From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

A Pocket Full Of Rye

Agatha Christie

Start date: November 1, 2017

Finish date: November 30, 2017

Discussion: Group Challenges

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Group Challenges

* Nov 25: Black Coffee (1950) By Agatha Christie
By Susan · 10 posts · 13 views

last updated 1 hour, 16 min ago

* Nov 25: Black Coffee (1950) - SPOILER Thread
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last updated Oct 20, 2025 11:04PM

What Members Thought

Nov 05, 2017 Jan C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, rtd-2017-missmarple-challenge, mystery, re-read, audio

"There are coincidences.... But they shouldn't happen too often"

I've had multiple reads of this. And I have seen the films. Unfortunately, some of the films don't adhere that closely to the book. And then they can become confused in your mind. So I re-listened to a chapter or two, knowing that I had dozed off, and not knowing whether I missed something or the item I am remembering is from a movie and not from the book.

It wasn't in the book.

This is a multiple read for me. But always enjoyable. ...more

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Jan 23, 2017 Susan in NC rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 25detectiveschallenge

Unbelievable- I found a Miss Marple I don't recall reading! Or if I did, I was very young...either way, I know I've seen the BBC version at some point. Not sure if it was my beloved Joan Hickson or one of the other Marples.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly and read it through in one rainy, cloudy, frigid winter Sunday - perfect! The local library has a beautiful collection of Christie books so I am able to indulge my current reading project of finishing Miss Marple in order and then Poirot - a muc Unbelievable- I found a Miss Marple I don't recall reading! Or if I did, I was very young...either way, I know I've seen the BBC version at some point. Not sure if it was my beloved Joan Hickson or one of the other Marples.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly and read it through in one rainy, cloudy, frigid winter Sunday - perfect! The local library has a beautiful collection of Christie books so I am able to indulge my current reading project of finishing Miss Marple in order and then Poirot - a much bigger challenge because of the number of books he starred in! I see a visit to the used book store in my future...

This book opens in a London business office as morning tea is being served; the secretaries suffer through another serving of weak tea (the junior typist/tea maker never can get the water boiling), but Rex Fortescue, head of the firm and sometimes shady tycoon, is of course enjoying his own perfectly prepared tea. Miss Grosvenor is the ultimate glamorous office accessory - looks the part, classy, cool, calm and collected, makes perfect tea, offers the requisite "yes, Mr. Fortescue" as expected - but when her boss collapses in a fit after she serves his tea, she loses her cool immediately. As Fortescue struggles to breath he chokes out, "The tea - what the hell did you put in the tea!" Of course attention first falls on the secretary - but was she more than that?

Inspector Neele of Scotland Yard is soon called in when taxine, a slow-acting poison derived from yew trees, is found in Fortescue's system. Now that it's a poisoning death, the action of course swiftly shifts to his home - the taxine had to be introduced at breakfast, so off Neele goes to Surrey to look for the poison source at Fortescue's home - yup, none other than Yewtree Lodge!

Too fun - and Christie, the master at misdirection and interesting characters continues in that vein; we have the twin to the glamorous secretary in the blonde, beautiful, 30-years-younger former manicurist second wife - a real "sexy piece" and definitely not too broken up over becoming a widow...in fact, the inspector and household staff have a hard time even tracking her down to give her the tragic news as she's out "golfing" with the local gigolo...eldest son Percival, prim, proper and cheap to the point of meanness, is off in the north of England on business for the family firm, but Neele soon learns that the firm was in big trouble and coming close to going bust; Percy and the old man were fighting regularly over Fortescue's erratic behavior and borderline illegal and risky business deals. So much so that the old man called back Lancelot, the black sheep second son and junior partner, back from his African exile to come back and maybe help push Percy out?

Motives abound but Neele soon sees his way clear - the bombshell wife, Adele, stood to inherit a fortune and had love letters from her golf-playing lover hidden away in a secret drawer; it seems an open and shut case. But he's back to square one when she's found poisoned from afternoon tea and the housemaid is found strangled. Where to turn in this seemingly impossible case? Lucky for Neele, the sad, silly housemaid Gladys once worked for Miss Marple, who has seen the sensational news stories about the triple murder and feels compelled to come see what she can do to help.

That's why I love her so - she is truly nemesis personified. Yes, Gladys was silly and stupid and gullible and not very good at her job, but she had worked for and lived with Miss Marple right out of the orphanage and Miss M feels responsible for her. Finally, the murderer, in a cruel and twisted bit of spite, pinched the victim's nose with a clothespin from the laundry- that nasty impulse signals the murderer's end, did he or she but know it..."That's what made me so angry...It was such a cruel, contemptuous gesture. It gave me a kind of picture of the murderer...It's very wicked, you know, to affront human dignity. Particularly if you've already killed", Miss Marple explains. The more I reread of her adventures, the more I appreciate that Christie truly created an amazing character here, and I look forward to rediscovering all of her stories. ...more

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Oct 24, 2017 Judy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: miss-marple-challenge-2017

I really enjoyed listening to the Audible edition of this - Richard E. Grant's narration was wonderful, with different voices for all the characters. I never wanted it to end. I already knew the various plot twists as I'd already seen a TV adaptation, but enjoyed all the characters. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 04, 2009 Laura Anne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, british-isles

3.5 stars 2024 Series Re-read: From my childhood read, I remembered whodunit & howdunit, but the characters left little impression. Upon re-read, I was struck by the darkness, Miss Marple's "avenging fury," and the devastating final chapter. ...more

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Jul 01, 2009 Bronwyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: title-j-r, european, novels, read-multiple-times, by-women, author-a-i, 2018-reads, series, mystery-detective-suspense, 2009-reads

The good thing about waiting 9 years between rereads is that you don't really remember the story. This was well done. And of course that end, tying things up, proving Miss Marple right. ...more

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Dec 12, 2017 Stephanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-cozy

I always find it so interesting that Christie doesn't introduce Miss Marple until more than half the book is done! Very interesting mystery. I was completely wrong as to who the killer was. ...more

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