Alright, this is going to be a bit of a rush job as I still have a pile of things to get done before work and I probably won't get a chance to do any internet related activities for a few days.
It turns out that I wasn't crazy. This one really was meant to be unsolvable. Everyone died, and the police were baffled. It turns out the Judge was the killer, and that was only revealed when his confession was found floating in a bottle out at sea. You see, Christie deliberately deprived us of key information, which isn't against the rules by any stretch of the imagination. It's just usual that eventually those things come to light. But the point is that it was absolutely an unsolvable crime until his confession was found.
It turns out that he had made an alliance with the Doctor. They faked his death, counting on the fact that the others would not want to approach another dead body, leaving the Doctor as the only person to examine him. They thought this would allow the Judge to sneak about and spy on everyone else and suss out the murder. It was untraceable since the short journal entries of the other guests all confirmed that the Judge was dead and, since Doctor Armstrong was the very next victim, there was no way to contradict that finding. So the Judge murdered them all, with two important exceptions.
Vera shot Lombard in, she believed, self defense. Then, in a haze of shock and depression, she went up to her room where the Judge had set up a noose ready for her use. She hung herself with barely a thought. The Judge explains in his confession that he wanted to deal with those who had the most guilt last, meaning he left her as the most heinous offender, which I completely agree with.
I do, however, take exception with his logic. He believes that he is dealing justice to untouchable criminals, but the fact is that only a handful of them thought they were actually responsible at all. For example, the Doctor knew he operated drunk, so he knew his guilt. Vera knew point blank that she had let that boy drown. The General knew he had sent his wife's lover to his death. But, let's take Miss Brent for example. Did she make some heartless choices in dismissing her maid after the girl got pregnant. Yes. But for the time period, not completely out of the norm. The girl took her own life after that. Was Miss Brent guilty of killing her? No, I don't think so. Not even a little. She was a bitch, to be sure, but she did not kill that girl. But even more to the point, not a single one of the guests seemed to feel any remorse for what they had done. I was just left with a lack of closure for their crimes I guess. But I guess that's the way of things. Murderers don't care what they've done. And even in death, they don't usually regret it.
I'm moving on to the Moving Finger next, but, as I said, it might be a while before I can comment on it.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Twins?
So, just as I was deciding that I would stop trying to figure out who the killer was, she throws me a bone.
The death count is up to three. Mrs. Roberts went to sleep and never woke up, casting doubt on both her husband and the doctor who gave her a sleeping drought. Then the General was struck down by a blow to the head. He had gone a bit strange before that though so I think something else was going on there.
But the bottom line is that I had no idea who could possibly be the killer. I was just as confused as the people on the island.
Oh but then...
Three of the men, while searching the house, see the butler, through a window, heading out to serve drinks. Seemingly moments later, they run into him in the attic gathering his clothing to move to another room. Then, later, when being questioned, he had a slight cockney accent that he had not had before. I believe there might be two of him. I think he has a twin. The only question is, why did he gather these particular people to kill?
The death count is up to three. Mrs. Roberts went to sleep and never woke up, casting doubt on both her husband and the doctor who gave her a sleeping drought. Then the General was struck down by a blow to the head. He had gone a bit strange before that though so I think something else was going on there.
But the bottom line is that I had no idea who could possibly be the killer. I was just as confused as the people on the island.
Oh but then...
Three of the men, while searching the house, see the butler, through a window, heading out to serve drinks. Seemingly moments later, they run into him in the attic gathering his clothing to move to another room. Then, later, when being questioned, he had a slight cockney accent that he had not had before. I believe there might be two of him. I think he has a twin. The only question is, why did he gather these particular people to kill?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
And Then There Were Nine
So we've had our first death!
Tony Marsten bit the big one. He drank a form of cyanide and died almost instantly. It was a bit of an ironic twist really; the youngest, fittest of them being the first to die. And probably the least remorseful too. His murderous past included nothing more sinister than a hit and run, which was certainly not premeditated as all the other seem to be. They all believe it to be suicide, which it obviously isn't. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to see through it or not. It's not like the people of Agatha Christie's era had CSI, and CSI Miami, and CSI Special Victims Unit, and Law and Order, and Bones to teach them about forensics. They suppose he must have killed himself because the whiskey and the soda were both cyanide free but I think it was most likely already in the glass. It was probably in powder form that got mixed when the drink was poured, so the first death could really have been any one of them.
My money is currently on Mrs. Roberts, though she might be a red herring. She was the only one not in the room when Tony Marsten died. See, there are three logical possibilities among the group. The mysterious Mr. Owen could have been either Mr. Roberts, Mrs. Roberts (or I supposed both of them together), or Mr. Bore, as they are the only ones that did not have to be tricked into coming to the island. However, I can now rule out Mr. Roberts due to the end of this most recent chapter. On the dining room table there had been ten little china soldiers. However, after the Tony's death, he was surprised to find, in an aside not shared with the rest of the group, that there were now only nine little soldiers. He is officially off my list of suspects.
The game is afoot!
I should probably mention the few things I've learned so far about the murders lurking in the guests' pasts. Vera Claythorn may have been responsible for drowning a child. Or rather, of letting a child drown so that her lover, Hugo, might gain the family inheritance instead of the small boy. Since he is no longer in the picture, you can probably imagine how that ended. The General truly is guilty of sending his wife's lover into a hopeless mission where he was sure to be killed. There really doesn't seem to be much more to it than that. Justice Wargreave is accused of allowing an innocent man to be executed. He described the case as being nearly won by the defense until he gave his summation. I have no idea why he would do it yet, but I'm getting the over all impression that he did it because he enjoyed the power of it. In other words...I think he sent that man to death because he knew he could.
Tony Marsten bit the big one. He drank a form of cyanide and died almost instantly. It was a bit of an ironic twist really; the youngest, fittest of them being the first to die. And probably the least remorseful too. His murderous past included nothing more sinister than a hit and run, which was certainly not premeditated as all the other seem to be. They all believe it to be suicide, which it obviously isn't. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to see through it or not. It's not like the people of Agatha Christie's era had CSI, and CSI Miami, and CSI Special Victims Unit, and Law and Order, and Bones to teach them about forensics. They suppose he must have killed himself because the whiskey and the soda were both cyanide free but I think it was most likely already in the glass. It was probably in powder form that got mixed when the drink was poured, so the first death could really have been any one of them.
My money is currently on Mrs. Roberts, though she might be a red herring. She was the only one not in the room when Tony Marsten died. See, there are three logical possibilities among the group. The mysterious Mr. Owen could have been either Mr. Roberts, Mrs. Roberts (or I supposed both of them together), or Mr. Bore, as they are the only ones that did not have to be tricked into coming to the island. However, I can now rule out Mr. Roberts due to the end of this most recent chapter. On the dining room table there had been ten little china soldiers. However, after the Tony's death, he was surprised to find, in an aside not shared with the rest of the group, that there were now only nine little soldiers. He is officially off my list of suspects.
The game is afoot!
I should probably mention the few things I've learned so far about the murders lurking in the guests' pasts. Vera Claythorn may have been responsible for drowning a child. Or rather, of letting a child drown so that her lover, Hugo, might gain the family inheritance instead of the small boy. Since he is no longer in the picture, you can probably imagine how that ended. The General truly is guilty of sending his wife's lover into a hopeless mission where he was sure to be killed. There really doesn't seem to be much more to it than that. Justice Wargreave is accused of allowing an innocent man to be executed. He described the case as being nearly won by the defense until he gave his summation. I have no idea why he would do it yet, but I'm getting the over all impression that he did it because he enjoyed the power of it. In other words...I think he sent that man to death because he knew he could.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Mr. Morris and the Roberts
I haven't advanced much today for the simple reason that I'm almost done knitting my Doctor Who scarf, which has taken me nearly two months to complete. Now that I'm in the home stretch, it's hard to stop for some reading time.
I did forget to mention one character from yesterday: Mr. Morris. He appears to be the Owens' lawyer, who has set up some of the dealings happening on the island. He is clearly in the know with whatever is about to go on. He is described, quite bluntly, as a jew, though I'm not sure if that's relevant or merely a statement from the time in which it was written.
I've also encountered two other characters, the Roberts. This husband and wife are the caretakers and servants of the Soldier Island Manor, and they seem a bit off. More than one of the guests has described Mrs. Roberts as being a ghost of a woman, afraid of her own shadow. They don't seem to have any prior connection to the Owens, but their odd demeanor tells me there is something else going on there as well. Oh how I'd love to be able to type "The butler did it!" for my very first mystery!
I did forget to mention one character from yesterday: Mr. Morris. He appears to be the Owens' lawyer, who has set up some of the dealings happening on the island. He is clearly in the know with whatever is about to go on. He is described, quite bluntly, as a jew, though I'm not sure if that's relevant or merely a statement from the time in which it was written.
I've also encountered two other characters, the Roberts. This husband and wife are the caretakers and servants of the Soldier Island Manor, and they seem a bit off. More than one of the guests has described Mrs. Roberts as being a ghost of a woman, afraid of her own shadow. They don't seem to have any prior connection to the Owens, but their odd demeanor tells me there is something else going on there as well. Oh how I'd love to be able to type "The butler did it!" for my very first mystery!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
And Then There Were None
So the one very important thing I forgot to mention in my first post is that I've decided to start with And Then There Were None. I know it's not her first, which would make more sense, but what can I say? I walked into the book store, it was the first one on the shelf, and I just plain liked the title. So that's where I'm starting.
Something else to keep in mind, should anyone ever read this but me (which is doubtful), is that this blog is, by necessity, going to be very spoilery. Since I'm reading mysteries, that could really suck for someone who's not read these books before and might want to at some point. So, reader beware.
I can already tell that there is going to a be a lot to keep track of in this book. I'm one chapter in and I think I'm already seeing a hint of the Agatha Christie formula. She's got a group of people, all from different backgrounds and with different motivations, heading to a strange, remote place they've been invited to. Invited, I should mention, by someone they do not know, but who seems to know a great deal about them. I thought I'd start with a little character rundown.
1.) Owens, the mysterious benefactor who is bringing everyone to Soldier Island. It is as yet unclear if this is a man or a woman, or possibly both.
2.) Mr. Justice Wargrave, a former lawyer. He believes he is going to reunite with what appears to be an old flame whom he has not seen in several years.
3.) Vera Claythorn, a middle age woman, who believes she is being sent to the island to fill a secretarial position. She has tragedy in her past of an unknown nature having to do with someone named Hugo, whom she does not want to think about. From the flashes we are given, it appears he might have drowned and she was unable to reach him in time to save him. It appears there may have been a touch of scandal attached to this death as well.
4.) Philip Lombard, an unknown quantity. He is down on his luck and nearly out of money. He was engaged by a third party representing Owens who appears to know that Lombard is down to his last bit of cash. He believes whatever he is going to do will only last a week or so and may or may not involve something illegal.
5.) Miss. Emily Bent, possibly my favorite character judging by the description. She's a sixty five year old spinster, and she's completely snooty and I already love her. Christie writes: "Enveloped in an aura of righteousness and unyielding principles, Miss Brent sat in her crowded third-class carriage and triumphed over its discomfort and its heat." She believes she is getting a free holiday from someone she met at a retreat of some sort a few summers back, though she cannot exactly recall the woman.
6.) General Macarthur is another one with very little information. He clearly has some skeletons in his closet as he is concerned that someone named Armstrong "talked." He believes he is headed out to meet with some old cronies to discuss the good old days. He suspects the island is owned by the army or the air force at this point.
7.) Doctor Armstrong is a youngish man for his profession who happened to get a few lucky breaks with some accurate diagnosis and a few grateful female clients with plenty of wealth and influence. Since then he's been far too busy and is glad for what he thinks will be an easy little break. He believes he is going to take a look at the benefactor's wife who has a problem with her nerves. The doctor believes there will probably be nothing wrong with her that a little placebo won't fix, and is looking forward to the rest this trip offers.
8.) Tony Marston is obviously a playboy. He's handsome, tan, blue-eyed, and presumably rich. He drives his car way too fast and to devil with everyone else on the road. He believes he's headed to some large party opportunity, and he is clearly used to that. He's not concerned at all by the fact that he doesn't know the Owens at all. I like Christie's summation of him: "Anthony Marston proceeded on his triumphal progress."
9.) Mr. Blore is apparently a con man and may, in fact, be the elusive Mr. Owens. He has a list of the other guests and is trying to decide what persona to give himself, at last deciding on a man from the colonies of South Africa. It's foreign and exotic enough that he feels he'll be able to bluff his way through it. We get an interesting bit of foreshadowing here. His companion in the compartment is an old sea dog who, upon waking, tells him that the squall is coming. He tells Bore that the day of judgment is close at hand, and that it's coming right for him. He dismisses the man as old, possibly crazy, and clearly much closer to judgment day than he was. But, as Christie tells us, "But there, as it happens, he was wrong..."
Something else to keep in mind, should anyone ever read this but me (which is doubtful), is that this blog is, by necessity, going to be very spoilery. Since I'm reading mysteries, that could really suck for someone who's not read these books before and might want to at some point. So, reader beware.
I can already tell that there is going to a be a lot to keep track of in this book. I'm one chapter in and I think I'm already seeing a hint of the Agatha Christie formula. She's got a group of people, all from different backgrounds and with different motivations, heading to a strange, remote place they've been invited to. Invited, I should mention, by someone they do not know, but who seems to know a great deal about them. I thought I'd start with a little character rundown.
1.) Owens, the mysterious benefactor who is bringing everyone to Soldier Island. It is as yet unclear if this is a man or a woman, or possibly both.
2.) Mr. Justice Wargrave, a former lawyer. He believes he is going to reunite with what appears to be an old flame whom he has not seen in several years.
3.) Vera Claythorn, a middle age woman, who believes she is being sent to the island to fill a secretarial position. She has tragedy in her past of an unknown nature having to do with someone named Hugo, whom she does not want to think about. From the flashes we are given, it appears he might have drowned and she was unable to reach him in time to save him. It appears there may have been a touch of scandal attached to this death as well.
4.) Philip Lombard, an unknown quantity. He is down on his luck and nearly out of money. He was engaged by a third party representing Owens who appears to know that Lombard is down to his last bit of cash. He believes whatever he is going to do will only last a week or so and may or may not involve something illegal.
5.) Miss. Emily Bent, possibly my favorite character judging by the description. She's a sixty five year old spinster, and she's completely snooty and I already love her. Christie writes: "Enveloped in an aura of righteousness and unyielding principles, Miss Brent sat in her crowded third-class carriage and triumphed over its discomfort and its heat." She believes she is getting a free holiday from someone she met at a retreat of some sort a few summers back, though she cannot exactly recall the woman.
6.) General Macarthur is another one with very little information. He clearly has some skeletons in his closet as he is concerned that someone named Armstrong "talked." He believes he is headed out to meet with some old cronies to discuss the good old days. He suspects the island is owned by the army or the air force at this point.
7.) Doctor Armstrong is a youngish man for his profession who happened to get a few lucky breaks with some accurate diagnosis and a few grateful female clients with plenty of wealth and influence. Since then he's been far too busy and is glad for what he thinks will be an easy little break. He believes he is going to take a look at the benefactor's wife who has a problem with her nerves. The doctor believes there will probably be nothing wrong with her that a little placebo won't fix, and is looking forward to the rest this trip offers.
8.) Tony Marston is obviously a playboy. He's handsome, tan, blue-eyed, and presumably rich. He drives his car way too fast and to devil with everyone else on the road. He believes he's headed to some large party opportunity, and he is clearly used to that. He's not concerned at all by the fact that he doesn't know the Owens at all. I like Christie's summation of him: "Anthony Marston proceeded on his triumphal progress."
9.) Mr. Blore is apparently a con man and may, in fact, be the elusive Mr. Owens. He has a list of the other guests and is trying to decide what persona to give himself, at last deciding on a man from the colonies of South Africa. It's foreign and exotic enough that he feels he'll be able to bluff his way through it. We get an interesting bit of foreshadowing here. His companion in the compartment is an old sea dog who, upon waking, tells him that the squall is coming. He tells Bore that the day of judgment is close at hand, and that it's coming right for him. He dismisses the man as old, possibly crazy, and clearly much closer to judgment day than he was. But, as Christie tells us, "But there, as it happens, he was wrong..."
Monday, August 23, 2010
First Post
Generic title, huh?
Alright, I admit, this idea wasn't very original. I was sitting watching Julie and Julia and she said something that really stuck with me. The motivation for her to use cooking as her quest was because that was what calmed her. She loved cooking. The world made sense when she was cooking. Well, for me, that's reading.
Enter Doctor Who. It was about that time that I was watching season four, which included the Agatha Christie episode. Well, it was just meant to be. So I've started on a little quest of my own. I'm going to read every Agatha Christie book. Every last one. That's 66 novels, 22 collections of short stories, and 6 novels written as Mary Westmacott. I'm sure my numbers might be a little skewed, but that's the run down as near as I can figure it.
I had originally thought I might set myself some kind of time limit on this, but I realize now that there is no way I could adhere to that. Some of these collections might be really hard to track down, so who knows how long it will actually take me? But I feel good. I have a quest. A purpose. And it involves books. So yeah, I'm pretty excited.
Alright, I admit, this idea wasn't very original. I was sitting watching Julie and Julia and she said something that really stuck with me. The motivation for her to use cooking as her quest was because that was what calmed her. She loved cooking. The world made sense when she was cooking. Well, for me, that's reading.
Enter Doctor Who. It was about that time that I was watching season four, which included the Agatha Christie episode. Well, it was just meant to be. So I've started on a little quest of my own. I'm going to read every Agatha Christie book. Every last one. That's 66 novels, 22 collections of short stories, and 6 novels written as Mary Westmacott. I'm sure my numbers might be a little skewed, but that's the run down as near as I can figure it.
I had originally thought I might set myself some kind of time limit on this, but I realize now that there is no way I could adhere to that. Some of these collections might be really hard to track down, so who knows how long it will actually take me? But I feel good. I have a quest. A purpose. And it involves books. So yeah, I'm pretty excited.
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