Customer Reviews

Death in the Air

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A typical Christie from the 1930's (ie. well plotted and thought out, clever puzzle, easy to read, not very taxing on the grey cells, and fun.) As Poirot himself comes under suspicion at the inquest into the death of a passenger on the Prometheus, he investigates the victim's business dealings and suspects more than one fellow passenger was connected to the dead woman. The copy I read contained a floor plan of the airplane, which really made no difference to the solution, but was a nice touch anyway. The solution at first seemed to stretch coincidence a bit far, but Christie manages to explain things logically after all. A good choice for mystery buffs who just want a light read.

Agatha Christies "Death In The Air" is not generally regarded as one of her best detective novels. However, on re-reading it recently I think it rates among her best.

The story begins with a woman being murdered in a passenger aircraft over the English Channel. None of the other passengers (including Hercule Poirot) in the cabin witnesses the murder. In fact they swear no one came near the victim. Aha! The good old impossible crime!

The plot is excellent; the characters are satisfactory; and Miss Christie's humor is delightful. This is a "fair play" mystery -- all the clues are presented to the reader, and Poirot's hints are right on the mark. Nevertheless, very few readers will spot the murdered before the final explanation.

The story has one major gaffe that I won't mention for fear of spoiling the plot. In a later book Miss Christie, in her Ariadne Oliver persona, apologizes to her readers for her mistake.

So sit down, relax, let your mind go back 70+ years to the early days of commercial aviation, and enjoy "Death In The Air". Bonus points if you spot the gaffe.

This book is a must read for any serious Hercule Poirot fan. Aside from "Lord Edgware Dies," I would rate this book as one of Agatha Christie's better works. A MUST READ!!

Do you want to read a good book with twists and turns to the resolution? Do you want to pick up a book and not put it down until you are finished? Death in the Air by Agatha Cristie is the perfect match for you. It is a classic mystery published in 1977.
I thought Death in the Air was an average book. At the beginning of the book she introduces too many characters at one time. I also did not like that every so often throughout the book she used French words. For example, "...I do not wash out- what a term, mon Dieu!" (Pg. 55) I enjoyed that every character had a different personality and the murderer ended up to be someone you would have never suspected. After reading this book, I would conclude that it was very well written, and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries.