Advantages: Thrilling, terrify and surprise
Disadvantages: The plot might seem familiar

...in the world with more than 100 languages. She is most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespear. She commented on this book: 'Ten people had to die without it becoming ridiculous or the murderer being obvious....I was pleased with what I had made of it' Her idea has been successful. This has the most unobvious ending I have seen in all my crime novels with the most unexpected murderer, the mystery was kept mysterious to the very final page. The plot seem familiar but the content and details are absolutely unique, those that only ingenius Agatha Christie could think of. Dont you think that murder is so digusting and horrible and think that you could never harm a fly, not to mention a human being? Well, all of 10 guests were so respectful, in their jobs, their behaviours or manners. But just a moment... Read review

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Advantages: see review
Disadvantages: none

.... In 1948 Agatha Christie made publishing history when she became the first crime writer to have 1,000,000 paperbacks published on the same day. There are 2 London addresses, Sheffield Terrace and Cresswell Mews, with blue plaques to commemorate the fact that she lived there? UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) states that Christie is the most translated author (individual) in the world. In 2000 at the annual Bouchercon Crime Convention she was named Crime Novelist of the Century. WHERE CAN YOU BUY HER BOOKS How long is a piece of string? Just about any bookseller will have Christie books in stock but if you're not prepared to pay the cover price for a book that you're not sure you're going to like, I'd suggest having a dig in your local charity shop when you can pick up books from... Read review

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Advantages: very entertaining film
Disadvantages: not exactly true to the book

...In The Clouds stars David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, Philip Jackson as CI James Japp, Sarah Woodward as Jane Grey, Shaun Scott and Norman Gale, Cathryn Harrison as Lady Cicely Horbury, Guy Manning as the French archaeologist Jean Dupont, Roger Heathcott as Daniel Clancy as well as David Firth, Roger Heathcott, Eve Pearce, Gabrille Lloyd, Amanda Royle & Richard Ireson in supporting roles. The film was adapted from the Agatha Christie book (of the same name) by William Humble and directed by Stephen Whittaker. The film runs for 1 hour 40 minutes, is rated PG and was first released in 1992. My Opinion I had read the book Death in the Clouds some time ago and vaguely remembered who had committed the murder and how (or maybe there are murders, I'm not telling you) but couldn't remember exactly why. Knowing who the killer was did not deter... Read review

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Advantages: Keeps you intrigued until the end. Surprising ending, quite takes your breath away.
Disadvantages: Just that the ending is so good, you can't forget it, so re-reading means it has to be done knowing the ending.

...'s little sister, Josephine, and her weird habit of spying on people are particularly strong. Conclusion Fabulous book. Sucks you in from the beginning and doesn't let you go until the end. There is an eerie feeling of creepiness throughout the book - descriptions of the house help provide this. The ending, my favourite bugbear with much crime fiction, is stunning, unexpected and totally took me by surprise. It's a good job the book is not too long, otherwise I would have exploded before the end (or been forced to read the last couple of pages…). That is one of the main differences with Agatha Christie and other writers - she knew just how long to make a book without losing the reader's interest. So many authors these days seem to think they need to make their books as long as possible - when actually, half the length would have been much... Read review

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Advantages: Good Book
Disadvantages: None

...Technical Information: Paperback 320 pages (May 6, 2003 Edition) Publisher: HarperCollins Language: English ISBN: 0007154925 (May 6, 2003 Edition) Categories: Fiction , Crime, Thrillers & Mystery About the Author: Agatha Christie is truly the Queen of Crime Thrillers. She was born in Torquay in Devon. Christie's first detective novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introduced Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective, who appeared in more than 40 books in total. Her second major character from her books is Miss Marple who appears in around 17 Books. Agatha Christie usually writes excellent crime stories with the two above detectives. She also writes short stories and a number of International spy thrillers. About the Book: A bored diplomat is approached in a bleak airport by a woman whose life is in danger... Read review

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Advantages: easy to read mystery novel
Disadvantages: it's Agatha but not Christie...

...Christie fan for most of my life and have over 50 of her novels. I can't really compare Christie novels with Beaton's as they are quite different; apart from the fact that they are about solving crimes or mysteries. Also this is the first Beaton book I've read so I'll see how I go with other books in the series before I can say Beaton's writing style or the character of Agatha Raisin has really grown on me or. I would have to say that I still much prefer Christie's way of writing but I liked this book well enough to go out and buy the preceding four books to this one as well as the next three in the series as I was lucky enough to spot them in a charity shop just days after I finished this one! The book is written in a very easy to read style, both literally and in appearance - actually in rather a large font - probably Times Roman 12... Read review

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Advantages: Good Book
Disadvantages: None

...About the Author: Agatha Christie is probably one of the best Crime Authors ever in my opinion. Nicknamed the Queen of Crime, she really does write an excellent thrilling book, with good characters and usually a twist or two. She was born in 1890 and died in 1976. Agatha Christie using writes Crime Novels, with such heros like Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot being the detectives who solve the crime in many of her books. About this Book: Hilary Craven's destination was death - by suicide... Mrs Betterton's destination was unknown - but she died before she got there.... When Hilary is asked to impersonate the dead woman and to trace her husband - a vanished nuclear scientist - her will to live returns. A faked air disaster, a string of radio - active pearls, a leper colony floundering in the dry heat of the Morroccan... Read review

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Advantages: a cosy thriller
Disadvantages: none

...on the Lake Nasser up to Abu Simbel. When she saw me reading the book, one of my fellow travellers asked me jokingly, ´´Aren´t you afraid now that something may happen to you on this trip?´´ No, there´s nothing to be afraid of, there are no killers lurking on Egyptian cruisers. As always with Agatha Christie the setting doesn´t really matter - it can be the Orient Express, an English country mansion or, say, a Nile cruiser - the protagonists bring their problems with them and the crimes which are committed are the consequences thereof. This said it becomes clear that a thriller by Dame Aggie is worthless as background material for a trip, you don´t have to go anywhere to enjoy it, you can stay at home. From the Author´s Foreword: ´. . . if detective stories are ´escape literature´ (and why shouldn´t they be!) the reader can escape to sunny skies... Read review

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Advantages: Mysterious Title
Disadvantages: The Murder can be guess after reading half of the book

...Why didn't they ask Evans?? And until almost the end of the book, Evans still some mystery. The book is about how Bobby Jones, a Vicar's son, an amiable-looking young man finds a crumpled body of a dying man while playing golf and in his final breath the dying man says, " Why didn't they ask Evans?". Without any clue who is Evans, Bobby get involve into mortal danger with his vivacious companion Lady Frances Derwent (Frankie), a young bright lady full of ideas. Can they solve this intriquing mystery? Are they get out from the mortal danger? This is another Agatha Christie's great book, without her famous Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple. Its show how great Agatha Christie as known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime. She can put any Characters in her book and showing that actually anybody can be a great detective, mean... Read review

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Advantages: Tightly plotted, keeps the reader guessing
Disadvantages: None really - it's one of her best

...Agatha Christie is, of course, known to millions worldwide as the author of, ooh, loads of murder mysteries (66 full-length novels, plus a number of short-story collections and – under the name of Mary Westmacott – several romances). She’s perhaps known to even more through the popular film and TV adaptations of her work, particularly those starring Hercule Poirot (“My name is Hercule Poirot and I am probably the greatest detective in the world”) and Miss Marple (or “Marple” as she is rather disrespectfully known in the title of the most recent TV series). Sad Cypress, first published in 1940, is widely regarded by Christie aficionados as one of her best. The title comes from the song in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” (“Come away, come away, death, And in sad cypress let me be laid/Fly away, fly away, breath, I am slain by a fair... Read review

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