BrokenTune

I am so behind with writing reviews that I thought I'd catch up on all my recent Christie mysteries in one.

I really enjoyed all three of these to the same extent: neither pretended to be anything than a straight forward murder mystery. There was hardly any social commentary - and none of which I remember to be dubious (well, not as dubious as some of Dame Agatha's other ones). 

A Caribbean Mystery - sees Miss Marple being sent off to an island for some well-needed rest. At the hotel she soon meets a gentleman who tells her of a murderer who has never been caught, but just in this moment the conversation is cut short. Of course, Miss Marple has to find out if there is more to the story and teams up with the slightly grumpy Mr Rafiel to solve the mystery.

The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side - has always been one of my favourite stories because in this one the background is rather sad and the murder is fuelled by somewhat different motivations than most other Christie mysteries. 

Peril at End House, too, was a great mystery to follow. I did not guess the murderer until the very end. It also has some of the delightful conversations where Poirot pokes fun at Hastings - either about his understanding of women or his admiration for the capabilities of English sportsmen:

"Still no news of that flying fellow, Seton, in his round-the-world flight. Pretty plucky, these fellows. That amphibian machine of his, the Albatross, must be a great invention. Too bad if he's gone west. Not that they've given up hope yet. He may have made one of the Pacific Islands."

"The Solomon islanders are still cannibals, are they not?" inquired Poirot pleasantly.

"Must be a fine fellow. That sort of thing makes one feel it's a good thing to be an Englishman after all."

"It consoles for the defeats at Wimbledon," said Poirot.