The Clocks by Agatha Christie

The Clocks by Agatha Christie ISBN-13: 9780425173916 Paperback: 257 pages Publisher: Berkley Released: 1963; March 2000

Source: Borrowed from the library.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Sheila Webb expected to find a respectable blind lady waiting for her at 19 Wilbraham Crescent—not the body of a middle-aged man sprawled across the living room floor. But when old Miss Pebmarsh denies sending for her in the first place, or of owning all the clocks that surround the body, it’s clear that they are going to need a very good detective.


My Review:
The Clocks is a historical mystery set in 1963 in England (though of course it was written as a contemporary mystery).

This was a clue-based puzzle mystery. Yet it felt to me like the author went back after finishing and changed whodunit and why. Some clues that hint certain things as a part of the original storyline turn out to be false. Yet conclusions based on those clues are spoken as fact at the end even though they no longer have a basis. Some actions that make sense in one storyline are baffling in the new one--why do that action when a simpler action was available and more effective?

The romance was just plain odd as I didn't get why Colin chose the girl as his future wife. It wasn't a "romantic" love, and it's not like he simply decided he needed a wife. Anyway.

There was a very minor amount of bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery to Agatha Christie fans. The "Masterpiece Mystery!: Poirot: The Clocks" (2009) actually did a better job making the story believable.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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