Tag: mystery
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Island Crime Fiction: From Scotland to Scylly
I typically discover new (to me) crime writers in a range of ways: through newspaper and online reviews; from friends who foist favourites on me; and as fortuitous discoveries in Free Little Libraries. But this is my first time finding a terrifically interesting crime writer by happenstance, while arranging to rent her home during my…
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The Many Labours of Hercules: From Agatha Christie’s Short Stories to David Suchet’s Penultimate Poirot
Agatha Christie’s The Labours of Hercules is a set of short stories. The prologue starts with a friend, a classical scholar and Fellow at All Souls College, who asks Poirot about his first name, which is hardly apt, as well as that of his brother, Achille. Do I not resemble the classical hero?, asks Poirot,…
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Sophie Hannah’s Closed Casket: The Challenges of Re-Creating Christie for the 21st Century
As I was reading Closed Casket (mostly with pleasure) last night, it occurred to me that my dissatisfaction with Sophie Hannah’s take on Hercule Poirot stems from a possibly intractable problem. In short, Hannah is a much better writer than Christie. And a very good writer trying to mimic a worse one produces challenges. I’m…
