hillarym's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Minor: Violence, War, Death, and Death of parent
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
The first of Christie’s Colonel Race series, The Man in the Brown Suit tells the story of Anne Beddingfeld, an intrepid budding adventuress investigating the mysterious death of a man in a train station and the apparently connected murder of a woman in a nearby home.
As you know if you’ve been following along with my reviews, I’ve been chronologically working through Christie’s writings, and have been enjoying myself quite a bit so far. Unfortunately, this one was definitely my least favorite. While it was hilarious in parts (possibly even funnier than it was intended to be, as some parts seemed a bit ridiculous), I found it long winded and confusing, and never really clicked with the narrator in the audio version. And, especially with a portion of the novel set in Africa, there were unfortunately some racist and sexist moments that are always disconcerting and problematic to see and definitely diminished my overall enjoyment level.
In the end, I was still shocked by the twist and enjoyed the characters, but if you’re looking for your next Christie this isn’t the one I’d rush to grab!
Recommended if you like: adventurous mysteries; tough heroines; humorous narration.
CW: Death/murder; kidnapping/confinement; some mentions of war.
Moderate: Murder, Death, and Kidnapping
tatianars's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Sexism, Trafficking, Alcohol, Death of parent, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Death, and Stalking
sunny_not's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Spoiler
Also Anne saying that the killer is nice???? What???? She had some serious issues. I also felt like the whole "I'm not Lucas I'm Harry" thing was pointless.Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
blinicat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Racism, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Colonisation, War, Xenophobia, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, Gun violence, and Sexual violence
bhu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Murder, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Sexism, Violence, and War
backpackfullofbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Violence
silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I had some trepidation in reading this one. I remembered loving it as a teen, and re-reading it many times, but my hazy adult recollections suggested a rather torrid romance (at least, the closest to a torrid romance I knew existed as a fifteen year old) that might be accused of all the unhealthiness associated with Twilight, but with rather more justice than when Twilight is accused of such.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the main character is funny and relatable in a way that makes for quite a fun adventure aside from the romance. And, I’d rather inflated the impact of one specific ‘romantic’ scene in my memory--much like Twilight, I still wouldn’t recommend this for teenage girls (ahem, sorry past self). But while not a great model for how relationships should be, the romantic part of the story can be enjoyed in the light of ‘people can make bad choices and still end up well later’.
Moderate: Death
Minor: Murder, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Racism