Perfect
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I bought this audio book to occupy me during a few days' 'holiday at home' and couldn't have chosen better - it's the perfect relaxation to sit back and have a very vocally talented actor tell such a dark, intriguing story. Although a great Christie fan, this is, amazingly it now seems, a story I've never read, but I shall now buy the book also, because as with all Christie stories, knowing the outcome doesn't detract from the rereading or relistening pleasure. The false leads and red herrings are dropped into the narrative with such skill that although they are small and subtle they still take you along a variety of wrong paths. The final unravelling is, whilst not completely unexpected by that point, satisfyingly dramatic and dark. And even at - almost - the very end, Agatha Christie dares to tempt you with the possibility of a near impossible alternative ending. Brilliant!
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Dark, effective chiller from Agatha Christie
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Quite often in a Christie story there is a sentimental romance
in the background; when the main mystery is cleared up we
frequently find that two of the minor characters end up engaged.
In "Endless Night" the author has become aware of this
little foible and is deliberately exploiting it to her readers'
downfall! The result is shockingly effective.We are assured at the start that it's a love story, and it is.
There is something terribly wrong, something we dimly sense
from the beginning. The author hints at it throughout the book,
building up the unease imperceptibly, until the truth is so
obvious that our realisation can be taken for granted. What
makes this story memorable is not the plot in itself (ingenious
as usual) but the atmosphere, the manner of the telling. The
most powerful clue to what's really going on is not any
material evidence, but the mind-set of one particular character
. (At the same time there is little violence, and none of the
wallowing in gore which lesser writers rely on.) This
spine-chiller shows the author at the height of her powers. The story is ably read by Hugh Frazer, who manages to keep
the various voice-accents distinct throughout the extensive
dialogue! I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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