Book: The Mysterious Mr. Quin
Author: Agatha Christie
Pages: 380
I read: The paperback pictured above
I read it in: A day or two
Plot Summary: Harley Quin is an enigma. Even his friend Mr Satterthwaite is unable to understand how the man seems to appear and disappear almost like a trick of the light - and when he does appear it's usually in the sparkle of sunshine, or surrounded by a spectrum of coloured light pouring through a stained glass window...
In fact, the only consistent thing about the Mysterious Mr Quin is that his presence is always a harbinger of love ... or death.
General Thoughts: We read a lot of Agatha Christie even now. She is one of those authors whose books have so many layers that even if you've read something by her in your teens (like my sister and I did), you'll discover something new on re-reading her books.
What I Liked: Quick list:
- This is a collection of short stories and each of them have to do with some crime/ injustice that had been committed in the past, which Mr. Satterthwaite, with the help of the mysterious Mr. Quin, helps resolve and bring to a closure/ justice. So, the themes of redemption, closure and justice run through each of these stories making them such a joy to read.
- There are quite a few colourful/ interesting characters in this book. Mr. Satterthwaite is an aristocrat of some sort and so, he mingles with several Dukes, Duchesses, Countesses and the like, who seem like rather interesting characters.
- Mr. Satterthwaite, our protagonist, is one of those good listeners- someone who people love pouring out their hearts to. Given his penchant for eliciting people's stories, Mr. Satterthwaite really understands people and is good at picking up subtle cues about what they say and what that really means. So, he is very well placed to put the pieces together and solve or prevent a crime, with some guidance from Mr. Quin.
- Mr. Quin is sort of an enigmatic figure, who always seems to be there when something dark is about to happen, mostly murder. If you happen to pick up the very same paperback edition pictured above, DO NOT READ the author's note. I repeat, DO NOT READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE! It contains a massive spoiler and it could well ruin your reading experience. Mr. Quin drops major hints about the crime in question and if you pay attention to what he says, then you, much like Mr. Satterthwaite, can solve the crime in question.
What I Didn't Like: Well, almost all the stories were really satisfying because most of them involved an old crime that gets solved or a crime that's prevented, except the last story- Harlequin's Lane. The last story seemed very pointless- it didn't really have an interesting mystery or an old murder or anything of that sort to solve. The events that occurred made little sense.. generally, it was not really in sync with the rest of the stories in the book. So, didn't like it that much.
Rating: 4/5
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