Reviews

The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie

rbadz's review against another edition

dark hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Good, always enjoy an Agathe Christie.
But listened to the abridged version from borrowbox. Which although good and get the main parts misses some of the nuances, especially in terms of character development.

Would reread as physical book to get more into the story 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder

Poisoning and illness description

somelitreference's review against another edition

mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

A majority of this book is terribly boring. By the time it picks up, the book is almost over. Unfortunately, this book served as my introduction to Agatha Christie. I am not impressed. Once I forget about this book and the bland taste of it, which will be soon, I will seek out another, more recommended mystery of hers. I suspect something of hers will strike a chord despite this one playing one long sustained note.

meganestaley's review

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

this one was incredibly slow-paced and lulled at multiple points, but i would argue that it ended up in a nice spot. not sure i’d recommend it, but it did its job.

brashley's review

slow-paced

2.0

ranooshe's review

2.0

A short book mocking 'black magic '. The whodunit question was replaced with 'how' did they do it. Slow and comfortable rhythm is a main characteristic of the story. Wondered what it would look like in a TV. series.

kerisreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

sfox26's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

elenavillan's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

qwelling4's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? Yes

3.5

travelsalongmybookshelf's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Father Gorman visits a dying woman to give her the last rites, a short while later he is bludgeoned to death with a hidden list of names in his shoe. The perpetrator missing it in his savage search of the body.

Mark Easterbrook becomes embroiled in an investigation that leads him to the peculiar home of a trio of rumoured witches, The Pale Horse, in the beautiful village of Much Deeping. Word has it that the witches can do away with a rich relative, by supernatural means alone…

Despite Mark’s scepticism of the paranormal, he cannot help but be consumed by the increasingly strange and extraordinary things that begin to happen around him, with his sidekick Ginger Corrigan they delve into the strange goings on in a very spooky read!

I have to say I loved this one, I’ve read quite a few stand alone’s this year for throughthedecades and have found them all to be really entertaining. Christie really builds the tension in this one, the spooky witchy women at The Pale Horse set the tone perfectly. And I loved the dynamic of Easterbrook and feisty Ginger, Christie writes so many great women with gumption in her books, they really capture your attention. She also diverts your attention very well and I was a bit blindsided for the denouement, it was unexpected for sure. As the murder mystery unravels, everything gets explained and I loved Ariadne Oliver’s appearance to give us the major clue

near the end.