Murder in Retrospect (Agatha Christie)

Murder in Retrospect, also published as Five Little Pigs, was my fifth and final (for now) Christie work.  Like the others, it was excellent.  It deals with a crime 16 years past- the death of a famous painter.  His wife was the obvious suspect, and was convicted; she died in prison shortly thereafter.  Their daughter, a young child at the time, now comes to the famous detective, Hercule Poirot, asking him to investigate the matter, as she's confident her mother was innocent.  He does so, and re-evaluates the crime based on fresh recollections of 5 suspects- the only 5 who could have had anything to do with the murder, if in fact the wife was innocent.  Each suspect writes out exactly what happened from their point of view, and based on their own words, Poirot draws some startling conclusions.

Like any mystery, there are twists and turns, and I'll say no more regarding the plot.

As my reading list forces me to move on to other authors, Agatha Christie has impressed me, and it's easy to see how she's so popular.  Of the ones I've read, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (not reviewed on this blog) is my favorite, but this one is close behind.

Rating: A+

The ABC Murders (Agatha Christie)

Another Christie book, another gem.  This one, dealing with a murderer who kills in an alphabetical pattern, differs from the norm in that you know who the murderer is almost immediately.  In that, it changes from a typical mystery into more of a suspense novel, as you eagerly wait for the police (and the great Hercule Poirot) to realize what you know . . . or what you think you know.

Rating: A+

Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie)

Agatha Christie is purported to be the best-selling novelist of all time, and it's easy to see why.  Her books are quick reads (under 200 pages), suspenseful, and well-written, not relying on things like sex, violence, or gore to keep the reader interested.  She wrote over 60 novels during her life.

The Murder on The Orient Express takes place, as the title implies, on a train from the Middle East heading over the Balkans to Europe.  A man with a dark past finally gets what's coming to him.  As it's a murder mystery, I don't want to give anything away by further discussing the plot.

It's well done, and a worthy read.  I think I can discuss the very end without saying too much- when the murderer is revealed, the detectives involved let the person off the hook, insinuating that the victim deserved his punishment.  I agree, but at that point, the book just ends, and it would have been interesting to mull over that last point a bit more- the book basically endorses, in some cases, a vigilante-style justice.  But, perhaps I'm trying to make Christie something she's not- her works are best read as suspenseful whodunnits, and nothing more.  On that note, she succeeds.

Rating: A

Initial Thoughts on the Dark Knight Rises

I'm excited.  Really excited.  In just over a month, we should be seeing the 3rd and final installment of Nolan's Batman franchise on the big screen.  The plot of The Dark Knight Rises has been kept under lock and key, but interviews and previews hint at something bad- really bad- in store for the caped crusader.  And, as Nolan has repeatedly promised that "this is it" for his association with the franchise, the sky's the limit.

In a recent interview (Here is the link), Nolan references Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities as inspiration.  I'm picking that up now, and I'd recommend anyone eagerly anticipating the film should do the same.  Not only does it promise to be a great book, it should heighten your enjoyment of the film.

I'm so glad Nolan breaks the mold of the standard Hollywood/superhero film.  It's refreshing to see such a different take on things.  And yet, "there is nothing new under the sun"- Nolan's shaking things up simply by drawing on material written over 150 years ago.  As I've read authors from different generations, I see more of the same- there's really nothing new- it's just that we, as humans, forget from generation to generation.  It's interesting that someone like Nolan is considered revolutionary, when really, he's just drawing from what's already been done.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (Roger Lancelyn Green)

Like his King Arthur, Lancelyn Green's Robin Hood is geared towards older children, so it has to be read in that frame of mind.  Being disappointed in the former, I was prepared for the same, but was pleasantly surprised.  This work flows a bit better, and the story is more coherent, than his Arthur.  All the familiar characters are featured, and lots of adventures.  I knew some, though not all, and I enjoyed expanding on a familiar legend.  Many well-known places were named, which heightened the enjoyment- Nottingham, Sherwood, Yorkshire Moors, Fountains Abbey, Scarborough, Robin Hood's Bay- anyone living in north England will be able to visualize the locales easily.

Rating: A-

A Night to Remember (Walter Lord)

Exactly 100 years ago (14 April 1912), the Titanic sunk on her maiden voyage across the north Atlantic.  Billed the unsinkable ship, man was reminded just how frail we (and our creations) really are.  A Night to Remember, written in 1955 by a descendant of a survivor, pulls together research from dozens of interviews with survivors and thousands of pages of testimonies regarding the event.  In just 170 pages, it covers the ship striking the iceberg at 11:40pm, the events between the strike and the final sinking at 2:20am, to rescue of the the survivors a few hours later.  It attempts (and achieves) a certain breadth, taking in accounts from passengers of all classes, as well as the crew.

The book is good.  It does pack a lot of information into those pages, and conveys the general trend of events and the different impressions people had of them.  You can lose yourself in the names at times- the author lists names of the source at every turn, so you'll read things like "Jack Thayer remembered it being this way, while Mrs John Astor remembered it this other way."  If you don't get too tied around remembering the different names (there are a lot of people referenced), you get a good overall idea of the horrors and events of that fateful night, as well as the rescue and subsequent happenings.  A worthy retelling of a horrible tragedy.

Rating: A

All Things Bright and Beautiful (James Herriot)

Herriot's All Things Bright and Beautiful continues his recollections of life as a vet in Yorkshire.  In the first compilation, All Creatures Great and Small, he moves to Darrowby and begins his career, marrying Helen at the end of the book.  In this work, he's living with Helen on the top floor of Skeldale House, and carrying on as a relatively young vet in the country.

It's more of the same here- if you liked the first book, you'll like this one.  He tells a variety of stories- humorous, uplifting, self-deprecating- and in each you see his awareness of how blessed he is shine through.  Herriot did not live an extraordinary life- but he realized his blessings, and we can all learn from that.  As I read this, I was struck by the notion that all of us could write stories like this (had we the talent for the pen)- we all encounter joys, blessings, and trials in our careers, and though we're not famous or extraordinary, we each have stories worth telling.

Rating: A