Agatha Christie - Sparkling Cyanide (1944)

Christie loves her story-lines where heiresses are murdered for their fortunes. I wonder if it happened often in the 30s and 40s, or if she just didn't like beautiful self-involved heiresses.

Rosemary Barton dies at her birthday dinner - suicide by cyanide in champagne. Less than a year later her husband receives letters stating Rosemary was murdered and he calls in Colonel Race to help him figure out why and whom.

This was a good story - Race doesn't have much more than a cameo in it for most of the book. It's more him trying to convince George to leave things to the police. George doesn't and this gets him killed, so Race steps in to solve the murder, helped by Rosemary's sister Iris's fiance Anthony Browne.

I really like the name of one of the antagonists - Ruth Lessing. Her character was truly ruthless and foolish.

Agatha Christie - Death on the Nile (1937)

This is the 15th book in the Hercule Poirot mysteries and the second book featuring Colonel Race. It's one of my favourite of Christie's mysteries and one of the saddest.

The very poor Simon Doyle meets the equally poor Jacqueline de Bellefort, they fall passionately in love, get engaged and Jackie introduces him to her very wealthy best friend Linnet Ridgeway - who promptly steals Simon away.

Enter Egypt, three months later, on a cruise up the Nile. The newly wed Simon and Linnet are on their unhappy honeymoon as they're pursued by a vengeful Jackie. Poirot, also on the cruise, watches the drama uneasily as he suspects things are not quite what they seem. With Linnet's murder, the theft of pearls, the appearance of Colonel Race on the trail of a foreign agent, and far too many suspects who wanted Linnet dead - Poirot finds a very confusing case that taxes his little grey cells.

I'm always saddened by Linnet's death. She was spoiled and used to getting her own way, but she was only 20 years old and to kill someone so young for money is just so meaningless. Money is an imaginary concept, without worth. Linnet shouldn't have been murdered for it, especially not with the justification that she had betrayed a friend and stolen her fiance as the slim reason behind it all. People mature, they grow out of their feckless youth. Linnet would never have the chance.

I'm still quite fond of Colonel Race. He doesn't have Poirot's skill at puzzling out the truth, but he's such a comforting character. I've liked watching him develop through Christie's novels.

Agatha Christie - The Man In The Brown Suit (1924)

 I read this Christie mystery at least once a year and it will always be one of my favourite-of-all-time novels. Not just because I'm half in love with Colonel Race either *sigh*. It's all of the characters, they feel so real and the adventure feels such fun. I'm there in Africa with Anne, I'm not just reading about it. I'm living the story.

Christie is one of the greatest authors ever, but I consider this in her top 10 best. The story is set in Africa (most of the time), with a master criminal who is charming and adorable, handsome dashing heroes and an in omnia paratus heroine - Anne. All of whom are searching for a murderer and Kimberley diamonds.

Anne is brilliant - she's so vibrant, ebullient, sparkling, vivacious... there just aren't enough words for how lively she is. You can feel Anne throughout the novel, everything she does and says. I couldn't relate to her one bit, I don't want to emulate her in any ways, I definitely didn't approve of the hero she chose for her husband - but I still adore her!

The only part of this novel that made me sad was the point where Colonel Race is described as a big game hunter (he's really British secret service, thankfully). I know everyone thought it was a fair fight back then, a bunch of guns and an unaware animal. But, I don't and never will. I know it continues today on private safari-slaughter sites in Africa and I'm appalled by it. Anyways, ending the rant - still a great novel!