Book Review: Sparkling Cyanide (Macmillan, 1945) - Agatha Christie

By Carole Shmurak

Of the Golden Age grand dames, Agatha Christie has always been my least favorite. Though her plots are ingenious, I’ve often felt that Christie’s characters were two-dimensional stereotypes; chessmen to be moved around as the plot twists dictated. Her detective Poirot has frequently irritated me, with his smug hints as to how much more he knows than I do. (I enjoy David Suchet’s portrayal of Poirot, nonetheless.)

But I was really drawn into Sparkling Cyanide (also published under the title Remembered Death). It’s the story of the murder of Rosemary Barton and the memories of each of the people present at her death. I found the book difficult to put down. I ended up really liking the characters Iris and Sandra and was taken by surprise by a few of the plot twists.

The parallel structure of all the different characters’ narratives was nicely done. Detective Colonel Race was a pleasant, low-key alternative to Poirot. Though the final explanation of how the murder was accomplished was a bit far-fetched and the actual modus operandi not quite clear, the identity of the villain was convincing. I suspected him or her all along!

Christie’s books have sold billions of copies; for many, hers is a brand name synonymous with mystery. Published near the end of the second World War, Sparkling Cyanide has no allusions to the war or the deprivations it caused the British people, and was undoubtedly a welcome escape for the readers of that time. It still works that way for me.