Piyangie’s
Comments
(group member since May 03, 2020)
Piyangie’s
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from the Reading the Detectives group.
Showing 21-40 of 129
I agree with Rosina that the motive behind the whole thing was absurd. Yet, I found the story pretty exciting. I was led on by such curiosity to know the end result. And as Susan mentioned, I too was reminded of "They Came to Baghdad", only that this was much better. I also liked both Hilary and Peters and enjoyed their subtle romance. :)
I agree with many of you that this was an enjoyable thriller of hers. I'm not a fan of Christie thrillers, but I enjoyed this one.
I didn't suspect Michael at all. I wasn't comfortable with him felt that he was hiding something, especially because of his refusal to meet Ellie with his mother. I felt that his mother might know some undesirable thing from his past and he wanted to avoid being exposed. But I never thought he was a calculating criminal as he turned out to be. Like Judy said it wasn't fair to be misled till the very end with an unreliable narrator, whose conduct and motive when revealed, would certainly make the readers question the story to which they have been listening. Although it was an impressive twist, in the end, the anger and disappointment at discovering that we were deliberately deceived took out all the enjoyment from me.
The "happily married couple" was a bit too fantastical to me. I knew it won't last knowing this is Agatha Christie. My biggest issue, however, was the choice of the narrator.
This didn't go well with me, although I was impressed by her plot twist. I finally realized that her psychological thrillers are not for me.
This was my first read. On the whole, I liked it. It was a good standalone mystery. I found the characters and the story interesting. The ending, although I saw it coming, was disturbing. And I also felt that justice wasn't properly meted.
Rosina wrote: "I have now finished my re-listen, and confirmed my memory of a piece of nastiness that worries me, as clearly being intended as a good option, to protect the reputation of the Leonides family. The ..."That worried me too, Rosina. Just to protect family reputation, two innocent people are to await trial and then be released as there are no evidence. What's worse is that they won't be cleared from public suspicion unless true facts are revealed. I thought Sophia was a fair Leonides and I couldn't understand why she was alright with it.
I also liked Victoria and enjoyed the setup in Baghdad. I think that's what kept me going. The plot was least realistic, and felt at times even silly. But the overall humour was pretty entertaining.
Susan wrote: "If we did pick an alternative murderer, who would it be?..."It would be Iris for me, although I wouldn't know where to look when I learn that she was the intended second victim! :)
Roman Clodia wrote: "the characters are ones we've met before (the super-efficient secretary, the stuffy politician with the cool but passionate wife, the handsome adventurer, the garrulous aunt, the dull husband) ..."Loved this summing up of characters. :)
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Hugh Fraser too. It is always a treat to listen to him. :). I enjoyed this one very much. To me, it is the best of the Colonel Race series.
I had my initial suspicions on Victor, then somehow it got transferred to Ruth. I never thought of Ruth as an accomplice to Victor. And most of all, the second victim business took me by surprise. After all the Agatha Christie's I've read, I was still fooled here :)
Judy wrote: "I'm in Devon on holiday at the moment and visited Greenway yesterday - it is beautiful. Only the ground floor of the house is currently open but there is lots to see."Wow, lucky you, Judy! Enjoy your holiday!
I found Checkmate to Murder in Scribd recently. It wasn't available some time ago, but I'm glad to find it. Hope more and more audio and ebooks of hers will be published.
I've finished this and rather enjoyed it. I think it's because I liked the main duo of the story. :) I agree with Judy that it's a thriller than a mystery. Normally, I don't much enjoy her thrillers, but to my surprise, this one held a certain charm for me.
I've read about two-third of the story. I think this is truly an enjoyable standalones by Christe. I'll check out the spoilers thread once I finish.
I started reading today and so far enjoying it. I'm surprised to learn this is the only historical mystery she wrote.
Judy wrote: "Klowey and Piyangie, I also thought the first Tommy and Tuppence book, The Secret Adversary, was more of a thriller, so I'm getting the feeling Christie went in for these in the early/..."Ah, yes. We read it in February. I've almost forgotten it with all the books I've read afterward! :) I gave it 3 stars, I believe. Personally, I feel Christie is in her best element when she writes mysteries. Not that her thillers are uninteresting; they are fun to read. But, her mysteries are clever.
I finished it last night, and I agree with Judy that it was more of a romantic thriller than a mystery. It's not the standard Christie type and certainly not what I'd expect from her. :)
