Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye - Tania del Rio

I received this book as a giveaway through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program.

Warren the 13^th has lived in his family’s hotel his entire life. Run by his lazy uncle, the building has fallen into disrepair and hasn’t seen a visitor in five years. Apart from trying to keep the place together, Warren is also busy thwarting his new aunt from her obsessive search for a legendary family heirloom, the All-Seeing Eye. One day after cleaning up after her destructive behaviour, a stranger wrapped in bandages checks in. From that moment on his life will never be the same again.

The gothic art style is reminiscent of Edward Gorey and the illustrations not only helped set the mood but were also essential in the telling of the story. Every chapter has a title page with gorgeous typography and artwork that hint at what’s to come next. There’s also a secret message hidden throughout the book that spells out where Warren’s going next. This fit in with the mystery in the book as well as the graphical info in the illustrations.

This story is filled with a variety of quirky characters that lean towards the fantastical. There’s a witch who’s missing her voice, a pirate who only comes ashore every ten years or so, a creature who speaks in whistles and more. With each though we only get a taste of their background along with an illustration, leaving the readers wanting more. Part of the reason is the pace of the story. It moves so quickly that readers don’t spend much time with anyone apart from Warren. There could easily have been another hundred pages added onto the book to flesh out people and places.

Clearly this is only the beginning of Warren’s story as the ending was left open with several plot threads unresolved. It will be interesting to see where he goes next. 

Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie

“All around us are people of all classes, of all nationalities, of all ages. For three days these people, these strangers to one another, are brought together. They sleep and eat under one roof, they cannot get away from each other. At the end of three days they part, they go their separate ways, never, perhaps to see each other again.”

Hercule Poirot is travelling back from Pakistan on the Orient Express and is lucky to get a berth. He finds the train strangely crowded for winter. Populated with a variety of people of varying nationalities and classes, this group is a cross section of the world in miniature, confined to the living quarters of a train. Their interactions inform us on the attitude of the times and Poirot, being the nosy eavesdropper he is, learns all about his fellow passengers through conversation. All seems to be well until the second night when a snowstorm strands the train in the mountains. A series of strange noises precede the death of one Samuel Ratchett, who is discovered the next morning with 12 stab wounds to his chest. Poirot reluctantly takes the case only to find the evidence either nonexistent or bizarrely inconsistent. Each suspect is questioned in turn and Poirot slowly comes to realize he is dealing with a mastermind. Will he uncover the truth and discover the real killer before the train can be dug out from the storm?

This book is somewhat different from a traditional mystery in that it’s divided into three sections: “The Crime Scene”, “The Evidence” and “The Solution”. It’s a strange melding of storytelling and criminal investigation. It’s somewhat jarring at first but doesn’t detract from the story or suspense created by Christie. Again this is another genius plot and as always with her books, I tried to discern the identity of the killer and as always, failed miserably. This definitely makes for one of the more frustrating plot lines and trust me you’ll be kicking yourself once you get to the end. It’s far more complex than you realize. Just make sure you watch out for red herrings.

I love this book, maddening as it is. It's full, in terms of plot and characters. It's fulfilling and it's in the top echelon of Christie novels where it deserves to be. If you've never read any of her books and want to experience her talent to its full extent, reading this book would be a great start.

Rating: 5/5

A Study in Scarlet - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

“There’s the scarlet threat of murder running through the colorless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.”

“A Study in Scarlet” was the world’s first introduction to Sherlock Holmes. In fact, it was also the first story where Dr. Watson and Sherlock meet. Watson was injured and has had to retire from military life. Fortunately Sherlock Holmes is looking for someone to share the rent in his flat. Thrown together Sherlock and Watson make an effective team when called to the scene of a murder in a deserted house where a mysterious message “RACHE” is drawn in blood on the wall. This is a case that spans the globe and introduces us to one of the greatest fictional detectives ever created.

I was excited but apprehensive to start this book as it was published so long ago (1887) and my experience with older books has been dry dialogue accompanied by a dry plot. They end up making me want to tear my hair out and I didn’t want the book to ruin my appreciation for Sherlock Holmes. But I actually found the book interesting. I liked seeing his process, how he deduced solutions and then had to explain himself. Some of the references were archaic, interrupting the flow of the plot but this wasn’t a major concern.

My main problem with this story is Part II. Right before Sherlock explains how deduced who the murder was, Part I ends. Part II starts in the desert in Utah with an entirely different cast of characters and there’s Mormons. This completely jarring break brought me right out of the story. I assumed it was a misprint the first time I read it. In fact, I read the opening four times to try and see how the parts connected but alas. This frustration I think would be enough to turn some readers off the book. I don’t think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had settled into a rhythm yet as Sherlock only appears again near the end to explain how he deduced the identity of the murderer.

This is a difficult introduction to Sherlock Holmes but it lays the groundwork for the friendship and partnership between him and Watson. If you want to start at the beginning of the series I suggest you start here.

Rated: 3/5

As a sidenote the BBC, who honestly have some of the best programming on the planet have produced an updated version of Sherlock Holmes simply called “Sherlock” and honestly the leads couldn’t be more perfect. The first season (or series as they call it across the pond) had three episodes and they’ve already issued a second season. I originally did a post on the new series but I’ve put the trailer here for your viewing pleasure.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christier

"You will find, M. le docteur, if you have much to do with cases of this kind, that they all resemble each other in one thing... everyone concerned in them has something to hide." Page - 105

Roger Ackroyd, the wealthiest man in King's Abbott is found murdered one night and almost everyone has a motive. His nephew, Ralph, has a gambling problem and as inheritor of the estate, could pay off his debts. His niece and sister-in-law, dependant on his miserly penny-pinching "charity" could live comfortably off his money. And then there's Parker the butler. Fortunately Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the case, having conveniently retired to the same town to cultivate marrows.

The Good:

This is one of Christie's best known works and a great example of her authorial abilities. The story is narrated by Dr. James Sheppard who lives with his sister Caroline, a nosy would-be-detective. They team up with Poirot to solve the crime with Dr. Sheppard standing in for Captain Hastings who has retired to the Argentine.

Christie manages to keep the reader guessing with various red herrings and a convoluted series of events to throw them off the scent. But Poirot slowly wheedles down the list of suspects as he gathers evidence and conducts interviews. Maps and diagrams help to illustrate the crime scene and enable the reader to try and puzzle out the truth but you'll have to read quite close to the end to discover who really murdered Ackroyd.

Poirot is as always, amusing and deductive in his reasoning. His "little gray cells" work overtime and it's interesting to see his analytical method at work. As well the reader relies on him heavily to explain the various secrets and motives of the various characters.

This book has everything. Poisoning, a blackmail plot, murder, a nervous butler, drug smuggling, marrows, etc. As well, it has a great plot twist at the end that makes it a most satisfying read.

The Bad:

Christie's ability to tell a story is the only frustrating aspect of the story. Events build on one another, complicating the plot and the explanation of the murder. This leaves the reader suspecting everyone and no one until by the end you're thoroughly confused and anxious over what really happened.

The Ugly:

Somebody find Eli Wallach.

Rating:

5/5

Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

"I had just finished carving some boiled beef (remarkably tough by the way), and on resuming my seat, I remarked, in a spirit most unbecoming to my cloth, that anyone who murdered Colonel Protheroe would be doing the world at large a service."

This book is the first to introduces us to Miss Jane Marple, elderly "spinster" turned amateur detective. She is a self-confessed "observer" of people and though nothing much happens in her little village of St. Mary Mead, she is keen to the motivations and weaknesses of human nature. Things do start to heat up though when Colonel Protheroe, a much-loathed man, is found murdered in the study of the local vicar. Miss Marple inserts herself into the investigation in the hopes of keeping an innocent from being charged with murder.

The Good:

As is usual with Christie's mysteries, I found the solution original and interesting. The variety of details and red herrings kept me from solving the story on my own, though Christie does poke fun at the idea of "the butler did it".

I also like how here we can see the kind of sleuthing that separates Miss Marple from Hercule Poirot. Miss Marple is more of a criminal profiler, getting into the heads of her suspects, finding out how they tick. Poirot is more of a meticulous CSI who detects the smallest of details that provide the answer to the crime. And after reading several Poirot stories, it's nice to see how Christie can take a mystery in a different direction. I personally love the idea of delving into how and why people think.

There's a good deal of dry humour to be found in the book that I found refreshing and helped to lighten the mood at times. "If you come to a Vicarage, you ought to be prepared to find a Vicar." - page 7

The Bad:

For a book that claims to be the first introduction to Miss Marple you don't actually see a lot of her. She doesn't play a major part in the investigation and only makes a good appearance in the last thirty pages of the book. She does offer her advice and suspicions about various suspects but is mostly in the background. It's only thanks to her curious nature and the fact that the murder took place close to her home that she becomes involved, though she's not considered part of the official investigation. This is made evident by what others in St. Mary Mead think of her. "'I really believe that wizened old maid believes she thinks she knows everything there is to know. And hardly been out of this village all her life. Preposterous. What can she know of life?'" - page 70

As can be expected with a book published 70 years ago, some of the language is archaic and not easily translated. It took me a moment after reading "picture house" to understand Christie meant a movie theatre.

This is the first Marple book but having seen the TV adaptations and I was surprised at how negative and cruel Miss Marple was in this book. I'm far more used to Gwendolyn McEwan's as Miss Marple. She has a gentle manner, a mischievous smile and though she discovers the faults in others she rarely ever calls them on it. Apparently though, this Jane Marple is markedly different from later books. Here's an example of what had me so confused about her attitude. "'Dear Vicar,' said Miss Marple, 'you are so unworldly. I'm afraid that, observing human nature for as long as I have done, one gets not to expect very much from it. I dare say idle tittle-tattle is very wrong and unkind, but it is so often true, isn't it?' That last Parthian shot went home." - page 15

The last scene in the book summarizes the action to tie up plot points. This is disappointing as it deflates the tension and the ending loses the punch it should have had.

The Ugly:

Somebody find Eli Wallach.

Rating: 3/5