Among Christie
Among the multitude of crime-story writers, Agatha Christie is a legend, and has been for a century. Married to archaeologist Max Mallivan, she accompanied him and penned a memoir of their travels. Her literary creations, Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and England’s own Miss Marple, have been screened more than a few times.
Ms Christie’s best stories? Difficult to tell from her treasure trove. This reviewer’s selections are Murder On The Orient Express and Witness For The Prosecution. Not least because the film versions are so well done. Admittedly, I had previously been unfamiliar with Ordeal By Innocence.
I would have remained that way had the BBC not chosen to revive it. The republished mystery is now in my hands. My regret is that neither of the famous sleuths is in it. Otherwise the form is familiar. Which is having a half-dozen, eight, 10 suspects to a crime, all with motive.
The author is unexcelled at making it appear that each is guilty. In this plot, they are members of a family. The setting is an upcountry town. Widowed, wed, engaged, single — they aren’t a happy lot. Finger-pointing is their common body language.
A conviction for the head-smashing murder of an elder turns out to be a mistake, raising the serious question of who among them did it. Conversations expose their dislike for one another. A bitter husband opines that the sweetheart he fell in love with is the selfish, heartless woman dominating his life.
Christie wasn’t a feminist who blamed men for women’s shortcomings. Her women are as capable of committing heinous crimes as men. Not that the males aren’t capable of violence for whatever reason. The question is raised: what makes single people think marriage is the way to happiness? All too often it’s the reverse.
The criminal — there’s another murder — is revealed on the penultimate page. It might have been any of the others, but the culprit confesses. With all due respect, Ordeal By Innocence isn’t the best of Agatha Christie. Yet given its style, nobody else could have written it.
I think the BBC should follow through by making a season-long series of Agatha Christie stories. Alas, television offers little that’s worthwhile. I trust Ordeal By Innocence will be filmed for the big screen.
The public has had its fill of end-of-the-world flicks.