Mystery Review: Evil Under the Sun presents Hercule Poirot once again on vacation, and once again someone is murdered in his vicinity. Perhaps M. Poirot needs to stay home. The events take place on an isolated island off the coast of Devon (the southwest of England, east of Cornwall) just as in And Then There Were None (1939). The plot makes the island the equivalent of a great manor house in the country, limiting the suspects to known residents. Of course several candidates are presented, seemingly none could have done it, but Poirot solves the mystery in good style. When asked late in the book who he suspected the little Belgian replies: "Madame, I reserve the explanations for the last chapter." Which he does. While most of the book seemed only average Christie (always better than average) the solution was a clever twist on an old trick and surprised me pleasantly. There are interesting attitudes toward women in Evil Under the Sun. For much of the story one character is widely castigated as an evil and wanton female, an actress not a lady, yet her married paramour gets only sympathy as the bewitched innocent. Christie straightens it out at the end. Another character is presented as a highly successful business woman with a rewarding career, who I took as a stand-in for the author. The character says she makes "a very handsome income out of my business ... it's my business ... I created it and worked it up, and I'm proud of it!" Yet out of nowhere and completely out of character Christie has her inexplicably give it all up in a second. I don't think Christie ever gave up her successful business. Despite this quibble, Evil Under the Sun is typical solid Christie with a better than clever resolution. [3½★]
No comments:
Post a Comment