Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed Evil Under the Sun (Hercule Poirot, Bk 23) on + 1222 more book reviews
EVIL UNDER THE SUN was first published in 1941 and is generally considered by many readers among their favorite Christie works. It is the 25th appearance of Hercule Poirot and has him on vacation at the Jolly Roger Hotel on Smuggler's Island to enjoy the sun and sea air. But as usual, murder follows Poirot wherever he may go. There are several guests also staying at the inn and among them is the glamorous beauty, Arlena Marshall, who appears to be having an affair with another guest, Patrick Redfern. Then Arlena turns up strangled to death on a beach that is normally empty during the morning hours because it doesn't get sunlight until the afternoon. The prime suspect is Arlena's husband, Kenneth, who may be jealous of Arlena's indiscretions but also seems to have an airtight alibi. So who could have committed this foul deed?
Of course Poirot is able to sift through the clues and determine the killer by book's end. However, I was really stymied by this one. I had no idea who the killer was although along the way I had various ideas which all turned out to be wrong. The way the murder took place was very complex and I salute Agatha Christie for coming up with this very ingenious plot. Overall, another enjoyable outing from her.
In 1982, this one was made into a movie with Peter Ustinov playing Poirot. I remember seeing this years ago but fortunately, I didn't remember how the murder was resolved or who the killer was. I'll probably be watching it again as well as reading more of Christie.
Of course Poirot is able to sift through the clues and determine the killer by book's end. However, I was really stymied by this one. I had no idea who the killer was although along the way I had various ideas which all turned out to be wrong. The way the murder took place was very complex and I salute Agatha Christie for coming up with this very ingenious plot. Overall, another enjoyable outing from her.
In 1982, this one was made into a movie with Peter Ustinov playing Poirot. I remember seeing this years ago but fortunately, I didn't remember how the murder was resolved or who the killer was. I'll probably be watching it again as well as reading more of Christie.
A slow beginning, but a great read! I couldn't put it down.
Considered by many to be one of the very best Agatha Christie mysteries, this macabre tale has lost none of its crisp intrigue since it was first published in 1940. Using a plot formula that has since become a mystery standard, Christie conveniently gathers all the characters in one hard-to-leave location, in this case, the Jolly Roger, a vacation hotel on the southern coast of England. One of the guests, a gorgeous, dramatic flirt, is strangled to death, and the famous detective Hercule Poirot who happens to be vacationing at the Jolly Roger, sets out to solve the case.
Kelly S. (k00kykelly) - , reviewed Evil Under the Sun (Hercule Poirot, Bk 23) on + 2 more book reviews
Not as good as I remember the Hercule Poirot series being. This one is a bit sexist :/ Overall still a decent read.
April D. (knittymama) reviewed Evil Under the Sun (Hercule Poirot, Bk 23) on + 424 more book reviews
Loved it! Just loved it! So many twists and turns!
Hard to believe, with all the books I read, that I've never read an Agatha Christie before, but indeed, I have not. This was my first, and I can certainly see why Christie is the world's most-published novelist. If there's one thing Christie can do, it's tell a good story. And that's precisely what she does in Evil under the Sun. I can see why readers find Christie's work compelling; she draws her readers in quickly, with a large cast of thickly-described characters and a vivid sense of surroundings. Evil under the Sun brings us to a seaside resort, where a group of holiday-makers, including Christie's famous Inspector Poirot, find themselves attempting to deal with a broad range of personalities. Likely the most abrasive of all is the beautiful and capricious socialite Arlena Marshall. When she turns up dead in a remote part of the beach, it becomes Poirot's calling to determine her murderer. The resort's island location makes it unlikely that anyone outside the hotel could be responsible. Thus, Poirot must discover the murderer in his midst. Everyone, it seems, had a motive. Yet everyone too had an alibi. The answer turns out to be far more complicated than anyone had anticipated. Christie's gift is clearly to tell a gripping story. While there are no great lessons on morality or statements on the human condition within this it is certainly entertaining, enjoyable, and just a bit scary. (
