Ah, spy thrillers. We’ve all read at least one (I hope). And they’re jolly good. But this time I’m bringing a book that I must call a frolick, rather than a thriller. Agatha Christie’s Destination Unknown is the 16th book in the 24 in 2024 challenge, and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Plot summary
Famous scientists are disappearing from all over the Western world. The British secret service thinks the communists are behind it, but can’t find any of them behind the iron curtain. Meanwhile, Hilary Craven has reached rock bottom. She heads to Morocco, hoping to end it all. But on the way to death, she becomes embroiled in a dark plot that could change the world forever.
This spy novel is jolly fun but not really a brain teaser
I’ve admit to hamming up that plot summary a bit. But I can’t help it. Destination Unknown just feels a bit hammy. In a good way. Unlike a few of the other spy thrillers I’ve read by Christie, this one was quite an enjoyable read. It wasn’t too crazy, and I felt there was a bit more movement to the plot. However, it certainly doesn’t have quite the brain teaser ability of her crime novels. It’s just a little too out there as well. Great fun for a wet afternoon when you are happy to suspend disbelief. But not quite on the scale of her Poirots or Marples.
I am coming to the conclusion that spy thrillers weren’t Christie’s métier. Odd perhaps, for a crime writer. You would think that if you could create strong mysteries with crime, doing it with spies would be easy enough. But perhaps this is where ‘write what you know’ comes into it. The crime novels are steeped in a world that Christie knew so well, she could paint it for you in a few phrases. You believe in the setting and the characters because she can craft them so effortlessly.
With spy novels, she’s a little out of her depth. She wasn’t immersed in MI5 or the Cold War as deeply, and as such I think her works from that era aren’t quite on the same level. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still a fun read. But they’re not quite as real.
So, if you’re looking for a tricky mystery, this probably isn’t it. But if you’d like a spy thriller with less of the thrill, Destination Unknown is absolutely the book for you.
