Black Coffee

ISBN: 1559352817

Author: Osborne, Charles

Condition: Used

Product Description Master sleuth Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings head to Surrey at the request of England's premier physicist, only to find the client dead, a top-secret formula missing, and a house filled with suspects. From Library Journal Originally written as a three-act play in 1930, this novel has been adapted by Osborne. All the old characters are present, including the parental tyrant, the eccentric maiden aunt, mysterious foreigners, and "bright young things." Once again detective Hercule Poirot has been called in to solve a country house crime; he interviews each suspect, talks a lot, and solves the case. The play was probably a "nice bit of fluff," and the book is the same, plumped up by descriptions that sometimes read as though they were lifted directly from stage directions. On the other hand, much of the dialog sparkles with true Christie panache. Alexandra Thomas's vibrant reading is only slightly marred by problems with Poirot's "Belgian" inflection. Alas, while Black Coffee is an interesting addition to the "classic" mystery canon, it probably should not be a high priority purchase when compared with the many superior Christie audiobooks (e.g., Murder on the Orient Express, Audio Reviews, LJ 4/1/94) that are available. Recommended for large mystery collections or those with a heavy demand for the "classics.?I. Pour-El, Iowa State Univ., AmesCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. From AudioFile Hercule Poirot appears for his final performance. Originally written by Agatha Christie in 1930 as a three-act play, BLACK COFFEE has been adapted into a novel, the first to appear in over twenty years. Again we find Hercule Poirot exercising his "little gray cells" after he is invited to a physicist's home in the English countryside, only to find him dead upon his arrival. Alexandra Thomas masterfully pilots this performance. Always in control, flawless and effective, she brings us the Belgian Poirot, the Italian spy and his reluctant accomplice; the giddy niece and suspicious nephew; and many other colorful characters. This entertaining performance should not be missed, as this novel is considered to be pure "Agatha Christie." B.J.P. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

• Soundelux | Audio Publishing | Approximate running time 6 hrs.