cozy mystery

Book Review: Lord Edgeware Dies/ Thirteen at Dinner

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Thirteen at Dinner/ Lord Edgware Dies (Hercule Poirot, #9)
by Agatha Christie

5 out of 5 stars
Captain Hastings tells the reader about one of Hercule Poirot’s most baffling cases, a mystery so convoluted that Poirot described it as one of his failures. A disgruntled wife is seen to enter the home of her estranged husband. Hours later he is found dead. But the wife has a perfect alibi; she was at a dinner party with twelve other people. How could she have been in two places at once? Only Poirot can discover the truth!

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Book Review: A Murder is Announced

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A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie

A Murder Is Announced
by Agatha Christie

5 out of 5 stars

An advertisement appears in the local newspaper saying that a murder will take place at a certain country house on Friday at 6:00pm. Friends of the family assume that it must be a murder mystery party, and they show up at the appointed time. What at first appears to be a mystery play turns into a deadly reality. Each of the persons present are suspected of murder and only Miss Marple can unravel the clues to discover the real murderer and the reason behind this terrible farce.

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Book Review: Jane and the Ghosts of Netley

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Jane and the Ghosts of Netley by Stephanie Barron

Jane and the Ghosts of Netley (Jane Austen Mysteries, #7)
by Stephanie Barron

3.5 out of 5 stars

Lord Harold asks Jane Austen to keep an eye on Netley Lodge near the ruins of the ancient Netley Abbey. He fears there are French spies plotting mischief in the area. Jane takes her paint box and pretends to sketch the abbey ruins while keeping a close watch on all the comings and goings at the Lodge. But her watchfulness is in vain. A ship in the dockyards is set on fire and the shipwright is murdered. It is definitely the work of spies and traitors against the British crown.

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Book Review: In Myrtle Peril

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In Myrtle Peril by Elizabeth C. Bunce

In Myrtle Peril (Myrtle Hardcastle Mystery 4)
by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Goodreads Author)

5 out of 5 stars

Myrtle’s father has tonsillitis in the hospital and witnesses a mysterious attack. While he is confined to bed, Myrtle will have to investigate with the assistance of her courageous governess, Miss Judson. Myrtle sets out to prove the identity of Ethel Snowcroft, who could be a long-lost heiress believed to have perished in a shipwreck years earlier.

I love the exciting mystery plot in this fourth book of the series! There are two different mysteries happening at the same time, but then the clues begin to converge and overlap, and only Myrtle can possible unravel the web of lies surrounding the hospital. This plot really kept my attention and had me guessing right up to the end!

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Ranking Agatha Christie Books

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Agatha Christie video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyxE4BGNkAasUzUlqiFKzgXPejNexND9U

Books Mentioned:
At Bertram’s Hotel: https://amzn.to/3HHj8MF
Boomerang Clue (also published as Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?): https://amzn.to/3328RLM
Murder at Hazelmoor/ Sittaford Mystery: https://amzn.to/32H5yJQ
Funerals are Fatal/ After the Funeral: https://amzn.to/3JrKp7c
Murder on the Links: https://amzn.to/3qRRzeq
Black Coffee novelization by Charles Osborne: https://amzn.to/31TAXox
Mystery of the Blue Train: https://amzn.to/3lsOe0m
Peril at End House book: https://amzn.to/3lrGzSa
The Man in the Brown Suit: https://amzn.to/3A65nna
Pocketful of Rye: https://amzn.to/3AhQQoH
The Mousetrap Book: https://amzn.to/3CpwB9a
Sad Cypress: https://amzn.to/2ZkwugI
Verdict: https://amzn.to/3uwN5ti
Go back for Murder: https://amzn.to/2YfUjWM
Witness for the Prosecution: https://amzn.to/2YcvnyY
The Regatta Mystery and Other Short Stories- Agatha Christie: https://amzn.to/2YtbvYP
Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie https://amzn.to/38blio8

Book Review: The Boomerang Clue (Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?)

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The Boomerang Clue by Agatha Christie

The Boomerang Clue
by Agatha Christie
5 out of 5 stars

(also published as “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?”)
Bobby witnesses the death of an unknown man, and hears his last words, “Why didn’t they ask Evans?” Bobby thinks nothing of it, until he is poisoned days later. The words must have some meaning. Why else would someone try to kill him? His childhood friend, Lady Francis, is intrigued by the mystery, and agrees to help Bobby track down those involved in the stranger’s death. They are surrounded by suspicious characters and possible enemies. Just when Bobby and ‘Frankie’ think they know who to trust, they are betrayed by the last person they suspected, and their lives are in danger every minute.

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Book Review: At Bertram’s Hotel

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At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie

At Bertram’s Hotel
by Agatha Christie
4 out of 5 stars

Miss Marple goes on a holiday to London and stays at the highly respectable Bertram’s Hotel. She begins to notice little ordinary things that aren’t quite right around the hotel, which become helpful to the police when they investigate the disappearance of an elderly clergyman.

We follow a lot of different characters, but we don’t see Miss Marple very much. She’s only in a few scenes, and she does very little to actually solve the mystery, but she does provide the final clue for the police to resolve their investigation. I wish she were a more prominent part of the plot, and I wish she took more action.

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Book Review: Murder at Hazelmoor

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Murder at Hazelmoor by Agatha Christie

Murder at Hazelmoor
by Agatha Christie
3 out of 5 stars

Major Burnaby takes part in a séance, even though he doesn’t believe in such foolishness. But when a supposed “spirit from the beyond” tells the group that the Major’s best friend has been murdered, Major Burnaby decides to trek through the snow to check on his friend. He discovers the body, brutally murdered.
When her fiancé is accused of the murder, Emily Trefusis sets out to assist the police in tracking down the true killer.

I guessed the solution of who the real murderer was at about page 65. The mystery was sort of obvious. However, that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the book! There were a couple of other little minor mysteries that were fun, and I loved all the character studies. I was a little bored by the red herrings though. They all seemed to lead nowhere, and they were full of coincidences.

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Book Review: Funerals are Fatal / After the Funeral

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After the Funeral by Agatha Christie

After the Funeral (Hercule Poirot, #33)
by Agatha Christie
4 out of 5 stars

(Also published as “Funerals are Fatal”)
Strange old Aunt Cora shocks everyone at her brother’s funeral when she lets it slip that she thinks he must have been murdered. The family tries to hush it up, but when Cora herself is murdered the very next day, only Hercule Poirot can unravel the clues that led to her death. Did she know too much? As Poirot investigates, one person is nearly poisoned, and another is “coshed” on the head. Can Poirot catch the murderer before more people are attacked?

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Book Review: Murder on the Links

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The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

The Murder on the Links
by Agatha Christie
5 out of 5 stars

Hercule Poirot and his friend, Captain Hastings, have been called to a small village in France, where a millionaire is in fear for his life. But when Poirot arrives, the man has already been murdered. The body was discovered nearby on a golf course, and a myriad of conflicting clues surround the murder.

I loved this mystery! All the clues and red herrings kept me guessing and wondering, and it was amazing to see the methodical way in which Poirot sifts through the evidence to find the truth.

When I read the final reveal of who the murderer was, I literally yelled out, “WHAT?!?!” I was completely surprised and amazed, but once I read the explanation, I realized that it made perfect sense. I love being surprised at the end of a Christie novel!

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