Name: Sparkling Cyanide
Author: Agatha Christie
Description from Amazon:
In Sparkling Cyanide, Agatha Christie seats six—including a murderer—around a dining table set for seven, one year to the day that a beautiful heiress was poisoned in that very room.
Six people sit down to a sumptuous meal at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary—"rosemary for remembrance." A strange sentiment considering no one is likely to forget the night, exactly a year ago, that Rosemary Barton died at exactly the same table, her beautiful face unrecognizable, convulsed with pain and horror.
But then Rosemary had always been memorable—she had the ability to arouse strong passions in most people she met. In one case, strong enough to kill. . . .
REVIEW AS A READER:
I knew from the Amazon description that this was going to be a whodunit, so I was excited to start reading this one. Agatha Christie is the master of locked-room whodunits and I knew this would keep me guessing. I also knew I would learn a lot as an author. Ms. Christie did not disappoint in this novel.
There was great character development in this book. With seven seats at the dinner table, I wasn't expecting the level of character development that was achieved in this book. Several of the characters were fleshed out so well that they lingered in my memory after I finished the book. The psychological underpinnings of the story added to the overall mystery as well as enriching the story.
The story never sagged. The mystery and psychological drama was constant from beginning to end. The story moved on every page. I would recommend this book to any reader who enjoys mysteries and suspense and I would call it a must-read for anyone who likes locked-door mysteries.
REVIEW AS AN AUTHOR:
Instead of calling this section a review by an author, it should be more properly renamed "what I learned by reading Agatha Christie" because I learned a lot in this book.
The first lesson was the different story structure that was chosen for this novel. The book started with a hint of a crime that took place and a dinner that was to take place one year later. Then the book divided into chapters named after the characters. These chapters fleshed out the character and what relationship they had with Rosemary. I had never seen this type of format before but noticed that it worked in setting up the dinner scene.
I would never have dreamed of laying out a novel with this structure but it worked. I would say it went beyond working well. It allowed each of the characters to be flushed out, but there were fully-fleshed out subplots that occurred in this part of the book.
Often times, as a reader, if there are more than three or four characters, I can't remember who everyone is as they are mentioned once or twice every so often. However, this structure made remembering everyone much easier as each section was devoted to one or two characters and how they were connected to Rosemary and what the subplot with them was. This format also allowed the history of the relationships to be referenced and it enhanced the depth of the story.
About 3/4 of the way through the book, the mystery dinner takes place and there is a surprising plot twist. A deeper mystery ensues and suddenly, all the little subtle foreshadowings dropped early on in the book come into play.
I won't spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read the book, but I would highly recommend this book to mystery and whodunit lovers. I would also recommend this book to new authors who are looking to learn as they read. This novel has a lot to learn about novel developmental formatting, subtle foreshadowing and plot twists. There's also lots to learn from Agatha Christie in terms of writing prose as well as characterizations. This novel is a treasure trove for new authors who like to learn as they read.
All in all, I really liked this book and will pick up another Agatha Christie soon!
GREAT PHRASES FROM SPARKLING CYANIDE:
- "Glimpses of the past came back -- brief flashes -- short scenes."
- "Something in the easy feline grace with which he danced lent substance to the nickname 'Leopard'."
- " . . . well masked behind an agreeable devilry."
- "He looked at her, laughing. She ought, she felt, to have been revolted. But the strength of V. Drake was the strength of the devil. He could make evil seem amusing. He was looking at her now with that uncanny penetration."
- "He liked putting ideas into people's heads. Or, as in this case, showing them the ideas that were already there . . ."
- "He looked at her with eyes from which the last traces of scales had fallen."
- "He was her life her existence. Love burned in her with a medieval force."
- "Housekeeping for her father, she had stiffened into a pronounced spinsterhood."
- "He was the cat's-paw of wicked men who exploited his innocence."
- "Neighbors are so important in the country. One has either to be rude or friendly; one can't, as in London, just keep people as amiable acquaintances."
Above is only about 1/3 of the phrases I had highlighted in this book! Like I said earlier, it's a must read!
