Jens reviewed Third girl by Agatha Christie
Review of 'Third girl' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
High expectations, as always with Mrs Christie. Unfortunately this book fell flat for me.
For much of the book, there isn't really a mystery to be solved - just a statement from a girl about a murder she might have committed at the very beginning. Then lots of pleasantries and characters complaining about "kids these days" (1960s!). Then towards the end, things suddenly happen, and then it's over.
Too many plot elements depend entirely on coincidences rather than the detectives' skills. Randomly meeting people in the metropolis that is London? Relevant papers conveniently fall into the investigators' hands? Sure, no problem. Definitely not satisfying to read.
I fully agree with this this review where a reader says this book feels much more dated than other Christie novels despite its setting closer to the present day. It's set in the mid-1960s, and all the allusions to that period seem really out …
High expectations, as always with Mrs Christie. Unfortunately this book fell flat for me.
For much of the book, there isn't really a mystery to be solved - just a statement from a girl about a murder she might have committed at the very beginning. Then lots of pleasantries and characters complaining about "kids these days" (1960s!). Then towards the end, things suddenly happen, and then it's over.
Too many plot elements depend entirely on coincidences rather than the detectives' skills. Randomly meeting people in the metropolis that is London? Relevant papers conveniently fall into the investigators' hands? Sure, no problem. Definitely not satisfying to read.
I fully agree with this this review where a reader says this book feels much more dated than other Christie novels despite its setting closer to the present day. It's set in the mid-1960s, and all the allusions to that period seem really out of place. The older books set in earlier decades definitely feel more timeless, and I find them more pleasurable to read today.
The solution to the mystery at hand, which I will not spoil for you, seems positively unbelievable to me, and frankly made me wonder why I sat through this whole book just to find such a disappointment. The only upside, for me, was that I had picked up a few hints while reading and had parts of the conclusion piece together myself. A small ego boost! ;-)
All in all a nice little mystery, but probably among Agatha Christie's weaker works.