Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "collection"

SINISTER SPRING: Murder and Mystery from the Queen of Crime by Agatha Christie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A springtime collection of classic mysteries.

Poirot's trip to the country is interrupted by a suspicious death...
Tommy and Tuppence hunt for a missing lady...
Miss Marple reviews a death by poisoning...
Poirot is consulted by a woman who is shortly found dead...
A sinister scheme in play behind an opera...
Miss Marple unpicks a locked room mystery...
Parker Pyne is drawn into a case of missing jewels...
Poirot investigates an impossible theft...
Miss Marple hears a tale of smuggling and missing gold bullion...
Mr Quin arrives at the scene of a high-stakes gamble...
A chance meeting with a girl on a train leads to adventure and intrigue...
Miss Marple untangles a devious plot at Greenshaw's Folly...

'Sinister Spring' is the third seasonal collection of selected stories by Agatha Christie, each with that refreshing breath of new life and the promise of summer. Compiled of twelve short stories, the volume stars Poirot, Miss Marple, Tommy and Tuppence, Parker Pyne, Quin and Satterthwaite, plus a couple of standalone stories, all taken from previous collections, having originally been published in magazines in the 1920s and 30s, aside from the final story published in 'The Daily Mail' in 1956.

Each of these stories is a gem - with puzzles and intrigue, mysterious thefts and nefarious murder plots, armchair detection and daring adventure; taking us from country homes to luxury hotels, aboard train journeys and on to the stage, all masterfully plotted unravellings of a tangled web.

Many of these stories were amongst the earliest Agatha Christie works I read in the Poirot and Miss Marple short story collections. Revisiting Christie's mysteries, whether through screen adaptations or re-reading is always a nostalgic and comforting treat of pure indulgence. Her work will always be a pleasure and an inspiration.

These seasonal collections are a delightful way to revisit classic Christie short stories, or pose a perfect starting point for anyone new to her work. I'm especially looking forward to 'Autumn Chills', coming later this year.



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