Rating: 
Summary: Christie Explores the Underworld
Review: The Pale Horse is the name of an organization whose business is murder, akin to the Mafia or other nefarious gangster-style groups. In the novel, a young historian-writer named Mark Easterbrook hears about the organization and attempts to uncover the instigators.The story unfolds in bits and pieces: the murder of a parish priest, a list of names of people already dead or marked for death, a pub converted into a home for three unusual women, and a local fete to raise money to restore the church tower all figure prominently in the story. We are also reintroduced to some characters from previous works: Mrs. Ariadne Oliver makes an appearance, this time without Poirot; Rhoda and Major Despard from "Cards on the Table" provide the entry for Mark Easterbrook as he is Rhoda's cousin; and Rev. and Mrs. Dane Calthrop from "The Moving Finger" also appear. The title for this novel is said to have been taken from Revelations 6:8 "And I looked, and behold a pale horse; and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him."
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional detective novel of unusual depth
Review: The previous review entirely misses the point. This is certainly not a typical Christie novel, and even expert whodunit readers are unlikely to guess the solution. Instead it weaves a complex web involving apparently unrelated deaths which appear to occur naturally yet very conveniently for certain parties. Certain parties who make use of providers of allegedly occult/supernatural forces. This Christie is also unique in that there are at least 3 reported instances around the world of people, having read the book, adopting the murder method used in Pale Horse in real life. Given the difficulties of detection there may be many more who got away with it. If you like the idea of a detective novel which requires an above-average i.q. you'll enjoy this book.
Rating:
Summary: A departure from the usual for Dame Agatha
Review: This 1961 novel is not a part of any of Christie's more famous series (Poirot, Miss Marple or Tommy and Tuppence) but does include some "old friends" from other books: the Dane Calthrops (THE MOVING FINGER), Rhoda and Major Despard (THE CARD ON THE TABLE) and Ariadne Oliver, the famous mystery writer who has appeared in several Poirot stories. The PALE HORSE is one of the novels that is as much romance and mystery. The story is told by Mark Easterbrook, a writer who had taken up residence in the Chelsea district of London while working on his latest book on Mogul culture. He stopped into a coffee shop for a quick meal and witnessed an argument between two young women that ended with one pulling out a handful of hair from the other. The unfortunate woman's unusual name - Thomasina Tuckerton - stuck with Easterbrook. He was surprised when he saw it a week later, in the obituaries. Easterbrook went on about his life, meeting with his friend, Ariadne Oliver, traveling to the country to visit his cousin, and going out with his long-time girlfriend Hermia Redcliffe. Meanwhile the police begin to investigate the murder of a priest who was killed on his way home from hearing a last confession. They found a list of names stuffed into the priest's shoe, including the name of the police inspector. The two threads of the story meet and continue to weave throughout London, out to the country, on to Birmingham and returning to London. On the way the path leads to witchcraft, deathrays, and murder for hire. The mystery here appears to be more a how-it-was-done than a who- done-it although Christie has once again lead us down the garden path to a surprise finish.
Rating:
Summary: A departure from the usual for Dame Agatha
Review: This 1961 novel is not a part of any of Christie's more famous series (Poirot, Miss Marple or Tommy and Tuppence) but does include some "old friends" from other books: the Dane Calthrops (THE MOVING FINGER), Rhoda and Major Despard (THE CARD ON THE TABLE) and Ariadne Oliver, the famous mystery writer who has appeared in several Poirot stories. The PALE HORSE is one of the novels that is as much romance and mystery. The story is told by Mark Easterbrook, a writer who had taken up residence in the Chelsea district of London while working on his latest book on Mogul culture. He stopped into a coffee shop for a quick meal and witnessed an argument between two young women that ended with one pulling out a handful of hair from the other. The unfortunate woman's unusual name - Thomasina Tuckerton - stuck with Easterbrook. He was surprised when he saw it a week later, in the obituaries. Easterbrook went on about his life, meeting with his friend, Ariadne Oliver, traveling to the country to visit his cousin, and going out with his long-time girlfriend Hermia Redcliffe. Meanwhile the police begin to investigate the murder of a priest who was killed on his way home from hearing a last confession. They found a list of names stuffed into the priest's shoe, including the name of the police inspector. The two threads of the story meet and continue to weave throughout London, out to the country, on to Birmingham and returning to London. On the way the path leads to witchcraft, deathrays, and murder for hire. The mystery here appears to be more a how-it-was-done than a who- done-it although Christie has once again lead us down the garden path to a surprise finish.
Rating:
Summary: Chilling and puzzling
Review: This is another stellar effort from ms Christie. A great puzzle. it is very different - certainly at first glane - to the basis of most of her novels, and is very original. The methods of concealment of murder are ingenious, and there are some very likeable characters. Mark Easterbrook, a likeable man, if a tad...dull at times. He ably leads us through the narrative, telling us all we need to know. Ginger, a lovely quirky character. Another strength of this book is the presence of Ariadne Oliver. She doesn't feature incredibly heavily, but when she does, the writing takes a fair lift. She's a brilliant character. Incredibly amusing, she is probably my favourite of all Christie's characters. When working alongside Poirot, she is a gem. Something else i really liked about this book is the fact that several of the character (The Dane Calthrops, Colonel and Rhoda Despard, etc.) we have seen before in other Christie novels, alongisde Poirot, or Marple. I love it when authors do this...using characters from other stories only serves to create an even thicker and more believeable tapestry of the world in which the author's writing's move. The story here is very original, and rather creepy and disturbing (for some, i would imagine). Black Magic and voodoo-ish practices, could they really be responsible for murder? The solution is typical unexpected, with a great twist. Another incredibly strong effort by the Queen of Crime.
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