Common Denominator in Christie Books

jennifer

I just thought of a new type of Trivia Game, but it would come with huge SPOILER ALERTS.  Name 2 books (or more) in which AC uses the same clue or same idea.  Example:  What item appears as a clue in both And Then There Were None and Death in the Air?

Or, you could name the item/object/action that she uses, and everyone tries to guess the 2 books.   Is anyone interested?  If so, who can answer my example question?

Tommy_A_Jones

How about this Murder On The Links and Dumb Witness both start because Poirot receives  letters from people 

jennifer

Yeah Tommy  - books that have things in common - except you could phrase it like, "Which cases began where Poirot received a letter from the eventual victim?"  

I have a book about AC's notebooks, and they have all kinds of things like that listed.  

This would be a SPOILER ALERT question:

In which cases did the killer dress up or impersonate someone else?

StathisZavitsanos

@Jennifer  its a big answer 

SPOILERS!!!

Lord Edgar Dies

Murder in Mesopotamia

And Then Were None

The man in the Brown Suit 

The blue train

Peril at End House

Murder on the Orient Express 

Death in the Clouds

Evil Under the Sun

Sparking Cyanide

Taken at the Flood 

A Murder is Announced 

After the Funeral 

Dead Man’s Folly

Cat Among the Pigeons

A Caribbean Mystery 

By the Pricking of My Thumbs 

Curtain 

jennifer

Good job Stathis - yes, definitely a Christie favorite!  For And Then There Were None, were you thinking of the impersonation of a dead body?  

This question is a tricky one, and also a SPOILER ALERT!!

What do the story lines of Appointment with Death and The Hollow have in common with each other?

Let's start with that...I will give clues tomorrow if no one comes up with a good answer.

anne.clough.3

I can see a similarity between Midge from the Hollow and Raymond from Appointment with Death as both are desperately unhappy with life and find love and an escape from that misery during the course of the murder investigation.

Also I found I had no sympathy for the murder victims in both these. I thought they were emotionally abusive to members of their family.

StathisZavitsanos

Jennifer

SPOILERS!!!

I mean the murerer of the nine guests at the Island who impersonates mr Owen

Tommy_A_Jones

Towards Zero's Mary Aldin and The Hollow's Midge remind me of each other, SPOILER although Midge isn't the lady's Companion they seem to have the same sought of personality and Midge could act as a Companion.

jennifer

Hi all - my similarities of The Hollow and Appt. With Death both stem from the loyalty of family.  What did all the Boyntons do in Appt. that the extended family of Gerta (Gerda?)'s do in both mysteries?

I like anne's idea of unhappiness and finding love too!

No one answered my first question - both Death in the Air and ATTWN contained a "bee" as a clue!

SPOILER ALERT:

Here's one with several answers - which novels ended with the suicide of the killer?

Tommy_A_Jones

Appointment With Death, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Death On The Nile, Dumb Witness, Peril At End House, Nemesis

StathisZavitsanos

@Jennifer I cannot remember any bee in And Then Were None. 

anne.clough.3

Tommy_A_Jones said:

Appointment With Death, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Death On The Nile, Dumb Witness, Peril At End House, Nemesis

Also The Hollow and And Then there Were None", if I remember correctly.

Spoilers

I know in The Hollow the killer tried to kill the person who knew about their guilt and was protecting them, but when that didn't work out didn't they then kill themselves?

Tommy_A_Jones

SPOILER ALERT When Miss Brent went to make a Meal wasn't she stung by a Bee?

jennifer

Stathis:  Six little soldier boys playing with a hive, A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.  Chapter 12 - Emily Brent.  Although she wasn't stung, the bee was on the windowpane and Vera had alluded to the bees earlier.  A syringe was used instead of the stinger.

jennifer

How many different titles in the Christie canon contain the word murder?  Count only full-length works.

StathisZavitsanos

@Jennifer

BIG NOVELS

Murder on the Links

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Murder at the Vicarage

Murder at Littlegreen House

Murder on the Orient Express or Murder in the Calais Coach

Murder in Mesopotamia

Murder in Three Acts

Murder for Christmas or A Holiday for Murder

Murder Is Easy

The Patriotic Murders

Murder in Retrospect

Murder after Hours

The ABC Murders or The Alphabet Murders

A Murder is Announced

Sleeping Murder

Murder With Mirrors

SHORT STORIES

Murder in the Mews

Tape-Measure Murder

Tommy_A_Jones

I personal wouldn't include;

Murder In Three Acts

Murder For Christmas

Murder In Retrospect

Murder After Hours

Murder With Mirrors

As The Books weren't Publishd Originally as those titles in Britain, by the way, which one is Murder After Hours?

StathisZavitsanos

Tommy_A_Jones 

"Murder After Hours" is the alternative title for "The Hollow"

Tommy_A_Jones

Thank you, what an odd title, A Lesurely Death or Death Of a Doctor would be better.

shana

Obviously, MURDER is what AC wrote about so it will be a very common word in her titles. Also titles with the words "mystery" and "missing" abound in her work, as does the frequent use of colors. Personally i find the titles sans the obvious words more interesting.
Looking at the content of her stories: trains, poisons, letters, newspapers, ill-only-in their-head-persons seeking too much attention, retired army types, adopted children are a few common denominators that come to mind.

Tommy_A_Jones

If you are going to be as exact as That you must also include, Vicars, Doctors, Scotland Yard Detectives, Sinsters, Widows, Double-barrelled names, Army Colonels, Pretty Young Things, Lords and Marquis's, Their Daughters, Characters who read Detective Fiction, Bridge and Golf.

StathisZavitsanos

That's a difficult one

In how many novels of AC do we have the murderer who has altered his identity