The Secret of Chimneys

"The Secret of Chimneys" is one of Agatha Christie's mysteries that does not feature her famous sleuths Hercule Poriot or Miss Marple. Rather the main character, Anthony Cade, works as an amateur sleuth to solve a very confounding mystery. While some elements of the plot are rather improbable, "The Secret of Chimneys" is a thoroughly enjoyable and charming puzzle of a mystery to solve. The reader first meets Anthony Cade as a tour guide in Africa. By chance he meets up with his old friend, James McGrath, who asks him to carry out a favor for him. Anthony agrees and travels to England, under the guise of being James McGrath, to deliver the memoirs of a dead statesman as well as a packet of letters that had been used to blackmail a married woman. Anthony has no idea how interesting both packages he carries are, and finds himself accosted and ransacked for the packages he has in his possession. His efforts at delivery and to get to the bottom of why everyone seems to want the information in his possession leads him to a house called Chimneys. But just as he arrives, a foreign prince is murdered and Anthony Cade finds himself a likely suspect. He sticks around in an effort to clear his name and finds a murder mystery unlike any other. "The Secret of Chimneys" abounds with Christie's trademarks - mistaken identities, disguises, more twists than a corkscrew. It is filled with political intrigue, not something Christie always carried off very well but that works in this piece, if one can suspend disbelief and believe in a country called Herzoslovakia. "The Secret of Chimneys" will keep readers guessing and re-guessing to the very end. It is a perfect lighthearted, frothy mystery read, even if the descriptions on the back of the book do not match up to the action that unfolds within.

I have read every Agatha Christie novel and short story multiple times, and there are many that I love, but The Secret of Chimneys is my absolute favorite. The characters are fun, the plot is interesting, and there are passages that never fail to amuse me. I admit I've read this book so many times that I can point out little slip-ups, but I couldn't care less. The Secret of Chimneys is Agatha Christie's third novel, and I find that I enjoy her earlier novels most, as some of the later ones are darker and can ramble. Fun is generally not a word I associate with murder mysteries, but it applies to this book: intrigue, romance, humor and a few murders are a fabulous combination.

While I wouldn't count this my favorite Agatha Christie book, it was very well done. The mystery was clever, I enjoyed the characters and the story very much, and it was brought to a close in a very satisfying way. Christie has this amazing talent of making a cool mystery while also having a great setting with believable characters; this is just as evident in the Secret of Chimneys. These Agatha Christie mysteries are also recommended: And Then There Were None, Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express, Appointment With Death, and Taken at the Flood.

This 1925 novel begins in Africa with the chance meeting of two old friends, young men out to see the world. As they catch up with each other they discover that one is working at a job he hates and the other wants to be in two places at once. Since they resemble each other at least superficially one decides to impersonate the other. When the imposter, Anthony Cade, arrives in England he has two errands to complete for his friend, Jimmy McGrath, the first to deliver a manuscript and the other to return a package of indiscrete letters to a lady. Cade is soon swept up in a tangle of intrigue that leads him to one of England most famous 'Stately Homes' - Chimneys.At Chimneys all the various threads come together involving state secrets, murder, secret passages, secret societies and romance. All is well in the end setting the stage for the return of Chimneys and its delightful resident family in the SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY. This is a comic mystery story with many of the characters and much of the plot sounding as much P. G. Wodehouse as Agatha Christie. For those looking for a serious mystery look else where. There is no Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple (although Superintendant Battle makes his first appearance) here but instead a delightful departure from Christie's usual style

Secret of Chimneys is my 2nd all time favorite of Christie, after Death Comes As The End. Many would choose her works like And Then There Were None or The Murder On Orion Express as their favorite but for me the story in Secret Of Chimneys was more satisfying. Maybe the murder is not as intense as the two I mentioned, but it was really such a fun story. And I mean, fun! The ending was surprising but hey, that's all you expect when you pick up a Christie novel right?