Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Murder Is Easy

Lynda Upson

Agatha Christie at her finest

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 26, 2023

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Great book. A must read for her fans.

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Ruth Anderson

A creepy and compelling puzzle of a case!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 19, 2009

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In many ways Murder Is Easy reminded me of one of my favorite Christie novels, the Miss Marple outing The Moving Finger (Miss Marple Mysteries) . Both books draw back the curtain on seemingly tranquil, "ideal," English village life where everyone has secrets and no one is as they seem. Luke Fitzwilliam, newly retired from overseas police work, has a chance encounter with the eccentric Miss Fullerton on the London train. She tells him a fantastic tale of a murderer running loose in her village, knocking off people left and right - really too incredible to be believed. Or so Luke thinks, until he gets the news that his elderly informant was killed in a freak accident on the way to report her findings to Scotland Yard. He hatches a plan to pose as a friend's cousin writing a book on local customs, and goes to stay with his cousin Bridget, who turns out to be a stunning beauty engaged to the local bigwhig, Lord Easterfield. Not knowing who to trust, Luke joins forces with Bridget - but the murderer could be craftier than they think...

Most of my Agatha Christie reading has been confined to the Poirot or Marple novels, so it's always a treat to discover one of her standalones that delivers a good corker of a mystery. The pacing is excellent, and the way Christie introduces the cast of suspects, only to dismiss each in turn, is supberbly handled. Being something of a hopeless romantic (LOL), I loved the romantic, but atypical subplot between Bridget and Luke. They sparred and fought like crazy, but couldn't help falling for each other. :) And the last few chapters, where the murderer is revealed, are absolutely un-put-downable. With this book Christie created one of her creepiest, most disturbing villains, proving the revenge is a frightening dish best served cold. For all the pros, I did think the dialogue is a bit "clunky" and just does flow as well as some other Christie efforts I've read. But that's a small quibble, and certainly shouldn't detract one from reading what is a thoroughly enjoyable puzzler from Dame Agatha Christie.

9 people found this helpful

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C. M Mills

Murder is Easy provides multiple murders in a cosy English village of evil and mayhem in this Christie mystery from 1939

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 18, 2010

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Murder is Easy. However, writing great murder mysteries is not! Dame Agatha Christie was at the top of her game writing this excellent novel in the scary year of 1939. Dame Agatha proves again in this one that she is the Queen of Crime!
The intricate plot,with a cast of fascinating characters, concerns a series of horrible murders in the village of
Wychwood set in rural England. Luke Fitzwilliam has returned to Britain following several years in Malaysia. He meet Mrs Lavinia Fullerton on a train heading for London, The old lady is traveling to Scotland Yard to report a series of murders in Wychwood. She is murdered by being pushed in front of a speeding motor car. Luke is intrigued and decides to investigate the case. He enters into a romance with Bridget Conway, Together the pair team up to solve the crime. Who is the murderer? The weird Lord Easterfield who has many skeletons in his closet? Jim Harvey the local mechanic who was in love with the murdered Amy ? Old Major Horton whose shrewish wife was poisoned?
Honoria Waynflete who was made at Eastefield for jilting her and taking up with Bridget? Whodunit??? Read and it will be revealed unto thee!
The story has many twists and turns before the person guilty of the murders is uncovered in a spectacular ending which will chill the bones and bruise the frayed nerves of the reader!
Agatha Christie wrote in a simple style easy to understand. She makes it easy to keep the many characters straight as the clues are followed leading to the satisfying ending. This reviewer recently saw "Murder is Easy" on Masterpiece Mystery. The BBC film was good but this book (which differs in significant ways from the film) is even better! Nothing profound here just pure sleuthing joy!

9 people found this helpful

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Marty

Great WhoDunIt with Plenty of Twists

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 6, 2013

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When Luke Fitzwilliam retires from a police position in an Eastern location and returns to England, he's not expecting to instantly begin investigating a series of murders in a small village. And when an elderly lady relates her story to him en route to London to report the suspected murders to Scotland Yard, he thinks she has an overly-active imagination. Then he sees an article in the newspaper about her being killed by an automobile while crossing the street to Scotland Yard. A few days later he sees an obituary for the old woman's next predicted murder victim. The policeman in him can't resign and he soon finds himself in the aforementioned village under a false pretense, but with the intent to get to the bottom of the murders the old woman didn't get the chance to report. If all the victims on her list were actually murdered, he knows he's dealing with a psychopathic killer. As always, the question in Agatha Christie's novel is Who-Dun-It? The story has plenty of twists which will keep you guessing to the last minute and also an unexpected romance for Luke Fitzwilliam. Note: Inspector Battle arrives on the scene towards the end of the book but mostly in time to make an arrest. He's not really involved in solving the mystery so I wouldn't call this an Inspector Battle story.

7 people found this helpful

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komyathy

Miss Fullerton herein: "No, no, my dear boy, that's where you're wrong. It's very easy to kill, so long as no one suspects you."

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 19, 2013

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Murder is Easy is a Christie mystery that should have been made by Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock's recurring theme of the guy caught up in a mystery by pure happenstance (I am thinking particularly of North by Northwest and The 39 Steps) is the plot herein, but with a twist---the man, Luke Fitzwilliam herein, has a choice whether to get involved or not. Having shared a train compartment with a talkative lady Mr. Fitzwilliam listened politely as the lady described how people were mysteriously dropping dead in her town and that she was of the mind that it wasn't by accident; that someone was behind all the deaths, all seemingly occurring by accident. She further informs Mr. Fitzwilliam that if she is right then the local doctor will be the next likely to fall "by some sort of accident." But when he later reads that this lady herself was run down seemingly by accident on the way to Scotland Yard to report her suppositions and then that local doctor is befallen by "an accident" too then he has a choice to make. Does he get involved or not? He is, after all, a retired policeman (and a creation of Agatha Christie) with more than a natural curiosity in crime so in he jumps into this finely crafted murder mystery.

13 people found this helpful

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Excellent non-series mystery from Christie's prime period

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 30, 2019

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I thought that I had read all of Christie's output up through 1950 or so, but somehow I missed this book, first published in 1939. It's a non-series mystery so it lacks Poirot, Miss Marple, or Tuppence and Tommy. The central character, thrust into becoming an amateur detective who tries to get to the bottom or what might or might not be a series of murders, is a colonial police officer returning to England to retire.

The mystery, as nearly always with Christie, is fast paced and satisfying. One aspect of Christie's books that is often overlooked is the skill with which she writes of intelligent, self-possessed young women. They are almost invariably the most appealing characters in her books. That's the case here as well.

While this book may not be quite in the league of her very best books, such as "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," it's still very entertaining. I imagine any Christie fan who hasn't yet read it will enjoy it.

13 people found this helpful

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m

I love Agatha Christie stories but.....

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 13, 2020

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Why can't the publisher get the punctuation right? Almost every one I have read lately has symbols where the apostrophes should be. And it doesn't matter which device I use....... phone, tablet, laptop..... the book is hard to read because of the symbols in places where they shouldn't be. And this is not the only book of Agatha Christies that is like this. That is why the 4 star rating for a 5 star story.

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Jacqui

A classic Agatha Christie mystery

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 29, 2014

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I have read many, many Agatha Christie novels, but when I can across this one on the list on my Kindle, it was one of the few I had not read. I couldn't resist downloading it. It has all the characteristics of her popular novels - the stuffy major, the young couple who are attracted to each other and become the amateur sleuths. As usual, there were lots of red herrings and one of the least likely suspects ultimately turned out to be the murderer (I don't want to give too much away as that is so irritating to whodunit lovers). All I can say is that if you enjoy Agatha Christie mysteries, you won't be disappointed with this one. It is a relaxing read just perfect for that night in front of the fire when you want to unwind and not tax your brain too much. Part of the appeal of these novels is the village setting and tranquillity of an era long gone. I suspect 'Midsummer Murders' is so popular because it is modelled on that concept.

2 people found this helpful

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illiandantic

No Battle, Amateur Sleuthing, Gag-Worthy Romance

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 13, 2021

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As with other of Agatha Christie's "Superintendent Battle" novels, I have no idea why her 1939 novel "Superintendent Battle, Book 4: Murder is Easy" is classified that way. Superintendent Battle doesn't even make an appearance until chapter 22 of 23. He does NO investigating and he says around 15 lines. Everything else revolves around Luke Fitzwilliam as the protagonist and Bridget Conway. But, that's pretty irrelevant regarding rating this book. The big problems are that:

- The amateur sleuthing goes through three ridiculous phases. First, Luke asks people if they'd like to bump irritating people off. Then he misses the fact that one person has grudges against all the victims. And then, every time something circumstantial happens, he claims that person is the murderer.

- At about the 50% point, the romance aspect goes to gag-worthy levels and gets worse as it continues.
Technically, the writing is fine. It's just the characters and plot that are horrible. So, I'm upping my rating by one star and giving it a Pretty Bad 2 stars out of 5.

One person found this helpful

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Jenn67

Come read Agatha Christie woth us in 2021

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 26, 2021

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Come and meet Luke Fitzwilliam and Bridget Conway. Will they or won’t they? Will they discover who the homicidal maniac is in the small village of Wychwood? Will they stop arguing and fall in love? Excellent stand alone mystery with a truly sinster villain. Christie’s fascination with the supernatural is deftly handled in this enjoyable read.

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5 star		56%
4 star		26%
3 star		14%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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