Evil Under the Sun

A Hercule Poirot Mystery

by Agatha Christie

Hardcover, 224 pages

English language

Published Sept. 1, 2006 by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers.

ISBN:: 978-1-57912-628-5

(24 reviews)

E-book exclusive extras:1) Christie biographer Charles Osborne's essay on Evil Under the Sun;2) "The Poirots": the complete guide to all the cases of the great Belgian detective.Arlena Stuart, the famous actress, is enjoying—like our favorite Belgian detective Hercule Poirot—a summer holiday on Smugglers’ Island, and will become a common enough sight, sunbathing on the hot sands. Then one azure morning her beautiful bronzed body is discovered in an isolated cove, in the shade. She is dead, strangled. And Poirot, as luckless as ever when he attempts some down-time, will learn in the course of his investigation that nearly all the guests of this exclusive resort have some connection to Arlena. But who had the capacity and the motive to kill her?Daily Telegraph: ‘Christie has never written anything better than Evil Under the Sun, which is detective story writing at its best.’

46 editions

LemonSky reviewed Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

Review of 'Evil Under the Sun' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Another of my favorite Christies. Like I said in another review, Christie does very well groups of people, be they family ([b:Crooked House|16315|Crooked House|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386923185l/16315.SY75.jpg|1113267]) or fellow travelers ([b:Murder on the Orient Express|853510|Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1486131451l/853510.SY75.jpg|2285570]). The characters are all individuals.

Hercule Poirot is vacationing at the Jolly Roger Hotel, Smugglers’ Island, Leathercombe Bay, in southern England. Also present is Arlena Stuart Marshall, a beautiful former actress, her husband, Captain Kenneth Marshall, and his teenage daughter, Linda Marshall.

Arlena loves men and men love her - and she sees no reason why just because she's married she shouldn't have some fun. Of course, for Arlena this means flirting - and more. Meanwhile, her taciturn husband - the epitome of the British gentleman - suffers in silence. Linda, though, is not so silent and her feelings are very obvious. To complicate matters, Kenneth Marshall's childhood friend, Rosamund Darnley, is also at the resort. Then there are the Redferns, Patrick and Christine. Patrick quickly begins a relationship with Arlena that sets the stage for murder.

This is one of the more enjoyable Christies. The characters are well drawn and interesting. Linda lonely, unhappy, and struggling with her feelings about her stepmother's death. Even Arlena is sympathetically drawn. Once I learned her story, I could not help but feel sorry for her. There is an interesting twist at the end. The murderer and the motive are both rather surprising, and I really did not suspect either.

Very well done.

Benjamin Hollon reviewed Evil Under the Sun (Poirot) by Agatha Christie

Review of 'Evil Under the Sun (Poirot)' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This was a great book.
Agatha Christie masterfully set up the whole system so that you suspect every single person, turns you against one person and then reveals the real murderer as someone else.

Once again I applaud Christie.

Sean Bala reviewed Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

Review of 'Evil Under the Sun' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

“Evil Under the Sun” by Agatha Christie is not the strongest Hercule Poirot novel but was a genuinely enjoyable adventure from Christie’s fastidious Belgian detective. Taking place in a resort in Southern England, Poirot investigates the murder of Arlena Stuart, a beautiful former actress whose presence at the resort cause deep sexual tensions. What makes the novel brilliant is that Christie uses Alena’s reputation as a homewrecker and seductress as a clever diversion and flips the assumption completely on its head by the end. For that though-provoking twist, the novel is worth reading.