Book Club

Non-Series Novels & Stories

For those of you wanting to discuss Agatha Christie's standalone books, such as And Then There Were None. 

Beware spoilers and remember we'll be able to add the most insightful comments to the stories section. 

If you can't find your favourite one, don't worry, we'll be adding them in the coming weeks.

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

They Came to Baghdad

Moderator1 16 Nov 09 at 10:54 a.m. GMT

Victoria Jones is an impulsive young woman and when she falls in love instantly with a man she only knows as Edward she decides to follow him to Baghdad. She might not have done so though had she realised that she would become embroiled in international intrigue, have a wounded agent die in her room and have her very life threatened.  And not knowing who to trust doesn't really help at all.

This is one of Christie's lighter tales and not terribly well thought of.  Was writing it just an excuse to use a familiar setting?  Is it at all a plausible story?

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11 replies

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notguilty 27 Oct 11 at 8:10 p.m. GMT

I'm far from reading all of Dame Agatha's books, but I am very quickly coming to the opinion that her spy, world domination and espionage stories  are going to be a labour of boredom to read.  This book had it's moments but overall was not enjoyable.  I was glad to be done with it.

pothgulla 27 Sep 11 at 5:03 a.m. GMT

This is one of my favourite books. The way Victoria escapes from the kidnappers is wonderful.

ErkutSoyer 18 Jul 11 at 8:34 a.m. GMT

1-Is ES is me?We don't call us our initial in Turkey

2-I agree with you.Every Agatha Christie book must read.

3-So,okay.I'll buy this book after read The Hollow.

SilverTyne 17 Jul 11 at 8:57 p.m. GMT

I think all Agatha Christie books are worth buying ES! But some are better than others.

This is not one of her best in my opinion, but I still enjoyed it.

ErkutSoyer 17 Jul 11 at 8:51 p.m. GMT

Am I buy this book?Is it well?

ave27 15 Aug 10 at 6:05 p.m. GMT

This is, for me, one of the most fun Christies to read, as well as my favorite Christie thriller. I find that it goes very quickly...great bedtime reading. In spite of the sinister masterminds and life-threatening situations that crop up throughout the book, the tone remains lighthearted, with a likeable heroine and a great deal of humor throughout. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants an easy read.

MissQuin 03 Aug 10 at 12:07 p.m. GMT

Ive just finnished this book. I found it fun and entertaining. The way Victoria gets out of tricky situations is clever. But I didn't find the story gripping.

It took me quite a long time to read it. I did work alot of it out. Victoria was likeable. She does differ from the usual AC female characters in the fact she's a Cockney, plus without money.

Spoilers: I think it unraveled slightly towards the end. The whole "sinister international plot" came apart so easily, it's a wonder these criminal masterminds didn't think things through properly. I think I'd compare this to Destination Unknown in some ways.

EvelynLongromer 17 May 10 at 1:26 p.m. GMT

I like this book very much, although the story is not so plausible. My favorite character is Anna Scheele and I liked the way she got rid of the followers.

Lone_Wolf 19 Mar 10 at 5:48 p.m. GMT

I dislike all other Christie's thriller attempts, but, strangely enough that one is one of my Christie favourites. Maybe I'm positively predjuiced towards it - it's my first (or second, can't remember which) Christie.

"Victoria, who isn't a stupid girl, falls in love in an instant with a man she meets for five minutes and then goes haring across the world to find him again."

Considering the improbable international intrigue plot, that's far from the most improbable thing in the novel! Besides, infatuation can do strange things to people, especially in the initial stage.

Victoria is, perhaps, the most likable and well-developed of Christie's "spirited young thriller women". Her talent for mimicry and lies gives her an individuality most other such characters lack. In fact, as an Amazon reviewer pointed out, that book can be read as being about Victoria Jones and how she handled herself through sticky situations, instead of viewing this as a mystery or a thriller.

Christie's familiarity with the setting definitely helped her to create a more engaging athmosphere.

The reflections on the dangers of idealism actually managed to be poignant here for me, instead of just some reactionary rambling. Maybe it was because they were thematically connected to archeology - a subject about which Christie most likely felt quite deeply - the epiphany about the importance of common man's happiness as opposed to idealism which doesn't care whom it hurts on his way, strikes Victoria when she remembers ancient pottery . (Well, and the villains were not left-wing. Christie doesn't really know how to write left-wing villains well).

"Is it at all a plausible story?"

Definitely not. But it still managed to be entertaining and refreshing for me - something which her other thrillers didn't.

Puffinjill 20 Nov 09 at 7:16 a.m. GMT

Perhaps it was an excuse to write about locations AC ws very familiar with but I can't see that that is a problem. The note that always jars with me (and I actually DO like this book alot) is the way Victoria, who isn't a stupid girl, falls in love in an instant with a man she meets for five minutes and then goes haring across the world to find him again. Once I get past the feeling my incredulity has been stetched to it's limits, I can get on with enjoying the rest of the book. I guess I can forgive AC such an unbeleivable plot device!!!

The character of the East is the main reason I find this book one I return to again and again. Her love of this part of the world and her understanding of the people comes across powerfully. And Victoria, although not quite as memorable as some main female characters, has a lot of charm and is very human in the way she stumbles through life.

So plausable might be stetching the point but it is very readable. And it gives us a beautiful picture of Baghdad which, recently, is a place where only negative news has come. I can imagine how horrified AC would be at what has happened in her much loved East.

Tommy_A_Jones 16 Nov 09 at 3:49 p.m. GMT

The Book is Good in parts, I like alot of the Characters but I found some confusing, I thought Victoria was Great, sadly Wikipaedia spoilt it for me, I wanted to have a synopsis of the book to get me started but it gave away too much, This book is compared to The Man In The Brown Suit which I think is a Much better Book, It is a pity Agatha Christie didn't write another Book with Victoria Though