Boek

Dead Man's Folly

Dead Man's Folly

Auteur Agatha Christie , David Suchet (stem)
Eerste Uitgave1956
Uitgave1993
UitgeverijChivers Word For Word
Vormaudiobook
TaalEngels
Duur6 uur 15 minuten
Gelezen2004-01-16
Score8/10

Inhoud

Recorded on 6 cassettes; playing time 6hrs 15mins approx

Sir George and Lady Stubbs are holding the village fete in their grounds. It is to be a fete with a difference, for well-known mystery writer Ariadne Oliver is to organise a Murder Hunt as the main event. Every detail is arranged with her customary flair and ingenuity - and the scene is set for murder. Something is not quite right - if only she knew what it was! In desperation, she telephones her old friend Hercule Poirot for assistance...

David Suchet's acclaimed work with the RSC includes Iago in Othello an Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, while among his TV appearances are Reilly - Ace of Spies, Oppenheimer, Saigon - The Last Days and the title roles in The Life of Freud and Blott on the Landscape. His films include A Tale of Two Cities, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Missionary and Master of the Game.

Bespreking

A solid detective story

Miss Lemon, Hercule Poirot's "perfect machine", receives a telephone call from Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, the famous detective writer. Ariadne is busy organizing a murder hunt as part of a big charity event being held on the grounds at Nasse House. It seems that she is not completely in charge of the script of the murder, because people are constantly giving suggestions and hints on where and how to plan this fake murder. Ariadne truly fears that she is being used to hide a real crime that is about to take place and calls upon her old friend Hercule Poirot to sort things out. The famous detective finds all of this a load of silliness, but nevertheless starts to get a little curious.

Dead Man's Folly is a typical Agatha Christie mystery. The setting feels familiar, the characters are most of the time trying to deal with their past and the crime is as mysterious and complex as you can get. A generation conflict between the old folks and the teenagers is added to spice things up. As an extra bonus the reader is treated on a denouement is far from realistic, but is fair enough seen the number of hints you get throughout the story. The only problem that stops the reader from finding it out for himself is the enormous number of red herrings.

Noteworthy is that Nasse House is based upon Agatha Christie's favorite residence: Greenway house, the Devonshire home Christie occupied during most of her married life. The character of Ariadne is a caricature of Agatha Christie herself.

All in all, this book gives the reader a solid example of a good detective story.