The Agatha Christie Challenge --- The Secret of Chimneys

Well I finished my latest book in the challenge last night and I'm still loving what I read. The Secret of Chimneys is now among my favorite Agatha Christie books.

There is a new super couple in the Christie world for me. The characters of Anthony Cade and Virginia Revel are so great together. The chemistry they have is amazing and makes me think that Agatha was very much in love at one point in her life. Anthony is that rugged, good looking adventurer we all wish we could meet. Virginia is that witty, fearless woman that you can't help but admire and adore. Together they are perfection and I really hope (though won't hold my breath) for another appearance from them.

The basic storyline, actually there is no basic storyline, this is one of the most convoluted story lines to date and I loved every moment of it.

You take everything you want in a mystery story and throw it all together into one beautiful mix. Royals in disguise, murder, memoirs, jewel thief's, secret identities, humongous mansions with secret rooms, codes, and I could go on and on but this book has it all. And it works together. From a lesser author this would not have worked, but under Agatha Christie's skill is all blends perfectly.

Synopsis From Back Cover:

A bit of adventure and quick cash is all that good-natured drifter Anthony Cade is looking for when he accepts a messenger job from an old friend. It sounds so simple: deliver the provocative memoirs of a recently deceased European count to a London publisher. But the parcel holds more than scandalous royal secrets. It contains a stash of letters that suggest blackmail-and leads to the murder of a stranger who's been shadowing Anthony's every more. Discovering the dead man's identity means retracing his steps-to the rambling estate of Chimneys where darker secrets, and deadlier threats, await anyone who dares to enter.

Word Verification Balderdash

Word Verification Balderdash is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World Of Books.

Here is what you do. You write down all the word verifications you come across as you are posting comments on other peoples blogs. You then play Balderdash with them. Now for those of you who don't know how to play, you take a made up word and come up with a authentic sounding definition for it. Do this for a week and then post your best ones every Thursday.

Here are mine for this week:

Scorpus: The sister of Cerberus who guards the back door of Hades. She is normally depicted as a giant scorpion with three heads; dog, human, and lioness.

Coffeniur: A connoisseur of coffins. These strange individuals can normally be found trying out different coffins in the local funeral homes.

Monkev: The name of the most notorious monk of the 17th century. He was personally responsible for the deaths of hundreds of women he considered to be to pure and innocent to be allowed to live in such a depraved world.

Weroc: Strange creatures found in the deepest ocean trenches. In their natural state they resemble giant Octopi. However when they are feeling threatened they can alter their shape to resemble a great white shark.

Xophia: Woodland fairies found throughout the forests of Minnesota and Michigan. They are widely known for their kindness to lost hikers. They will take the shape of fawns of rabbits and lead hikers to safety.

Favorite Fictional Character --- Dracula

Well, how could I do a month of Halloween FFC posts and not include Dracula in the mix.

When I think of vampires, there is a pantheon of the elite that reign above all others. Carmilla Karnstein, Sir Francis Varney, Miriam Blaylock, Lestat de Lioncourt, and above them all stands Count Dracula.

How can you not love the this character in any incarnation. He is dark, mysterious, and there is just something so noble and regal about him. Plus how can you forget the almost sexual pull this character has over people. There is something so sexy about him that it's hard for you to get his image out of your mind. From his first appearance in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula all the way through the over 161 movies, Dracula is a star and he will never let you forget it.

Now I used the picture of Bela Lugosi as the Count from the 1931 version of "Dracula" directed by Tod Browning. I used this picture because this is my favorite movie version of him. There is just something so dark and menacing about him in this movie that I don't think anyone has been able to duplicate. I still get chills every time I watch him bend down and feed off of Lucy and Mina.

Christopher Lee comes in a close second for movie adaptations but he still doesn't hold a candle to the brilliant performance by Bela Lugosi.