Pros: Twists of the plot, Hugh Fraser's narration
Cons: Hard to keep weak characters straight
The Bottom Line:
Twisty mystery
Characters could be better
So classic Christie
Engaging Audio Version of a Poirot Short Story
My parents are an eight hour drive from me. Fortunately, a
friend has turned me on to books on tape and CD. Even more fortunately, my
local libraries have a huge selection of titles to choose from. I have spent
many a pleasant hour on the road absorbed in a good book. It's a great way to
pass the time.
And that's how I came to "read" this title.
"Dead Man's Mirror" is an Agatha Christie short story originally part
of the Murder in the Mews collection. Here it is expertly read by Hugh Fraser
who played Captain Hastings on A&E's Poirot adaptations. That's appropriate
since this short story stars the great Belgian sleuth.
Hercule Poirot is summoned to the estate of aristocrat Sir
Gervase Chevenix-Gore. Sir Gervase thinks that someone is trying to defraud
him. Despite the fact that Poirot takes orders from no man, he still decides to
go and see what the case is all about.
He arrives just before dinner, but his host is no where to
be found. When they do locate him, they find Sir Gervase locked in his study
with a bullet hole in his head. The local police are quick to draw the
conclusion that it was suicide, but Poirot is not convinced. After all, Sir
Gervase has just wired for Poirot to come. Surely, he wouldn't do that and then
kill himself. Is Poirot right? And how can a shattered mirror provide a clue?
Agatha Christie is often accused of having weak characters,
and that does seem to be the case here. There are quite a few suspects,
especially for a short story. (Of course, I really do wonder just how short the
print version is.) As a result, I had a hard time keeping all of them and their
relationships straight. Maybe I wouldn't have had that problem had I been able to
flip back to earlier portions to refresh my memory. The fact that the
characters are rather one dimensional doesn't help matters.
The plot is very good, however. Lots of time is spent
interviewing the people present when Sir Gervase dies, establishing a timeline
and everyone's whereabouts. This can get a little long at times, but it really
did hold my attention. While I did figure a few things out, the big pieces of
the puzzle were a complete surprise to me at the end.
Over the years, I have discovered that a book on tape's
narrator can make or break a reading. Hugh Fraser does a fantastic job. He
brings each character to life and portrays their emotions without going over
the top. A reader doing characters of the opposite sex is often a challenge, but
his women are decent as well. He kept me glued to the story the entire time.
I listened to this audio production on two CDs. It's just
under two and a half hours. Based on that length, I wonder if we would consider
it more a novella now then a short story. The packaging claims the book is
unabridged. Never having read the story, I can't argue either way.
If you are looking for an audio version of a classic Agatha
Christie story, you'd be hard pressed to top this version of "Dead Man's Mirror."
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