From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Pale Horse (Ariadne Oliver, #5)

Agatha Christie

Start date: July 1, 2018

Finish date: July 31, 2018

Discussion: Group reads

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* December 2025 group read - Winner!
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What Members Thought

Jun 28, 2018 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Published in 1961, this is a later Agatha Christie novel, and a slightly different plot to that which you might be expecting. This is not a cosy mystery, set in a stately home, amid the drawing rooms of the aristocracy. Rather, this has a feel of Dennis Wheatley about it, with a real sense of the supernatural.

A dying woman gives her last confession to a Catholic priest. Father Gorman is troubled by what she tells him and, on the way home, he scribbles a list of names she has given him and tucks ...more

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Jul 13, 2013 Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore rated it liked it

The Pale Horse (1961) was my choice for the #ReadChristie challenge for this month, and though it was one of the picks for the challenge, it seems I interpreted the visual prompt completely differently to the official interpretation.

The Pale Horse presents an interesting mystery where it isn’t only the whodunit that keeps one puzzled but also the howdunit for seances and witchcraft (mixed with some apparently scientific principles) seem to be the method used, and our protagonists can’t quite wor ...more

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Aug 28, 2014 Kavita rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, uk

Soooo creepy! I think this has to be one of Christie's creepiest books ever. There is a lot of supernatural mumbo jumbo neatly covering up the actual plot, providing a wonderful red herring for both readers and Mark Easterbrook, the narrator. The story starts with the death of a woman who invites a priest just before her death to give her final confession. But Father Gorman ends up getting murdered on his way back and a list of names is found on him.

Easterbrook gets involved in the plot when he Soooo creepy! I think this has to be one of Christie's creepiest books ever. There is a lot of supernatural mumbo jumbo neatly covering up the actual plot, providing a wonderful red herring for both readers and Mark Easterbrook, the narrator. The story starts with the death of a woman who invites a priest just before her death to give her final confession. But Father Gorman ends up getting murdered on his way back and a list of names is found on him.

Easterbrook gets involved in the plot when he sees the obituary of a young woman he had seen a few days earlier at a café. He is given the list of names by his friend who is involved in the case, and quickly realises that they are all dead. Then he comes across the mention of a Pale Horse, and is introduced to the trio of witches: Thyrza, Sybil, and Bella. Together, the three have created an aura of mystery around them. But they also happen to be rumoured to do away with people. What's the actual truth? When a chemist named Zachariah Osbourne identifies a rich but disabled man, Venables, the story takes a queer turn.

I loved the fact that Mrs. Oliver makes an appearance in the book, but she doesn't have much of a role. I think I would have preferred her to take a more active role and join in the investigation. I always enjoy her scenes enormously. This is her fifth appearance, and Colonel Despard's second. I enjoyed the reference to Mrs. Lancaster and her creepy "Is that your child behind the fireplace?" reference to By the Pricking of my Thumbs. It was an absolute treat!

The main character of Easterbrook is rather colourless, but perhaps it's not a bad idea to keep the focus on the creepy happenings around him. What he does and what happens around him is more important than who he is, so I guess it's not such a bad idea to keep him bland. The secondary characters of Venables, Osborne, Rhoda, Ginger, Hermia, and Despard all play their parts in furthering the narrative and have interesting roles.

I loved the aura surrounding the Pale Horse inn, and the three witches were so convincingly portrayed that I almost felt that there was a supernatural element in play. But they are far more sinister than that, as Easterbrook realised to his dismay. The whole story is tightly woven and leads to a very startling conclusion. The red herrings are neatly distributed and keeps you (and Easterbrook) guessing till the very last minute.

Absolutely one of Christie's gems! ...more

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Jan 27, 2017 Damaskcat rated it it was amazing

This is a chilling mystery which starts with a death which may or may not be natural almost immediately followed by the murder of a priest - Father Gorman - on his way home from talking to the dying woman. She has given him a list of names and she wants him to stop something awful happening. When writer, Mark Easterbrook - with the intermittent help of his friend - Mrs Ariadne Oliver - starts to investigate he finds that the only connection between the names is that they are all dead.

Several unc ...more

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Apr 14, 2018 Pranit rated it it was amazing

Shelves: agatha-christie

A very different mystery than her usual story, AC dives deep into witches & similar superstitions that were very prominent during that time in the society. It can be seen in different ways today. The murders are well-executed & the revelation was quite a delight for my little grey cells!

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Jun 28, 2018 Jill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: agatha-christie

It did seem familiar to me so I probably had read it before, but I had forgotten most of it. I did find myself getting a bit annoyed with all the coincidences. I do realise that coincidences do happen, but there were really too many here to be plausible. Having said that I did enjoy the book and the ending was great.
The characters were well done , even the Hamlet style three witches. The vicar's wife shone and ofcourse Ginger was an excellent main one. Easterbrook seemed a bit unintelligent to m ...more

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Jul 09, 2018 Tracey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: agatha-christie

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 18, 2015 Lynnie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-1980s, read-in-2000s, crime, supernatural, audible, 2025

A spooky little tale with a very satisfying ending, this is one of my favourite Christie books and this time I listened to the audio narrated by Hugh Fraser.

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