From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

The Clocks

Agatha Christie

Start date: October 1, 2020

Finish date: October 31, 2020

Discussion: Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

Why we're reading this: One of 2 Poirot reads this month.
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Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

* Reading Order for the Unofficial Poirot Buddy Reads
By Jessica-sim · 54 posts · 155 views

last updated Dec 27, 2020 08:20AM

Poirot Buddy Read 40: SPOILER THREAD Curtain
By Jessica-sim · 20 posts · 35 views

last updated Feb 05, 2021 06:12PM

What Members Thought

Aug 22, 2014 Christine PNW rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vintage-women

This is the 34th Hercule Poirot mystery, although he doesn't appear in it until about 1/2 way in.

I really enjoy Dame Agatha's books. However, this one was really rather forgettable and isn't one of her exceptional mysteries. Her best, to my mind, are Murder on the Orient Express, And Then There Were None, and Peril at End House (at least of the ones I have read). I am also rather attached to The Cat Among The Pigeons.

If you are looking for some golden age mystery entertainment to while away a ...more

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Jun 13, 2020 Bev rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: bought-2019, british-mystery, mount-tbr-2020, mystery, agatha-christie, silver-age-mystery, audionovel

Sheila Webb, a typist for the Cavendish Secretarial and Typewriting Bureau, is sent on assignment to the home of Miss Millicent Pebmarsh in Wilbraham Crescent. A phone call requesting a typist particularly asked for Sheila Webb and gave instructions that if Miss Pebmarsh were not yet home that Sheila enter the house and wait in the sitting room. Sheila arrives early and does as instructed. At first she's simply intrigued by the fact that Miss Pebmarsh keeps six clocks in the same room and four o Sheila Webb, a typist for the Cavendish Secretarial and Typewriting Bureau, is sent on assignment to the home of Miss Millicent Pebmarsh in Wilbraham Crescent. A phone call requesting a typist particularly asked for Sheila Webb and gave instructions that if Miss Pebmarsh were not yet home that Sheila enter the house and wait in the sitting room. Sheila arrives early and does as instructed. At first she's simply intrigued by the fact that Miss Pebmarsh keeps six clocks in the same room and four of them register 4:13--nearly an hour later than the actual time. But then she's horrified to realize that there's a dead man behind the sofa. Miss Pebmarsh, who Shelia immediately realizes is blind, nearly steps on the body when she comes home and the horror of the situation sends Shelia screaming out of the house....

...Straight into the arms of Colin Lamb--who is not nearly as innocent as his name would suggest. Colin, who works for Special Branch, is scanning the addresses in the crescent in search of Number 61 (which just possibly may be of interest to those who are hunting communist sympathizers). He immediately becomes interested in the murder once he realizes that Miss Pebmarsh's house is situated so its back garden connects with the house he's looking for. Is it too much to hope that the mysterious dead man may have something to do with his own business?

Inspector Hardcastle takes up the case and every clue (what few there are) seems to lead to a dead end. Colin finally takes the problem to his friend Hercule Poirot who has often boasted that one need not run and to and fro gathering clues or examining with a magnifying glass. One can just be given all the facts, sit back and let the little grey cells do their thing, and, voila, the solution becomes apparent. That almost works--Poirot doesn't run to and fro, but he does have Colin to do that (and to relay any tidbits that Hardcastle discovers since Colin and the Inspector are old friends). It is interesting that Poirot does not actually interview anybody in the case and successfully identifies the culprit.

I picked out this audio version of Christie's mystery to take along with me for my trip back home last week. I don't do a lot of audio novels--because I like to review my books here on the blog and it's more difficult for me to get details when I listen rather than read. So, generally when I do listen to audio novels I try to choose stories that I'm already familiar with. It had been quite some time since I read The Clocks, so while Christie's writing was familiar I was still able to enjoy the mystery. I immediately fastened onto the correct culprit, though I didn't get the motive right.

In my defense, Christie has a lot going on in this one. We've got the central murder of the unknown man and the mystery of who he is, why he was found in Miss Pebmarsh's house, and why Sheila Webb was deliberately brought there to discover him. But we've also got the side-story with Colin Lamb and his hunt for a communist spy headquarters. It's no wonder I was a bit confused about who might be responsible for what. It's an interesting little mystery, but I do think there were a few too many coincidences for this to be one of Christie's best work.

Robin Bailey does an excellent job with the reading. He manages to juggle voices for a dozen or so different characters--giving them all different intonations and enabling the listener to keep them all straight. My one slight quibble with his performance comes with his rendition of Poirot. Perhaps it is because I tend to have David Suchet's voice in my head--but it seems to me that Bailey's Poirot is too deep and brusque. But that is minor. Overall, the reading is highly entertaining and kept me in thrall the entire time I was in the car. ★★★ for the story itself. ★★★★ for the audio performance. That makes for a 3.5 average, but I've rounded up to 4 here.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.

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12/30/21

This is a reread for me (as are nearly all Christie stories) and I reviewed it in detail last year. (above) So, I'm not going to do so here. This will be more of a story about listening to the story.

When traveling up to my parents' house in Wabash, I like to listen to audio novels to make the three hour trip go by quickly. My preference for audio novels (especially when driving and concentrating on traffic) is to listen to stories I've already read so if I miss a bit here or there it won't matter so much. And when my son goes with me, it's especially fun to take an Agatha Christie along to see him react to various clues and red herrings. It was great fun to listen to him point out certain features that I knew were leading him astray and the experience also gave me more time to appreciate some of the humor in Christie's narrative that I had missed before. What is really interesting is that just like last time--I remembered the main culprit (of the murder portion of the plot), but Christie still fooled me on the motive. I'd completely forgotten about that connection.

The best part of this audio experience was sharing it with my son. He is definitely not his mother's child when it comes to books and I treasure every time we can connect over novels like this. Road trips to his grandparents seem to make for good times for sharing a story and I'm pleased that he enjoys the Christie mysteries enough to listen along with me. He even asked to have the remaining disks so he could finish the book (six hours wasn't quite enough time to reach the grand finale). A definite win for his book-loving mom!

I stand by the ★★★ and 1/2 rating (average of book and audio performance ratings) that I gave this last June and which was rounded up to four ...more

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Jun 09, 2022 Kavita rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, uk

This was a brilliant book and one I have always enjoyed. Despite the dated politics and the red herrings scattered throughout, I think this one has character and beautifully encapsulates the times. I really disliked how the David Suchet version butchered the story taking out all the fun elements. No Cold War references (?!), no Colin Lamb (who t f wants Colonel Race?), and the quirky fun characters on Wilbraham Crescent all changed. Also disliked the casting.

So, the fun part? The characters. Th ...more

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Jan 12, 2017 Damaskcat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Sheila Webb is sent to an address to take some shorthand dictation. She works for a secretarial agency. When she gets there she finds an empty house and a dead body. She runs out of the house and straight into the arms of Colin Lamb - a friend of DI Hardcastle - who will be investigating the case.

The clocks in the room with the body are a mystery. Only two of them work and the remaining four are all set to 4.13pm though the cuckoo clock strikes three when Sheila arrives. The other four clocks d ...more

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Sep 29, 2020 Tracey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: poirot, agatha-christie

Poirot really seems to be enjoying himself in this one!

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Sep 27, 2020 Frances rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-series

This was a particularly fun Poirot, with a nicely complicated plot and a rather fun interaction between Poirot and a young man who comes to him with a case. I'm sorry to be approaching the end of the Poirot series! ...more

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Jun 22, 2021 Sarah G rated it liked it · review of another edition

Very readable but a rather dull and disappointing plot. And sadly Mr P was barely in it.

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Aug 07, 2016 Diana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, reread, read-in-2022

Read this back in 2016 but couldn't remember who the murderer was. Great use of red herrings dragged across the plot lines of the book. Hercule Poirot was only a peripheral character, pulled in toward the end to solve the mystery. ...more

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