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Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'
The Monogram Murders by Agatha Christie, Sophie Hannah
3 reviews
jennifersmind's review
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
2.75
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Animal death
readerette's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
I don't think I can recommend this over Agatha Christie's direct works. It's not bad, and it has all the elements of a Poirot story the dame wrote herself, but it seemed to me that the drama of this one came not enough from Poirot's discoveries and keeping the reader in the dark, and too much from the other characters, particularly during the reveal.
Christie has a flair for the dramatic but I think is story went just a tad overboard.
She also often has a standout or surprising character involved in the crime and none of these characters really surprised me. The character development was typical of a Christie mystery but lacked a bit of punch.
Christie has a flair for the dramatic but I think is story went just a tad overboard.
She also often has a standout or surprising character involved in the crime and none of these characters really surprised me. The character development was typical of a Christie mystery but lacked a bit of punch.
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Minor: Animal death, Violence, and Blood
iffygeneia's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This is a pretty decent detective story, and I would have given it a slightly higher rating were it not for the inevitable comparison to Agatha Christie's own Poirot novels.
Hannah's novel, and her version of Poirot, lacks all of the subtlety Christie had. Christie's novels generally have very clear and straightforward motives, making for a big 'aha'-moment as everything clicks into place during the big reveal.This book, however, has very muddy and seemingly fluctuating motives for the murders. And it's all very convoluted and far-fetched on a level Christie rarely stooped to.
Hannah's Poirot has all of his peculiarities enhanced up to 11, making him unlikeable at times. He lacks the magnanimous gallantry of Christie's version.
Detective Catchpool, the main character, is a likeable if somewhat generic detective. None of the other characters really became clear to me, partly because of the convoluted plot.
All that said, I did like it. It had the feel of a good Midsomer Murders episode, which I liked. It just didn't quite work as a Poirot novel.
Hannah's novel, and her version of Poirot, lacks all of the subtlety Christie had. Christie's novels generally have very clear and straightforward motives, making for a big 'aha'-moment as everything clicks into place during the big reveal.
Hannah's Poirot has all of his peculiarities enhanced up to 11, making him unlikeable at times. He lacks the magnanimous gallantry of Christie's version.
Detective Catchpool, the main character, is a likeable if somewhat generic detective. None of the other characters really became clear to me, partly because of the convoluted plot.
All that said, I did like it. It had the feel of a good Midsomer Murders episode, which I liked. It just didn't quite work as a Poirot novel.
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Death, Gore, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Alcohol
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