Last weekend I spent a lot of time in the airport and Elephants can Remember was a welcome companion. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, especially since I wasn’t quite as thrilled with Passenger to Frankfurt. This is book four of the 24 in 2024 reading challenge. Which is amazing, considering we’re still in the first month of the year. New books are just too exciting!
Plot summary
The famous crime writer, Ariadne Oliver becomes embroiled in a murder from the past at a literary luncheon. More than ten years ago, a couple were found dead on a cliff near their house, shot through the head. Did the husband shoot the wife and then himself? Did the wife shoot the husband and then take her own life? And why would a happily married couple do such a thing?
With the aid of Hercule Poirot, Mrs Oliver goes back in time to discover the meaning behind the tragedy, and hopefully free a young couple from the shadow of the past.
An enjoyable murder to remember
Ah, yes! This is the short of Agatha I enjoy. It too is one of her later stories, but very enjoyable. Not at all given to strange theories like her spy thrillers. I enjoyed the unfolding of the story. It was also interesting to watch a murder being solved years after the case. It makes for a different kind of investigation.
As I was reading, I vaguely remembered the plot. Not because I’d read this before, but because I’d watched it before. BBC made a version of this book, but I think they mashed it up with another story. I was a little disappointed that I remembered the plot. Even though the BBC version was different, it did give away the general plot. So, I wasn’t able to enjoy the surprise ending quite as much. However, even knowing the ending didn’t detract from the enjoyment of this read.
I think that’s the loveliness of these books. You can devour them happily in airports, on trains and during sleepy hot afternoons. Whether you’ve read them before or not, they will still be enjoyable. They’re a trip to another world in a lighthearted, clean way. And I think there’s always room for that kind of reading!
