A review by bethanie_l
By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie

adventurous mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I've been trying to read more Christie that's non-Poirot or Marple, and I really loved the secret adversary, so I thought this would be a fun read on the other side of their life. I'll say that it was fun to catch up with them and that I did get a good gasp out of the ending, but this book is nowhere up to par with things like The Secret Adversary or And Then There Were None. As a warning to readers, this book came out 8 years before Christie was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and it shows some early signs.

I think I'd have enjoyed the book more if there had been a big wrap up at the end as there are in most of her novels. There were lots of things that weren't clear in their connection and were never plainly explained. I understand not spoon-feeding readers, but a lot of it just didn't make sense. I also found it hard to get into the dialgue, it meandered quite a bit in parts. Just really not up to par with her previous work. Granted, still better than most of us could ever do and I have much respect for the great Agatha Christie, but I feel a bit like I wasted my time. I think from now on I'll stick to pre-1960 Christies. 
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