3-in-1 Review, or, That Time I Became Obsessed with Agatha Christie Audiobooks

15:29 Cilla 4 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered that I could borrow e-books and audiobooks from one of the Melbourne libraries I am a member of. Cue joy and excitement, and about an hour spent browsing the catalogue. I stumbled upon several Agatha Christie's full cast dramatisation in the audiobook section. Curious, I decided to borrow one, and that kind of resulted in an obsession. I didn't stop to write down my thoughts between books, so I've decided to post them all in one!
Title: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Author: Agatha Christie
Publisher: BBC Audio
Source: Borrowed from the library
Synopsis: What reason would an amiable dentist like Dr. Morely have for committing suicide? He didn't have emotional difficulties, money problems, or love trouble. What he did have was an appointment with Hercule Poirot, who is not persuaded by the suicide story and has therefore taken it upon himself to questions the good doctor's patients, partners, and friends. All he's come up with is the numbing fear that Dr. Morely wasn't an unlikely victim at all. Nor the first.


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One, Two, Buckle My Shoe was only my second audiobook experience, and my first with a full-cast dramatisation, so I really wasn't sure what to expect. I ended up loving the production. The sound effects did a great job at setting up the mood and surroundings, and the actors are excellent. That's probably not surprising to anyone since it is BBC, but still.

As for the story itself, I kept losing track of who's who, but that's partly because I'd listened to a portion of the story in a dentist's waiting room where I kept getting sidetracked. I love the way the story followed the nursery rhyme though. Overall, It was a fun read, particularly since the format was so new to me, but for me it didn't quite blow my mind.


Title: A Pocket Full of Rye
Author: Agatha Christie
Publisher: BBC Audio
Source: Borrowed from the library
Synopsis: A handful of grain is found in the pocket of a murdered businessman! Rex Fortescue, king of a financial empire, was sipping tea in his 'counting house' when he suffered an agonising and sudden death. On later inspection, the pockets of the deceased were found to contain traces of cereals. Yet, it was the incident in the parlour which confirmed Jane Marple's suspicion that here she was looking at a case of crime by rhyme!


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I enjoyed A Pocket Full of Rye more than I did One, Two, Buckle My Shoes, but I confess I'm quite partial to Miss Marple. Has anyone else noticed the way she praised whichever policeman she was working with and downplayed her own intelligence so the man kind of felt like he arrived at the solution himself? Poirot never did that. He never had to.

Other than that, I love that this one opens up with the full rhyme; not having been brought up with Western nursery rhymes, I was totally unfamiliar with this one and would not have seen the brilliance of the story. This one is a little more predictable for me though; the revelation of the murderer didn't shock me.


Title: And Then There Were None
Author: Agatha Christie
Publisher: BBC Audio
Source: Borrowed from the library
Synopsis: First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion


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And Then There Were None is on a whole other level. I see now why this is Christie's most popular work! It's clever in the puzzle-building of the story, and chilling in the way the murders unfolded. The audiobook really highlighted the madness of the whole thing. We follow Vera Claythorne for the most part of the story, a woman haunted by a decision she's made in the past. We get flashbacks and hear her talking to herself, and that adds to the creepiness and suspense. I really tried to guess who the murderer was, but I couldn't at all!

This is my favourite Christie story so far, and the audiobook does such a good job at bringing it to life. If you're easily creeped out like I am though, do not listen to this at night with your lights off.