The Seven Dials mystery

About the book

A plan involving alarm clocks at Chimneys is intended as a joke at a guest's expense, but a death changes the meaning of the arrangement. Bundle Brent's curiosity carries her beyond the household towards the mysterious phrase Seven Dials and the people connected with it. Christie blends youthful social energy with danger, secret meetings, and uncertainty about who is investigating whom. Superintendent Battle's reserve contrasts with the more visible enthusiasm of the amateur participants. The narrative repeatedly exploits the difference between the role someone appears to occupy and the information that person actually possesses. Its pleasure lies in the brisk movement between comedy and suspense, with familiar manners providing little guarantee that the situation beneath them has been correctly understood.

• Secrecy
• Amateur investigation
• Appearances

Why read it

For a lively country-house thriller whose apparently playful opening keeps acquiring new significance.

English text