REVIEW: Lord Edgware Dies

 Lord Edgware Dies
Author: Agatha Christie

Another book finished in my journey through Agatha Christie's writings! Ever since I read my first Hercule Poirot novel when I was 9, I have wanted to read everything Christie wrote. I never got around to actually doing it until now. I'm not a binge reader...so I'm taking my time. I read some short stories, a couple novels...then move on to other things and come back to Christie....a slow, joyful meandering. I'm loving it! 

Lord Edgware Dies. This was my first read of this novel. Definitely classic Christie! I loved this book! 

The basics: an American actress - very pretty but mostly empty-headed - approaches Hercule Poirot with a request:  Will Poirot please convince her husband, Lord Edgware, to give her a divorce? Then she flounces out of his office with a flourish to attend a dinner party that night. In the morning, there are two dead bodies and a mystery to solve. Poirot is on the case!

I listened to the audio book (HarperAudio). Narrated by Hugh Fraser, the audio is 6.5 hours long. Easy listening length! Hugh Fraser played Hastings in the Poirot television series, so he's a perfect choice to narrate Christie novels. He reads at a nice pace, and gives a great performance! 

Lord Edgware dies was first published in 1933. In the UK, the book was published as part of the Collins Crime Club, a mystery book club that offered three crime novels by well-known authors each month. Oh don't I wish I could jet back in time, sign up, and bring books back with me!!!! The book was printed in the US that same year under a different title, Thirteen at Dinner.  Before published as a book, the story was printed in serial format in a magazine, The American Magazine, as 13 For Dinner.  So many titles!! Great story though!

This book features some of my favorite Christie characters -- Hercule Poirot with his lovely moustache and little grey cells, his faithful sidekick Arthur Hastings, and Inspector Japp. The story follows the usual Christie formula -- the setting and the dastardly crime, Poirot discovers clues that Hasting does not understand, Japp is confused, Poirot figures it out, the reveal, the downfall of the culprit. But despite it being a formula, Christie pulls it off again and again -- she truly was the master of plot! 

This story has been adapted for radio and television several times. It was adapted into a five part radio series by BBC Radio 4 in 1992. Real Art Productions made a movie version starring Austin Trevor in 1934.  In 1985, Peter Ustinov starred as Poirot in a movie version (believe it or not David Suchet played Japp in this movie....). Suchet later played Poirot in an episode of the television series based on this novel in February 2000 (series 7, episode 2). And in 2012 it was adapted for French television. 

I happily hunted down the adaptations I discovered while researching for this review. 

The Poirot episode was the easiest to find: Acorn TV :) (Just an aside: for Poirot lovers, BritBox has several seasons and AcornTV has the rest). The episode makes several changes in the plot, but the story is mostly intact. The episode is really good! 

I found the 1985 Peter Ustinov movie on Amazon (SD version only. Rent or purchase). I remember watching these 80's adaptations on television back in the day, but I somehow missed this one! Bought it! I really enjoyed the movie! I was surprised at some of the awesome actors -- Peter Ustinov as Poirot, Faye Dunaway, David Suchet (playing Inspector Japp), and Lee Horsley (I recognized him from his days on Matt Houston in the 80s). Fun! The story is updated to modern times. The 80s fashions and hairstyles were cringeworthy, but the story was mostly there. It was odd seeing Suchet playing Japp, and I felt Hastings was made to look just a bit too stupid. Other than that -- fun watch!

The 1934 movie is on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MPZbhpdxPU 

The old movie is watchable, but the casting seems a bit awkward. Austin Trevor who plays Poirot has no moustache and is taller than Poirot would be. And the actor playing Hastings is short and has a moustache. A bit backwards? Trevor's French accent is terrible. lol  But....the movie was made 87 years ago. The fact I got to watch it is amazing, even if I have been very spoiled by modern adaptations like Poirot.  I loved seeing this old film just because it was one of the first film adaptations of Hercule Poirot! This is actually the third film starring Trevor as Poirot, but the earlier films, Alibi and Black Coffee, are considered lost. 

And, the BBC radio dramatization (2 hrs 20 minutes) is available from Audible, or can be found on the Internet Archive. The radio drama is full cast & very well done! 

A very enjoyable story. Classic Christie! Loved it! On to the next: Murder on the Orient Express! One of my favorites!