I bought this book at a library booksale as I’ve read another Osborne adaptation of an Agatha Christie play and it was an enjoyable and quick read, as was this one. Black Coffee was first performed in 1930 and was the first play which Agatha Christie wrote.
It’s a Hercule Poirot mystery and Charles Osborne has set the action in 1934. Poirot is semi-retired, only taking on work which really interests him. Captain Hastings is married and has bought a ranch in Argentina but is in London to do some business. Poirot is getting bored with the same old routine every day so when he gets a phonecall from Sir Claud Amory, a government scientist in need of help, he jumps at the chance of a change of scenery and and working with Hastings again.
It’s another country house mystery! Sir Claud is a bit of an old skinflint and although he has plenty of money he keeps a tight grasp of it which doesn’t make him popular with his son and other members of the family.
Sir Amory has been working on atomic research with the result that he has discovered a new explosive – a weapon of mass destruction. The formula is worth a lot of money and Sir Claud believes that someone is trying to steal it. Naturally there is a murder!
This is one of the many plots in which Agatha Christie employed her knowledge of poisons which she gained whilst working in the dispensary of a hospital during World War I. It’s a good, light, read. I think that Charles Osborne manages to capture the feel of Christie’s writing. If you’re into Christie or vintage crime you’ll probably want to give it a go.
I know I have this on my kindle and I must take a look at it as I have not read any Christie this month.
Jo,
I don’t have a kindle but from what I’ve heard about them Black Coffee will be a very fast read.
I picked this up in the library a few years ago, delighted to see the Christie name with a title I didn’t know. I was a little disappointed when I saw that it was adapted from a play, but I do like a country house mystery and I have to agree that Osborne did Christie very well.
Fleur,
I had the same experience with his other adaptation – The Unexpected Guest – I didn’t realise that it wasn’t by Christie but I ended up quite enjoying that one too. It’s so long since I read a Poirot that I was surprised to see that he was described as having a very bald head. Not how I imagine him at all, he’s just like David Suchet!
I had no idea that someone had written adaptations of her plays! Glad to hear that they are very close to her style.
Anbolyn,
Osborne seems to have adapted three of them, the third one being Spider’s Web which I haven’t read yet.
I regard myself as an Agatha Christie fan but I hadn’t heard of this one. I’m not sure how I feel about adaptations of the plays by someone who isn’t Christie, but it’s quite reassuring to hear that Osborne has kept close to her style. I’ll maybe have a look out for one of his books.
Louise,
Thanks for the comment. You would probably enjoy the book. There’s a lot of dialogue and I suppose that that is just as Christie wrote it. I love vintage crime but recently I’ve been reading Tey, Allingham and Michael Innes and it’s ages since I read anything solely by Christie.
My husband loves vintage mysteries, but for some reason he is not a big Christie fan. I will mention this to him, as I don’t know if he has read this one.
The Book Girl,
Christie isn’t my favourite either, I read so many when I was 12-ish that I tend to associate her with that age. I like watching them on tv though as I love the period detail, all that lovely art deco stuff! Does your husband read Sayers, Tey, Allingham and Innes or mainly U.S. authors?
Wonder if you’ve seen Evil Under the Sun, with Peter Ustinov as Hercules, and a cast of thousands including Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg, Jane Birkin…..
I was the dead body on the Yorkshire Moors! Staying in the right place at the right time I got the chance to be an extra in the film – and landed myself with the dead body part – I’ll rephrase that, the part of the dead body!!
I haven’t read any Christie, just seen the TV films!
Evee,
The Ustinov Evil Under the Sun was on recently. What a claim to fame! I’m definitely watching it closely next time so I can get a good look at you! That must have been an interesting experience.