A review by cepbreed
A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie

adventurous mysterious fast-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? No

3.0

The first thought on my mind after finishing this book was that Tiglath Pileser is such an insane name for a cat and that I love it so much. The second thought was that I felt catfished. This is a "Miss Marple Mystery" yet she takes on such a passive role in the story, and doesn't appear for quite a long time. My difficulties with this thought come from two directions though. This type of mystery does require a lot of exposition, and the cast of characters is huge so I understand her diminished role in the story. Also, I have only ever read some of Agatha Christie's stand-alones and Poirot novels, so I've come to expect Poirot-level screen time (page time?) and involvement. 

Of Christie's books that I've read, this is one of my least favorites. I am surprised by this because I heard such high praise for this book. I have a taste for more dynamic mysteries I guess and this was more feel-good in a way. I also found it extremely difficult to remember the names and roles of the characters. It took two months of off-and-on reading to finish this book which means my own memory is definitely to blame. To make myself feel better I'd like to think that the amount of
secret identity reveals
also had a part in my lapses of memory.
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