Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot´s Christmas (1938)

“In a big grandfather arm-chair, the biggest and most imposing of all the chairs, sat the thin, shriveled figure of an old man. His long clawlike hands rested on the arms of the chair. A gold-mounted stick was by his side. He wore an old shabby blue dressing-gown. On his feet were carpet slippers. His hair was white and the skin of his face was yellow.”

Old Simeon Lee, the millionaire, invites all his children, even the prodigal son and the unknown granddaughter, to spend Christmas with him. Is he turning into a kind and soft grandfather, or does the old man have other motives for gathering his family around him?

Soon after the family reunion, he lets it slip that he is going to call his lawyer, and afterwards he tells his four sons that he regards them all as weak and useless. Small wonder that the next scene offers “a horrible high wailing scream that died away in a choke or gurgle.” Someone has had enough of the unpleasant tyrant and killed him in an orgy of blood.

Fortunately the local Superintendent Sugden is on the spot, and a vigilant Hercule Poirot is not far away either so though the traditional English Christmas has been spoiled, the innocent can relax and begin to lay plans for the future before New Year´s Eve.

This review is part of Kerrie´s Christmas meme: Suggest a Christmas Title.

Agatha Christie, And Then There Were None (1939)

This British story was originally published under the title “Ten Little Niggers” long before the term ´politically correct´ had been invented.

Ten people are invited to Indian Island (originally Nigger Island) by the mysterious host, U.N. Owen. They look forward to a free holiday, but once there, they are all accused of having committed murder by a recorded voice.

Then the murders begin, following the pattern of an old nursery rhyme called Ten Little Niggers or Ten Little Indians. The guests die one after the other in Christie´s impressive closed-room mystery, while the survivors begin suspecting each other and forming small groups of allies based on whom they choose to trust.

For readers who are not acquainted with Agatha Christie, this brilliant story with the interesting environment and the strong atmosphere of suspicion will be the perfect starting point.

C for Christie, Cleeves, Craig.

Jeg tror, forfatteren Agatha Christie taler for sig selv.
I think author Agatha Christie is known to all my visitors.


Men kender du også Ann Cleeves, forfatter til den herlige Vera Stanhope-serie, og Shetland-kvartetten?

But do you also know Ann Cleeves, author of the brilliant Vera Stanhope series and the Shetland Quartet?


Eller hvad med Elizabeth Spann Craig, amerikansk forfatter, som har skrevet hygge-krimien Pretty is as Pretty Dies?

Or what about American writer Elizabeth Spann Craig who writes the cozy Myrtle Clover series?

You can find Elizabeth´s great blog here.

Agatha Christie, Sleeping Murder (1976)

This cosy mystery begins when young, newly married Gwenda Reed from New Zealand is house hunting in Britain. Before long she has bought the perfect village idyl and is busy decorating and gardening. But why does she feel she knows the house far too well? Gwenda grows scared and insecure but does not understand anything until she meets Miss Marple after a frightening theatre experience. A line from The Duchess of Malfi makes her remember a childhood experience which has been forgotten for eighteen years.

“´And then it happened – like a bolt from the blue – when he said those words - ´ She repeated them in a low, quivering voice: ´Cover her face – mine eyes dazzle – she died young.´

´Again I stood there on the stairs looking through the banister down the hall, and I saw her lying there. With her arms extended – dead.´”

Miss Marple explains to her that she must have stayed in the house as a child and fears that the murder which begins to resurface in Gwenda´s memory has really taken place. The young couple are ready to embark on a murder hunt, but is it such a good idea to try to solve a case where the murderer has felt safe for many years? Miss Marple makes up her mind to stay close just in case …

This may be Miss Marple´s last case, but the appealing old woman is in great shape. This is cozy crime with a good plot, interesting characters and a characteristic, British village environment. So there were many good reasons to pick this one up in the library – perhaps also because I feel indebted to Agatha Christie for the first part of my little story “The Visitor.”

Agatha Christie, Hun døde ung. Miss Marples sidste sag (1976)
Denne hyggelige og stemningsfulde krimi begynder med at unge, nygifte Gwenda Reed er på jagt efter det perfekte hus. Inden længe har hun købt den helt rigtige landsby-idyl og er i fuld gang med at indrette hus og have. Men hvordan kan det være, hun hele tiden føler, hun kender det hele lidt for godt? Gwenda bliver bange og usikker, men forstår ingenting, før hun møder Miss Marple efter en uhyggelig teateroplevelse. En replik fra Hertuginden af Malfi får hende til at huske en barndomsoplevelse, som har været gemt godt væk i atten år.

”´Og så kom det – som et lyn fra en klar himmel – da han sagde de ord -´ Hun gentog dem med sagte, dirrende stemme: ´Tildæk hendes ansigt – mine øjne blændes – hun døde ung.´

´Jeg stod igen dér på trappen og så gennem gelænderet ned i hall´en, og jeg så hende ligge dér. Med udbredte arme – død.´”

Miss Marple forklarer hende, at hun må have opholdt sig i huset som barn, og frygter at det mord, der så småt begynder at dukke op i Gwendas hukommelse, virkelig har fundet sted. Det unge par er straks klar til at kaste sig ud i en forbryderjagt, men er det nu så klogt at give sig til at opklare en sag, når morderen i mange år har følt sig sikker? Miss Marple beslutter sig i hvert fald for at holde sig lige i nærheden for en sikkerheds skyld.

Denne bog er måske nok Miss Marples sidste sag, men den hyggelige, gamle dame er absolut i topform. Dette er hyggekrimi med et godt plot, levende personer og et karakteristisk, britisk landsbymiljø. Derfor røg den med i tasken under mit seneste biblioteksbesøg – og måske også fordi jeg vedkender mig, at bogen inspirerede mig til første del af min egen historie: ”Gæsten.”

Agatha Christie, Murder at the Vicarage (1930)

Cozy Mystery Challenge # 1

I had three good reasons to choose this one as the first in my cozy mystery challenge: it is a real classic, it takes place in a vicarage, and a vicar´s wife plays an important role in it. (See my own vicarage below the review).

As a rule, vicars in British crime fiction are unworldly and impractical, or naïve and boring. But reverend Clement is quite appealing in his total adoration of his unsuitably beautiful young Griselda.

The church warden, tiresome and choleric Colonel Protheroe, is killed when he is going to reveal something to the vicar. A narrow circle of suspects are all gathered in a handful of houses around the vicarage in St Mary Mead.

We are introduced to Mrs Marple through the eyes of Griselda. The kind vicar likes her for her sense of humour, but his wife is more skeptical: “She is the worst cat in the village… And she always knows every single thing that happens – and draws the worst inferences from it.”

The characters are sketched by quick strokes of the pen, and some of the typical ´roles´ in this – as in many other Christie novels – are the gruff ex officer, the spinster, the vamp, the untidy young girl, the naïve or flighty maids, the mysterious newcomer etc.

And of course there is Miss Marple, spinster and private eye by virtue of her observant, or should we say curious, nature. She often works in her front garden with its perfect view of the doings of the villagers, equipped with her binoculars ´for bird watching´. In this first Marple novel she is efficient and perspicacious, but does not appear as sympathetic as in later books.

The police are mainly represented by Inspector Slack, the supercilious type who draws his own hasty conclusions and invariably fails to listen to others. But when everything seems hopeless, Miss Marple takes charge. Fear not, justice will prevail.

See Kerrie´s review on Mysteries in Paradise.


Agatha Christie, Mordet i præstegården (1951)
Cozy Mystery Challenge # 1.

For mig er der mindst tre gode grunde til at anmelde denne bog som den første i min cozy mystery challenge: den er en rigtig klassiker inden for genren, den udspiller sig i en præstegård, og en præstekone har en væsentlig rolle i den. Præster i britiske krimier er som regel verdensfjerne og upraktiske, eller naive og kedelige. Men pastor Clement er i det mindste tiltalende i sin totale tilbedelse af sin ganske upassende smukke og unge Griselda.

Kirkeværgen, den besværlige og koleriske oberst Protheroe bliver myrdet, netop som han vil til at betro præsten et eller andet. En snæver kreds af mistænkte befinder sig alle i de få huse omkring præstegården i St Mary Mead.

Griselda skal til teselskab, og her skal vi møde Miss Marple for første gang. Den rare pastor kan godt lide miss Marple, som ´i hvert fald har humoristisk sans.” Griselda er mere skeptisk: ”Hun er den største sladderhank i byen. Hun ved alt, hvad der foregår, og hun lægger den værste betydning i det alt sammen.”

Personerne bliver hurtigt skitseret, og nogle af de typiske ´roller´ i denne som i mange andre Christie-romaner er den koleriske ex-officer, gammeljomfruen, vampen, den sjuskede unge pige, de naive eller forfløjne tjenestepiger, den mystiske, nyopdukkede fremmede osv.

Og så er der selvfølgelig Miss Marple, gammeljomfru og privatdetektiv, i kraft af sin observante, eller skal vi kalde det nysgerrige, natur. Hun arbejder ofte i sin have, med god udsigt til landsbyboernes gøren og laden, udstyret med sin nyttige ´fuglekikkert´. I denne første Marple-bog er hun effektiv og skarpsindig, men fremstår ikke nær så sympatisk som i senere bøger.

Politiet repræsenteres blandt andet af inspector Slack, den overlegne type, som hellere drager forhastede slutninger og låser sig fast på sin egen opfattelse, end lytter til andre. Men bedst som det hele ser håbløst ud, er Miss Marple selvfølgelig på pletten.

Se Kerries anmeldelse, Mysteries in Paradise, og ´min´ præstegård her under.