The Unexpected Guest

** If Knives Out was written after a bottle of whiskey two hours before the deadline **

medium: audiobook

I was 13 when I read my first Agatha Christie novel for a summer book review project. It was The Mysterious Affair at Styles . I absolutely hated the book then; unable to understand why it was such a hit and considered as an iconic detective murder mystery story. Ten years on, I still feel that way with Ms Christie's works.

I listened to The Unexpected Guest over a week while cooking my meals and prepping the veggies. A little over 3 hours, it's a fairly short book and quite a breeze to go through. Originally written as a play, the entire book unfolds in one room over a few days. The remarkable voice of Hugh Fraser is the only saving grace. The plot is predictable from the first scene and despite being a short book, I felt like it dragged on too far. It hits every murder mystery cliche like a winning bingo ticket. If someone figures out by Agatha Christie is considered the queen of murder mystery and mayhem, please let me know. I am searching for the answers harder than Poirot the culprit.

I have started Death on the Nile and let's see how that unfolds. (I think I just want to listen to Hugh Fraser's voice)
I

Die Geschichte nervt mich. Der Fremder steigt um Mitternacht das Haus ein, ohne Einladung? Wer macht das? Unsinnig. Er sieht eine Leiche, aber Moment, auch eine sexy Frau! Statt die Polizei zu rufen, will er sich mit ihr unterhalten. Unsinnig! Dann entschließt er sich mit dem Mord zu verwickeln, ein Mord zwischen Fremden, der nichts mit ihm zu tun hat:

“Ich mache mich nachträglich zum Komplizen,” antwortete er.
“Aber warum?”, fragte Laura. “Warum?”
“Wohl aus dem einfachen Grund, weil Sie eine überaus attraktive Frau sind und mir der Gedanke nicht gefällt, dass Sie die besten Jahre Ihres Lebens hinter Gittern verbringen sollen.”

Quatsch.