genre: adult fiction, mysteryHave you seen the movie Clue? The one with Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn? It's a classic whodunit with hysterical acting, multiple murders and many exceptionally quotable lines.
This book really made me think of that movie.
A group of strangers are brought to a secluded island mansion and, as they are murdered one by one by an unknown killer, those left behind are determined to save themselves while determining who among them is a homicidal maniac.
As much as I am not really a mystery lover, I really liked this. Very accessible plot with just the right tension, full of unanswerable questions. I liked that the narrative switched between third person and first person of all the different characters so we were always guessing who the murderer was. I didn't see the ending coming at ALL - which is imperative for me in a mystery. The only reason I can't give it five stars is that we are given so many characters to remember right at the beginning that I felt like I had to work really hard to remember who was who for half the book.
Otherwise, a great twist on your typical murder mystery. No wonder it's a classic!
6 comments:
I'm not a big mystery fan either. This was chosen for our book club. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I agree, too many characters.
I really do need to read an Agatha Christie book!
My mystery reading, up to this point, has been wholly confined to Sherlock. I should give Christie a chance one of these days.
If you've not read any Sherlock Holmes, the short stories are a quick read so that you can decide whether you like it before delving into one of the longer works. I recommend "A Scandal in Bohemia," "The Red-Headed League," and "The Speckled Band," all of which are found in the collection titled The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Of the novels, I'd most recommend The Hound of the Baskervilles. (If it bothers you, I'd also warn you that A Study in Scarlet doesn't exactly cast Brigham Young very favorably.)
This is the ONLY Christie I've read and I loved it!
I listened to this one recently and couldn't get Clue out of my head either!
I take back what I said earlier: I've also read mystery works by Isaac Asimov. His Black Widowers stories are entertaining and, like most of the Holmes stories, short.
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