harpercollins Tag

17 Sep

Posted at 16:56h in fiction
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This is another book from my favourite author Agathe Christie and it was her 130 birth anniversary on 15th September and  I had a special post on my Instagram page. A true Queen of Crime! I haven't read another author with so much calibre for crime thrillers. This book brought tears to my eyes not that it is a bad book, but the reason why the crime was committed. The plot goes as this, there is a cocktail party arranged by the gorgeous actress Marina Gregg when she moves into a new town where Miss Marple stays. In this lavish party almost all the townspeople are invited. One among them, Ms Heather Badcock is overly excited to meet her movie idol and then she goes on and on how she first met her. But the next second we find her lying dead after getting a severe seizure because she drank the poisoned cocktail.  It seems that the cocktail was meant for Marina Gregg but why was she a target. As the police are absolutely clueless, Miss Marple unwinds the cobwebs and the deepest darkest secrets that lie in that house to reveal the true murderer. I haven't much to say other than this is one of my favourite Miss Marple's series. I am more of Hercule Poirot fan! The book is a one time read and not something that you would take to re-read especially if you have a reading slum. I give this book a rating of 3.5 out of 5...

10 Sep

Posted at 11:34h in fiction
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The Mysterious Affair at Styles, the first book where the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is introduced. The narrator in the book is by one Mr. Hastings who knows both the family that's involved in the murder and the detective. The book revolves around the Cavendish family who stays at their country place, Styles Court. The main characters are Mrs.Inglethorp ,her two stepsons John and Lawrence. Accompanied by John's wife Mary, Cynthia and Evelyn who is a constant personality in Mrs. Inglethorp's life. Everything was going smoothly until Mrs. Inglethorp decided to get hitched with Alfred who is 20 years younger to her and everyone knew the obvious reasons why this young man married this old lady, her immense wealth and the fantastic property! When Hastings comes to visit his old friend John Cavendish, the entire household seems tensed about something. In the middle of the second night of his stay, Mrs Inglethorp had an unfortunate incident that lead to her ingenious murder! Everything gets out of control when the family members realise that Mrs.Inglethorp died due to poisoning. And then we have the entry of Hercule Poirot and then let's say you should read it to find out who the culprit is! Though from the beginning it's so obvious who the culprit is, but no way you can be sure of what you think and I can guarantee this book is a good read! ...

10 Sep

Posted at 11:23h in fiction
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'It is romantic, yes, it is peaceful. The sun shines. The sea is blue. But you forget, Miss Brewster, there is evil everywhere under the sun.'- Hercule Poirot A beautiful beach resort at Leathercombe bay where old and young couples along with Hercule Poirot comes for a vacation. Everyone was happy and was having the best time of their life until a family, Kenneth Marshall his wife, Arlena Stuart & his daughter Linda arrived! The minute Arlena Stuart stepped in with her beautiful bronzed body everyone including Hercule Poirot couldn't take off their eyes from her exquisite beauty! And then the happiness of all the customers at the resort took a bad turn when a body was found on the beach and it was none other than Arlena Stuart! Almost all the customers who were there had a motive to kill Arlena Stuart, yet the true murderer is a cunning devil! The murder was done in broad daylight and no one saw or heard the cries of the poor Arlena. Yet it is Hercule Poirot who solves the case. The little grey cells as he says, we should often use them for our well being. The world is rushing to find a vaccine for the pandemic that we are facing. I sincerely hope we find one soon before this corona murders us all! ...

03 Sep

Posted at 05:58h in non fiction
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Before we delve into the review of the book, we must talk about the author Manu S. Pillai. He is been my favorite author from the time I read this book. He is truly a gem in this era in the field of historical non-fiction novels. There are also many webinars that he takes part in and his knowledge about Indian History is mind-blowing. He has an Instagram account @waatcoconut where he posts most of his recent work and also historical paintings which is a delight for both his fans and followers. This is his first book and his two other marvelous books that is equally spellbinding. Now, let us start with a review of the book. The book is divided into 20 chapters: A Painter Prince The Queen of the Kupakas Three Consorts The Second Favorite Her Highness The Maharajah A Christian Minister Malice Domestique Tea and Troubles The Boudoir Dewan Black Magic In Letters of Gold Mother and Son La Revanche A Real Little Grande Dame A Palace Coup The Ultimate Eclipse The Villain of the Piece Rivers of Blood The Reluctant Princess Once I Had a Kingdom Each chapter is more interesting than the next one! Each page is wound into a wonderful marvel, too exotic to be true! The author has done absolute justice in the retelling of the extraordinary life of the last and forgotten queen of the house of Royal Travancore. The Kings and Queens of the Royal Travancore House is the epitome of class! So different...

02 Sep

Posted at 08:49h in fiction
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'Hercule Poirot delves back into the past and discovers that old sins leave long shadows.' Welcome to yet another review of Hercule Poirot's decoding of crime. As you already know the author of the book is none other than my favorite Agatha Christie. Now without further adieu let's jump directly into the review. As the title suggests let me break the bubble that this book has no elephants in it but an old memory surfaces and just like an elephant, certain memories stay etched in our minds. When Mrs. Oliver( a writer I presume) goes to a luncheon that had invited all the great literary artists of the time, she meets with one Mrs. Burton Cox. This lady approaches Mrs. Oliver with no particular warning and starts bombarding questions about her goddaughter Celia Ravenscroft who is going to marry her son. The talks about her Goddaughter brought her a special warmth but all that vanished when Mrs. Burton Cox asked if Celia's mother killed her father or vice versa! This left Mrs. Oliver completely speechless and said she has no clue about this matter whatsoever. But even after the luncheon, this did not leave her mind and at once she went to visit her dear friend, our Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The events that follow after this is so twisted as it's quite impossible to believe how can true love be a reason for a horrible crime.The book is good but not good enough compared to other Hercule Poirot books. With that said I would like to add that...

02 Sep

Posted at 08:27h in fiction
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'This crime is so complicated that it must be quite simple', declares Hercule Poirot. Ah yes, Hercule Poirot! The author of the book is none other than my personal favorite Agatha Christie. So we all know it a murder mystery and I am a total addict to them. As I have read and have most of her books I will be adding their reviews one by one on my website. It's better late than never right! Before we dive into the review let me assure you that though I am a die-hard fan of Agatha Christie my review of her books is unbiased. With that cleared let's start with the review of 'The Clocks'. We have the narrative of Mr. Colin Lamb who is in the police department. He was an innocent passer-by on the street Wilbraham Crescent when suddenly a girl ramped onto him screaming there is a dead man's body with an old woman walking around him! When he reached the address the girl gave him, he saw a blind old lady Miss Millicent Pebmarsh who owned the house was standing with blood-stained clothes. The girl was right! There was a dead body but the most inquisitive part was the different clocks placed around his body. When Mr. Lamb questioned the girl Sheila Webb of why she was in the house, she said that Miss Pebmarsh had called in their center to send help. But Ms. Pebmarsh denies this statement and says she is completely capable of looking after herself. The police are baffled with the...