Book Review: Lord Edgware Dies

Normally, it takes me a couple weeks to get through an Agatha Christie novel. However, I had some extra free time this week and, because of that, I was able to get through this one in a matter of about four days.

After doing so, my overall opinion of the book is somewhat mixed.

While, overall, I do enjoy reading Agatha Christie, I've come to realize she tends to fall back on the same format in many of her books. As part of that, I've discovered if one of her characters has (or at least seems to have) an air-tight alibi, chances are they are the one who did it. And, using that philosophy, I was able to successfully name the killer after only a few chapters.

That being said, there were still some things to like about this murder mystery. As always, Christie has a wide-variety of interesting characters, ranging from the victim himself (who is rumored to be somewhat sadistic and likely abusive toward his wives) to the American actress, Carlotta Adams, who ends up being an accomplice and one of the killer's other victims. 

As is the case with many of Christie's novels, many of the characters seemed to have their own motives for wanting Edgware dead. While, based on the philosophy I mentioned before, there weren't any real surprises as far as those red herrings were concerned, the additional suspects did, at times at least, give me cause to at least reconsider my theory, especially since the person I was looking at seemed to have no reason to want Edgware dead.

At minimum, the possible alternative suspects did keep me reading the book, mostly so I could figure out what secrets they were really hiding and see how their stories all played out as well. So, while I was ultimately proven correct, I still had every reason to read this book from cover to cover.

I did enjoy reading this book and would recommend it if you are looking for a murder mystery that can be read in a reasonable amount of time. However, if you've read a lot of Agatha Christie books, I don't think you'll have a hard time figuring out who the killer is.

My Grade: B