Have Your Say

Non-series Books and Characters

Other Christie books discussions

The Unexpected Guest

AnneBeddingfield 11 Nov 08 at 4:09 a.m. GMT

Wow!! I just finished reading this book and... It became an instant favourite! Far from being one of those complex stories & though you realise that the murderer is quite obvious, the way he is revealed is just brilliant!

My favourite character had to be Michael Starkwedder. Yes, i love this book. I'd love to see the play.. A 10/10! What d'you think??

Login or register to add posts and reply

3 replies

Reverse order

Tommy_A_Jones 12 Feb 09 at 4:09 p.m. GMT

Major Pallgrave if for any reason you can't buy it it is on Audio Cassette read by Hugh Fraser, I have the Audio and it feels odd him reading it as he is Hastings, in my humble Opinion he should only narrate Poirot books even if they don't hgave Hastings you can imagine him telling the story after being told it to him by Poirot over Dinner and him using his imagination to fill in the rest.

major_pallgrave 04 Feb 09 at 1:04 a.m. GMT

I was reading it and somehow managed to lose the book! I had gotten as far as the part where Starkwedder had offered to cover up the murder for the sake of the supposed suspect cause he had obviously fallen for her, or had he really i wondered. I have to say that i suspect Starkwedder is the killer (I'll buy it again and findout, so please nobody name the killer). It reminds me a little of the Hollow and the strange scene that confronted Poirot by the poolside. Anyway my theory at the early stage of the book that i'd gotten to is that Starkwedder when he leaves the car ditched in the snowy roadside seemingly approaching the house looking for assistance is in fact RETURNING to the house for some reason, having just moments earlier commited the murder. Maybe he remembered he left something at the scene of thecrime and enters to find Laura? was it, (can't actually remember her name I'm afraid) who for some reason is confessing to the murder possibly because she suspects her young brotherin law may have done it and wants to protect him. All of this grand theory of mine is probably gloriously off the mark but hey thats the joy of it all. I'm not sure about Charles Osbournes narrative style however and i do miss the humourous and insightful observations of Christies own narrative style, but it is a play being novelised so i'm probably being rather harsh on Charles. My apple-gees if i am.

AnneBeddingfield 29 Jan 09 at 7:20 a.m. GMT

Why... No one read this one?!... Disappointing... :(