The Seven Dials Mystery: A Ticking and Tickling Mystery

“Fiction is founded on truth... unless things did happen, people couldn't think of them.”

The Seven Dials Mystery is a work of detective fiction by the "Queen of Mystery" Agatha Christie. This book was one that made my slow moving August (in terms of books) speed up a bit by making me finish it in one sitting.

Overview:

Author: Agatha Christie

Genre: Mystery

My Ratings: 4/5★

Blurb:

Gerry Wade had proved himself to be a champion sleeper; so the other house guests decided to play a practical joke on him. Eight alarm clocks were set to go off, one after the other, starting at 6.30 a.m. But when morning arrived, one clock was missing and the prank had backfired with tragic consequences.

For Jimmy Thesiger in particular, the words ‘Seven Dials’ were to take on a new and chilling significance.

I picked up this book as it was the choice of the month by the book club run by Agatha Christie Ltd. and I wasn't disappointed. This book was a very different work, with Christie veering from her usual style to write a mystery filled with humorous elements and I personally feel that she has nailed the combination. It was witty, charming and the mystery was solid as well. The ending was a tad unexpected, but it played pretty well.

That amiable youth, Jimmy Thesiger, came racing down the big staircase at Chimneys two steps at a time. So precipitate was his descent that he collided with Tredwell, the stately butler, just as the latter was crossing the hall bearing a fresh supply of hot coffee. Owing to the marvellous presence of mind and masterly agility of Tredwell, no casualty occurred. “Sorry,” apologized Jimmy. “I say, Tredwell, am I the last down?”

With such a beginning, one is sure that this is no ordinary Christie book. This book is not a very intense read, and I feel that is its strength. It is a highly entertaining story with a well-planned mystery at its heart. This novel has Christie adding in Wodehousian humor (the aforementioned scene reminded me of Jeeves and Wooster) but she doesn't completely veer from her usual style of delivering the mystery. The unraveling of the mystery happens with dashes of reality co-existing side by side and I found it very enjoyable.

This book has many interesting characters, like Jimmy Thesiger, George Lomax and Lord Caterman, to name a few. I personally loved Bundle (Lady Eileen Brent) a lot, she is a very well written character. She joins the list of my favorite Christie women with Marple and Anne Beddingfeld. She is a very brave and resolute woman, and one who is more of a person of action (I can relate a lot to this bit!)

To surmise, this was an extremely enjoyable read, and for once, the absence of Poirot or Marple doesn't feel too bad. A book that makes your afternoon pass away fast, and stays on in your heart.

~Reviewed by Kaveri (@biliophilerants)~

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