Status
Checked out
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Publication
Samuel French, Inc. (2014), 108 pages
Description
Sir Claud Amory's formula for a powerful new explosive has been stolen, presumably by a member of his large household. Sir Claud assembles his suspects in the library and locks the door, instructing them that the when the lights go out, the formula must be replaced on the table -- and no questions will be asked. But when the lights come on, Sir Claud is dead. Now Hercule Poirot, assisted by Captain Hastings and Inspector Japp, must unravel a tangle of family feuds, old flames, and suspicious foreigners to find the killer and prevent a global catastrophe.
User reviews
LibraryThing member sgerbic
Reviewed Nov 1999
How exciting to find a “new” Christie that I haven’t read. How disappointing to find out that the stolen document was in the same place that a missing letter was in “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” and I knew it as soon as the fireplace spills were mentioned. Also
How exciting to find a “new” Christie that I haven’t read. How disappointing to find out that the stolen document was in the same place that a missing letter was in “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” and I knew it as soon as the fireplace spills were mentioned. Also
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disappointing was on page 49-50...”turning his back to Lucia, the secretary took some tablets from his pocket and dropped them into the cup he was holding.” So from that point on I knew who the murderer was. i understand that Christie originally wrote this as a play so everything needed to be included. But did Osborne need to include it? Show Less
LibraryThing member EmScape
I kept thinking that this would make a really excellent play. Come to find out, from the afterword, that it actually was a play, adapted to novel form by the author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie. This is fortunate, because, really it would be better seen than read.
This tale seemed
This is actually only the second Agatha Christie novel I've read, the first being And Then There Were None, which I read after playing a computer game adapted from that novel. I've really got to read an actual Agatha Christie book without an adaptation. I'd then have a better feel for her writing, and be able to compare this better to her other work.
This tale seemed
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quite sophomoric and the murderer was revealed to any careful reader near the beginning of the book. I kept thinking it would turn out differently in the end, or perhaps I'd read it wrong, but apparently I hadn't. Disappointing. This is actually only the second Agatha Christie novel I've read, the first being And Then There Were None, which I read after playing a computer game adapted from that novel. I've really got to read an actual Agatha Christie book without an adaptation. I'd then have a better feel for her writing, and be able to compare this better to her other work.
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LibraryThing member drbubbles
Ugh. A novelization of a play, and it totally reads like it. Osborne, the novelizer, took what I imagine were Christie's lines, turned them into paragraphs, and connected them with stage directions in paragraph form.
LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is a 1998 novelisation of a play Agatha Christie wrote early in her career and which was performed in 1930. It concerns theft of a formula for an explosive devised by scientist Sir Claud Amory, and then murder as he is poisoned by a member of his household, just as Hercule Poirot arrives,
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called in by Sir Claud to investigate the theft. This is a classic locked room mystery, but I found the characters uniformly rather irritating. As in a number of other Christie novels, nationalist stereotypes of the time against Italians in particular, grate rather. I found Captain Hastings' character completely pointless here - he contributes nothing whatsoever to the plot. Poirot comes across as rather more arrogant than usual as well. Overall, definitely not one of my favourite Christies, though it functions as well as ever as a lightweight page turner. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookAngel_a
Frankly I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this. There, plainly, in print, the murderer was given away in the first 50 pages of the book! Maybe I wasn't supposed to figure it out, but the murderer's actions were described quite plainly. I was disappointed. But then I thought: Maybe it had to be
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this way because it was a novel adapted from a play. In the play, obviously, the murderer's actions would be described so the actors could act - it was up to the audience to pick up on it. And I was the audience, and I DID pick up on it. But honestly, a die-hard Christie fan like myself HAS to read this book because so many beloved characters are there: Poirot, Hastings, Inspector Japp, etc. So reading the book is like going back to old friends that you thought you bid adieu. The 3 books Osborne adapted as novels are like the "lost Agatha Christie novels". Show Less
LibraryThing member storyjunkie
A very quick read, this "novel" shows its origins as a stage production very clearly. As is required for a stage production, there are a limited number of players and layers available to the story, and Osborne did not embellish with any additional ones, nor should he have. Poirot is in fine style,
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and the mystery is intriguing with just a hint of wider-world implications. Show Less
LibraryThing member mstrust
I would suggest the reader of Black Coffe remind themselves repeatedly that this is not entirely her work and therefore not her fault. There is too much of a feeling of staging for this to work as a novel. Every step is presented for the reader/audience to see so that the mystery isn't a mystery at
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all. Most jolting to me were the theatrical gasps/screams and near faints from the fragile female characters which harken back to the olden days of theatre. Show Less
LibraryThing member agdbk
No one should ever attempt to write as Dame Christie. It's a crime that the cover of this book will lead many to think this is Christie writing. It is not Christie and it's not good.
LibraryThing member lsh63
It's obvious that this book is in fact based on a play. Perhaps it should have been left that way. I found this book to be a very quick effortless read, mainly to get it over with and that one did not have to pay too much attention to the detail.
LibraryThing member benfulton
I disapprove of authors without the creativity to come up with their own characters. But at least this adaptation doesn't claim to be new prose; it's rather based on a play that Dame Christie wrote early in her career. As such, and like most novels that are based on movies, it is a very light read
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and you can knock it it out in very little time. To enjoy it fully, imagine that it is a play rather than a book: visualize the stage, the actors moving across it. Imagine Poirot with all his foibles walking in front of you, interviewing the suspects, unmasking the killer at the end. But above all, don't ask for too much from this book. Just enjoy what it can give you. Show Less
LibraryThing member debnance
I’m not much of a mystery reader, but I’ve never read Agatha Christie and I wanted to, so thus, this book. I read the first fifty pages in a flash. This is not what I’d expected from Agatha, I thought. This is light reading. Lots of dialogue, minimal action.As I looked more carefully at the
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book, I found out why. Despite the enormous AGATHA CHRISTIE written on the front cover, Black Coffee, the book, was not actually written by Christie. It is derived from a play Christie wrote, but it was actually written as a book by someone else. So, have I read Christie or haven’t I? I think not. I must still seek out a Christie for the whole experience. Black Coffee was watered down Christie. Show Less
LibraryThing member Venqat65
This book is an adaptation of an Agatha Christie play. It was made into a novel by Charles Osborne. Although in the foreward, Mathew Prichard states that the book reads as if Christie had written it herself, I did not concur.
The book was good, but I felt it lacked the certain twinkle that Christie
While I was happy to read a "new" Christie book, I really can't say that it became a favorite.
The book was good, but I felt it lacked the certain twinkle that Christie
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added to her books. Poirot captured my interest a bit less--and he rarely mentioned his mustaches in this book! The storyline itself resembled so many that I have read before. Of course I do realize that all the others I have read may have stolen their ideas from Miss Christie's original play! Still, there just seemed nothing extremely special about the book.While I was happy to read a "new" Christie book, I really can't say that it became a favorite.
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LibraryThing member LorrieH
A strange experience - this book has Christie's plot & characters but there is no depth -it's a shadow of a Christie novel.
LibraryThing member miss_scarlet
Though not completely written by Agathie Christie herself, it is a faithful likeness to her writing. Just as good as any other novel of hers.
LibraryThing member lizzybeans11
Another great Christie mystery. Poirot is called to the house of a scientist friend who needs the impeccable detective to solve the mystery of a theft - and then murder.
This was originally a play and was novelized well after Christie's death. The play had a good run but wasn't as successful as some
This was originally a play and was novelized well after Christie's death. The play had a good run but wasn't as successful as some
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of her other plays. Although the novelization wasn't strictly penned by her, it still fits very well within the Poirot cannon. Show Less
LibraryThing member moonshineandrosefire
Belgian private detective Hercule Poirot and his friend and detecting partner Captain Arthur Hastings receive an urgent call for help from renowned physicist Sir Claud Amory. Sir Claud is absolutely convinced that a member of his own household is attempting to steal a secret formula created by Sir
Now, the renowned private detective must discover who among the mansion's occupants has become desperate enough to kill Sir Claud. Hercule Poirot uncovers a potent brew of despair, treachery, and deception as he tries to identify the murderer and locate the missing formula. Black Coffee by Agatha Christie was very good and I give it an A+! However, for the first time in reading an Agatha Christie mystery, I knew who the murderer was before I had finished reading the book. :)
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Claud, and destined for use by the Ministry of Defense. Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings travel to Sir Claud's sprawling mansion, only to discover that the famed physicist has been poisoned by his after-dinner coffee. The formula is also missing.Now, the renowned private detective must discover who among the mansion's occupants has become desperate enough to kill Sir Claud. Hercule Poirot uncovers a potent brew of despair, treachery, and deception as he tries to identify the murderer and locate the missing formula. Black Coffee by Agatha Christie was very good and I give it an A+! However, for the first time in reading an Agatha Christie mystery, I knew who the murderer was before I had finished reading the book. :)
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
The seventh work by Christie to feature retired Belgian detective Hercule Poirot was written as a play, after Christie had been dissatisfied with the dramatization of an earlier work and decided she would write a play herself. Some twenty years after her death, former actor Charles Osborne was
Hercule Poirot is asked to come to the country estate of Sir Claud Amory to unmask the traitor in his midst. Amory is a famous scientist and has been working on a formula for a new explosive for the government – a weapon that would change the course of war. He wants Poirot to come to his home, and take the formula to the Ministry of Defense. But mere minutes before Poirot’s arrival, Sir Claude is dead – was it a heart attack, or poison? And where is the missing formula?
Most of the elements of a classic Poirot “locked room” mystery are here: a country estate, a variety of characters / suspects, a mysterious secret (or two, or three), and Poirot’s amazing “little gray cells.” The dialogue is typical Christie, but the connective tissue of the novel lacks her sparkle. If anything it seems “over” dramatized.
Still, it’s a quick read, and moderately enjoyable. I didn’t figure it out much ahead of Poirot’s reveal (Poirot, of course, had it figured out long before I did).
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hired by her heirs to novelize the work. Hercule Poirot is asked to come to the country estate of Sir Claud Amory to unmask the traitor in his midst. Amory is a famous scientist and has been working on a formula for a new explosive for the government – a weapon that would change the course of war. He wants Poirot to come to his home, and take the formula to the Ministry of Defense. But mere minutes before Poirot’s arrival, Sir Claude is dead – was it a heart attack, or poison? And where is the missing formula?
Most of the elements of a classic Poirot “locked room” mystery are here: a country estate, a variety of characters / suspects, a mysterious secret (or two, or three), and Poirot’s amazing “little gray cells.” The dialogue is typical Christie, but the connective tissue of the novel lacks her sparkle. If anything it seems “over” dramatized.
Still, it’s a quick read, and moderately enjoyable. I didn’t figure it out much ahead of Poirot’s reveal (Poirot, of course, had it figured out long before I did).
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LibraryThing member KnittyGritty
Go back to the 1940's & the elegant living of the upper class. Typical Agatha Christie/Hercule Poirot plot & attention to detail. As usual, the butler DIDN'T do it!
LibraryThing member antiquary
This is a novel by Charles Osborne based on a play by Agatha Christie. I have not read the play, so I cannot judge how much of this is genuine Christie. The obvious assumption would be that the plot and the dialogue, at least, would be hers.
LibraryThing member bbbart
Again, a nice murder mystery sprouted from Christie's imagination. However, one can tell that this one was particularly written as a theatre play, and only later transcribed into a novel.
3 stars is perhaps a bit on the low end for this little story, but it doesn't deserve 4 either, when you compare
3 stars is perhaps a bit on the low end for this little story, but it doesn't deserve 4 either, when you compare
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it to it's peers on the Poirot shelf. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
The play Black Coffee apparently got a very unenthusiastic reception from Agatha Christie's publishers after she presented it to therm in 1928, but it was eventually staged in 1930. In 1931 it was filmed. The play was "novelised" by Charles Osborne as a novel in 1998.
Really what Osborne has done is
The astute reader knows from the moment it happens who is responsible for poisoning Sir Claud. I presume the theatre audience also knew, as they saw it happen. The suspense lies in the idea of whether Hercule Poirot will solve the puzzle.
I don't think that, in creating the 'novelisation' of the play that Charles Osborne would not have strayed very far from the original wording of either the dialogue or the stage directions of the original play. There is a feeling of looking at a stage set. The result is a rather peculiar flatness to the novel, both the plots and the characters lacking depth. It is an authentic Poirot and the plot contains similarities to other novels and stories.
For me perhaps the most useful part of the e-book version is the last 10% of the book which is devoted to a short summary of each of the original Poirot novels.
Really what Osborne has done is
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convert the dialogue and stage directions into a narrative but for me it retained that play script feeling. The setting is May 1934 and Poirot is ostensibly retired. He is contacted by Sir Claud Amory, a famous atomic scientist, who asks Poirot to visit him at his country house as he believes a member of his household is attempting to steal the formula he has created for a new and deadly explosive. He then asks Poirot ot come a day earlier, but by the time Poirot gets there Amory is dead.The astute reader knows from the moment it happens who is responsible for poisoning Sir Claud. I presume the theatre audience also knew, as they saw it happen. The suspense lies in the idea of whether Hercule Poirot will solve the puzzle.
I don't think that, in creating the 'novelisation' of the play that Charles Osborne would not have strayed very far from the original wording of either the dialogue or the stage directions of the original play. There is a feeling of looking at a stage set. The result is a rather peculiar flatness to the novel, both the plots and the characters lacking depth. It is an authentic Poirot and the plot contains similarities to other novels and stories.
For me perhaps the most useful part of the e-book version is the last 10% of the book which is devoted to a short summary of each of the original Poirot novels.
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LibraryThing member BrokenTune
"‘George,’ he called, ‘please take my heavy tweed suit and my dinner jacket and trousers to the cleaners. I must have them back by Friday, as I am going to the Country for the Weekend.’ He made it sound like the Steppes of Central Asia and for a lifetime."
Tweed? No, I cannot....no to Poirot
I am all in favour of fan fiction, especially when it is done well. Unfortunately, Black Coffee fell flat on so many counts.
What is, in my opinion, even worse is that the book was authorised, even commissioned, by Christie's estate. Subsequently it was published as part of the official Agatha Christie catalogue. This is just plain wrong.
Christie did write the play Black Coffee in 1929 to experiment with play-writing herself after stage adaptations of her previous books failed to impress her. However, I guess she must have had her reasons for not developing this particular story into a full novel - although many, many elements in the story do appear in later stories.
Or maybe Charles Osborne would just regurgitate the tricks and techniques of Dame Agatha's better known works to cover his lack of imagination? After all, he did write the book some 20 years after Christie's death.
My dismay at Agatha Christie Ltd and the publishers for allowing this book to be published as part of the official series is not, however, solely because it is so obvious that it was a financial decision to milk the franchise.
I'm disliking that this book should be the best available work of fan fiction and should be worthy of publication - especially when readers may pick this up and actually think it was written by Christie.
The obvious lack in sincerity in Osborne's portrayal of the characters is downright upsetting. So, not only does he make Poirot wear tweeds, but he also turns him into something that he is not. For all of Poirot's eccentricities, the Poirot Christie had created may have had high standards but he has always had some empathy with other people.
"An inveterate snob, he was already predisposed in Sir Claud’s favour by virtue of his title. If he were to be found in Who’s Who, a volume in which the details of Poirot’s own career could also be discovered, then perhaps this Sir Claud was someone with a valid claim on his, Hercule Poirot’s, time and attention."
No. Just, no.
Tweed? No, I cannot....no to Poirot
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in tweeds.I am all in favour of fan fiction, especially when it is done well. Unfortunately, Black Coffee fell flat on so many counts.
What is, in my opinion, even worse is that the book was authorised, even commissioned, by Christie's estate. Subsequently it was published as part of the official Agatha Christie catalogue. This is just plain wrong.
Christie did write the play Black Coffee in 1929 to experiment with play-writing herself after stage adaptations of her previous books failed to impress her. However, I guess she must have had her reasons for not developing this particular story into a full novel - although many, many elements in the story do appear in later stories.
Or maybe Charles Osborne would just regurgitate the tricks and techniques of Dame Agatha's better known works to cover his lack of imagination? After all, he did write the book some 20 years after Christie's death.
My dismay at Agatha Christie Ltd and the publishers for allowing this book to be published as part of the official series is not, however, solely because it is so obvious that it was a financial decision to milk the franchise.
I'm disliking that this book should be the best available work of fan fiction and should be worthy of publication - especially when readers may pick this up and actually think it was written by Christie.
The obvious lack in sincerity in Osborne's portrayal of the characters is downright upsetting. So, not only does he make Poirot wear tweeds, but he also turns him into something that he is not. For all of Poirot's eccentricities, the Poirot Christie had created may have had high standards but he has always had some empathy with other people.
"An inveterate snob, he was already predisposed in Sir Claud’s favour by virtue of his title. If he were to be found in Who’s Who, a volume in which the details of Poirot’s own career could also be discovered, then perhaps this Sir Claud was someone with a valid claim on his, Hercule Poirot’s, time and attention."
No. Just, no.
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LibraryThing member judtheobscure
Disappointingly by the numbers with thin characterizations and not a particularly compelling mystery. I guess it was just an adaptation and lacks Christies flair.
LibraryThing member ChazziFrazz
Originally written as a play by Christie, Charles Osborne has adapted it into a novel.
This was a fast read and an enjoyable read. Close to Christie in style but not 100%, but then that is fine with me.
Physicist Sir Claud Amory has sent for Hercule Poirot to come and find who it is who wants to
Poirot is left to discern not only the thief but also the murderer. Being that Sir Claud was not well liked by almost everyone, there is a good list of suspects. Sir Claud's sister, son, daughter-in-law, niece, secretary, unexpected guest and even the butler are under Poirot's surveillance.
Each character has their reason for not being fond of Sir Claud, and each has to be eliminated.
Hastings, Poirot's old friend and partner in detecting, is along and so is Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard. Their appearance gives the book the feeling of Christie's older works.
A cozy and quick read.
This was a fast read and an enjoyable read. Close to Christie in style but not 100%, but then that is fine with me.
Physicist Sir Claud Amory has sent for Hercule Poirot to come and find who it is who wants to
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steal a valuable formula. Amory feels it is a family member who is living at the estate. Before Poirot can arrive, Sir Claud is dead...of poison.Poirot is left to discern not only the thief but also the murderer. Being that Sir Claud was not well liked by almost everyone, there is a good list of suspects. Sir Claud's sister, son, daughter-in-law, niece, secretary, unexpected guest and even the butler are under Poirot's surveillance.
Each character has their reason for not being fond of Sir Claud, and each has to be eliminated.
Hastings, Poirot's old friend and partner in detecting, is along and so is Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard. Their appearance gives the book the feeling of Christie's older works.
A cozy and quick read.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
Black Coffee was originally a 1930s play by Agatha Christie but this is a novelized version by Charles Osborne which was published in 1998. Although most of the writing is Christie's’, this new author has left his stamp on the book as well. Hercule Poirot, the Belgium detective, comes across
This story involves the poisoning of a prominent scientist at his country manor attended by the usual assortment of characters who all had a reason to want the man dead. By the process of elimination and close observation, Poirot points out the correct murderer to the police and is able to help a young couple put their suspicions of each other behind them.
Although this is certainly not one of my favorite Poirot stories, I did find the book a light, enjoyable read.
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quite British in this version and the usually placid Hastings calls Poirot out as an “arrogant snob” - words I do not believe that Ms. Christie would have allowed her character to utter.This story involves the poisoning of a prominent scientist at his country manor attended by the usual assortment of characters who all had a reason to want the man dead. By the process of elimination and close observation, Poirot points out the correct murderer to the police and is able to help a young couple put their suspicions of each other behind them.
Although this is certainly not one of my favorite Poirot stories, I did find the book a light, enjoyable read.
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Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 1999)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1930
Physical description
108 p.; 5 inches
ISBN
0573702349 / 9780573702341