Reviewed by Krista McKeeth

An amoral young tramp.  A beautiful, sullen woman with an inconvenient husband.  A problem that has only one grisly solution–a solution that only creates other problems that no one can ever solve.

First published in 1934 and banned in Boston for its explosive mixture of violence and eroticism, The Postman Always Rings Twice is a classic of the roman noir. It established James M. Cain as a major novelist with an unsparing vision of America’s bleak underside, and was acknowledged by Albert Camus as the model for The Stranger.

Perhaps showing my age with this review, but for a book that was banned for it’s violence and eroticism, colour-me-shocked. As a reader in the 21st Century, and a female one at that, I ended up viewing this book very much as a comedy. Several lots of of eye-rolling, and much shaking of my head wondering what she was thinking, occurred throughout the novel. 

It’s a story of two people making one bad decision after another … for no other reason than they want something different in life. Nobody would actually blame them for wanting that, but the reasons behind their actions are very simplistic and not very well thought out, ending in a big helping of karma. 

The Postman Always Rings Twice is in essence a short story. The reader is never introduced to the characters formally, nor do we get a very well-rounded character development. Frank Chambers is a bored vagabond recalling how everything went wrong for him. He’s travelling alone, trying to swindle a dinner out of the diner owner, Nick Papadakis, and becomes drawn to his lovely young wife, Cora. They both see in each other a way out, a different life to live, and the only thing in their way is her husband Nick. 

The murder plot takes centre stage but in a very convoluted way. Yet somehow it keeps the readers eyes glued to the page just to see what happens next in this ill-fated love story. 

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Reviewed by Krista Mckeeth

The Woman in White is a Victorian melodrama concerning a mysterious woman in white who bears an uncanny resemblance to the fiancee of Lord Glyde, a sophisticated fortune hunter. First published as a serial between 1859 and 1860, this chronicle of evil, suspense, and villainy is believed to be the first English novel to deal with crime detection.

Paperback, 672 pages

Published April 29th 2003 by Penguin Classics (first published 1859)

ISBN

0141439610 (ISBN13: 9780141439617) The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Known for being one of the first writers to establish what was referred to as sensational literature, Wilkie Collins bases the story of The Woman in White on a combination of real life events that the author experienced, or read about. This particular work was originally published in serial format spread over several months. It was also considered an experiment of alternating character perspectives to move the story forward.

We are initially introduced to Walter Hartright, who is the first to come across the mysterious Woman in White very late one night on his travels to his new job. They have a very brief but confusing conversation in which the Woman in White indicates she knows the people he is on his way to work with and issues a foreboding warning to stay away from the dangerous Baron.

Walter eventually makes his way to Limmeridge House where he’s been hired to teach the women of the house, Art. He finds that his pupil Laura and the strange Woman in White have a very similar look. He and Laura have almost an immediate attraction to each other, but it is Laura’s sister Marian who breaks the news to Walter that Laura is already engaged (an arranged marriage by their deceased father to Baron Percival). Walter decides it best to leave the house but with the agreement that Marian will continue the search for the mysterious Woman in White and keep him informed.

The Baron and Laura soon move to London along with one of Baron Percival’s long time friends, Count Fosco. It is during their initial travels together and the interactions between Percival and Fosco that Laura becomes aware that Percival is only interested in her money. On several occasions pushing her to sign it over.

Percival and Fosco are made aware of the unusual Woman in White and her warnings and go on a search to find her.

Although the story is told from several different characters perspectives, it is really Marian who drives the story forward and becomes the real heroine. In her quest to understand the mysterious omen given by the Woman in White she discovers that her sister may be in trouble. She is also the one that becomes deathly ill, deals with the family attorney and throughout the story has interactions with all of the characters.

I can see why this is considered a classic beyond the fact that it was one of the first of its kind. The author is able to keep the suspense up from the very beginning to the end and the plotting is complex. 

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When I think about classic crime stories, And Then There Were None is at the top of my list; a book originally published in 1940 and still truly a masterpiece of crime fiction. It has been renamed several times (see the wiki link below the poem) made into movies and inspired several other writers in their works as well.

And Then There Were None loosely follows the rhyme of Ten Little Soldier Boys,  in which a group of people all join together on an island, invited there through mysterious letters. Upon arrival they are all introduced to each other and eventually it’s explained to them why they are really there. When they learn that each person is somehow connected to the death of a person, either intentionally or not, they begin slowly to become paranoid. When the first murder takes place, they  want to do everything they can to get off the island. Several different reasons arise on why the boat cannot leave due to weather and the murders continue, one by one.

As they are alone on the island, they begin to start accusing each other outright and forming alliances between each other and who they think they can trust. It is the epitome of what a who-dunnit novel should encompass, and for which Agatha Christie is famous. The precision in which the story unravels and the minimal revelations that the reader gets at each poignant moment will keep the reader fully engaged and in most cases on the edge of your seat. Agatha Christie has perfected the intention of the whodunit mystery, and engages the reader just enough with each clue to have us play along and guess at who the culprit is before the characters do.

Most of her novels range between 200-300 pages which makes them perfect for those looking for a quicker read but each still has a colorful and entertaining mystery. In my opinion you can never go wrong with Agatha Christie.

The currently published, not the original version, of the rhyme goes:

Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine;
One choked his little self and then there were nine.

Nine little Soldier boys sat up very late;
One overslept himself and then there were eight.

Eight little Soldier Boys travelling in Devon;
One said he’d stay there and then there were seven.

Seven little Soldier Boys chopping up sticks;
One chopped himself in halves and then there were six.

Six little Soldier Boys playing with a hive;
A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.

Five little Soldier Boys going in for law;
One got in Chancery and then there were four.

Four little Soldier Boys going out to sea;
A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Three little Soldier Boys walking in the zoo;
A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Two Little Soldier Boys sitting in the sun;
One got frizzled up and then there was one.

One little Soldier Boy left all alone;
He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_Then_There_Were_None

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Reviewed by Cels Jansink

When stenographer Sheila Webb arrives at 19 Wilbraham Crescent, she expects to find a Miss Pebmarsh awaiting her services. Instead, she finds a room with an unusual number of clocks- and the very dead body of a man. When Miss Pebmarsh denies ever sending for her, and says that only two of the six clocks found are hers, it soon becomes clear that the services of a very good detective are needed. Will this be a case that not even Hercule Poirot can solve?

There is a very good reason Agatha Christie is known as the “Queen of Crime” and is only outsold by Shakespeare and the Bible. She simply spins such a tale of mayhem, murder and deceit that no matter how many times you revisit a story, you still end up double guessing yourself.

“The Clocks” features our famous little Belgian (don’t call him French) detective, Hercule Poirot, arguably the most loved and admired sleuth to grace pages since Sherlock Holmes.  One of the best things about any of Christie’s novels is that despite what series or what order they fall in, they work just as well as stand-alone reads. Each trip into her world will feel like stepping back in time where even though things may have seemed simpler, you soon find murder lurks everywhere.

Christie’s word-craft is as unique as the niche she carved for herself in the publishing world. There is something almost poetic about the way the passages flow and despite the complex layers surrounding the mysteries; it retains a simple and timeless touch that enthrals right from the beginning. Despite being first published almost 50 years ago, the leading players all became so vivid and real in my mind I felt like I was smack bang in the middle of the drama as it unfolded. The mystery is still as enticing to unravel and the prose as relevant as when it was first penned. In fact, “The Clocks” is indeed summed up best in the words of Mr Poirot himself, “This crime is so complicated that it must be quite simple”.  And in true mystery style, it’s trying to find that “quite simple” yourself before our sleuth, that’s all the fun.

The Clocks- Agatha Christie

Ulversoft Large Print Edition

ISBN:978-1-4448-0274-0

383 Pages

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