Another banger from the master of the red herring and the impossible-to-guess ending. I loved it. ( )

"It is romantic, yes," agreed Hercule Poirot. "It is peaceful. The sun shines. The sea is blue. But you forget, Miss Brewster, there is evil everywhere under the sun."

Christie, Agatha. Evil Under the Sun: A Hercule Poirot Mystery (Hercule Poirot series Book 23) (p. 19). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

On holiday at the Jolly Roger seaside resort, Poirot finds himself caught up in a murder when Mrs. Arlena Marshall is found dead. But Poirot has his work cut out for him when all the likely suspects - like her husband and lover have solid alibis.

An intricately plotted murder mystery with lots of red herrings that I once again couldn't crack. A detective I am not. But it was fun to read along and guess who might have committed the crime. I did get a few things right (okay only one thing) - I guessed that the watch had been meddled with, I was just wrong about who had meddled. And I did guess that there was more than one person involved - just not the ones who were actually guilty. I was thinking maybe the women all banded together? I dunno it made sense in my head...

I was a bit disappointed by the ending though. I would've liked for Rosamund to keep her business instead of giving it up to settle with Kenneth Marshall. Both had businesses - one was successful, one was not - it does not make sense for the successful one to give it up. For a relatively progressively woman for her time Christie had some stupid ideas about women and their desires.

Another great murder mystery from Agatha Christie. 3.5 stars, rounded to 4 stars. ( )

This novel is a reworking and extension of one of Christie’s short stories.

At a fashionable summer resort, a beautiful femme fatale is strangled. There are plenty of suspects and motives. A very clever resolution makes perfect sense and isn’t too far-fetched at all. A good outing for Poirot. ( )

Summary: While Poirot is vacationing in Devon, Arlena Marshall, an actress who attracts men like moths to the flame, is found dead of strangulation on an isolated beach.

Poirot is vacationing at a highly rated summer resort in Devon, accessed by a causeway submerged at high tide. Some of the other guests enjoying the sun and the sea include Horace Blatt, a big talking business type, somewhat shady, Major Barry, a retired officer, Carrie Gardner, a gabby woman and Odell, her longsuffering husband, Reverend Stephen Lane, a rather severe clergyman, who we learned had suffered a breakdown in the recent past due to an obsession with evil, Emily Brewster, an athletic single woman, and the Redferns–Patrick, a trim, attractive man, and his wife Christine, somewhat owlish, pale, a former school teacher who is devoted to her husband. Then there is Arlene Marshall, a sexy actress who attracts men as moths are attracted to a flame, her reserved husband Kenneth, and Kenneth’s daughter Linda, the offspring of a deceased wife once tried and acquitted for murder. Rounding out the ensemble is Rosamund Darnley, a fashion designer and one time love of Kenneth’s

Patrick Redfern is one who is drawn to Arlene, flirting and meeting in secluded locations with her. It turns out he had met her several months before and it is no coincidence that they are at this resort together. Despite Christine’s evident discomfort and displeasure, they keep carrying on. Poirot notes this and fears evil.

One morning, Poirot finds Arlena Marshall up early, taking a boat out on her own. He helps her get off, with her asking him not to say anything about her whereabouts, and shortly after encounters Patrick, who was plainly expecting to meet someone and is frustrated. He waits about for sometime and finally persuades Emily Brewster to go rowing. They head to a secluded beach, Pixy Cove, where they spot a woman sunbathing that looks like it is Arlene. Patrick goes to investigate and, to his horror, finds her dead. He stays with the body, sending Emily to fetch the authorities.

Local Inspector Colgate asks Poirot the help in the investigation. It appears that all the island occupants have alibis, even Kenneth, the husband, and Patrick, the lover. Kenneth was both heard by a maid and seen by Rosamond typing letters during the time the murder could have occurred. Patrick was either with Poirot or Emily Brewster until the body was found. A number of others could be suspects–Christine, the jealous wife, Linda, the resentful step-daughter, Lane, the overwrought clergyman obsessed with evil, Blatt, whose suspicious dealings may be connect with drugs found in the cave at Pixy Cove, and Rosamond, Kenneth’s former love.

But amid the various accounts, there are “pieces to the puzzle,” as Poirot explains it that remain to be fitted into the picture of what happened that morning. Emily described nearly being hit by an empty bottle thrown from a hotel window. A maid heard someone running a bath before noon, that no one claims to have taken. An in a cave at Pixy Cove, Poirot smells a scent worn by only two women–the deceased and Rosamond Darnley.

As in other Poirots, these “pieces,” an enquiry about other strangling deaths in the vicinity, and a picnic outing lead Poirot, after much pondering, to expose the murderer, and nearly be strangled himself! In the denouement, we discover some who are far more evil than they appeared, and others more noble than one would have thought. And we discover every piece matters in this well-crafted mystery. ( )

So many likely suspects in this one! I love some of Christie's self-referential touches, and the way she describes the teenage psyche makes me chuckle. ( )