Afternoon At The Seaside

by Agatha Christie

A part of the Rule of Three short play series…

The scene is a seashore resort. Among the characters: a siren in a bikini, ogling men and envious women. The undercurrents are perfect for theft.

Genres: Agatha Christie, Mystery, Plays

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime". She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

This best-selling author of all time wrote 66 crime novels and story collections, fourteen plays, and six novels under a pseudonym in romance. Her books sold more than a billion copies in the English language and a billion in translation. According to Index Translationum, people translated her works into 103 languages at least, the most for an individual author. Of the most enduring figures in crime literature, she created Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. She atuhored The Mousetrap, the longest-running play in the history of modern theater.

Associated Names:
Agata Christie
Agata Kristi
Агата Кристи (Russian)
Агата Крісті (Ukrainian)
Αγκάθα Κρίστι (Greek)
アガサ クリスティ (Japanese)
阿嘉莎·克莉絲蒂 (Chinese)

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review on my book blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/2...

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Afternoon At The Seaside, a beautiful, mysterious, bikini wearing French woman, ogling men, and envious women provide the perfect undercurrents for theft. The scene is a crowded seaside beach in a resort area. Guys and girls in appropriate swimwear mingle with senior citizens in shirts, jumpers and slacks on the beach, while Lady Beckman's emerald necklace goes missing. A goodly collection of characters take part, including a French woman in a daring bikini who has all the men ogling and all the women seething. Nothing is what it seems in this hilarious seaside romp. It is not until the very end that the apparent French bathing beauty turns her wiles in another direction and emerges as a police woman who solves the otherwise perfect crime.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a rather silly play, but I did like the ending.

[Tali · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice short play with a gratifying twist at the end to the whodunnit. I have to say that despite the criminal element to this play, I actually preferred the side story about Percy and his demanding mother to the actual plotline. Three stars for a not-too-demanding read.