And although I am not that big of a Christie fan, I can't think of another book that so knocked me out at the conclusion than THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD.
What books should join this as the best whodunnits?
I am a Christie fan though I admit that many of her characters are stick figures. One exception is The Body In The Library where she really delves into a number of her characters-- along with her usual stereotypical Brits--and pulls off a shock ending.
It's great, but it's a trick, as much as a twit, ending. I've always found it a little too showy, and once the ending is known, it can't be reread with the innocence of that first time. As for Carr, you have to be willing to slog through his prose style, which I am not.
The Body in the Library is a great one. I personally think that Murder on the Orient Express is the most original whodunit. I like The Three Coffins but Carr's explanations usually seemed pretty far-fetched.
Barry - I didn't like Rim of the Pit much. Later on in life I learned that Hake Talbot was a pen name for Henning Nelms, who wrote an excellent handbook for magicians, Magic and Showmanship.
John Dickson Carr's THE THREE COFFINS. It's a locked-room mystery that is clever and inventive.
ReplyDeleteI love the Carr, too. But yes, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is an unbeatable whodunit!
ReplyDeleteI'd also add the first Christie I read, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE.
ReplyDeleteJeff M.
I'd also add Christie's very atypical ENDLESS NIGHT which has a huge twist in the last few pages--certainly not one that I saw coming.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it, when it comes to devising intricate plots with lots of red herrings and ingenious denouements, Dame Agatha is hard to beat.
I guess she and Carr were the masters.
ReplyDeleteI am a Christie fan though I admit that many of her characters are stick figures. One exception is The Body In The Library where she really delves into a number of her characters-- along with her usual stereotypical Brits--and pulls off a shock ending.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have read them all, the ones I remember best were those made into movies. Have to look that one up.
ReplyDeleteIt's great, but it's a trick, as much as a twit, ending. I've always found it a little too showy, and once the ending is known, it can't be reread with the innocence of that first time. As for Carr, you have to be willing to slog through his prose style, which I am not.
ReplyDeletethat should have been "as well as a TWIST".
ReplyDeleteHaven't read this one. I don't read a lot of whodunits
ReplyDeleteThe Body in the Library is a great one. I personally think that Murder on the Orient Express is the most original whodunit. I like The Three Coffins but Carr's explanations usually seemed pretty far-fetched.
ReplyDeleteHake Talbot's Rim of the Pit is right up there with The Three Coffins.
ReplyDeleteChristie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
ReplyDeleteCarr's THE BURNING COURT
Anthony Gilbert's THE CLOCK IN THE HAT-BOX
Barry - I didn't like Rim of the Pit much. Later on in life I learned that Hake Talbot was a pen name for Henning Nelms, who wrote an excellent handbook for magicians, Magic and Showmanship.
ReplyDelete