A Caribbean Mystery

Disclaimer

There are some books which are best-sellers for decade and written by very famous authors. Such books cannot be reviewed. All we can do is to share the experience with the book. And, this post is therefore, more about my experience with the book than a review.

Background

To begin with, I decided to read the book because:

·         I had nothing else to do

·         It had been ages since reading Agatha Christie

·         I wanted a break from Indian authors and the lovey-dovey stories

So, I did a small and quick research and found out that “A Caribbean Mystery” is one of the top five mysteries in the Miss Marple series. So, I was excited.

From the book blurb

As Miss Marple sat basking in the Caribbean sunshine, she felt mildly discontented with life. True, the warmth eased her rheumatism, but here in paradise nothing ever happened.

Eventually, her interest was aroused by an old soldier’s yarn about a murderer he had known. Infuriatingly, just as he was about to show her a snapshot of this acquaintance, the Major was suddenly interrupted. A diversion that was to prove fatal.

Author

Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, as an English crime novelist, short story writer, and playwright. She also wrote six romances under the name Mary Westmacott. Howver, she is best known for the 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections that she wrote under her own name. Most of them revolve around the investigations of characters such as Hercule Poirot, Miss Jane Marple, Mr Satterthwaite, and Tommy and Tuppence.

What I think

The cover page is too simple and doesn’t give away anything. So is the book blurb. So as a reader, you are clueless as to what lies ahead and what can be expected!

But, the book is an assured page turner. There are only hidden clue and lots of confusions. The circumstances, further, misleads us and we would be thrown into a sea of uncertainty. Each event has a connection in one way or the other; it either gives hints or misleads us.

Agatha Christie’s writing is so lucid and simple. Often, it made me wonder how she would put something so horrid and morbid in such simple terms. Her writing so matured and reading the book was a learning experience.

But...

There are too many characters to remember. After a point of time, it was also confusing. Miss Marple is smart. But, when she acts dumb (most of the time) it becomes redundant and boring. It also become predictable after completing the first half.

Should you read it?

Go for it…

It is a small book and gives your brain some work.

Rating

3/5

Some words that stole my heart

“When you think that you know people, it is in the image you have made of them for yourself.”