Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1939
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Horror, Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review
And Then There Were None... ah, it was such an intense,
baffling, scary mystery!!! It was so impressive and overwhelming! It was so
very suspenseful and scary, and it is certainly the best among the Agatha Christie novels
that I've read till now. It was SO intense, so powerful and psychologically intense! I LOVED it.
And Then There Were None kept me tensed and guessing. It was so intense, suspenseful.
The plot is about an island, the Soldier Island. Eight people are invited to the Soldier Island. The eight guests are: Justice Wargrave, Vera Claythorne, Anthony Marston, General MacArthur, Phillip Lombard, Mr Blore, Dr. Armstrong, and Miss Brent. After
their arrival there, they find out that there are no other people in
the island, except themselves and two servants, Mr and Mrs Rogers. There are just these ten people in this island. Nobody else. The owner of the island is apparently a Mr. Owen, whom nobody (not even the servants) has ever seen.
Atmosphere in the house, and the island, is somewhat odd, strange. All the guests find a paper in their room, where the nursery rhyme ''Ten Little Soldiers'' is written. Everybody is startled by the atmosphere of the house, but this turns into dread and fear when the guests start dying, one by one... And within a short time, all the guests come to guess that none of them will leave the island alive... and a constant fear arises: who will be the next victim? Along with many other questions. Who is the murderer? Is he one of them?...
''And Then There Were None'' builds up an excellent atmosphere, an atmosphere that is filled with scares, intensity, suspense. The psychological impact on the characters because of the events, is portrayed very well. Some of the characters, and the situations, have so much depth. The novel kept me guessing. And the solution was so excellent.
I loved this one. ''And Then There Were None'' was extremely suspenseful, thrilling, and an absolute page turner.
5 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1957
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Crime, Suspense
Rating: 3 out of 5
Review
The first Agatha Christie novel I read was ''A Murder is Announced''- a Miss Marple. Since then, I have read several Poirot novels, and ''4.50 from Paddington'' is my second Miss Marple.
I really enjoyed ''4.50 from Paddington''. Miss McGillicuddy is traveling to her friend, Miss Jane Marple, from Scotland. On her way, her train comes parallel to another train (the two trains are running on parallel tracks). Miss McGillicuddy witnesses something terrible. She witnesses a man strangling a woman, in the other train... She has a brief glimpse of the crime--- she couldn't see the man's face.
Miss McGillicuddy tells her friend, Miss Marple, about the crime that she had witnessed. Miss Marple is eager to find out what actually happened. But it is a really difficult task- how would she guess where the body of the murdered woman is? However, after doing some research, she guesses that the body is somewhere around a country house, Rutherford Hall.
Miss Marple decides to take the assistance of an acquaintance, Lucy Eyelesbarrow. Lucy, a highly educated young woman, works as a housekeeper. Miss Marple asks Lucy to temporarily take the job of a housekeeper at Rutherford Hall, and try to locate the body. Lucy agrees, and soon finds herself in Rutherford Hall, and works hard to find clues and locate the body.
Most of the investigation, in this novel, is done by Detective Inspector Craddock and Lucy Eyelesbarrow, while Miss Marple solves the mystery.
As the story progresses, it becomes complex and interesting. I really enjoyed it, and I really enjoyed the characters. Miss Marple's warmth is very remarkable, and Lucy Eyelesbarrow- she was just amazing! I loved how she takes both her tasks so seriously: while she works hard to find clues to solve the mystery, she also works hard to take care of Rutherford Hall, and people living there. She was really a wonderful character.
It's always delightful to read Agatha Christie's novels. Her books are so pleasant. The characters, the situations, with dry humor now and then- all these are so charming. ''4.50 from Paddington'' was no exception. The novel kept me guessing, and the solution was really wonderful. The book was delightful and interesting, often suspenseful, with well developed characters, and humor.
3 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1941
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Suspense, Adventure, Thriller
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
N or M? is the first Tommy and Tuppence novel that I read. I absolutely loved the two detectives, Tommy and Tuppence. They were so pleasant, charming characters. Especially Tuppence, who has such a warm personality!
The novel is set during the World War II. Tommy and Tuppence are feeling bored because they have no work to do. But very soon they get a difficult task. Their work is to find an enemy agent. N and M are two enemy agents. One of the agents, or someone in connection with them, is living at the Sans Souci hotel. Therefore, Tommy and Tuppence go to the Sans Souci hotel, with false identities. Tommy stays in the hotel, introducing himself as Mr Meadows. Tuppence introduces herself as a widow, Mrs Blenkenshop.
Anyone, among the guests, can be ''N'' or ''M''. There are several guests: Mrs O Rourke (a scary-looking woman), Miss Minton, Carl von Deinim (a refugee who escaped Nazi persecution), Major Bletchley, Mr and Mrs Cayley, and Mrs Sprot, who is staying with her little daughter, Betty. Who, among them, is actually the enemy?
N or M? was such an exciting, suspenseful thriller! I enjoyed every moment of it! Tommy and Tuppence are wonderful, and Agatha Christie builds up the suspense, the thrilling situations, excellently.
I loved how the two detectives solve the case, the steps they take, the plans they make, that would lead them towards the identity of the enemy. The characters were developed very well. There were plenty, plenty of clues. The book kept me guessing! The solution to the mystery was really very good.
And the suspense that the novel had! It was excellent. N or M? was definitely a very, very wonderful, really very entertaining, suspenseful mystery.
4 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1940
Genres: Novels, Mystery, Suspense
Rating: 3 out of 5
Review
Sad
Cypress is the first courtroom drama in Agatha Christie's Hercule
Poirot series. In this novel, Elinor Carlisle is accused of murdering
Mary Gerrard. All the evidences are against Elinor. It is apparent that
only Elinor had the motive and the opportunity of committing the
murder. But Peter Lord, a doctor, loves her so deeply that he does not
care if she is really innocent or not. He just wants Elinor to be saved
from the gallows. For this, he asks Poirot to investigate the case, find
evidences that might be used in Elinor's favor. When Poirot starts
investigating, he realizes that things are not as simple as they seem to
be.
I
didn't really love Sad Cypress. I expected more from it, after coming
across so many positive reviews. But however, I enjoyed it. I didn't
feel boring while reading. The first part, told from Elinor's
perspective, was really quite entertaining, deep and even intense at
times (Elinor's thoughts were really intense). The second and third
parts were well-paced and nice as well. The characters, especially
Elinor, were well developed. But it didn't have the suspense that I have
found, so far, in Christie's novels (there was a lot of suspense, though, in the first part).
The solution of the mystery was okay, I didn't think it was bad. It was
a compelling read, but it could have been better with a little more
suspense.
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1937
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Rating: 5 out of 5
Review
The first chapter of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile
is a bit confusing. A lot of characters are introduced. A lot of
suspense is built up. And the first chapter contributed a great deal to
the excellent development of suspense.
I
really loved Agatha Christie's ''Death on the Nile''. Not only is it an
excellent mystery, but it also has so much emotional intensity. The
large cast of characters is so well developed, and the situation,
suspense and mystery... oh well, so excellent! The book waits for a long
time until the real crimes take place. Within that time, the characters
and incidents are developed, they get deep... And that was absolutely
necessary for the excellent depth found in the story.
Linnet
Ridgeway is a famous, wealthy, beautiful woman. One day her friend
Jacqueline de Bellefort comes to her and tells her that her boyfriend,
Simon Doyle, is badly in need of a job. Linnet agrees to employ Simon,
and within a short time, Linnet and Simon fall in love, and soon they
get married. Jacqueline is furious because her best friend and her
boyfriend betrayed her...
On
their honeymoon, in Egypt, Linnet and Simon come across Jacqueline. It
becomes apparent that Jacqueline is following them, to annoy them, to
make them uncomfortable, to take revenge. Linnet and Simon decide
that they have to get rid of this problem.
Linnet
and Simon are traveling on the boat Karnak. Also present in the boat is
the famous detective, Hercule Poirot. Linnet and Simon ask Poirot for
his help. They ask him to talk to Jacqueline. He does so. Things get
rather complicated with several situations... until one midnight, Linnet
Doyle is shot dead...
Who
could have shot Linnet? Apparently, Jacqueline didn't, because she had
alibi. Who could have then murdered her? And from what motive?
This time, Hercule Poirot is helped by Colonel Race, who is also traveling on the boat.
Death on the Nile will
certainly remain among my favorite Agatha Christie novels! I adored
it... I loved it. I loved the way the characters were developed. I loved
the way the suspense was developed. I really admired it's depth. I
admired how, while Poirot investigates the murder, backgrounds of so
many characters are revealed. And the solution to the mystery was
extremely, extremely satisfying as well. The setting was also really
wonderful (most of the story is set on the boat, Karnak). I loved how
each of the incidents were so cleverly constructed and solved.
5 out of 5
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Published: 2001
Genres: Novel, Romance, Suspense, Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
A Bend in the Road was amazing!!! I really liked it. It tells a story of love, memories, and the things caused by love and secrets of the past.
Miles Ryan is a deputy sheriff. A couple of years ago, he had lost his wife, Missy, in a hit and run. He believes that it was done intentionally by somebody. But nobody knows who killed his wife. And Miles is still looking for that person who ruined his life, and the life of his son.
Miles is an affectionate father to his son, Jonah. Jonah's teacher wishes to see him because Jonah is having some problems with his lessons. Miles meets the teacher, Sarah Andrews. Sarah offers to give extra attention to Jonah. Over time, as Miles and Sarah come across each other frequently, a friendship develops between them, which eventually develops into love, deep love. Both are very serious about the relationship. And to Miles, Sarah is the best thing that has happened to him since his wife died.
But then secrets unfold... terrible secrets of the past unfold that may greatly affect this love they have for each other.
I have to admit that I could guess who had actually killed Missy Ryan. In spite of being a little predictable, the book didn't fail to impress me. At all. In fact, I really, really liked it. The whole novel is a wonderful mixture of Sarah and Miles's relation and Miles trying to discover who had killed his wife, and the secrets that are revealed. The two plots are hugely intertwined; both serve as the main plots of this novel. There was also suspense at times. Though I could predict the identity of the killer, this didn't make the novel less enjoyable for me. In fact, the novel kept me wondering what would happen next. It was a wonderful page-turner.
A Bend in the Road is filled with emotional intensity. First, there is the love story of Miles and Sarah, which is quite sweet. It doesn't get cheesy at all. Secondly, the deep feelings that are revealed with the terrible secrets.
After I had finished reading it, it made me ponder for some time. It was very moving, very intense, and beautiful.
4 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1926
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
The narrator in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is Doctor Sheppard. One evening he is invited to dinner to Fernley Park, the residence of Roger Ackroyd. Ackroyd reveals to Sheppard a hidden fact, centering the late Mrs Ferrars and her late husband. Doctor Sheppard leaves the house after conversing for some time with Ackroyd.
At his house, Doctor Sheppard gets a phone call. It is from Parker, the butler at Fernley Park. Parker informs him that Ackroyd is dead! Sheppard runs to Fernley, but Parker denies having made any such phone call. They break into Ackroyd's study, and discover that Roger Ackroyd is... dead.
The magnificent Hercule Poirot steps into the case, and taking Doctor Sheppard as an assistant, he starts investigating.
Who can have murdered Roger Ackroyd? In this case there are so many suspects. A stepson who has been missing since the death of Ackroyd. A butler with mysterious behavior. A maidservant. The housekeeper. Ackroyd's sister-in-law and niece, with whom he was never generous with money.
I was amazed with the twisted ending. Just AMAZED. I could have never even guessed it! It was so unpredictable. So unexpected. So amazing. Great twist, great ending!!!
I enjoyed reading the book. Well, Agatha Christie is always amazing. And so is Hercule Poirot. I guessed now and then throughout the book, but none of my guesses actually matched. Just as I was so amazed and delighted with the ending, it also took me some time to accept the twist. But however, the whole novel is excellent, and it brings me again and again into commenting about the ending, which was just unpredictable and excellent.
4 out of 5
Author: Sidney Sheldon
Published: 1994
Genres: Novel, Thriller, Suspense, Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
Before reading Nothing Lasts Forever, I had read three other Sidney Sheldon novels: The Stars Shine Down, The Sky is Falling, and Are You Afraid of the Dark?. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all three of them, but I must also say that I found none of them excellent. They were sometimes predictable and often silly. But they were very enjoyable reads. I was satisfied with them, but didn't find any of them excellent.
But I am really glad I read Nothing Lasts Forever. It is an impressive novel. And I mean it. It is a really very impressive novel. Though there are sometimes indeed some of the Sidney Sheldon cliches and a few times it did get silly, yet I found it a very pleasant and impressive novel. It was not a masterpiece, but I was really pleased with it.
Set mostly at a hospital, the novel's central characters are three doctors: Paige Taylor, Honey Tuft, and Kat Hunter. They work in the same hospital and live in the same apartment. The novel explores the lives of these three women: their feelings, their passions, their desires, their past, their pain.
The novel begins with a lengthy prologue. Kat Hunter has been murdered. Honey Tuft had almost closed down the hospital (reasons revealed in course of the novel). And Paige Taylor has been accused of murdering one of her patients because the patient had left her a huge wealth. But Doctor Taylor says that it was euthanasia. She knew nothing about the inheritance until after the death of the particular patient.
Most of the novel is told in flashbacks, starting with the time Paige, Kat, and Honey had joined the hospital. It tells the story of their stressful job, struggling personal lives, painful and secret pasts. And their meeting such odd and unfortunate fates.
One of the things that I like about Sheldon is the characterization in his books. In Nothing Lasts Forever the characterizations are definitely effective and deep! Along with the life of the three protagonists, the stressful life of doctors is also very well described in this book. (I really appreciated the epilogue, where what happened to most of the characters, is described).
I definitely enjoyed this one! The last chapter was so very emotional. As I mentioned before, some of Sidney Sheldon's cliches can be found now and then, but the overall novel is impressive and pleasant.
4 out of 5!
Author: Sidney Sheldon
Published: 2001
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 3 out of 5
Review
While I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sheldon's The Sky is Falling, I won't really say that it was a great read because it wasn't. However, it's an exciting, suspenseful and adventure-filled quick read that would be worth a read. However, don't expect anything too good from this book because it can be very predictable and sometimes slightly silly. But despite that it is a fun, exciting and suspenseful read!
The Winthrops are one of the most prominent and famous families of America. However, great tragedies occur- within a year, all five members of the family is dead, apparently because of accidents.
Our protagonist is Dana Evans, a famous anchorwoman for the press. Viewers simply love her. She has just returned from Sarajevo and has adopted an orphan, Kemal, whose family members had been killed because of a bomb.
After coming to know about the co-incidental death of all the five members of the family, Dana is curious to know more, and becomes suspicious that it might be more than accidents, that it might have been murders. Her growing suspicion leads her to personally investigate more about the matter, and she herself falls in danger. Because of her investigations, someone is planning to have her killed. She can understand that she is being watched all the time. Her life is in constant danger. Who is innocent and who is not? Who is against her life and who is not? She continues her investigations, even with the grave perils lurking everywhere around her, and ultimately comes across revelations- revelations that has dangerous results.
Obviously I enjoyed reading this novel! It was a fast paced and quick read! But however, as I mentioned before, it was very predictable and slightly silly. For example, I could easily understand who were the villains and who weren't just by seeing the incidents and the behaviors of the characters. Characters are well developed, but it was easy to guess who was evil and who was innocent. Really.
Last month I had read another Sheldon novel, The Stars Shine Down, which I liked but also felt was irritating at times. However, The Sky is Falling was absolutely not irritating! Rather, it was really interesting and enjoyable!
Author: Sidney Sheldon
Published: 1992
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Suspense, Romance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Review
The Stars Shine Down is the story of Lara Cameron, who grew up in poverty and with misery, but established herself as one of the most successful real estate developers. The books tells the story of her life, of the successes and difficulties that she comes through, her feelings, her lover, her career. She accomplishes everything: fame, wealth, reputation, the man she loves, everything. But then she is risked with downfall: everything she has is in danger.
The Stars Shine Down was an absolute page turner and a fast read. From the very beginning of the novel, it was engrossing. However, the middle part did seem a bit ridiculous. Again and again there was Lara builds this, Lara builds that, Lara accomplishes this, Lara accomplishes that. Though at first it was nice to read about these, soon they became so frequent that it seemed like they were being repeated. As soon as, however, Phillip enters the story and Lara falls in love with him, the story changes it's style and becomes more likeable.
The character Lara had great depth. As the novel described her life in such detail, Lara really became an excellently-developed character.
The novel is not really a ''thriller''. It's something of a mixture of drama, mystery, suspense, and some romance. The truth behind the mystery was surprising. The ending was also wonderful and nice. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It was a quick and light read.
Author: Heather Graham
Published: 2005
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Romance, Suspense
Rating: 2 out of 5
Review
Heather Graham's Suspicious takes place in Everglades. In the novel, a successful alligator farm is situated in Everglades. Police officer Jesse Crane is startled after three deaths take place. A couple have apparently been murdered, and the remains of an alligator is found near the place where they died. Secondly, a man has been eaten by giant alligator. Along with these tragic incidences, Jesse is startled to see Lorena Fontier, the new nurse in the alligator farm. Lorena looks like a girl from a rich family, so what is she doing in this area as a nurse in an alligator farm? There is certainly something fishy. Jesse thinks that Lorena's presence here has a motive.
Lorena indeed has a purpose of coming here. Several years ago, her father had died. Her father had done researches that may have dangerous results, and Lorena has reason to believe that it is this alligator farm that has these formulas of her father, and that her father's death might be connected with this alligator farm. Eventually, Lorena confides in Jesse, and Jesse decides to protect her and investigate her doubts. Soon Lorena and Jesse fall in love, but danger is lurking behind.
I didn't like ''Suspicious'' that much. The characters were described in detail but sadly, they hardly had any depth. There was suspense at times, but that was very inadequate and infrequent. I didn't enjoy it very much. The characters are not developed well; the storyline is interesting but the lack of depth and suspense makes it disappointing. But however, it was not boring. This is my first Heather Graham novel and though I didn't like it, I appreciate Graham's writing style and will look forward to read more of her writings someday.
Suspicious was a quick read and though not likeable, it was not unpleasant or terrible.
2 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1927
Genres: Novel, Adventure, Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
The Big Four takes place over a rather vast time- more than six months, I think- and deals with a rather complicated plot. While I've come across several negative reviews about this book, I must say that I really admired this one. I liked the structure and style of The Big Four. I liked the overall story.
Captain Hastings travels from Argentine to England to meet his dear old friend Hercule Poirot. Poirot, however, is himself planning to go to South America in order to deal with a case that offers him a generous sum. While Poirot and Hastings are talking, a mysterious person appears at Poirot's residence, who is very sick and weak, and tells Poirot about The Big Four, which is, apparently, a vast criminal organization. The man tells Poirot about the four people who run in this organization. Very soon, while Poirot and Hastings are absent, the intruder dies, apparently murdered.
The Big Four, as Poirot tells, is a vast and powerful organization that plans to take over the world, that is planning to control the world and change the world in an adverse way. The four people who control the organization are: Number One, Li Cheng Yen, a Chinese man who is the head. Number 2, an American man. Number 3, a Frenchwoman. And there is the curious Number 4. It is Number 4 who repeatedly keeps meeting Poirot and Hastings, but every time with a different, genius disguise- disguises that are so genius that even Poirot has difficulty guessing who the person actually is.
Poirot decides that he will unravel the identity of the Big Four. He cancels his trip to South America. He takes a dangerous decision...
In this novel, Poirot takes the responsibility to solve several cases- and each case is, in some way or other, related to the Big Four. Poirot works to unravel the identities of Number 2, 3, and 4. Will Poirot be able to solve this huge problem? Will Poirot be able to save the world from such an incidence?
The novel is filled with wonderful adventures! Hastings narrates the adventures in a superb way. And the presence of Poirot is wonderful as well. The disguises of Number Four were also quite interesting. The novel has some interesting twists.
The novel is more a suspenseful adventure than a mystery. We see our two dear old characters, Poirot and Hastings, involved in dangerous adventures in order to unravel the Big Four. It also has some scares and a lot of suspense and thrills.
The organization, the Big Four, was itself very scary! As Hastings notes, the Big Four seems to have some ''superhuman'' qualities, as it comes to know about every actions and decisions of Poirot.
Overall, I really liked this adventure-filled novel.
4 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1936
Genres: Crime, Suspense, Mystery
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
I was pleasantly surprised by Agatha Christie's Murder in Mesopotamia. In fact, I really loved it! Murder in Mesopotamia is an amazing mystery novel (you cannot even guess the solution!), filled with wonderful clues and suspense and mystery and occasional scares, some great characters, and a wonderful solution!
The novel is set in Iraq. An excavation work is going on in the search of the remains of the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Dr Leidner is a world-famous archealogist working on this dig. Dr Leidner's wife, Mrs Leidner, has recently been having a bad time... she's being too nervous and scared sometimes, and claims to have seen faces on her window.
To keep Mrs Leidner company and to try to keep her free from stress, a nurse, Amy Leatheran (the narrator of this novel) is appointed. However, the nurse hears rumors that the people working on the excavation (the people live in the same building) are no longer jolly and friendly; rather, something very strange is going on among them, they have lost their past laughs and jokes... rather, the situation among the excavation staff seems overly formal.
Nurse Leatheran, upon arriving there, comes to realize that something is wrong. However, Mrs Leidner takes an instant liking on her. Eventually, Mrs Leidner confides to her about her fears: that she believes that her first husband, whom she believed was dead, wants to kills her because she married another man.
The nurse doesn't think of it too seriously, but the next day, Mrs Leidner is mysteriously found dead.
No stranger could have entered the house because no one noticed any stranger. The murderer seems to have been SOMEONE living in the house...
This one was simply amazing! It was deep and excellently written. I liked how the mystery became deeper and more puzzling. I liked how the suspense was built up strongly. I liked the characters.
Of course, Hercule Poirot was present in this novel! I have read a couple of other Poirot novels, but this one was the most amazing Poirot novel that I've read, as of now.
I liked Nurse Leatheran, a lot. I liked the co-operation between Poirot and the nurse. As the nurse describes, their co-operation became something like that when a doctor and a nurse go over a medical case.
All the characters were quite unique. There were loads of clues, but I really could not even predict how it all happened! The ending simply surprised me! I loved this one. This was a deep and amazing novel.
4 out of 5
Author: Nicholas Sparks
Published: 2010
Genres: Romance, Suspense
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
I'm not sure how to begin this review because I absolutely LOVED Nicholas Sparks's novel ''Safe Haven''. It was fabulous. Not only does Sparks gives us a wonderful love story, but this time, with ''Safe Haven'', Nicholas Sparks tells us a deep human story, a beautiful story. I am fairly acquainted with Nicholas Sparks's works. I have read ''Dear John'', and have seen the movie versions for ''A Walk to Remember'' and ''The Notebook''. But none of them can be compared with ''Safe Haven''. Safe Haven is AMAZING!
The novel centers around Katie, a mysterious woman, in her mid-twenties, who has arrived in Southport, North Carolina, and lives an isolated life. She becomes friends with her neighbor, Jo, whom she eventually starts to trust and gradually tells the secret of her past life to her. She has a husband, who physically abused her in a terrible way, and she, therefore, ran away from him and started a new life in Southport. She is afraid all the time that her husband, Kevin, might come after her.
The widowed owner of a local store, Alex, is attracted to the pale and beautiful Katie. Katie becomes close to Alex's children, and soon, she develops a close relationship with Alex, and eventually they fall in love. Katie learns to trust in love once again. Katie tells Alex about her past life, and that she can't marry him because she already has a husband.
Her husband, Kevin, a vicious and extremely unpleasant villain, is still hunting for her...
This novel was just wonderful! With a mixture of love, emotions, human bondage, suspense, thriller, it was plainly amazing and I couldn't put it down! I admired the characters, I admired Sparks's writing style and the subject of this book. I loved the way Sparks developed the emotions in this book.
Sparks talks about a very serious problem in this novel, that is, domestic violence. Katie represents the physically abused women, those helpless women. The courage Katie shows by running away from Kevin is certainly an inspiration! Katie is an excellently developed character, an extremely admirable character. The brave, courageous Katie. Katie, who didn't tolerate the torture inflicted on her. Katie, who bravely ran away and later faced the person who tortured her. This character was simply amazing.
Two other characters I loved were Alex and Jo. Alex, the gentle, goodhearted man, who takes great care of his motherless children. He is a likeable character. And uhh... Jo. I absolutely adored her. Here, I won't discuss much, because I don't want to talk about the novel's surprising twist!!!
Kevin is the antagonist of this novel, the villain. I hated this character. As Katie described, he was INSANE. Nicholas Sparks excellently developed this villain as well.
I loved this lovely, suspenseful, beautiful novel. I loved the characters. I loved the subject matter. I loved the story. Fabulous book!
4 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1963
Genres: Mystery, Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 3 out of 5
Review
I enjoyed reading Agatha Christie's ''The Clocks''. Yet, I wouldn't say I was fully satisfied because of the lack of clues.
The mystery is built up well yet a very, very few of my guesses matched; I really liked the solution to the problem and couldn't even imagine the story would come to such a point. The book had a very creepy scene (which I'm not describing!!) and some excellently developed characters.
But more of that later. At the beginning of the novel, Miss Martindale, owner of the Cavendish Secretarial Bureau, receives a phone call from a blind woman, Millicent Pebmarsh, to send a typist to her home, asking particularly for the young Sheila Webb. Sheila goes to Miss Pebmaresh's house. The blind woman is not home. Instead, Sheila finds something else: the body of a dead man at the sitting room! And then, Miss Pebmarsh enters the house, and is about to tread on the body...
Terrified after seeing the dead man, Sheila runs screaming out of the house. A passer-by, Colin Lamb, learns about the incident from her, and after seeing the dead man, he phones his friend, Detective Inspector Hardcastle.
Investigation starts. The blind woman, Miss Pebmarsh, denies having made any calls to the Cavendish Secretarial Bureau. On the other hand, no one seems to identify the dead man. The neighbors deny having seen anything weird on the day of the murder. And another surprising thing is that, there were several clocks in Miss Pebmarsh's house on the day of the murder; and, only two of them shows the correct time, 3 o'clock, and the other four of them shows fifteen minutes past four. And Miss Pebmarsh says, none of these four clocks belong to her. What is the mystery behind these clocks?
In the midst of the confusions about the clocks, identification of the dead man, and neighbors' statements, Colin decides to take help of his friend, the great detective Hercule Poirot, who certainly will help him.
The novel also gives some importance to the works of Colin Lamb. Colin, who is actually a Special Branch agent, is investigating about a spy case. This case is given some significance.
The novel is told in two forms: first person narration by Colin Lamb, and also sometimes third person narration.
I liked this novel. I liked the mystery, the suspense. And then, of course, we have two wonderful characters, Colin Lamb and Hercule Poirot, who just make this story amazing. Colin is a wonderful character. It is he, who gives us most of the clues, though there are a very few of them. Actually, this novel has very few clues, and it is only after Poirot explains everything that the matter becomes clear to us! It was indeed a very puzzling story, and the solution was amazing.
As for the characters, they were well developed. I like Hardcastle, Colin, Poirot, Sheila, Miss Pebmarsh, and of course, Geraldine, the intelligent 10-year-old girl with whom Colin converses and who gives quite a few hints about the incident. A great deal of humor is also present.
However, I didn't love this one, because the clues didn't seem to lead somewhere, which is partly interesting, while on the other hand, partly unsatisfactory. There should have been enough clues for the reader to guess something, guess some tidbits, at least. But the clues are not even strong. The solution was simply a bolt from the blue...
Though I wasn't fully satisfied, I won't say that it was unsatisfactory because it wasn't bad. It is well-written, but the lacking of clues lets the reader suspect nothing, which is, certainly, a drawback. Overall, the novel was decent and likeable.
3 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1920
Genres: Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Rating: 3 out of 5
Review
The Mysterious Affair at Styles is the first novel by the great Agatha Christie- and the novel where she introduced one of her most famous characters, Hercule Poirot. This novel was an enjoyable and appreciable read, but I must say that I didn't think it was an excellent read. I liked it, BUT didn't love it.
The novel is set during the First World War. Captain Hastings arrives at the Styles Court, a manor, upon the invitation of his old friend John Cavendish. The household consists of John and Lawrence Cavendish's stepmother, Emily Inglethorp, an amiable and generous socialite; John's beautiful wife, Mary; Cynthia, the orphaned daughter of Mrs Inglethorp's friend; Evelyn Howard, Mrs Inglethorp's constant companion; and Alfred Inglethorp, Emily's new husband, a sinister-looking man who is decades younger than her. Everybody of the house is displeased at Mrs Inglethorp for marrying the man. Particularly, Miss Howard thinks that Alfred Inglethorp is a dangerous man, and is after Emily's money, and may even cause harm to dear old Emily. She gets into a quarrel with Mrs Inglethorp about this topic- and then angrily leaves the house. Hastings (who is the narrator) comments that with Miss Howard's departure, a secure feeling has also left the house.
Then early one morning, everybody of the house are shocked to learn that Mrs Inglethorp is very sick. They run into her room, and minutes later, she dies. This shocking tragedy leaves everybody puzzled. How, why, did it happen? The doctors conclude that it was because of poisoning. Hastings asks his detective friend, Hercule Poirot, to investigate the case. Poirot happily agrees. Suspicions go to Mr Inglethorp... But Poirot seems to believe that Alfred Inglethorp is innocent. Questions arise: How was the poison taken to Mrs Inglethorp? On a coffee cup or on cocoa? And the most important question of all: who did it?
This was a book filled with suspense and mystery. The mystery is quite puzzling. But however, I have to admit that I couldn't just suspect somebody (except maybe Mr Inglethorp, whom the characters also had suspected) because it was presented in such a way that it was difficult to suspect anyone. And the story took such sudden turns which make both Hastings and the reader confused (which can make everybody confused, except Poirot, who, until the ending, kept silently and cleverly working on the mystery). The clues didn't solve much. It was only the ending which made me really understand what really had happened. But I also have to say that I thought that the solution was not that satisfying. The overall novel was pleasant, enjoyable, yet not as suspenseful as to make this novel excellent. The overall novel wasn't confusing, rather the story was simple and really unpredictable.
Overall, it is a good mystery novel, the mystery is quite puzzling, and I'd recommend it.
3 out of 5
Author: Sidney Sheldon
Published: 2004
Number of pages: 337
Genres: Novel , Thriller, Suspense, Romance, Mystery, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Crime
Rating: 3 out of 5
Review
I really enjoyed reading Sidney Sheldon's last novel, ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' Not just that, I liked it so much that I would have loved to give it a 4 out of 5, but I cannot possibly ignore it's faults and flaws. Really. But however, despite it's flaws, it seemed a wonderful novel to me- both an emotional and suspenseful novel. Amazing book!
The story has a blend of suspense thriller, adventure, drama, sci-fi and romance. Really. Four scientists, working for the KIG (Kingsley International Group), have recently been murdered in different places of the world; their death seems like an accident... Diane (widow of Richard Steven) and Kelly (widow of Mark Harris) are summoned to New York by Tanner Kingsley, the owner of the company, who asks them if their husbands shared anything with them about their professional matter. Both of them don't have any idea about their husbands' recent projects.
Then we understand that the lives of Diane and Kelly are in danger; someone is trying to kill them, thinking that they might know something about their husbands' last projects. Diane and Kelly team up, running away from the attackers, using their mind, wit, and intelligence, but how long will they run? And who is after them? And why are they being chased like this?
I liked the way Sheldon developed the characters. By means of repeated flashbacks, we are told of the past lives of these two people, their upbringing, career, their wonderful moments with their husbands, adding elements of drama and romance to the plot. I really liked the characterization. I also liked the deep friendship that Kelly and Diane develop. Although at first they are somewhat hostile to each other, gradually they develop and warm friendship which made me very emotional. Their friendship somewhat reminded me of Theo and Nell of the 1963 film ''The Haunting''.
Every time Kelly and Diane ran away from the attackers, I smiled and laughed! I became so delighted! I cheered for them, ''Run! Run!'' Really, it was a wonderful reading experience. The adventures, suspense, thrills, curiosity, and the ''what will happen next'' were really wonderful. The emotional intensity- beyond remarks!
It is also filled with humor. For example, have a look at this:
Diane was thoughtful for a moment. 'I know a place where they can't touch us.'
'Let me guess. The space ship that brought you here.'
But ''Are You Afraid of the Dark'' is flawed as well. For example, why did so many of the characters have to turn into a villain? I know, this was for the development of the story. But at one point the villains were really predictable.
And it has some errors as well. At one point Diane tells Kelly that the battery of her phone has finished. But how did she pick up her phone just some time after this?
But I must mention again, it was a very wonderful read filled with suspense, adventure, thrills, humor, and emotional intensity. I liked it very much. I wish I could ignore it's faults.
3 out of 5
Author: Enid Blyton
Published: 1952
Number of pages: 176
Genres: Novel, Adventure, Suspense, Mystery
Rating: 3 out of 5
Review
Five Have a Wonderful Time is the eleventh novel of Enid Blyton's ''Famous Five'' series. I liked reading this children's adventure/mystery novel. It was a quick and smooth read filled with suspense and adventures!
The Famous Five- Georgina (George), Dick, Julian, Anne, and the intelligent dog, Timmy- go to stay in a carnival for their holidays, near an old castle. A fair is to be held in the place, and the people of the fair- some very strange people, a fire-eater, a person with two pythons, etc- arrive. They are not friendly and are quite mean to the children. To the surprise of Dick and the others, Jo, a traveling girl whom they had met at one of their previous adventures, makes her appearance. It turns out that Alfredo, the fire-eater, is the girl's maternal uncle. As a result, the fair people change their attitude towards the children and treat them nicely.
One day, the children see a face at one of the towers of the castle. They are surprised. No one is supposed to be at the castle at this time. They come to suspect something. Two famous scientists have recently disappeared and it is suspected that they will fly to another country and sell their secret experiment. Because of resemblance, the kids think that the face could belong to one of those scientist. And they investigate, going to the castle, checking around, but there doesn't seem to be a way to get up to the tower...
It was an enjoyable and pleasant read. I like spending time with Enid Blyton's characters. Her novels, filled with creepy adventure and fun, are very imaginative and well-written. The mystery is not quite deep in this book. What is deep is the suspense. The adventure as well. Another reason I liked this book is that I am fascinated by old castles, hidden paths, dungeons. The book provided me an oppurturnity to be thrilled by these. The investigations were also engrossing and made me curious. In the end, I was satisfied because I read it. It's a smooth and pleasant suspense novel, and yes, recommended!
3 out of 5
Author: Agatha Christie
Published: 1950
Genres: Novel, Mystery, Crime, Suspense
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
Believe it or not, this is the first Agatha Christie that I have read- and I loved it so much, SO MUCH, that I will be reading more Agatha Christie in future and I guess she will become one of my favorite authors. ''A Murder Is Announced'' is a wonderful detective novel, a great mystery filled with lots of suspense, and yes, lots of humor.
In the peaceful village Chipping Cleghorn, villagers are startled to see in the newspaper a notice: A murder is announced and will take place on Friday, October 29th, at
Little Paddocks, at 6:30 p.m. Friends accept this, the only intimation.
Villagers assume this strange notice to be the invitation for a murder game. Little Paddocks is the residence of elderly Letitia Blacklock, her friend Dora Bunner, her distant cousins Patrick and Julia, a tenant Philippa Haymes, and a foreign refugee, Mitzi, serving as a maidservant. Miss Deadlock nor any of the other residents of the house has no idea about who put the notice. They think that someone did this as a joke. But they know a lot of people will be coming to their house at the evening, so they prepare food and slightly decorate the house.
Guests arrive in due time, and in 6:30, suddenly the light automatically turns out, and someone enters with a flashlight and a revolver. He shoots at Miss Blacklock twice, and with another shot, he kills himself.
Everybody turns on the light. Miss Blacklock is slightly injured in her neck, and the assaulter is... dead. It is suspected that the assaulter either committed suicide or shot himself accidentally. The assaulter is identified as Rudi Scherz, a worker of a hotel, and with criminal records.
Everything becomes so confusing. Who might have attempted to murder the charming and warm Miss Blacklock? Why? Did somebody tell Scherz to go and murder Miss Scherz? Why did all these happen? And if the person behind all these couldn't murder Miss Blacklock at the first attempt, certainly her life is still at risk.
The elderly Miss Marple has her entrance, making the work much easier for the police, by her experiences and clever mind.
I really loved ''A Murder is Announced''. I liked Agatha Christie's way of telling the story. And what I loved the most about it is, as it as suspense, it is also filled with lots of humor and warmth. Slowly, it takes a darker turn, but some of the humor always remains. I liked most of the characters. But somehow, I found the odd maidservant Mitzi to be the most amusing character. Her sudden shrieks and style of talking made me burst into laughter. (And also, I shouldn't forget to mention that Patrick referring Mitzi's cakes as ''Delicious Death'' and Mitzi's protests to it were also hilarious).
Suspense is aplenty. Every character, when trying to figure out the mystery, gives useful hints that makes one sit straight and wonder, ''What is going to happen next?" The solution to all these mysteries is VERY unpredictable and interesting and well-written and well-thought. Agatha Christie was certainly a genius.
If you like light, dark, suspenseful, humorous, mystery novels, then I'd strongly recommend this one!
4 out of 5
