All About Agatha Christie
All About Agatha (Christie)
All About Agatha is a podcast all about, well, Agatha. Agatha Christie, of course: the Queen of Crime, a real-life Dame of the British Empire, and author of sixty-six mystery novels that spanned the Twentieth Century, defining a genre. For five years, Catherine Brobeck and Kemper Donovan revisited these novels in publication order, ranking them according to pre-set criteria (plot, character, etc.). Tragically, Catherine Brobeck passed away at the end of 2021. Since then, Kemper has completed the podcast's ranking project, and now contents himself with celebrating the greatness of Christie by attempting to solve the ultimate mystery where she is concerned. Why Christie--and Christie alone--endures as powerfully as she does.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 8, 2019 • 1h 18min
And Then There Were 27: A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
You know the drill by now: long episode = lovefest episode. In 1950 a murder was announced, and the world was never the same.... Join us as we gush over this gem of a Marple novel (and lovingly identify its flaws).
Oct 26, 2019 • 55min
A Very Special HALLOWE'EN Episode: The Last Séance & The Lamp by Agatha Christie
We have two creepy and unabashedly supernatural short stories for your spine-tingling pleasure this Hallowe'en season. And even though this is Christie off her regularly beaten path of logic and reason, the lessons to be gleaned from these two macabre tales are fully on brand for our beloved Dame Agatha. Beware: 1) a mother's love; and 2) a real estate bargain. [Insert banshee keen here.]
6 snips
Oct 12, 2019 • 1h 9min
And Then There Were 28: Crooked House by Agatha Christie
We went a little long with this one, which is as good an indicator as any of how much we *adored* this gem of a Christie (Kemper especially). And what better time of year for such a twisted, creepy tale?! Take a listen... IF YOU DARE.
Sep 27, 2019 • 21min
Getting Happy with Parker Pyne: The Oracle at Delphi by Agatha Christie
Do it, Rockapella: Well he glides around the globe from Paris to Damascus. He’s a double-dealing sleuth with a taste for trickery He’ll take you for a ride on a slow boat down the Nile Tell me where in the world is… Parker Pyne, heart specialist? This week he's in Greece, in close proximity to an oracle, no less. You know what that means: a kidnapping, an impersonation, and an attempted jewel heist, of course. Enjoy!
Sep 20, 2019 • 39min
A Very Special (Anniversary) Episode: The State of Our Rankings
How is it possible that another year has passed? We lay the blame squarely on Dame Agatha, whose light prose and masterful puzzles have made the months slip silkily on by.... ! It's time for another nerd-fest as we assess the state of our rankings, having just passed the three-year mark (!!) on our literary trek through the Christie-verse. We hope you all have as much fun listening to this podcast as we do creating it. Onward, to Year 4!
Sep 12, 2019 • 59min
And Then There Were 29: Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie
We are back with another Poirot novel! And we were on the whole quite pleased with this twisty-turny post-WWII puzzle mystery, perhaps most notable for its searing evocation of a specific time and place in history. So travel back with us to 1946 and the tiny village of Warmsley Vale where--spoiler!--all is not as it first appears to be....
Aug 30, 2019 • 47min
Communing with Mr. Quin: Harlequin's Lane by Agatha Christie
'Tis time for the final story in the Mysterious Mr. Quin collection, and while *technically* things end with a thud rather than a bang, we were by no means disappointed by what we found in this crazypants tale of love gone SERIOUSLY awry. Oh, Mr. Quin. It's a good thing you're a supernatural being intent on haunting us till the end of days, because at this point we'd be lost without you....
Aug 17, 2019 • 37min
Get Your Creep On: The Red Signal by Agatha Christie
We've got an early short story involving supernatural premonitions, inherited insanity, and an early example of the very Christie-ish imperative to read closely. All we're missing is an actor, but hey, there's always next time.
Aug 8, 2019 • 32min
A Miss Marple Nightcap: The Case of the Perfect Maid by Agatha Christie
Sometimes when Christie takes to the short story form, she gets a little loose, a little wacky. We saw that in our last Miss Marple short story, and we see it again here, in a story that features... well, we won't be specific about the number, but let's just say there are a fair amount of maids in this one. Are any of them perfect? Let's find out!
Jul 27, 2019 • 1h 12min
And Then There Were 30: The Hollow by Agatha Christie
Well, whenever we go beyond an hour of nattering away about a title, it's a good sign, and this episode is no exception. Come and bask with us in the many splendors of The Hollow, a much-beloved, mid-career masterwork of Christie's with rich characters and yet almost no puzzling to speak of, despite the presence of our dear Poirot. If this one is a Christie "crown jewel," it's one with all sorts of imperfections, but everyone knows it's the flaws that make a thing more interesting....
