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A review by thaurisil
Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie
4.0
While I read through Agatha Christie's novels with the Appointments with Agatha group, I'm putting a templated synopsis of each novel in my review. It has spoilers!
Book: 36 of Christie's novels, 4 of Colonel Race novels
Setting:London
Detective and Companions: Colonel Race, Inspector Kemp
Crime: Rosemary Barton dies at a dinner party at the Luxembourg restaurant. One year later, her husband George sets a trap in the same restaurant to catch the murderer, but dies himself.
Suspects:
- Iris Marle, Rosemary's younger sister
- Anthony Browne, Iris' lover and a former convict who turns out to be a MI5 agent
- Stephen Farraday, a rising MP
- Sandra Farraday, Stephen's wife and the daughter in a prestigious political family
- Ruth Lessing, George's capable secretary
- Lucilla Drake, Iris' voluble aunt
- Victor Drake, Lucilla's scoundrel son
Twists and Turns:
- The key problem lies in the fact that George took a drink of champagne, went to dance, and multiple accounts from various people state that nobody went near his glass, yet the next time he drank champagne from the glass, it was full of cyanide. It is finally revealed that the cyanide was in Iris' glass, not George's. She had not drunk champagne initially as a toast was being made to her. Because a waiter returned a bag that she dropped to the wrong chair, she sat at the wrong place, and everyone else around the table did so as well. Thus George drank from Iris' glass and died.
- There does not appear to be anybody who had a motive to kill both Rosemary and George. This is because George was never the intended victim.
- After Rosemary's death which is ruled a suicide, mysterious letters are written to George. Who wrote these letters? Surely not the murderer who would not want to draw notice to the fact that he/she killed Rosemary. It turns out that Ruth wrote the letters, with the plan of influencing George to create the trap that he did.
- The minor characters in the story turn out to have a major role to play – Victor Drake is the mastermind, the person who sits at the table next to the party is also Victor Drake in disguise, and the abused waiter who picks up Iris' bag is innocent but played a large role in mistakenly returning her bag to the wrong chair.
This is the last time we see Colonel Race and his character is more well-developed here than in the previous two books where he appeared together with Hercule Poirot. He's intelligent and likeable, and I wish we have more books featuring him. The story itself is entertaining. There's nothing fancy about it, it's just a good cozy mystery, and enjoyable to read.
Book: 36 of Christie's novels, 4 of Colonel Race novels
Setting:London
Detective and Companions: Colonel Race, Inspector Kemp
Crime: Rosemary Barton dies at a dinner party at the Luxembourg restaurant. One year later, her husband George sets a trap in the same restaurant to catch the murderer, but dies himself.
Suspects:
- Iris Marle, Rosemary's younger sister
- Anthony Browne, Iris' lover and a former convict who turns out to be a MI5 agent
- Stephen Farraday, a rising MP
- Sandra Farraday, Stephen's wife and the daughter in a prestigious political family
- Ruth Lessing, George's capable secretary
- Lucilla Drake, Iris' voluble aunt
- Victor Drake, Lucilla's scoundrel son
Twists and Turns:
- The key problem lies in the fact that George took a drink of champagne, went to dance, and multiple accounts from various people state that nobody went near his glass, yet the next time he drank champagne from the glass, it was full of cyanide. It is finally revealed that the cyanide was in Iris' glass, not George's. She had not drunk champagne initially as a toast was being made to her. Because a waiter returned a bag that she dropped to the wrong chair, she sat at the wrong place, and everyone else around the table did so as well. Thus George drank from Iris' glass and died.
- There does not appear to be anybody who had a motive to kill both Rosemary and George. This is because George was never the intended victim.
- After Rosemary's death which is ruled a suicide, mysterious letters are written to George. Who wrote these letters? Surely not the murderer who would not want to draw notice to the fact that he/she killed Rosemary. It turns out that Ruth wrote the letters, with the plan of influencing George to create the trap that he did.
- The minor characters in the story turn out to have a major role to play – Victor Drake is the mastermind, the person who sits at the table next to the party is also Victor Drake in disguise, and the abused waiter who picks up Iris' bag is innocent but played a large role in mistakenly returning her bag to the wrong chair.
This is the last time we see Colonel Race and his character is more well-developed here than in the previous two books where he appeared together with Hercule Poirot. He's intelligent and likeable, and I wish we have more books featuring him. The story itself is entertaining. There's nothing fancy about it, it's just a good cozy mystery, and enjoyable to read.