Taken at the Flood

The novel was great, as usual for Agatha Christie. However, this Kindle version was extraordinarily frustrating to read, as almost all punctuation appeared as a series of coding symbols and letters! I figured out which 4 symbols represented an open quote, which a close quote, which a dash. It really slowed my reading time, but I stuck it out. I hope the book is fixed for future readers. You may want to download a sample before purchasing. The book itself was good. As usual, I could not guess \”who done it,\” and thoroughly enjoyed the journey and ending. A few bits are maddeningly old fashioned as far as gender roles are concerned, but I can give them a pass based on the time period the book was written in. I took a star away for the above mentioned Kindle punctuation issues.

Dame Agatha seldom disappoints and although this novel is not in her top tier, it is very good. Set primarily in an English village just after the Second World War, it highlights the dislocation caused by the war for both those who served and those who did not. The Cloade Family has special problems. They had long relied on the one rich family member for help, but he married and was killed in an air raid. Now his young widow has a life estate and the Cloades have nothing as long as she lives. The author makes the most of this perilous state of affairs with a series of mysteries and surprises seasoned with wit. There is too much reliance on coincidence, the characters are stereotypical and the unnecessary last chapter is nonsensical, but none of this measurably subtracts from the delightful reading experience provided here.

Enough interesting plot twists for 3 novels–so that, for me, the resolution of it all was too intricate (i.e., implausible?). Nonetheless, several intriguing characterizations–and psychologically nuanced character-studies had emerged as a fascinating strength by the time of these \”middle-period\” novels (ca. 1939-1952?). I\’m thinking also of my favorites, \”Easy To Kill\” and \”Crooked House.\”

One of the very few of Christie’s mysteries that I figured the killer & why. Did not like the last chapter. Still I always like reading her mysteries, even this one.

Agatha Christy at her best, I love the details of that epoch. Of course I know the story from the excellent tv adaptation but nevertheless there is great pleasure in reading her language and descriptions.

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