The Secret of Chimneys

From the book cover

A light-hearted thriller set against a background of upper-crust society life in the twenties which includes British, French and American detectives, secret passages, a fabulous jewel, a mysterious rose emblem, an organisation called the Comrades of the Red Hand, and an international  jewel thief. A package of love letters is stolen with blackmail in view, but the blackmailer is murdered and the letters go missing. Then a foreign envoy is shot during a house party at Chimneys, Lord Caterham's stately English home.

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This is my fifth Agatha Christie novel (I'm reading them in order of publication).

All of Agatha Christie's trademark plot twists and devices are present in this novel: the setting is a large country estate; there's a clever, witty and beautiful woman at the centre of the mystery; a protagonist with a mysterious past; and lastly, a large serving of political intrigue.

Anthony Cade is our protagonist. When we first meet him, he's a tour guide in Africa. His friend, James McGrath, commissions him to deliver the late Count Stylpitch's memoir to a publisher in London and return some letters to a lady by the name of Virginia Revel.

Virginia Revel is the stereotypical Agatha Christie likeable female character. She seems to come from the same mold as Tuppence and Ann Beddingfield. Virginia is smart and spirited and always up for an adventure. Men and women can't help but to love and adore her.

I like reading Agatha Christie's novels because they are nice and light, but most of them don't really add up. I sometimes get the feeling that she's making up the plot, from one page to the next, and only reluctantly explains who the criminals are at the end, so that she can get on to writing her next novel. I got this feeling several times while reading The Secret of Chimneys.

The Secret of Chimneys is a breeze to read. It's a great book to bring along while traveling or to read on a beach. It's entertaining and doesn't require any thought. In fact, you want to not think while reading it, otherwise, you'll notice the implausibility of the conclusion.

3/5