The quickness of the hand deceives the eye.
Black Coffee
by Charles Osborne
Based on the play by Agatha Christie
Genre: Murder Mystery
About: A famous scientist enlists the help of Hercule Poirot when he suspects someone close to him of stealing the highly valuable new formula he's invented. But suspected theft takes a turn to murder...
The Good
This one had me guessing until the very end. Mundane movements became proof of sinister intentions. If I was to write down my reasons for suspecting someone, that list would include such dastardly actions as: searching for a knitting needle, choosing where to sit (or NOT sit), making a cup of coffee, suggesting to dance... Everything and anything cast doubt on a character because they all had their little secrets, leaving a taste of bitterness in the family. Which is exactly how I like my murder mysteries.
The Bad
This isn't quite like an Agatha Christie novel as the play inspiration is very obvious. I think Charles Osborne did a fantastic job of keeping the characters and tone of the novel very like a Christie, but it lacks some of the atmosphere that The Mousetrap has. I did love the build up and the dramatic lights-out moment, but then it seemed to lose the tension and I think it's because characters had freedom to come in and out of scenes - the trap loosened.
The Somewhat Iffy
I didn't quite understand the torn silk clue. I loved the clues being these tiny pockets of sounds in the dark, but that one, the explanation didn't make sense to me. Perhaps listening to the audiobook version or watching the play, the clue would have had better impact.
Overall
A gripping whodunnit with a whole lot of suspects I happily went back and forth on. There were a lot of elements I loved about this and I could really visualise it as a play, but it somehow felt as though it would have suited remaining a play.
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