Very little time can go by lately, it seems, without my craving an Agatha Christie. I have thankfully read her so infrequently when I was younger that many of her books are new and fresh to me now that I’m hooked on her books. As such, this is my first introduction to Mr. Quin, a series Christie wrote over several years, based loosely on the character Harlequin in the Italian commedia d’ell arte. According to the author’s introductory letter, if read carefully, you can read the story of Harlequin himself, as played out in the series. Cool.
In The Mysterious Mr. Quin, a series of short stories are woven together by the common thread of Mr. Quin and his long-time friend and entre to society, Mr. Satterthwaite. Mr. Satterthwaite, a connoisseur of high-society and the arts is a studier of people. Throughout his travels he finds himself immersed in various mysterious, and with the help of Mr. Quin, who pops up at the most appropriate times, solves many a murder and disappearance.
A charming collection of brief tales, some of which seem a little contrived – or at least the conclusion does. Satterthwaite seems to pull answers out of his … ah … out of thin air and his wild suppositions, barely based on fact, often point directly to the solution of the mystery. Despite this, Christie’s writing and character development is always a delight to read. Not exactly what I was expecting when I picked it up, I found myself enjoying the book nonetheless.
Till next time, I have a new quote to share J
L
“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favourite book”
~ Marcel Proust
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