REVIEW: An Overdose of Death

 An Overdose of Death
Author: Agatha Christie

This Hercule Poirot mystery was first published under the title One Two, Buckle My Shoe in the UK in November 1940. US publication as The Patriotic Murders followed in February 1941. In 1953, Dell books changed the US title to An Overdose of Death. Like many of Agatha's Christie's books, this story was first serialized in a magazine in August-September 1940 before being released in novel form.  

Once again, I read an old, tattered paperback version of this mystery while I listened to an audio book. My 1975 paperback was heavily damaged and definitely worn out. I had this book on my Christie shelf for years, but never actually read it. Glad I finally got to enjoy the story!! The audio book version was released by HarperAudio in 2012, ran about 5 1/2 hours, and featured Hugh Fraser as narrator. 

This was the last huzzah for this 50-year old paperback. I read it, took a picture of the front cover, and recycled it. Time to let it go. Frees up bookshelf space for new books. 

 I have to say that I love the cover art from the 1960's / 1970's. Always such interestingly bizarre cover art! I am preserving the cover here. The vibe lives on despite my throwing the physical book away.

Now, on to the story!

This story is the last appearance of Chief Inspector Japp in Christie's novels.Such a great character! I will miss him as I read through the rest of Christie's writing. 

I enjoyed this story. It hasn't aged all that well due to the political theme of the basic story and some racist undertones. But, overall, it's an interesting mystery and kept my attention from start to finish. 

This story has been adapted for radio/television only twice:

Agatha Christie's Poirot:  This long-running television show adapted this story (Season 4, Episode 3). A very dark episode, but pretty much faithful to the book. It removes a lot of the odd racist statements made by characters in the novel. David Suchet shines as Poirot as usual! 

BBC Radio 4: In 2004, BBC Radio released an audio drama, starring John Moffat as Poirot. The drama runs about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Moffat does a great job as Poirot. These radio dramas are wonderful. You can find them online here:  https://fourble.co.uk/podcast/bbcradio7

I'm glad I finally read this book! It's not one of my favorite Christie stories by any means, but did make for an enjoyable read/listen. 

Moving on to the next book in my journey through Christie's writing -- Evil Under the Sun!