Rating: 
Summary: Satisfying
Review: Secret of Chimneys is my 2nd all time favorite of Christie, after Death Comes As The End. Many would choose her works like And Then There Were None or The Murder On Orion Express as their favorite but for me the story in Secret Of Chimneys was more satisfying. Maybe the murder is not as intense as the two I mentioned, but it was really such a fun story. And I mean, fun! The ending was surprising but hey, that's all you expect when you pick up a Christie novel right?
Rating: 
Summary: not your average whodunit...
Review: THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS will appeal to those who are bored with the "dead body in the sitting room, which of the dinner party did it?" formula. The stakes are very high, the plot is engrossing, and the end, hard to predict. It's a story told on a vast scale, and it will exact a high demand of focused attention from its audience. Were this to be made into a film, it should be on the scale of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, large, long and opulent. Anthony Cade is a magnetic character; clever and levelheaded in the face of danger. Virginia Revel does not at first seem like a worthy love interest. She babbles on about her figure and shopping, and loves it when men are infatuated with her; it's a major ego boost. She needs to be more than a beautiful young socialite for the reader to want her and Anthony together. Battle is a wonderful detective; so smart that we will trust his every instinct, and the relationship between he and Anthony takes on an intriguing Holmes/Watson aspect. Good read.
Rating:
Summary: not your average whodunit...
Review: THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS will appeal to those who are bored with the "dead body in the sitting room, which of the dinner party did it?" formula. The stakes are very high, the plot is engrossing, and the end, hard to predict. It's a story told on a vast scale, and it will exact a high demand of focused attention from its audience. Were this to be made into a film, it should be on the scale of MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, large, long and opulent. Anthony Cade is a magnetic character; clever and levelheaded in the face of danger. Virginia Revel does not at first seem like a worthy love interest. She babbles on about her figure and shopping, and loves it when men are infatuated with her; it's a major ego boost. She needs to be more than a beautiful young socialite for the reader to want her and Anthony together. Battle is a wonderful detective; so smart that we will trust his every instinct, and the relationship between he and Anthony takes on an intriguing Holmes/Watson aspect. Good read.
Rating:
Summary: A. Christie + P. G. Wodehouse=delightful mystery farce
Review: This 1925 novel begins in Africa with the chance meeting of two old friends, young men out to see the world. As they catch up with each other they discover that one is working at a job he hates and the other wants to be in two places at once. Since they resemble each other at least superficially one decides to impersonate the other. When the imposter, Anthony Cade, arrives in England he has two errands to complete for his friend, Jimmy McGrath, the first to deliver a manuscript and the other to return a package of indiscrete letters to a lady. Cade is soon swept up in a tangle of intrigue that leads him to one of England most famous 'Stately Homes' - Chimneys. At Chimneys all the various threads come together involving state secrets, murder, secret passages, secret societies and romance. All is well in the end setting the stage for the return of Chimneys and its delightful resident family in the SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY. This is a comic mystery story with many of the characters and much of the plot sounding as much P. G. Wodehouse as Agatha Christie. For those looking for a serious mystery look else where. There is no Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple (although Superintendant Battle makes his first appearance) here but instead a delightful departure from Christie's usual style
Rating:
Summary: A. Christie + P. G. Wodehouse=delightful mystery farce
Review: This 1925 novel begins in Africa with the chance meeting of two old friends, young men out to see the world. As they catch up with each other they discover that one is working at a job he hates and the other wants to be in two places at once. Since they resemble each other at least superficially one decides to impersonate the other. When the imposter, Anthony Cade, arrives in England he has two errands to complete for his friend, Jimmy McGrath, the first to deliver a manuscript and the other to return a package of indiscrete letters to a lady. Cade is soon swept up in a tangle of intrigue that leads him to one of England most famous 'Stately Homes' - Chimneys. At Chimneys all the various threads come together involving state secrets, murder, secret passages, secret societies and romance. All is well in the end setting the stage for the return of Chimneys and its delightful resident family in the SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY. This is a comic mystery story with many of the characters and much of the plot sounding as much P. G. Wodehouse as Agatha Christie. For those looking for a serious mystery look else where. There is no Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple (although Superintendant Battle makes his first appearance) here but instead a delightful departure from Christie's usual style
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat Improbable But Intriguing
Review: This book is full of plot twists involving a foreign kingdom, lost jewelry, and a famous French jewel thief. I admit that I could not follow all of the various plot twists, but I could not put this book down. The book also has caricatures of the English Lord, The Government Minister, the Rich Widow, the Rich American, and the Faithful Servant. Underlying the plot is a sense of humor about society. The author mocks all of the characters. You will never be able to guess how this one ends.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat Improbable But Intriguing
Review: This book is full of plot twists involving a foreign kingdom, lost jewelry, and a famous French jewel thief. I admit that I could not follow all of the various plot twists, but I could not put this book down. The book also has caricatures of the English Lord, The Government Minister, the Rich Widow, the Rich American, and the Faithful Servant. Underlying the plot is a sense of humor about society. The author mocks all of the characters. You will never be able to guess how this one ends.
Rating:
Summary: Simply astonishing
Review: This is a book I highly reccommend. It's not only an interesting plot, but Dame Agatha depicts so well the customs of the British aristocracy and Royalty, it seems as if she had been a secret observant in one of their big palaces. The story develops itself in an English country estate (possibly North Oxfordshire), and the characterizations and dialogues are superb. Truly the work of a Master.
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