The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie
This is maybe the fourth time I've read The Secret of Chimneys. It's not a top tier Christie - first of all, it really isn't a puzzle mystery. It straddles the line between straight mystery and thriller. The clues are obscure, sometimes to the point of impenetrability, Christie hasn't mastered either pacing or character in this early offering, and there are a lot of cliches here.
The thing about Chimneys, though, is that it is solid gold British comfort read for me. As a mystery it is lacking, but as a part of my personal golden age canon, it has all of the elements: Edwardian English country house party, international cast of characters, bright young things, comfortable old aristocrats, beautiful grounds and landscape, royalty in disguise, references to political turmoil in faraway places.
In this time of tension and stress, Christie is the author who provides me with refuge. With 66 full length mysteries/thrillers, there is a Christie for every emotion. I turned to Bundle Brent and Chimneys for just that reason - and next, I'll continue with the Bundle duology by reading The Seven Dials Mystery.
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