Portobello Book Blog

I recently listened to Lucy Worsley’s fascinating Radio 4 series on Agatha Christie (An Elusive Woman) and thought that I really must read some of her books. I read a few many years ago but none for ages. I’ve enjoyed the recent Kenneth Branagh big screen adaptations. I thought that a short story collection would be a good way to get back into Christie’s writing and I’ve been listening to the audiobook version of Midwinter Murder. There seems to be more stories included in the actual book than the audiobook version. I think there were about seven stories in the audiobook whereas the book seems to have twelve stories.

About the book

An all-new collection of winter-themed mysteries from the master of the genre, just in time for the festive period.  

There’s a chill in the air, and the days are growing shorter…. It’s the perfect time to curl up in front of a crackling fireplace with this winter-themed collection from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. But beware of deadly snowdrifts and dangerous gifts, poisoned meals and mysterious guests. This compendium of short stories, some featuring beloved Detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the perfect gift for mystery lovers.

Includes the stories:

‘The Chocolate Box’

‘A Christmas Tragedy’

‘The Coming of Mr Quin’

‘The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest’

‘The Clergyman’s Daughter’

‘The Plymouth Express’

‘Problem at Pollensa Bay’

My Thoughts

This is a great collection of short stories for winter nights. One or two are set around Christmas but generally, they are more loosely winter themed. There are a few featuring Christie’s most famous sleuths, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot but others had characters I wasn’t familiar with. I particularly enjoyed The Clergyman’s Daughter which featured Tommy and Tuppence Beresford and I see they are in a few of her other books. I am always hopeless at figuring out ‘whodunnit’ whether in books or films and these stories predictably kept me guessing! It’s easy to see why Christie’s books have such enduring popularity as she entertains, puzzles and thrills her readers in equal measure. The plotting is clever, the characters convincing and the writing is sharp.

Fenella Woolgar was an excellent choice as narrator for the audiobook. She gave each character such a distinct voice and was great at the various accents too from upper class English, to American, to London’s East End and of course Poirot’s Belgian accent.

I have Murder at the Vicarage, the first Miss Marple, lined up as my next audiobook. What Agatha Christie books are your favourites that you’d recommend I should read this year?

About the Author

Born in Torquay in 1890, Agatha Christie began writing during the First World War and wrote over 100 novels, plays and short story collections. She was still writing to great acclaim until her death, and her books have now sold over a billion copies in English and another billion in over 100 foreign languages. Yet Agatha Christie was always a very private person, and though Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple became household names, the Queen of Crime was a complete enigma to all but her closest friends.