Endless Night (Queen of Mystery)

Ah! I just finished the book, and it’s so good, I don’t quite know what to do with my feelings.This is only my second Christie novel, after And Then There Were None (which I also loved). I’m wondering if these two books of hers I’ve happened to read might stand out from the rest of them. I’ve always had the idea that Agatha Christie novels were light and easy mysteries for fans of tea parties, but these stories are definitely not that. There’s a richness and a darkness to them that I’m finding more affecting than most modern mystery and thriller stories—most of which are ostensibly darker and more shocking but actually don’t often get into my psyche the way Christie has.Very minor spoiler territory:Unlike And Then There Were None, this is not a story full of murders. In fact, it’s well over halfway before anything of the sort actually happens. But it is not a slow or difficult read at all. I was hooked by every page and loved every moment of buildup and character-building. I say this as someone who gives up easily on books that bore me (often to a fault, I happily admit, but I figure life is short, there are hundreds of books I’d like to read, and I generally have a very short attention span).I won’t say much else, just that the characters and story are masterfully built, and once the crap hits the proverbial fan, it’s beautifully dark and unsettling through to the end.

This book is an interesting read.

Oh my so many things happening in this book. The end will rock you. I love Agatha Christie. This book is amazing. A must read.

This is not a Hercule Poirot story. This book is about Mike Rogers. He comes across some property with an old house on it. He is told it is cursed.He meets Ellie, who later tells him that she bought the property and that she's rich. They get married and have their dream home built.

I believed I had read all Agatha Christie novels; however, somehow I had missed this one. It’s great it had me wondering until the last few pages. I don’t know if there is someone better than AC.

ENDLESS NIGHT, published in 1967 in the UK as a Collins Crime Club selection, was the 60th detective/mystery novel written by Dame Agatha Christie (1890-1976) who wrote 66 such works. It is a standalone novel (not a Poirot nor Miss Marple) written in three parts.Part One introduces the four main characters: Michael Rogers, a young drifter currently employed as a chauffeur, has a chance meeting with the lovely Ellie Goodman. He dreams of building a magnificent house on a particular spot of land along the Devon coast. Unknown to him, she is actually a wealthy American heiress and can make his dream come true. With the help of her efficient German companion, Greta Andersen, they marry and build a memorable home designed by noted but ailing architect Rudolph Santonix.Naturally the plot thickens... the land the couple purchased is known as "Gypsy's Acre" and is said to carry a curse. Mysterious accidents pile up, a self-proclaimed gypsy haunts the grounds, and after a midnight accident, Greta moves in with the couple to nurse Ellie back to health, much to Michael's resentment. And all the while the few relatives (a stepmother and a few cousins) and many trustees, guardians, and attorneys disapprove of their young ward's marriage.A crime novel? Not so far. But read on as I did after thinking Dame Agatha has lost her marbles. What starts as a romantic thriller becomes a mild literary success for the Queen of Mystery receiving some of the warmest critical response of her career. The London Times Literary Supplement states in 1967 that ENDLESS NIGHT written " in the persona of a working-class boy who marries a poor little rich girl...(is) a pleasantly gothic story of gypsy warnings" and that Christie "brings it all off, together with a nicely melodramatic final twist." Robert Bernard, mystery writer and critic, considers ENDLESS NIGHT a splendid late flowering and the best of the late Christie. He notes in his work,  A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie , that the plot contains a combination of patterns used in THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD (1926) and DEATH ON THE NILE (1937) and similarities in the "treatment of heiress/heroine's American lawyers in NILE...suggesting she had been rereading." He adds, "The murder occurs very late, and thus the central section seems desultory, even novelettish (poor little rich girl, gypsy's curse, etc.). But all is justified by the conclusion."Regardless of your reaction to the novel's ending, I believe you will find that ENDLESS NIGHT is a very good read. I agree with the laudatory review in the UK newspaper, The Guardian: "The old maestrina of the crime-novel (or whatever is the female of 'maestro') pulls yet another out of her inexhaustible bag...quite different in tone from her usual work. It is impossible to say much about the story without giving away vital secrets: sufficient to warn the reader that if he should think this is a romance he couldn't be more mistaken, and the crashing, not to say horrific suspense at the end, is perhaps the most devastating that this surpriseful author has ever brought off. "

I bought the Kindle version, the format seemed fine to me (sometimes you never know with Kindle). I'm embarrassed to say this was my first Agatha Christie book. I really should have started on her sooner, but alas here I am. I think this was a pretty good title to start off, after doing some research on which novel to read first, also it's her "later" work. Some readers have given this story poor reviews. I for one was surprised at the ending. I feel the storyline was pretty darn interesting. At the end it all made sense. I highly recommend this novel to anyone that likes mystery and a quick read. It kinda reminded me of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, in a way that it was meticulously written with appealing characters and charming suggestions. (Some think Jackson's story is a bore, but again, it's all subjective.) I say give this novel a try, it really was different and I enjoyed the plot. That's all I'll say otherwise I'll give away the good stuff.

This is my first Christie novel...I've read some other reviews saying that this book isn't recommended as an introduction to her work since it's not typical of her usual mysteries...but I have to disagree. This novel only makes me want to dive head first into another one!It had me from start to finish...I quite enjoyed the inner monologue and first person narration and about halfway through I was held in the grip of the most uneasy sense of creepiness that started colouring the story. There were points in the book where I actually looked over my shoulder...The suspense, character development and smattering of clues that only made sense as such at the end all make for a superb, edge of your seat portrayal of the inner workings of a mind gone horribly wrong.If you enjoy character development over plot happenings, glimpsing into a personality driven by darkness and a book that will have you thinking about it days after you've finished, then this is the novel for you.

I have been meaning to buy Endless Night for ages. Very pleased I bought it.

Received the book on time. Packaging and condition of book, both were excellent.Coming to the novel itself, this is one of Christie's later works, and structued differently from her usual mainstream style. A first reading could be faintly disappointing to readers looking for the conventional detective style mystery, but as an assured and deft psychological mystery-thriller, it grows with re-reading.

The last Agatha Christie novel I still had not read; the plot is basically "Death on the Nile" without Poirot, but there are a few pages, those that lead to our understanding of the main character's actions, which are quite good; another interesting aspect is the first-person narration ("Roger Ackroyd" without Poirot). Yet I still believe that Poirot is one of the most formidable characters of English literature. Too bad Dame Agathe got tired of him : neither Marple nor Ariadne Oliver could replace him.

Faszinierendes Werk der alten Dame. Hat mich schwer beeindruckt...

Es de los mejores de Agatha Christie y coincide con las razones por las cuales ella lo recomienda como de sus favoritos