Agatha

Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie: I figured it out about half way through. The murder being solved is two years old when the book begins, kind of a sedate, mannered and linear Cold Case (Sundays on CBS - time fluid because the Sunday afternoon football game always {always!} goes long and CBS never lets us know by how long or how late it's prime time shows wil start).

I won't give away the ending, but be aware that not all the characters make it through. I do believe most Agatha books end up with at least two murders, and this one actually kind of demands it. It kind of needs it, too: most of the book is people going around and talking to each other. Then they think -- offstage, while others talk. Is it borderline boring? Well, three-quarters of the way in, a deus-ex-machina little boy shows up, and I got excited - something happens! Turns out he just talks, but, cool!

So I've decided the genius of Agatha is to be found in the Poirot books and, to a little extent, Miss Marple. Poirot always amuses me. The books without him or Marple have not amused me, not a bit. This one wasn't awful, but it was sure, um, unexciting.