Passenger to Frankfurt

Rating:
Summary: Another of Christie's Master Criminal Organization Novels
Review: Agatha Christie wrote several novels that deal with international organizations trying to take over the world. While I prefer her works set in the cozy country estates with families full of suspects, this is an enjoyable foray into this type of her work. Tones of neo-Nazism, drug trafficking, international finance, and a scientific discovery that could change the world are some of the elements that make up this story.

The characters are interesting: Sir Stafford Nye, an unambitious member of the British diplomatic corps caught up in this caper; his great-aunt Matilda, an aristocratic lady reminiscent of Miss Marple in that she has a remarkable memory of things that happened long ago; a young girl with three identities who fears for her life, and a young man rumored to be the son of Adolph Hitler are among the characters that come to life in this novel.

If you like international intrigue, stories about spies and world domination, I think you will enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: A terrible mess
Review: At the Frankfurt airport the diplomat Sir Stafford Nye takes an enormous risk when he gives, without questions, his flamboyant cloak and his passport to a young woman who slightly resembles himself. But the woman is desperate and tells him that it truly is a matter of life and death. She must take a seat in the airplane from Frankfurt to London and no one must know who she really is, because that would mean certain death. Later he understands that she did not exaggerate a bit when he learns who she is and what her real purpose was.

Passenger to Frankfurt has nothing to recommend it; except for the study it provides of an author in declining years trying to concoct a plot that involves topics like world domination and fascism. The novel subsequently stays always one pace removed from reality and the characters seem to be as lost as any reader would be.

Agatha Christie wrote this book as a birthday treat in 1970, the year she became eighty. Fans deserved a somewhat nicer present, I think. Even the publisher realized that the story would be hard to sell to the readers and insisted on the subtitle "An Extravaganza".

Rating:
Summary: what a mess
Review: First off, let me say that i am a huge and dedicated fan of the great Dame Agatha Chrisite. I have read almost all her books, and i think she is the greatest mystery writer ever.

However, this rather fantastical effort is a departure from her usual murder mysteries into the murky world of espionage and the discovery of an anarchistic conspiracy run by neo-Nazis. The net effect is an amateurish and boring plot burdened by superfluous characters and a lack of exposition.

The main character seems to be likable Sir Stafford Nye, who is actually quite an interesting persona, until he is inexplicably dumped halfway through the book in favour of a fly-on-the-wall observation of various Cabinet meetings that are essentially redundant in telling the reader that the danger faced is very serious and mysterious. There are also long, abstract and irrelevant dialogues between mono-dimensional characters that make Agatha Christie seem at sea with a genre that is apparently too big for her.

When the mastermind behind the conspiracy is uncovered, we see a brief flash of the old Christie, as the culprit is someone whom the reader never suspects. However, the epilogue, instead of explaining the culprit's motives or the fates of the various conspirators is instead a humorous yet unsatisfactory marriage between Sir Stafford and another character.

Several times during the narrative, I found the courage and fortitude to continue only by telling myself that the ending would be as brilliant and fulfilling as all her previous novels, yet once again, I was thoroughly disappointed with this sad excuse for a novel


Rating:
Summary: Not a Thriller
Review: I agree with those reviewers that believe that this is not Agathat's best work, far from it. Her foray is mystery and this books attempts to be a thriller, which doesn't work at all. I cannot say that the writing is bad but this entire book is just not interesting. Her other books that have to do with world organizations are much better although also couldn't be compared to her regular setting of a family murder. So much of the plot just doesn't make sense and apart from the three main characters everyone else remain hazy, which is never the case in any of her other books. I have the entire collection and must say that this is her most unsuccessful literary attempt.

Rating:
Summary: Christie's worst book
Review: I have adored Agatha Christie for many years and have read everything she's every written at least several times. This is the only Christie book that I can ever remember hating while I was reading it. It pains me to say this but this is definitely her worst book ever, hands down. Even Postern of Fate and Elephants Can Remember had some redeeming qualities but not this book. I should probably give it one star but I just cannot bring myself to do that to Agatha. Part of the problem with this book is that Christie evidently got herself caught up in the late 1960's spy/conspiracy craze and got carried away by a genre she had no business dealing with. The other problem is that Agatha's writing skills had declined significantly when this book was published and it shows in this book. If there are any readers out there who are not familiar with Christie or who are only casual fans, please do not read this book until you have read every other Christie availabled. I would suggest reading any of her works written prior to 1958 first (preferably reading the 1920's and 30's first)and only then begin reading her later stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Not a typical Christie but still great
Review: This 1970 novel is definitely not one of Christie's usual cozy style of mystery. It is, instead, a thriller type of story involving a world-wide conspiracy of Neo Nazis that has much more in common with James Bond than Hercule Poirot.

While returning from a trip to far east for the Foreign Office, Sir Stafford Nye was approached by a young woman who had an interesting request. She wanted to borrow his passport and distinctive traveling cloak to escape killers who were stalking her. Sir Stafford agreed to help her which set a strange and exciting adventure in motion. Within a few weeks Sir Stafford found himself on a trail that lead throughout England, to Germany and beyond. His fellow travelers included the beautiful woman that set things in motion, scientists, diplomats, mystery men and his Great Aunt Matilda and one of her old school mates.

Even though this is a departure from Christie's usual work it is still a well crafted story, full of red herrings and interesting quirky characters as one would expect from Dame Agatha. We are also treated to a visit from Mr. Robinson, the shadowy figure of international intrigue that has appeared in some earlier works.

Rating:
Summary: Not a typical Christie but still great
Review: This 1970 novel is definitely not one of Christie's usual cozy style of mystery. It is, instead, a thriller type of story involving a world-wide conspiracy of Neo Nazis that has much more in common with James Bond than Hercule Poirot.

While returning from a trip to far east for the Foreign Office, Sir Stafford Nye was approached by a young woman who had an interesting request. She wanted to borrow his passport and distinctive traveling cloak to escape killers who were stalking her. Sir Stafford agreed to help her which set a strange and exciting adventure in motion. Within a few weeks Sir Stafford found himself on a trail that lead throughout England, to Germany and beyond. His fellow travelers included the beautiful woman that set things in motion, scientists, diplomats, mystery men and his Great Aunt Matilda and one of her old school mates.

Even though this is a departure from Christie's usual work it is still a well crafted story, full of red herrings and interesting quirky characters as one would expect from Dame Agatha. We are also treated to a visit from Mr. Robinson, the shadowy figure of international intrigue that has appeared in some earlier works.

Rating:
Summary: would give it 0 if i could
Review: This book doesn't even deserve to have agatha christie's name on the cover. It's by far the most dissapointing book A.C. has ever written. I finished the book, an yet I can't find the mistery in it, it's so ovbious from the start, that reading the first 30 pages and the last 10, you're not missing anything and you're not waisting your time reading it.
I'm very dissapointed by it and I wouldn't recommend this one to anybody. Truly Agatha Christie's WORST.

Rating:
Summary: goes absolutely nowhere, but i still love it
Review: this book goes practically nowhere at all, and is slightly confusing really, as to whose side everyone is on, etc.

But, it is not the bad book that most of these reviews seem to make it out as.

In all honesty, it really doesnt deserve the five star rating i have given it. In fact, four stars is a more accurate estimation of it's quality, but i have given it five stars to "raise the average". because it really doesnt deserve the two and a bit stars which it currently has.

This book has some real plusses. It is brilliantly written. The language Christie uses is probably the best of all her novels. It is more well written and literary than some of them. There are some great characters (Stafford Nye, Mary Anne, Countess Wauldsausen (who we see unfortunately little of)) who really inspire interest in what is a rather perplexing plot. Perplexing why? Because there is actuall no real plot. It goes almost nowhere, and seems a bit pointless. Just written as a device to air some of Christie's views on the way society is sliding down the drain.

Which is where the book does the major credit. The social observations, passages about the state of the world, its climate, its politics, the attitude of its people, its governments, is intensely interesting. Christie's take on the new "youth" is very interesting. Anarchy and rebellion ar ethe order of the day, and they do permeate this book with a strange sense of fear. Fear for the future, and what it holds for us in this strangely unstable world.

This plot has a huge scope, exploring diplomacy, politics, forms of rule, government, vision for the future, and the state of the world. In that, it is truly excellent. The foreboding, doom, hopelessness of things is brought across well. This book also has a high count of people "just trying to do the right thing" in spite of so many people who disagree with them.

so, as a plot driven novel, its not good. But, as a novel driven by ideas and notions about the state of world politics, then it is excellent. It's interesting, thought-provoking, with some great characters, and a nice prose style.

A very different Christie book, and for all it's faults, it is one of the "great" ones. (As opposed to one of the "excellent" or "good" ones.)

Rating:
Summary: I don't know what you all are talking about!
Review: This book [isn't good]! I love Agatha?s books, but this one I only read until the end to see how it would end. It is NOT worth reading it, unless you like subjects like the cold war and international politics approached in an childish manner. This was actually one of the worst books ever!!!