Review: THE CLOCKS, Agatha Christie

• 
  I read this as an e-book from Amazon for Kindle
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DCN8G16T
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Horizon Ridge Publishing (August 11, 2024)
• Originally published 1963
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 292 pages 
• previous review:  
• useful entry on Wikipedia

Synopsis (Amazon)

In the small town of Crow's Nest [Crowdean??], a mysterious murder takes place, and the only clue is the eerie presence of four clocks stopped at the exact time of the crime. As the investigation unfolds, a complex web of secrets and lies is revealed, leading to a shocking revelation.

Written by the legendary Agatha Christie, "The Clocks" is a classic whodunit that will keep you on the edge of your seat. With its intricate plot, memorable characters, and masterful twists, this gripping mystery novel is a must-read for fans of detective fiction.

My Take

According to my records I last read this about 11 years ago for my Agatha Christie Reading Challenge when I was attempting to read all Agatha Christie novels in the order in which they were published.

This time I am reading it with my U3A Agatha Christie reading group. It is no, 34 of the 38 Poirot novels. So the purpose of this commentary is to consider what discussion points we might focus on.

So from here on there may be spoilers.

1. There are essentially two interwoven plots:the mystery Poirot works on from his armchair while the police work on the spot, and a Cold War spy story told in the first person narrative.
2. Poirot does not appear until about half way through the novel, and is then essentially a figure in the background, trying to solve the mystery from notes and narrative given to him by Colin Lamb. Colin is mainly involved in the finding of  an espionage manipulator.
3. The initial murder is that of a respectable gentleman, with false identification, found dead on the floor of a blind woman's house by a typist who has been sent there.
4. There are 6 clocks in the room with the man, 4 of them stopped at 4.15.
   
5. There are in the long run 3 murders, so we will discuss why they occurred.
6. I think there were a number of red herrings and a number of facts that are treated seriously, but in fact were not at all essential for us to know.
7. There were a number of plot points that were rather untidy:
1. we are originally told that Sheila Webb has been brought up by her aunt, but then we find that her mother is actually Miss Pebmarsh
2. Why was the body left in Miss Pebmarsh's house. She doesn't seem to have any connection to the murderers
3. Colin Lamb's father is Superintendent Battle
4. Mrs Ramsay whose husband has deserted her seems a bit superfluous
5. other odd things they want to comment on.
   
8. It appears that the plot has been modified at many levels for the David Suchet/ITV production. We usually follow our discussion up by viewing the television program, but I don't yet have a copy.

My rating: 4.2 

All the Agatha Christie novels I have read.

Review: THE PRISONER, B. A. Paris

• 
   this edition from my local library
  
• published by Hodder & Stoughton UK 2022
• ISBN 978-1-399-71022-0
• 365 pages
• Richard & Judy Book Club pick for 2023
  

Synopsis (publisher)

Secrets. Suspicion. Survival

THEN

Amelie has always been a survivor, from losing her parents as a child in Paris to making it on her own in London. As she builds a career for herself in the magazine industry, she meets, and agrees to marry, Ned Hawthorne.

NOW

Amelie wakes up in a pitch-black room, not knowing where she is. Why has she been taken? Who are her mysterious captors? And why does she soon feel safer here, imprisoned, than she had begun to feel with her husband Ned?

In true B.A. Paris style, The Prisoner is a gripping survival story, a twisted tale of love and at its dark heart a thriller to keep you up all night. 

My Take

If you haven't met this author before, put her on your list. 

The narrative swaps quickly between Past and Present. and is told mainly through the eyes of Amelie, who is initially rescued from the streets of London by Carolyn who first of all gives her a home and then gets her a job in a popular magazine. She feels like she has been given a second family. But after she agrees to spend a few days in Paris with Ned, everything goes sour.

Short snappy chapters build the tension. When Ned and Amelie are kidnapped, she is not sure what they have done nor who the kidnappers are, or what they want.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

• 4.5, BRING ME BACK  
• 4.5, THE THERAPIST
• 4.6, THE BREAKDOWN

Review: DORMIE 5, G. R. Jordan

• 
  This edition available from Amazon on Kindle
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BQF9K1DT
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Carpetless Publishing (April 30, 2023)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 239 pages
• Highlands & Islands Detective Book 25

Synopsis (Amazon)

A clash of cultures at a golf club of distinction. The club secretary found sliced on the 15th tee box. Can Macleod and McGrath find the rogue player on the course before some else receives a two slash penalty?

With the building of the new parkland course beside Newtonmoray’s famous old links, tensions rise in the realms of the club’s devoted golfers. But when there is talk of a professional tour event coming to the club and being switched to the new course, the gloves are off in a fight for the event. In the midst of the fervour, the club secretary is found dead over his golf trolley at the picturesque 15th hole. Can Seoras and Hope wade through the club politics and personalities to uncover a brutal killer, or will the clubhouse row lead to more patrons being teed up!

The match might be dormie, but they’ll play to the death!

My Take

It is a while since I've read one in this series and this one has served to remind me of how good they are! The solving of a brutal murder at a local golf course is complicated by the fact that MacLeod has been made Acting DCI but McGrath is still to be made Acting DI. So Hope takes on the lead for the case while Seoras tries to leave her alone, and not to interfere too much. Command structures are not clear and Seoras worries that Hope is not ready for the new responsibilities, while she worries that he will be disappointed in her.

Meanwhile there is a second death but is it the same murderer or a copycat?

You will see from the list below that I love this series.   

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

• 4.5, WATER'S EDGE -#1
• 4.4, THE BOTHY - #2
• 4.4, THE HORROR WEEKEND - #3
• 4.5, THE SMALL FERRY - #4 
• 4.5, DEAD AT THIRD MAN  - #5
• 4.4, THE PIRATE CLUB  - #6
• 4.5, A PERSONAL AGENDA  - #7
• 4.6, A JUST PUNISHMENT - #8
• 4.5, THE NUMEROUS DEATHS OF SANTA CLAUS - #9
• 4.4, OUR GATED COMMUNITY - #10  
• 4.4, THE SATCHEL - #11 
• 4.3, CULHWCH ALPHA - #12
• 4.5, FAIR MARKET VALUE - #13
• 4.5, THE COACH BOMBER -  #14 
• 4.7, THE CULLING AT SINGING SANDS - #15
• 4.6, WHERE JUSTICE FAILS - #16 
• 4.5, THE CORTADO CLUB - #17
• 4.5, CLEARED TO DIE - #18
• 4.5, MAN OVERBOARD - #19 
• 4.6, ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR -#20 
• 4.5, ROGUE'S GALLERY- #21
• 4.5, THE DEATH OF MACLEOD - #22
• 4.5, A COMMON MAN -#23
• 4.5, A SWEEPING DARKNESS - #24

Review: TIPPING POINT, Dinuka McKenzie

• 
   this edition available on Kindle (Amazon)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CDDDGXZL
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins (February 1, 2024)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 355 pages
• (Detective Kate Miles Book 3)

 Synopsis (Amazon)

A suicide. A shooting. And a reckoning, decades in the making. The must-read new Detective Kate Miles novel from 'a born storyteller' (Michael Robotham).

Weeks from Christmas in the sweltering heat of summer, Detective Kate Miles' estranged brother, Luke Grayling, returns home to Esserton to farewell a childhood friend - Ant Reed, dead by suicide. Within days of the funeral, another young man, Marcus Rowntree, is found shot dead in the back paddock of his property.

Almost twenty years ago, Luke, Ant and Marcus were best mates in high school and now two of the three friends are dead. A tragic coincidence? Or is there something more sinister connecting the three men?

When Luke is identified as a person of interest in Marcus's death, Kate once again finds herself in the middle of a media storm, sidelined from the case and battling accusations of conflict of interest. As press attention deepens, and uncomfortable truths about Luke's personal life and past events come to light, Kate is forced to contend between loyalty to the police force, and the bonds of friendship and blood.

My Take

Set in a fictional town in northern New South Wales, this is the third in the Kate Miles series, and shows Dinuka McKenzie again a writer to be watched. 

Closely plotted, tightly woven plot, with a number of themes. In the long run, the final solution came a bit out of left field. The novel explores family relationships, and mental health issues.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

• 4.6, THE TORRENT - Kate Miles #1
• 4.7, TAKEN - Kate Miles #2
  

Review: BURIED, Lynda La Plante

• 
  This edition made available as an e-book by my local library on Libby
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zaffre (2 April 2020)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 450 pages
• Book 1 of 3: Detective Jack Warr

Synopsis (Amazon)

SOME THINGS SHOULD REMAIN BURIED . . .

The gripping first book in a brand new thriller series by the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante.
__________________

DC Jack Warr and his girlfriend Maggie have just moved to London to start a new life together. Though charming, Jack can't seem to find his place in the world - until he's drawn into an investigation that turns his life upside down.

In the aftermath of a fire at an isolated cottage, a badly charred body is discovered, along with the burnt remains of millions of stolen, untraceable bank notes.

Jack's search leads him deep into a murky criminal underworld - a world he finds himself surprisingly good at navigating. But as the line of the law becomes blurred, how far will Jack go to find the answers - and what will it cost him?

In BURIED, it's time to meet DC Jack Warr as he digs up the deadly secrets of the past . . .

My Take

Adopted when he was 5, Jack has never seemed to find something to give a spark to his life. His boss is pushing him to take his sergeant's exams, because he has potential but just hasn't demonstrated commitment. 

But now his adoptive father has cancer, and Jack feels the need to locate or at least identify his birth father. and then he discovers links to a cold case he is exploring.

A police procedural that tags the close line between the law and the criminals.  Jack is torn.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

4.5 ROYAL FLUSH aka ROYAL HEIST
4.5, DEADLY INTENT
4.5, TWISTED
4.6, HIDDEN KILLERS

Review: YOU HAD IT COMING, B.M. Carroll

• 
  This edition made available by my local library as an e-book on Libby
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viper; Main edition (13 May 2021)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
• SHORTLISTED FOR THE NED KELLY BEST CRIME FICTION AWARD
  

Synopsis (publisher)

WOULD YOU SAVE THE MAN
WHO DESTROYED YOUR LIFE?

When paramedic Megan Lowe is called to the scene of an attempted murder, all she can do is try to save the victim. But as the man is lifted onto a stretcher, she realises she knows him. She despises him. Why should she save his life when he destroyed hers?

Jess Foster is on her way home when she receives a text from Megan. Once best friends, the two women haven't been close for years, not since the night when they were just the teenage girls whom no-one believed; whose reputations were ruined. All Jess can think is, you had it coming.

Now Megan and Jess are at the centre of a murder investigation. But what secrets are they hiding? Can they trust one another? And who really is the victim?

My Take

I won't reveal just how Megan knew the attempted murder victim because that would spoil the plot for you. Certainly there is more to this plot than originally meets the eye. It raises issues that would affect anyone who is the victim of unwanted violence and also anyone who has lost a court case, or anyone who has been belittled in court.

The question also arises of how much Megan's situation was engineered. 

Very well written and compulsive reading.

My rating: 4.6

I've also read

• 4.5, THE MISSING PIECES OF SOPHIE McCARTHY
• 4.5, WHO WE WERE 
  

Review: THEN SHE VANISHES, Claire Douglas

• 
  this edition made available by my local library
  
• published by Penguin Books 2019
• ISBN 978-0-718-18791-0
• 436 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Everything changed the night Flora Powell disappeared.

Heather and Jess were best friends – until the night Heather’s sister vanished.

Jess has never forgiven herself for the lie she told that night. Nor has Heather.

But now Heather is accused of an awful crime.

And Jess is forced to return to the sleepy seaside town where they grew up, to ask the question she’s avoided for so long:

What really happened the night Flora disappeared?

My take

A very twisty plot. Just when you think you have it all sorted out, then it takes a sharp turn, and you are forced to think it all through again.

Central is the unsolved disappearance of 16 year old Flora Powell nearly two decades before.  And now her sister Heather appears to have shot dead two strangers and then turned the gun on herself.

This will keep you reading until you know the truth.

My rating: 4.5

I've also read

• 4.6, THE COUPLE AT NO. 9
• 4.6, JUST LIKE THE OTHER GIRLS
• 4.7, LAST SEEN ALIVE