There’s not a lot of character development for the six “return” characters you don’t learn much more about them than what you would have gathered in The Secret of Chimneys. Christie does reflect that world extremely convincingly and you can just see in your mind’s eye those rather vacuous characters having the time of their lives, with authority figures like Battle trying to keep them on the straight and narrow with affectionate indulgence.

The tone of the book is once more that of jolly trendy young things making the most of their 1920s opportunities, dancing to the wireless, driving recklessly, getting their man to buy them guns, that sort of thing. The good superintendent will come back to solve three more mysteries before his time is out the other characters never return to Christie-land. The book is described as a sequel to The Secret of Chimneys and re-introduces us to our heroine Bundle, her slightly eccentric father Lord Caterham, our trusty police officer Superintendent Battle, Under-Secretary for State for Foreign Affairs George Lomax and his assistant Bill, and the ever-reliable butler Tredwell. This book is far below the standard set by Agatha Christie’s earlier stories.” Worst of all, the solution itself is utterly preposterous. Interestingly, it wasn’t particularly well received critically at the time in particular, the New York Times Book Review was very damning: “She has held out information which the reader should have had, and, not content with scattering false clues with a lavish hand, she has carefully avoided leaving any clues pointing to the real criminal. It’s not a question of the characters, I just found the plot immensely tedious. I found it really hard work, leaving it to one side for days and days with no interest in picking it back up. I have to say, I think it shows as I found re-reading this book much more of a bind than a pleasure. In her autobiography, Christie described this book as one of her “light-hearted thriller types”, saying it was easy to write as it didn’t require too much plotting or planning.

As usual, you can read at ease, I promise I won’t reveal those secret identities if you haven’t read it yet! In which we pay a return visit to the grand country mansion of Chimneys and get re-acquainted with “Bundle” Brent, that typical Christie bold adventuress who, with her friends, helps to expose the activities of the secret “Seven Dials” society, uncover the identity of its head, the mysterious No.

The seven dials mystery