The Clocks by Agatha Christie

Synopsis

A typist uncovers a man’s body from behind the sofa…

As instructed, stenographer Sheila Webb let herself into the house at 19 Wilbraham Crescent. It was then that she made a grisly discovery: the body of a dead man sprawled across the living room floor.

What intrigued Poirot about the case was the time factor. Although in a state of shock, Sheila clearly remembered having heard a cuckoo clock strike three o’clock. Yet, the four other clocks in the living room all showed the time as 4.13. Even more strangely, only one of these clocks belonged to the owner of the house…

Review

I have only read Agatha Christie’s short stories prior to picking up this book. I was surprised by this story. It wasn’t fantastic but not horribly bad either. I was rather underwhelmed by the lack of Poirot in a Poirot novel. For the vast majority of this story Poirot is absent, he appears only a handful of times, asks a few questions and with very little investigation on his part or interviews with suspects or witnesses manages to solve the case. I found myself lost as to why Christie would make this a Poirot novel when there is so little ground work by him. Poor detective Lamb seems completely overlooked after doing all of the work, because Poirot turns up and solves the mystery at the snap of a finger. In my opinion I think the intention was for the other characters to remain in awe of Poirot’s brilliance, when actually I found it all a little conceited. I think the most annoying part of the writing for me was the switching from first person to third person. It became irritating at times meaning the overall plot would loose momentum.

At times I can not deny I found myself hooked by the mystery, but I could easily make predictions that were proved correct but with mystery I actually prefer to be proven wrong by clever plot twists and turns that are completely unexpected. This may sound a little demanding for a short read such as this but what can I say sometimes my own expectations get the better of me. I felt that every piece of important information discovered seemed to be too easily obtained, as well as too obviously realised leaving a bit of a dull feel to the overall read. There was very little imagination needed with this story which was a shame. I think if this story was intended as an introduction to Christie and her writing style it was great but as an addition to her existing Poirot series, then unfortunately for me it fell short of some of her best work. This was neither a bad nor a great read for me I was left feeling underwhelmed which I never believed I would ever say about Agatha Christie’s writing.

**Disclaimer** I in no way wish to alter or sway anyone else’s view by anything discussed in this post. these are merely my own opinion feel free to agree or disagree as you see fit.

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