REVIEW: The Pale Horse

 The Pale Horse
Author: Agatha Christie

The Pale Horse came out in the UK in 1961, followed by publication in the US in 1962. Before being published as a book, the story was serialized over a two month period in 1961 in a UK magazine and abridged in a US magazine in early 1962.  

This book brings back one of my favorite Agatha Christie characters -- Ariadne Oliver! She's a rather eccentric crime novelist that appears in several Hercule Poirot stories and novels. This time...she's on her own for the first time! She isn't the main character, but she flits in and out of the story enough to give it her usual over the top sort of flair.  

The basics: A woman gives her last confession to a local priest. The priest is later murdered. Mark Easterbrook finds himself drawn into the case, which jumps into the supernatural possibilities of witchcraft, mediums and killing with magic. 

I had a paperback copy of this book on my Agatha Christie shelf [Fontana Books, 1988, 234 pages], but this is my first time reading this story. I spent a lot of years avoiding Christie's one-off books (those that don't have one of her more famous characters like Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot), so I'm sure that's why this book waited years for me to read it. 

 I read the paperback while listening to the audio book [HarperAudio, 2012, 6 hrs 45 minutes, narrated by Hugh Fraser]. 

I wasn't sure if I would like this story or not, but Ariadne Oliver and the supernatural nuances of the story

pulled me right in. The first thing that intrigued me was 3 women living in a converted Tudor Inn -- oh! Wouldn't it be wonderful to live in a house or building with that much history! I'm sure the repairs and upkeep would be a challenge, but the history of the place would intrigue me! It's a perfect sort of house for these particular women -- odd, older women with beliefs in their occult powers. Basically, the village witches. Spooky! 

The premise pulled me right in, even though I'm often reluctant to read some of Christie's more off-formula books. The tale definitely had a interesting and slightly spooky vibe!

 

Adaptations: 

BBC Radio: As part of a celebration of Agatha's writing, BBC radio broadcast a radio drama version of this story in 1993, starring Jeremy Clyde as Mark Easterbrook. I was able to find this episode on YouTube. It's very well done with full cast and sound effects! Loved it!  The plot is condensed for time, but sticks relatively close to the original.

Television movie: This made-for-TV movie from 1997 started Colin Buchanan as Mark Easterbrook. Unfortunately, I was unable to watch this adaptation. It was unavailable on all my various streaming options, and I was unwilling to plonk down $30 for a DVD copy that may have been in the UK format that wouldn't play in my DVD player. I did some quick research and found that this version stayed pretty close to the original, making some minor plot changes and removing Ariadne Oliver from the story. If it ever pops up on streaming, I will watch it.   

Television: Agatha Christie's Marple interjected Miss Marple into the story to make an episode based on this book (Season 5, Episode 1). I enjoy this show and Julia McKenzie does a wonderful job portraying Jane Marple in the series, but they chose to add Miss Marple to several stories that she never appeared in.....while skipping some stories where she did. Odd choice. I really wish they had done all the Miss Marple stories, and left the non-Marple plots alone. I did watch the episode. Some characters -- including Ariadne Oliver -- are left out and some new characters were added and some plot changes were made. It was ok....but I don't see why they chose to rework the story to add Jane Marple. Maybe they really loved the plot concept so wanted to give Jane a crack at solving it. Now....after I have complained....I have to say that they did a really good job condensing the plot to episode length while maintaining the dark, creepy vibe. I enjoyed watching! 

BBC Radio: A second radio drama based on this book first aired in 2014. This version features Jason Hughes as Mark Easterbrook. My local library did not have it. I did find it available for purchase on Audible, but didn't buy it. I'm sure it's great, but saving my book budget for other things. :) 

French television: Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie adapted this story in 2016. The show always moves the setting to France and adds in French detectives, but it's fun to watch. If your local library offers Kanopy, the series is available there. It's worth watching, but be aware that significant changes to the stories are always made. 

Graphic Novel: A Japanese publisher released a version of this story as a graphic novel in 2017. I was unable to find a copy, but it definitely sounds intriguing!  

BBC television: In 2020, a miniseries was broadcast in two parts. After years of waiting (I didn't want to watch the mini series before reading the book, so had to wait until the book popped up as part of my challenge to read Agatha Christie's mysteries in publication order. It took me awhile!) I binge watched this on my couch with my dog, snacks and a cup of tea -- told everyone that I was busy on something very important and just enjoyed the show! It's available to stream on BritBox. 

 

This was definitely an instance where I very much enjoyed an Agatha Christie story that did not involve Poirot or Marple! I'm glad I took the time to read this story and listen/watch as many of the adaptations as I could. Most were very well done! 

I got engrossed in the story very quickly, and just thoroughly enjoyed this one! I was a bit afraid it would be disappointing as I read that many feel Agatha Christie's books published after 1960 lost a lot of the quality of her earlier writing. I'm giving myself the option to DNF any that I don't find enjoyable, but I liked The Pale Horse. 

My old paperback is in the recycling bin, and I'm moving on! :)