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colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
I've read "A talent for murder" and didn't like it very much but I've was interested to give Andrew Wilson another try and I'm glad I did. This was a very enjoyable mystery that held my interest it was equal amount of cozy and exciting to read. Will definitely read other books in the series.
funnyonion's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
tedbaldwin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
richardmcartney's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
somewherestar's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
5.0
Visit the locations in the novel
There’s something really exciting about a novel which mixes fact and fiction. Taking a real life author, Agatha Christie and making her a character solving her own mysteries is genius. Taking her on a case which then will lead her to write A Murder in Mespotamia…..now that gave me a little frisson right there!
I’ve enjoyed this series from the start and it’s getting better. All these adventures lead to plots in her real life novels. That’s something that will never get old for me and it’s always exciting to see what she is going to get up to next.
This, set in Iraq is a classic. The prelude to A Murder in Mesopotamia is a feast for bookworms everywhere and a really good mystery into the bargain. I really got to know Agatha in this novel and her emotional side, her inquisitive mind and her character in general.
But that setting! The dig at Ur and the subsequent finds. I was there, in the dust, sand and hot Iraq sun. What a treat that was! So evocatively drawn and imagined. Historical figures wander on and off the pages. Leonard and Katherine Wooley were the ones who headed the excavations in real life and it’s a very unique feeling to have so many names and events wrapped up in one story.
You don’t have to know much about the Christie novel or Christie herself to enjoy this book. It’s a treat for the eyes and the imagination. Arm chair detectives will love it!
riverdogbookco's review against another edition
2.0
Agatha Christie travels to an archaeological dig in the Middle East to look into the death of famed explorer, Gertrude Bell, in this mystery that merges fact and fiction about the acclaimed novelist’s life.
On the heels of her divorce, Agatha Christie is in need of a change. When an old British Intelligence Officer friend asks for her help in determining whether the death of Gertrude Bell, famed archaeologist and explorer, was a suicide, an accident, or murder, Christie is off to Iran and an archaeological excavation that could be under a terrible curse. Going undercover as herself, infiltrating the motley crew at the dig site with her real reason for being there a secret, Christie attempts to make sense of the complicated existing relationships and tensions while trying to solve one alleged murder and prevent another one (or more!) from occurring.
Providing a fascinating glimpse into the lives of real people doing actual excavation work in the city of Ur in 1928, Death in a Desert Land is Andrew Wilson’s third book in this series, following A Talent for Murder and A Different Kind of Evil, yet can be read as a standalone mystery. An intriguing cast of characters provides glimpses into the hierarchical roles, racial and gender prejudices, and established modes of 1920s behavior, while the desert landscape is almost a character in its own right, by turns menacing and beautiful.
While there is no doubt Christie will find the answers, the quick pace of the plot, the menacing environment and general mood of the circumstances, and Christie’s own sensitivity to heat of all kinds (including both the sun and the potential attentions of a male photographer at the dig) creates a dramatic tension that quickly builds to a satisfying conclusion.
On the heels of her divorce, Agatha Christie is in need of a change. When an old British Intelligence Officer friend asks for her help in determining whether the death of Gertrude Bell, famed archaeologist and explorer, was a suicide, an accident, or murder, Christie is off to Iran and an archaeological excavation that could be under a terrible curse. Going undercover as herself, infiltrating the motley crew at the dig site with her real reason for being there a secret, Christie attempts to make sense of the complicated existing relationships and tensions while trying to solve one alleged murder and prevent another one (or more!) from occurring.
Providing a fascinating glimpse into the lives of real people doing actual excavation work in the city of Ur in 1928, Death in a Desert Land is Andrew Wilson’s third book in this series, following A Talent for Murder and A Different Kind of Evil, yet can be read as a standalone mystery. An intriguing cast of characters provides glimpses into the hierarchical roles, racial and gender prejudices, and established modes of 1920s behavior, while the desert landscape is almost a character in its own right, by turns menacing and beautiful.
While there is no doubt Christie will find the answers, the quick pace of the plot, the menacing environment and general mood of the circumstances, and Christie’s own sensitivity to heat of all kinds (including both the sun and the potential attentions of a male photographer at the dig) creates a dramatic tension that quickly builds to a satisfying conclusion.
meereefox's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5