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Avg. Rating: 4
What a Sight it must have been!
Mysteries usually keep you sitting on the edge, wondering who the guilty person is. In this case, I sat on the edge, wondering what I would find around the next corner in this magical and exotic place called Iraq. Reading this book, I actually forgot what horrors were going on in this enchanted land, and while I was mentally in that land, I found myself wanting to come back again, not just to meet the characters in "They Came to Baghdad", but to see the old hotels, the tea rooms, the Tigris as it flowed to meet the Euphrates. I no longer cared whether the main characters loved each other or simply wanted to take advantage of each other.
If you like mysteries, I think you'll like this one. If not, I think you'll appreciate just being there in Baghdad prior to the horrors we see on nightly news. Either way, it's worth the small price of the book, or a trip to your library.
Young adventuress off to see the world
This 1951 novel is highly reminiscent of some of Christie's earlier works like THE MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT or the Tommy and Tuppence adventures as well as similiarities to the later PASSENGER TO FRANKFURT. None of Christie's usual detectives like Poirot or Miss Marple appear, nor does it follow her usual 'cozy' formula.
The story opens with Victoria Jones finding herself once again between jobs. It seems that Victoria is not very good at her job of shorthand/typist but what she lacks in clerical skills she makes up for in her skill at lying. While sitting in the park considering her options she meets a charming young man who is just perfect except that he is leaving for Baghdad shortly. Victoria soon decides that this young man is the one for her at sets out to follow him to Iraq. She overcomes the obstacles of lack of funds and not knowing her young man's last name but soon finds herself involved in a vast international conspiracy.
As always with a Christie book the clues are all fairly laid out for the reader to follow but there are many twists and surprises along the way to keep the reader entertained.
This adventure has much in common with Elizabeth Peters works, lots of action, improbable situations and more than a touch of romance.
Imagine Baghdad in the 1950's!
With all that's going on in Baghdad today, this book provides much more than just a great Agatha Christie read, it provides insights into what Baghdad was like in the 1950's.The plot basically revolves around a young lady who follows her love interest from england to Baghdad. While she is there, she gets caught up in an underground network of people out to destroy the world forever. Interesting imagery and descriptions of Baghdad, the Tigris, and Basrah which are kind of sad when you look at all the violence that has happened in that region since then (Iran/Iraq war, first gulf war, second gulf war). I really enjoyed it.
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