|
Audiobooks -
Agatha Christie Audio Books
|
Taken at the Flood
by Agatha Christie
Gordon Cloade could be forgiven for bringing a bit of glamour into his life by
marrying the very young widow, Rosaleen Underhay and bringing her back to a wartime
capital.
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of romance for a wealthy gentleman returning to the
beseiged and dreary heart of empire.
What he could not be forgiven for was failing to draw up a new will. For Gordon
Cloade was not only a wealthy man, but a man upon whom many depended, not just his
servants who perished with him, but also the family members who relied on his
generous support.
What will become of their dreams now? And what will happen to the young woman left
behind?
Surely she is okay? After all she was his wife. She inherits everything. As his
wife she was entitled to inherit everything.
Some may say she is a little gold digger. But she was entitled to marry Cloade,
because although young, she was a widow and her previous husband was dead... wasn’t
he...
Hercule Poirot cannot avoid coming up against the story of the Cloades, whether it is
through a consultation, a conversation in a gentlemen’s club or an odd news story
telling of the death of a mysterious man in Warmsley Vale. Poirot, the great
detective, must investigate.
But much in Warmsley Vale is not at all what it seems.
This is an intriguing murder mystery with a significant romantic element. The story
has a fabulously complex plot but relies too greatly, at the level of detail, on
unguessable motivations and chance outcomes.
Likely to disappoint at the end, even if an engrossing read with entertaining
dialogue and intruiging scenes.
Litrev rating 2 / 5
|
|
|
|
Audiobooks -
Agatha Christie Full Reviews
|
Taken at the Flood
by Agatha Christie
HarperCollins
Unabridged CD Edition – 2007
Read by Hugh Fraser
The truth is that one never believes for a minute, no matter what danger you’re
in, that you yourself are going to be killed. The bomb is always going to hit the
other person.
Taken at the Flood is a well structured and well executed murder mystery with a
gripping start, but which is dulled by a lack of admirable personalities and marred
by a revolting romantic sub-plot.
There is an over-complex main plot which is hard to follow and a cast of characters
who would not be greatly missed if some chance event stranded the lot on a desert
island.
This is a Poirot novel and whilst that is often sufficient to produce a reasonably
fascinating investigation storyline, in this novel this is not the case.
The point-of-view changes continually and Poirot makes an appearance in a limited
portion of the story.
On the positive side, the crimes in this story have an ingenious solution which, in
spite of the book being full of significant clues, even the most attentive reader
will struggle to puzzle out before the closing pages.
The Second World War is the dominant element in this story, but is only responsible
for only some of the deaths. The death of Gordon Cloade – as a consequence of German
bombing - is a tragic end for a wealthy and benevolent man and a double loss for all
those who have become financially dependent on him.
Agatha Christie makes further use of the war as a defining feature in the life of
Lynn Marchmont – a niece of Cloade who returns from active service to find that her
perception of her life in the country and her life goals have altered. A storyline
with some potential, but which ultimately is a failure.
Lynn Marchmont’s storyline is crude, contrived and less a march into the psychology
of a woman liberated by war experience and more a study of feminine deviancy.
The entire story is characterised by the theme of descent into deviancy. Gordon
Cloade’s relatives come to realize just how dependent they were on Cloade. The fate
of his wealth becomes the source of scheming which reveals a depth of greed and
envy. The scheming tests the mettle of those involved and carries in its wake,
self-revelation and – at least for some of the players in this deadly game – a
measure of remorse.
The most impressive feature of the book is the intriguing question of the fate of
Robert Underhay – the first husband of Gordon Cloade’s bride – who - it is suggested
- feigned his own death to free his unhappy wife from an unhappy marriage without
enduring the disgrace of divorce. A noble act pehaps, but one with
consequences.
In spite of its flaws, the book flows along at quite a pace and whilst not upto
Christie’s usual standard is not likely to completely disappoint the reader who
enjoys a particularly challenging murder mystery.
The book is read by Hugh Fraser whose performance here is weaker than usual. The
main flaw being the Irish accent of one of the key characters which in this reading
sounds more mid-Atlantic than Hibernian.
Litrev rating 2 / 5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|