Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

I was in the mood for an Hercule Poirot mystery, so I got Evil Under the Sunby Agatha Christie. It’s one of the earlier Christies, written in 1941. Poirot is on vacation and before you know it, he finds himself in the middle of a murder. Arlena Stuart is strangled, and the husband, Kenneth Marshall, looks like a good suspect. He could see that Arlena was flirting with Patrick Redfern, and everyone is sure that the romance has to be getting under Marshall’s skin. However, Marshall appears to have an alibi. Redfern also has an alibi. Redfern’s wife, Christina, also has an alibi because she is with Marshall’s teenage daughter, Linda. Linda is acting guilty, probably because she hated her step-mother. But could a young girl strangle a grown woman? It looks as if the only person who could have committed the crime is a mentally troubled priest or an anonymous drug dealer.

I really enjoyed the book. Unlike some of the other Christie mysteries, there is only one murder. If you pay close attention, all the clues to the murder are there. This book was also made into a movie, starting Peter Ustinov as Poirot. The movie also stars Diana Rigg as Arlena Stuart. The book was a quick and enjoyable read, and I found it to be a pleasant way to spend a snowy weekend.