Evil Under the Sun, Agatha Christie

 

The Book 

    Arlena Stuart Marshall is discovered dead on a beach by Miss Emily Brewster and Peter Redfern, it is a shock, but maybe not a surprise. The beautiful former actress is the object of jealousy and hatred of nearly every woman on Smuggler's Island and ogled by most of men. Most particularly Mrs. Christine Redfern, the wife of Peter, because Arlena is carrying on an affair with him. Men, it seems, loose the their heads when the meet her. She was the cause of a divorce action, and then, afterwards, the man bored of her and refused to marry her. Another time, a dying man fell so in love with her, that he left her 50K pounds in his will. But despite this, her most recent husband, Ken Marshall, does not appear to care. 

    Did Ken kill Arlena because she was a cheating wife, or maybe it was his teenage daughter from his first marriage, Linda, who is dabbling in witchcraft? Maybe it was Ken's childhood friend Rosamond Darnley, a successful women's clothing designer because she wanted to marry Ken? Or did Peter, jealous that Arlena was about to get bored with him kill his lover, or was it his jealous wife? The local cops have no idea. (Hello Colonel Weston, we meet again, and again you are clueless, but you're cute, so we love you anyway.) Hercule Poirot knows, but the question is can he find proof? 

My Thoughts

    This book was a breezy read, I did it in about a day. I remembered so many aspects of this book very clearly from the David Suchet adaptation, including the plot twist, but I wasn't bored. Far from it. There was a knitting American in there. Having said that, the plot twist is supposed to increase my sympathy for Arlena Stuart, but it didn't. I didn't feel bad for her, although, I thought killing her was a bit far. 

    And I am supposed to respect her husband for trying to stick out his marriage, despite understanding Arlena better than almost every other person in the book. He stayed out of kindness to her, but I don't like him either. He let her, and her horrible influence, get under his daughter's skin. I know the man's a soft touch, but really, he had a higher duty to his daughter than that! 

    I agree with some of the critics that this book lacks some character development, and they are not as much fun without Captain Hastings, but don't let that stop you from reading it. The book is fun. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

    This 255 page book came to me from Fremont Public Libary. It seems new, but I have no way of knowing since Fremont does not tell me when it entered into their system. It is some time in the last 10 years, because this edition dates to 2014. The cover says it cost $12.99, and that is the number we will use. 

This Book                                             $12.99

Items Reviewed This Year                  $248.95

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