Evil Under the Sun
A Hercule Poirot Mystery
By Agatha Christie Ulverscroft Large Print
F. A. Thorpe Publishing, (2011)
ISBN: 978-1-4448-0263-4
Genre: Crime, Mystery
Reviewed by Rochelle Caviness - August 12, 2011
Hercule Poirot is once again on the case in Agatha Christie's riveting mystery, Evil Under the Sun. In this case, the suave Belgium detective is faced with the task of discovering who killed Arlena Marshall. Finding the killer may be harder than normal in this circumstance, because there are just so many people that might have had a motive to kill her! An unflinching workaholic, Poirot is only too willing to shorten his vacation in order to investigate the murder, by strangulation, of Marshall, who happened to be both an actress and an accomplished flirt.
Evil Under the Sun is another of Christie's excellent books. The story is riveting, and the writing superb. Christie's writing is vibrant, descriptive, and the prose elegant in its simplicity. Best yet, it is a story filled with plausible red herrings, and you will be hard press to figure out who the killer is before Poirot does. And, as in real life, not everything is as it appears to be. Every rock that Poirot turns over merely brings to light information that deepens the mystery.
As the story opens, Poirot is vacationing on Smuggler's Island, and staying at the aptly named Jolly Roger Hotel. This is fortunate, for the dead woman was also a guest of the hotel. This fortuitous set of events, if ever a murder can be classed as such, ensured that Poirot was already on hand to investigate the case. Furthermore, he already had some foreknowledge about several of the likely suspects and other key players that were likely to be helpful in investigating Marshall's untimely death. Although Poirot is a brilliant detective, he is also eccentric, and his eccentricities add a touch of humor to this macabre tale. A tale which one could easily class as a comedy due to the plethora of witty dialogue, double entendres, and peculiar characters that populate this book.
As events turn out there is much more to this story than just the murder of an actress. This story is infused with complicated plot twists and subplots, that encompass just about everything from drug smuggling to voodoo. This is a delightful story to read, and is perfect for a quiet afternoon when you have the free time to read an entire book in one sitting. Be forewarned, if you don't have the time to read this book all at once, you're bound to find yourself reading it in snatches every time you have free minute. For you will find yourself, like Poirot, compelled to track down the real culprit - at any cost.
Evil Under the Sun can be purchased directly from Ulverscroft.
Click Here for a complete list of all the books written by Agatha Christie.
Related Reviews:
Taken at the Flood, by Agatha Christie.
When Uncle Gordon marries a much younger woman and then has the nerve to die in the Blitz, his family is dismayed to find that she gets all the money - so they call upon Poirot to help them get it back, but will they?
Lord Edgware Dies, by Agatha Christie.
A Hercule Poirot mystery in which the Belgium detective must discover who killed Lord Edgware. Was it his wife who threatened to kill him if he did not divorce her, or was it someone else with a more devious motive?
