jjares reviewed on 8/5/2020 + 3413 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

This is a rather quirky story that has Mrs. Ariadne Oliver (a mystery murder authoress; shades of Mrs. Christie perhaps?) looking into an old death of a married couple. Mrs. Oliver was shocked by being accosted by a nosy woman who said she wanted to know the truth of the deaths. Why? Because her son was considering marrying the daughter of the deceased couple. Mrs. Oliver is so shocked by the questioning that she consults with Hercule Poirot.

The rest of the story is about Mrs. Oliver (particularly) interviewing former friends, housekeepers, associates to learn more about the deaths. Mrs. Oliver kept reminding the reader that "elephants can remember" -- meaning that these former associates would remember. Actually, she repeats it ad nauseum. I intensely disliked this story for two major reasons. First, going back and reconstructing the "scene" twelve years later (and everyone remembering everything) is just plain silly.

Second, I hated being reminded that elephants can remember. They may remember but humans have nuanced memories that may or may not be correct. I thought this whole book was a gigantic waste of time. Generally, when I read an Agatha Christie, at least the puzzle is interesting. But the supposition that it would be interesting to hash over a 12-year-old crime just escapes me. It was dull reading.

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