Audio: Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie #AgathaChristie #FenellaWoolgar @HarperAudio #LoveAudiobooks

Posted October 30, 2020 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Book Review / 12 Comments

Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.


Audio: Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie #AgathaChristie #FenellaWoolgar @HarperAudio #LoveAudiobooksMidwinter Murder by Agatha Christie
Narrator: Fenella Woolgar
Series: Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot
Published by HarperAudio on October 20, 2020
Genres: Mystery
Length: 9 hours, 54 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

An all-new collection of winter-themed stories from the Queen of Mystery, just in time for the holidays—including an Agatha Christie short story never before published in the USA, "Christmas Adventure."

There's a chill in the air and the days are growing shorter . . . It's the perfect time to curl up in front of a crackling fireplace with this winter-themed collection from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. But beware of deadly snowdrifts and dangerous gifts, poisoned meals and mysterious guests. This compendium of short stories, some featuring beloved detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, is an essential omnibus for Christie fans and the perfect holiday gift for mystery lovers.

I love Agatha Christie and have read her works extensively so it was a treat to have these winter and holiday stories.  I had read some of these stories previously but it was far enough in the past I didn’t remember them well.

All of my favorite characters, as well as lesser known ones, have representation here.  Miss Marple, Hercules Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence, Parkey Pyne, Bunch, Inspector Japp and Mr. Harley Quinn all have adventures in Midwinter Murder.  The mysteries are all cozy as is the style for Christie.

One would think that short stories would be ideal for when one is interrupted and can only read a bit at a time, but I have read an ebook by a different author and listened to this audiobook this month and it was not easy for me in either case.  Both were authors I had read nearly all their work and was familiar with their settings.  Yet I had some difficulty focusing at the start of each story, which while this was still true for longer books, once I had engaged I could jump in and out of the story comfortably until finished.   This is nothing to do with the review, other than maybe shorter stories are not the easiest reading for me right now.

These are charming cozy stories and I enjoyed the clever mystery aspects.  Because they are in a historical settings, and in England, there are many more class distinctions, and some prejudice.   It is a time before most forensics and solving the cases relies on observation and sometimes witness testimony.  Although this makes the structure more simple, the criminals are no less ruthless.

I really enjoyed these classic mysteries and would recommend them to any Agatha Christie or cozy historical mystery fans.  The diverse characters will surely include some of your favorites.

Narration:

Because the stories are set in England, I expected and got a British accent.  The voices for each character were distinct. I enjoyed the female voices and some of the male voices.  Other of the male voices were uncomfortable, seeming a bit too high or arduous. The one for Hercule Poirot was the most so, perhaps with the combination of a Belgian accent?   I did slow my listening speed slightly to 1.25x speed.

Listen to a clip:

Rating Breakdown
Plot
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Writing
One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Characters
One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Narration (Audio)
One StarOne StarOne Star
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Anne - Books of My Heart
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • COYER-20

Posted October 30, 2020 by Anne - Books of My Heart in Book Review / 12 Comments


12 responses to “Audio: Midwinter Murder by Agatha Christie

  1. Anne

    Wow, I don’t think I’ve read a Christie book in close to 40 years. They are the first mysteries I started reading when I was 9 because my mom was a big fan. The British TV shows are so well done, I haven’t felt the need to read them again, but this sounds like it might be a fun, nostalgic read for the holiday season if my library has the audio or paper version.

  2. I love Agatha Christie as well, and have read almost all of her mysteries, but like you it’s been long enough for me that I’ve forgotten enough that I would enjoy the re-reads and maybe not know the culprits right away. I recently listened to At Bertram’s Hotel and didn’t remember quite a bit. The audio was a treat and I’ll probably re-read a bunch that way. I also have to slow my speed down a bit for some of the English or other accent audios to 1.25x. I do love the accents, though! They add so much.