All About Agatha Christie

Yes, we have another Christie detective to meet! But is he a detective at all? Let's explore this question along with an unfortunate "stuck in its time" element we were not expecting in this, the short story that introduced Ariadne Oliver to the world. At the very least we can say that Mrs. Oliver emerged fully-formed from Christie's head, clothed in all her self-deprecating, no-nonsense glory. (Perhaps she should have been named Athena Oliver?)

Welcome to Dame Agatha's twentieth mystery novel! There are those who love Cards on the Table, and those who loathe Cards on the Table. As it turns out, we (mainly) love it. Regardless of your feelings, you have to admit there is much to unpack here in the way of not just bridge but psychology. Plus: Ariadne Oliver! Let the meta-hijinks begin!

It's time, at long last, to meet the mysterious Mr. Quin! This is a special, spooky little corner of the Christieverse that may be a favorite with some fans, and unknown to others. Join us as we parse not only his first mystery but the literary provenance of his character, which may be the biggest mystery of all....

We've all experienced the well-worn trope of the unreliable female narrator at this point, but in this story we have the rare example of the *unwilling* female narrator... with quite interesting results. So join us, as our poor hostess Dolly Bantry is cajoled into telling a tale of vegetal mayhem and murder. Just don't call her Mrs. B.

This week's short story relies on both arcane technical knowledge *and* dubious cryptography, and yet it was not written by Dan Brown. Go figure. Come and sit a spell with us at Gossington Hall, at the seemingly never-ending Bantry dinner party. It's Sir Henry Clithering's turn to tell a tale, and he does not disappoint. Plus: a bonus peek at the softer side (or is it?) of Miss Jane Marple!

It’s time for Dame Agatha’s first Middle Eastern-set novel! And while there is much to discuss here (including the fascinating real-life inspiration for our murder victim), unfortunately there wasn't quite as much to love in either the novel or the Suchet adaptation. Still, it wasn’t nearly as bad as drinking a glass of hydrochloric acid!

What better way to say goodbye to 2017 than with a tale of overlooked--hence underestimated--women? And who better to solve such a tale than our very own Miss Jane Marple? Though let's be real: she isn't ours... she is very much her own, thank you very much. Happy New Year to all; we look forward to bringing you much, much more Christie in 2018!

Last year we had M. Poirot over for a Christmas visit, so we figured it was only fair to extend the invitation this year to our dear Miss Marple. Luckily she accepted... with a dark tale of sandbagging, impoverishment, and domestic discord! And this is why we cherish her so: she keeps it real, that Jane Marple. Happy holidays, everyone!

A serial killer is on the loose… or *is* he (or she for that matter)? Come deep-dive with us--into the depths of this unusual Christie novel, in which our analysis gets granular enough to identify not one but two points of intersection between this novel and podcast favorite The Man in the Brown Suit. (I know; we were surprised too… surprised, and delighted.) Does Christie pull off everything she's trying to achieve here? Perhaps not, but we enjoyed the ride nonetheless.

Miss Marple is back! And perhaps better than ever in this inaugural tale of the Tuesday Night Club redux, a.k.a. part two of The Thirteen Problems. Get your thinking caps on because Miss Jane Marple is about to school us all. We wouldn't have it any other way. (Okay, Kemper, at least, wouldn't have it any other way....)