s “The Secret of Chimneys”, including Superintendent Battle.
The butler of the tale is Tredwell – long-serving servant of Lord Caterham at Chimneys. Tredwell has stayed on, with other members of the household staff, while the house is rented to Sir Oswald Coote and his wife. Sir Oswald has made his fortune in steel, and it is at a weekend house party hosted by him at Chimneys that the first death of the story occurs.
With the death having been put down as an accident, the Cootes’ time at Chimneys comes to an end, and Lord Caterham returns, along with his daughter Lady Eileen Brent, popularly known to all as Bundle. It is her discovery of an unfinished letter from Wade making mysterious mention of ‘Seven Dials’ that propels her to investigate. And of course, this being Christie, this definitely wasn’t an accidental death! Bundle joins forces with Jimmy Thesiger (another guest at the house party) and Loraine, Gerry Wade’s step-sister, to uncover what has really happened.
This is a fun story, and has a lot in common with the Tommy and Tuppence novels. I enjoyed the quick-paced plot, and of course there’s a classic Christie twist at the end!
In May we read the third Christie novel to feature Superintendent Battle, this time with Poirot alongside, and I look forward to reading more with him soon!