I purchased this book for my own collection.
Publisher: William Morrow
Published: August 30, 2011 (first published 1940)
Summary:
In Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery Sad Cypress, a woman damned by overwhelming evidence stands accused of murdering her romantic rival, and only Hercule Poirot stands between her and the gallows.
Beautiful young Elinor Carlisle stood serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence was damning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity, and the means to administer the fatal poison.
Yet, inside the hostile courtroom, only one man still presumed Elinor was innocent until proven guilty. Hercule Poirot was all that stood between Elinor and the gallows.…
My thoughts:
I am once again participating in the #ReadChristie2023 Challenge despite the fact that I failed miserably last year. I really do enjoy reading Agatha Christie’s books and even if I get behind, I am still going to participate and not just give up, which is what I did last year. The theme this year is Methods and Motives and I’m actually looking forward to reading the books that are selected, especially since I just read that nonfiction book, The Science of Murder, which was all about the science of forensics of murder through Christie’s books.
January’s prompt was jealousy and the book that was selected was Sad Cypress. I love when the main book selected is one I have not read, though they always give alternative selections to pick from. At the center of this case is a love triangle and the fact that one person ends up dead. Did Elinor kill Mary? What I loved, and what I think is quite unique about this particular installment, is that part of this book takes place in a courtroom. Now I haven’t read all of Christie’s books yet, but so far of the books I have read, this is the only one where this the case.
I loved the set-up of this book, how it was divided into three parts – the murder and the events leading up to it, the investigation, and then the trial. I also loved that there aren’t a lot of characters, which means there aren’t a lot of suspects, but still I was unable to figure it out. This is one I definitely plan on rereading, but it just might be one of my favorite Christie books so far. It’s so clever and even with Poirot not heavily involved, I loved it!
I’m excited to read the books that have been selected for this year’s challenge and quite possibly pick up some others along the way. I also hope to read the new biography on Christie this year…yes, I am totally obsessed with Christie and will be reading anything Christie-related!!!
