Book Review: Dead Man's Mirror by Agatha Christie

Stars: 4 out of 5
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."