Mark Pghfan’s Comments (group member since Mar 06, 2014)

Mark Pghfan’s comments from the The Parlor PI's group.

I'm behind in my Midsomer viewing. I've not even seen the ones with the new sergeant. The series has been going on a very long time, and I guess the change would be inevitable.

PS: I finished Badger's Drift and have started the September book!

Eliza had to quit her job immediately, as the will stipulated that she couldn't be "in service" if she wanted the bequest.

I thought the biggest clues were the fact that Eliza spoke of having the peaches for dinner, indicating that she was planning on coming back, but that her box was already packed and corded. I'm assuming that it was packed with the body and not her things!

I'm currently reading The Killings at Badger's Drift, the first Midsomer Murder novel. As soon as I finish, I'm in for the September selection. I'll join in as soon as I can!

I have something to finish before I start this, but hope to be at least in the first part by the beginning of the month.

Like many of the short stories, this one seems to have been written early in the Christie Canon. So yes, I thought of Styles, when Hastings talks about catching up with Poirot.

I did like the story. All the names and the deaths were a bit confusing, given that they all had the same last name! One little tweak I may not have noticed in previous readings of this story: Mrs. Hugo is an American. Christie must have chosen this to emphasize that Americans are less likely to believe in curses, or at least she (Christie)thought so!

I ended up buying it on Amazon Kindle for $3.99.

Are we still doing Halloween House by Kathi Daley for September? Our library doesn't have it, nor anything by her. That seems unusual.

I have seen the McEwan one. Not too bad, but they killed off one more character than in the book. And it was sad. (I don't want to spoil anything further.)

There is also an older film adaptation from the mid 1980's. A little lurid, but not too bad. I'm not sure if it is on DVD at all. I saw it on VCR.

I don't know if Ordeal is ready on DVD yet. I heard they changed the plot so that Rachael (the mother) turns out to be quite abusive to the children. Not sure I am going to like that part. Some of the newer adaptations are getting more unpleasant that the original stories.

Never crossed the channel nor been on a mystery train.

SPOILER

I liked the story, but wonder how the substitution of the fake Winnie could have worked. Did NONE of the other girls know Winnie in the first place? Wouldn't an imposter have been spotted?

It was ingenious the way the picture was smuggled in, though. Its not the first time that the practice of covering up a master (painting) with another painting was used. (See Mrs. McGinty). I find it hard to believe that it would not ruin the original underneath.

Yep, Nicole. Mews is the story I was thinking of.

The stories are really short, and probably will be read in one sitting. I did think about Christie's other Protheroe victim! Without messing up another story, the is another short story of Christie's, and even a Poirot, where the solution of the confusion about a suicide verses murder question turns out to be the same sort of thing! If you don't know the story, I'll wait until further in the discussion to let you know what it is.

Meanwhile, it is easy to see that this is a very early Poirot. And being short, it is really just about the puzzle and not so much about the characters.

I am in and the stories are fine with me. A nice selection!

The Market Basing Mystery is in The Underdog and Other Stories, in my collection. I haven't looked up the others yet.

Works for me. I don't have the book with all of the stories, but I have them all in various collections.

Thanks, Nicole. I'm in for the stories.

So what is going on with August? Are we doing four Poirot stories, like we did for Miss M in July? Any one hosting?

Here is our final short story for July. Here Miss Marple is recovering from the flu and is uncharacteristically depressed. In comes Dr. Haydock with a story for her to exercise her mind.


Harry Layton, the neer-do-well of the village, from long ago, returns with a young and wealthy new bride. The village is agog with curiosity over the new Mrs. Layton, who seems very out of place in St. Mary Mead. After a short while in the village an old caretaker of the place Harry has purchased (with Louise's money!) suddenly seems upset at being thrown out of her home, despite being handsomely rewarded in the process. She jumps out, harasses the couple and generally threatens them.


Finally, she frightens the horse Louise is riding, she gets thrown and dies. Dr. Haydock is suspicious and so is Miss M.


Doesn't this have a foreshadowing of Christie's novel Endless Night?

I am OK with this for September.

Anyone interested is running some Poirot stories for August?