Evil Under the Sun

Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly simple, but well constructed
Review: Once again, Agatha Christie has written a tale that challenges the reader to solve a murder mystery.

This time, the place is a hotel on an isolated island, and the victim a beautiful ex-actress that is a part of a relationship triangle.

Christie has written a bunch of interesting characters, and manages to convey the atmosphere of the era (1940) and the sunny island and even if the plot is very simple by Christie standards, she has done a good job in constructing the story and writing the character of Hercule Poirot, the most interesting detective in the history of criminal literature.

"Evil Under the Sun" is an entertaining and fun piece of mystery I recommend as a holiday reading.

Rating:
Summary: She did it again!
Review: Once again, Christie manages to pack life, death, suspicion, love, hate, spite, and regret into an easy 220+ pages, with the usual surprising twist at the end. A great read for all.

Rating:
Summary: MAYBE NOT AS BAD AS YOU ALL SAY...
Review: Perhaps I am coming to this book a little biased, who knows. But seeing as I just read the poorest addition to mystery there is, this book seems like a work of genius. The book I was referring to is Pretend You Don't See Her, by MHC. I think that Christie is just about as fine a mystery writer as you can get, excepting AC Doyle, perhaps. So, in any event, you might ought to try this book. Give Dame Christie a little clout. After all, compare her to the likes of Mary Higgins Clark!! Then you'll think even the worst of Christie is pretty damn good.

Rating:
Summary: Evil at the Jolly Roger Hotel
Review: Set at an English seaside summer resort, EVIL UNDER THE SUN is one of several Hercule Poirot mysteries involving a "love triangle" that is not quite what it appears to be (DEATH ON THE NILE is another and the most famous). In EVIL UNDER THE SUN, beautiful but brainless Arlena Marshall is strangled on a beach, and the most obvious suspect appears to be Captain Marshall, her husband, who was jealous of her relationship with young, handsome Patrick Redfern. While the police are eager to convict Marshall, Poirot (as usual) concerns himself with the case's psychological aspect, asking himself who at the resort is the true focus of evil: Arlena (as everyone else assumes) or somebody else? When Poirot finds the answer to this question, then he will have found Arlena's killer. As always, Poirot's logic is brilliant; in fact, the dialogue contains a very funny line about Poirot's eternal competition with the dim-witted "local police." Agatha Christie's one flaw is neglecting to explain the drug-smuggling thread of the mystery in tying up the loose ends of the plot in the novel's final pages. Two bits of trivia: EVIL UNDER THE SUN was filmed in 1982, with Peter Ustinov as Poirot, and the more recent TV adaptation of "Triangle at Rhodes" - another "love triangle" story - starring David Suchet as Poirot, borrows some dialogue from EVIL UNDER THE SUN.









Rating:
Summary: Classic Agatha Christie Whodunnit!
Review: The beautiful and flirtatious Arlena Stewart is holidaying in the South West Coast of England with her husband, Captain Marshall and her stepdaughter Linda, staying at the Jolly Roger Hotel on an exclusive island. There she carries out a not too discreet affair with the handsome Patrick Redfern, husband of poor quiet Christine Redfern. Amongst the hotel guests are an American couple, a retired priest, a longwinded army chap, a spinster, a female friend of Captain Marshall and Hercule Poirot.

One bright sunny morning, Arlena is found dead, strangled at Pixy Cove. Hercule Poirot and the local police are called in to investigate the matter. Could the jealous husband have murdered her or perhaps it was the long suffering wife. Could it be that Arlena was blackmailed by some unscrupulous cad? Could she have stumbled across a smuggling operation at the cove? Hercule Poirot fits the pieces of the puzzle together. Amongst the clues are a pair of scissors found at the scene of the crime, pieces of a green calendar and wax in the fire grate in one of the guests rooms, an empty bottle thrown out of a window, the sound of bath water draining from a tub at midday.

This is classic Agatha Christie at her best. The scene is set, the characters introduced, the clues planted. As always the reader wil be left wondering right up to the end of the book as to who comitted the crime. As with all Agatha Christie novels, there are as many twists and turn in the plot to keep you changing your mind as to the identity of the killer. Agatha Christie is always a joy to read and this is no exception.

Lea Ling Tsang

Rating:
Summary: an excellent suspense..very interesting
Review: the book keeps you on your toes. you cannot help but flip from one page to the other and the book is over in no time indeed.an unimaginable ending.

a treat for agatha christie fans.

Rating:
Summary: a great mystery
Review: This book is set in a lonely seaside resort in England with a very mixed cast of characters, from the rich clothing-designer Rosamund Darnley to the garrulous American Mrs. Gardner to the beautiful man-chaser Arlena Stuart and her husband Captain Kenneth Marshall. Arlena's reputation of beauty and ruining marriages precedes her and indeed she does have an affair with young Patrick Redfern at the resort, despite his marriage to Christine Redfern. Therefore, when Arlena is killed, there is a long list of suspects: Kenneth Marshall, Patrick Redfern, Christine Redfern, and Linda Marshall (Arlena's step-daughter). Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgian detective, is at the resort and discovers the murderer in a completely unexpected ending.
I love the suspense of this book and the way all of the little seemingly insignificant clues eventually come together, leaving me amazed at the brilliance of Agatha Christie. I read this book in about two days because I couldn't put it down. This is definitely one of the best Agatha Christie books that I have ever read and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a great mystery.

Rating:
Summary: a reader
Review: This book is the best Agatha Christie book ever. You have to read it

Rating:
Summary: Too too good...
Review: This book....hmmm...what can i say. It was too good!!! The murderer was completely unsuspected. The cast of characters was marvelous, each with their own separite image and identity. In this book, one wouldn't even feel sorry for the murder victim because the victim, Arlena Marshall, was just too cruel and conceited! This book is Poirot at his very best, and his 'little grey cells' are working to maximum potential. READ IT NOW!

Rating:
Summary: David Suchet is wonderful!
Review: This Hercule Poirot mystery is set on an island resort. In this exotic setting, the vacationers watch each other, and learn a bit about each other's history and personalities - and gossip about the flamboyant, and possibly unfaithful wife, of one of the guests. When she's found dead, the investigation shows the guests have many secrets - suspicions of murder, financial difficulties, previous romantic entanglements with other guests.

As is typical of many Christie stories, it's one of those secrets that is key to solving the mystery.

Classic Christie puzzle plot with engaging characters. Well-written and a very enjoyable read. Recommended.