Public reader discussion about The Secret of Chimneys in the WeRead Catalog by Agatha Christie.
By apple_winter2000
Honestly, I don’t know if I’d want it to be a specific Christie book or just live in that whole world. And would I be me, or would I somehow be one of the well-known characters? Like, would I just lean into all the usual mystery tropes? I actually had a dream last night that I was in *The Man in the Brown Suit*, but I can’t remember much—now I’m curious what other people would imagine instead.
By Valley-Heather
Julia from *Cat Among the Pigeons* Lucy Eylesbarrow from *4:50 from Paddington* Megan Barnard from *ABC Murders* And Pillah Estravadus from *Hercule Poirot’s Christmas*
By HillVolume4
I wasn’t sure at all if I’d end up liking this one, but I really did. I liked it a lot, enough that it’s now one of my top Christie reads. I got through it pretty quickly because I was having such a good time with it and didn’t want to stop. It’s still a murder mystery, but it’s also basically a comedy too. I was grinning and laughing the whole way through, and I even laughed out loud once. Christie was genuinely funny here. Lord Caterham was amazing. I completely understand why he just wanted everyone to leave him in peace. And poor Bill Eversleigh. Always the best man, never the groom, even though he keeps proposing over and over. The part where he could feel a sneeze coming on and couldn’t hold it back at exactly the worst moment was so funny. LOL. Anthony Cade was funny too, just in how he approached everything. I also really liked Virginia Revel. And the bit where Boris, Prince Michael’s old valet, shows up in Cade’s room at Chimneys and swears loyalty to him was great. I can totally picture that as a hilarious movie scene if it were adapted. Actually, I kind of wish this one was a film. The casting would have to be spot on, especially for the characters I just mentioned, and I’d probably be way too picky about it, but with the right cast and script it could be really good. It’s not Christie’s usual murder-mystery setup, but that doesn’t make it worse at all. It’s light and cheeky and just plain fun, and I kept second-guessing myself the whole time. It was such a nice change. I’m hoping “The Seven Dials Mystery” is just as good, since some of these people show up again there. And I’m hoping I like “The Man in the Brown Suit” too, since that one also seems to go a bit off Christie’s usual path. Definitely recommend this one. EDIT: A few more things I really liked — the setting is great. Big country house, weekend party, lots of guests, nobody allowed to leave while the investigation goes on. Huge cast. Everyone seems suspicious. And the treasure hunt.
By tea
I’ve gone back through a bunch of Agatha Christie books over the last year or so and kept running into little connections here and there. Christie really does feel so clever about that kind of thing. A few I spotted: In The Pale Horse, one character tells this story about seeing an old woman drinking milk and just asking, “Is it your poor child buried there behind the fireplace?” which also turns up in the Tommy and Tuppence book By The Pricking of My Thumbs. In Cards on the Table, someone has a set of murder souvenirs that includes the knife from Murder on the Orient Express. And Murder in Mesopotamia brings up Poirot’s Syria trip from Murder on the Orient Express, plus his connection with Mr. Van Alden from The Mystery of the Blue Train.
By FootnoteCat
I think The Man in the Brown Suit is one of those Christie books where Anne just keeps getting swept into trouble almost immediately. She’s alone, wants some excitement, and then suddenly she’s watching a man die in a tube station and finds this note that ends up sending her all the way to South Africa. There’s also that murder back in England and then the killer even tries to get her on the ship, which is pretty intense. And The Secret of Chimneys sounds like it starts off more quietly but then goes off the rails fast. Lord Caterham only agrees to that weekend at Chimneys because George Lomax asks him to, and then of course there’s a murder in the house and the whole thing turns into this rushed police-filled mess. It also brings in Superintendent Battle and Bundle, which is interesting.
By TableSharp1983
I picked up her books when I was about 12 because we were going on holiday and my mom brought them for the car so I’d have something to do. I got really into them—like the stories and everything—and I ended up finishing around 5 books in a week. Only problem was my dad made me leave them at this little “camping library” place. Then the next year we went back to the same spot and somehow my books were still there, so I grabbed them again. They’ve been on my bookshelf ever since—18 years later—and I still haven’t moved them.
By wolf_pocket_bowl
As far as I can tell, Christie never had a character straight-up labeled as gay or lesbian in any of her books. But there are definitely people in her stories who feel pretty clearly “coded” that way. Like Mr. Ellsworthy in *Murder is Easy*—and then there’s the whole *A Murder is Announced* thing with Miss Hinchcliffe and Miss Murgatroyd that people always bring up. That said, I do wonder: if Christie were writing now, would she have been more open about saying it outright? I’m guessing yes. I’m also curious about modern TV adaptations that spell it out. Like in the ITV *A Murder is Announced* version, they made Hinchcliffe and Murgatroyd gay/lesbian, and it felt to me like they were basically confirming what a lot of Christie readers already suspected—rather than totally rewriting it. Same kind of debate with Philip Blake in ITV’s *Five Little Pigs*. Turning him from straight to closeted gay, and having him always have feelings for Amyas Crale, honestly felt like a fun twist, almost like something Christie might’ve done if she’d written it today. But other times it feels forced. For example, I thought making Mrs. Van Schuyler and Miss Bowers lesbian lovers in Kenneth Branagh’s *Death on the Nile* was just ridiculous and pointless. (Though, to be fair, in the 1978 version with Maggie Smith, Miss Bowers reads pretty coded too—she’s in a tuxedo top with a skirt a few times, especially around the Karnak dining room/lounge.) What other examples do people think of? And do you like those changes, or not? ITV’s *Cards on the Table* and *Hallowe’en Party* come to mind too.
By Stone_Brown1977
I saw people talking about this before it came out, but I didn’t really see any actual breakdown of it after. After reading it, I’m still kind of stuck on it—I honestly can’t tell if I liked it or not.
By Soft_Panda6255
I’m about a quarter of the way in and I’m honestly struggling to keep track of all the names. Thanks though!!
By WildHeron1980
I’ve noticed this like the second or third time now, but I honestly can’t figure out what animal is making that noise.
By hidden_duck
I don’t want to be a downer, but I just don’t have a lot of faith Netflix will get this right. It feels like they’ll turn it into another modern, self-aware, anachronistic remake—like all the other recent stuff where it’s “updated” and sort of wink-wink about the time period. And I’m honestly just exhausted by that kind of approach (and if other people like it, cool, I just don’t). Also, it kind of bugs me when it’s framed like the new generation can only enjoy historical stories if everything is made tongue-in-cheek and kind of gen-z-y. Now that I think about it, Netflix does have a pretty rough history with adapting classic novels…so, we’ll see.
By thyme_olive75
The Secret of Chimneys: 9.5 (out of 20) (Scoring described here) A pretty fun adventure/spy story, even if it gets kind of silly sometimes. It really shows how good she is at sharp, quick dialogue. Story (2.5) (out of 5) - It’s a lively adventure that mostly works fine if you don’t stop to question it too much, especially the middle part at Chimneys where the murder of Prince Michael is the main thing. A few bits really push it though, like: 1) Virginia telling Anthony Cade she found a dead body in her house when he was basically a stranger at that point. 2) Battle giving Anthony (and other people) details about the case even though he was a likely suspect. 3) Anthony and Hiram Fish somehow taking down 7 thugs on their own at Dover House. One thing I wasn’t expecting was the romance actually working better than usual here. There are two love triangles, or maybe just one weird love shape, with Virginia-Anthony-Bundle and Anthony-Virginia-Bill. And I did enjoy how those get wrapped up. The bit where Bundle more or less handed Anthony over to Virginia was good, and so was the reveal near the end that Bill really was exactly what Virginia thought, someone who proposes on instinct. Setting (1.5) (out of 2) - Chimneys is a really memorable place, with the hidden passages, boathouse, terrace, all of it getting used at different points. It’s a very solid manor house setting. Mood (1) (out of 3) - It’s an easy, cheerful kind of book, maybe a little too cheerful sometimes. Anthony Cade is so capable and so much in control all the time that it doesn’t let much suspense build. Characters (2.5) (out of 5) - Virginia and Bundle are both in that witty female type. Putting either of them with Anthony Cade leads to some great back-and-forth, but they’re also so alike that they kind of blur together. Lord Caterham is irritating but funny, like a worse-off Eustace Peddler, and he’s especially good when he’s happily poking at George Lomax. Superintendent Battle’s calm, steady style is a nice change from some of the more famous recurring characters, though by himself he doesn’t add that much. Most of the others, and there are a lot, are pretty easy to forget. Mystery (2) (out of 5) - For one of her adventure books, the mystery part is put together pretty well here. There are some pretty obvious clues, like the ones hinting that Hiram Fish wasn’t who he seemed, but they sometimes go in unexpected directions anyway (he turns out to be a Pinkerton man). I liked that Anthony’s first hunch about Monsieur Lemoine and Genevieve Brun being shady was actually right. The reveal that Monsieur Lemoine was really King Victor worked for me, but Anthony being Prince Nicholas felt like maybe one twist too many. Final Thoughts: Basically light popcorn entertainment, with really sharp dialogue when the right people are talking and a romance element that’s better than average. It does have too many characters and a plot that asks for a lot of suspension of disbelief.
By LaurelPage
In case anyone cares, there’s another 7 Dials movie from 1980. John Guilgud is in it too, and he delivers some pretty funny lines. He’s Bundle’s grumpy old dad. It’s a little corny, sure, but the costumes, makeup, and overall scenery feel a lot more convincing for 1920s Britain.
By meadowFinds350
Agatha Christie’s books have really held up over time. This one did too. I had a great time reading it, even if there were a few casual racist remarks that really wouldn’t be okay now, and it does feel a bit different from her usual stuff. Looking back, I think I was maybe just so taken with Anthony Cade and the easygoing Virginia Revel that I didn’t even stop to think too hard about whether the plot actually all hangs together. I’ll probably give *Elephants Can Remember* a try next.
By motionGoose
With Agatha Christie adaptations, I feel like you usually fall into one of two moods at the end: either you’re genuinely pleased, because of course the most unlikely people were behind it, or you’re annoyed because you have that “wait… what?” moment a bit too late. But with *Seven Dials* it didn’t go either way. The suspects stayed wildly, almost comically unlikely right up until the reveal, and those “hold on a minute” feelings didn’t hit only at the end—they popped up again and again throughout the whole thing. Every twist just kept getting more ridiculous, like the plot was trying to outdo itself.
By MatrixAtlas
I’ve just finished rereading this one, and honestly I could barely remember anything from the first time, which probably says it didn’t stick with me much back then. I did recognize a few bits as I was reading, so some of it came back. It’s one of her standalone books, and it feels way more like an adventure than a proper mystery. It’s almost 100 years old now and you can tell. There’s this whole thing with clever young people basically taking on violent criminals and an international gang more or less by themselves, which is pretty hard to buy. And yeah, it also has that old-school xenophobia stuff, plus antisemitism. The plot doesn’t really pick up until around the middle, and even then I was starting to think it might stay pretty boring. But then Christie throws in some pretty good twists near the end, and that’s what saves it for me. Not something I’d put on a must-read list, really, but probably worth it if you’re trying to read everything or you like adventure more than detective stories.
By ReadsReader27
Yet another Christie stop on our UK trip. We spent about an hour wandering around the grounds of Abney Hall in Cheadle, just outside Manchester. From what I read, it used to be Agatha’s sister’s place, so Agatha came by a lot. And it says she wrote “The Tale of the Christmas Pudding” and “After the Funeral” there. The house itself is offices now, which is a bit of a shame, but the grounds are still open to the public.
By MintReason
Abney Hall’s in Cheadle, which is basically part of Greater Manchester now. It wasn’t one of those cases where they just upgraded some super old manor—apparently the spot used to be a print works, and then the Watts family bought the place a few years later, in the 1840s. I guess the Watts were “new money” type folks, since they came up as weavers and made their money during the Industrial Revolution. Later on (mid-20th century) the heir sold it to the local council, and they turned it into municipal offices, which makes sense if you think about how insane the upkeep would be on a big house. The grounds are open to the public, and the building is apparently visitable sometimes, but I’d definitely check before hoping to see inside. Also, it sounds like a bunch of the Watts furniture ended up in a couple local museums or National Trust places, so if you’re into Victorian decor, that’s probably where to look. Agatha seems to have had a lot of good memories there too, since her sister Madge was older and lived there once she was married. Agatha writes about Christmas dinners in her memoirs in a ton of detail, and any time a Christie book has one of those grand country-house vibes, this is one of the first places that pops into my head. And yeah, there’s also that big newer building in the aerial photo that’s probably the care facility (I’m linking it just in case, because it wasn’t obvious at first). The whole “using a country house for high-level negotiations/government stuff” thing has me thinking of Secret of Chimneys/Seven Dials type plots. People compared it to places like Chequers or Cliveden, so I get why Lord Caterham would be annoyed at random visitors showing up—but at the same time he probably feels stuck letting it happen. I did find a real-life example that’s more or less the same general idea, just in the US: Hickory Hill, which was a big house near DC where the Kennedys did a lot of hosting in the 50s and 60s. Jackie and JFK lived there before he was president, and then it became Robert Kennedy’s place. Because RFK’s family was huge, it worked out really well with all the bedrooms, and he apparently had colleagues and staff come there if they needed to work through things. They also hosted lectures and parties and stuff, even inviting some pretty shady-looking figures out of curiosity. It honestly sounds like the kind of setting where if Christie ever staged a gathering with awkward guests and a possible murder, it’d fit. At one point they had a ton of animals around too—horses, dogs, chickens and geese, plus all the reptiles and snakes and even a red-tailed hawk (which is wild), and Bobby Jr. apparently loved it. There’s also the “hotel” vibe from all the constant comings and goings. And the whole Bundle climbing out of a window thing feels like it could’ve happened there too, because their kids were definitely pulling off stuff like that. Sources I used are mainly the Abney Hall info links plus the Hickory Hill pages/videos, and a mention of American Values (2018) where RFK Jr. talks about growing up there.
By faintLynx
I’m almost done with my current Agatha Christie read, and now I’m already itching to start another. Curious what everyone’s favorite Christie novel is? Like, which one do you really like and why? I’d love a few suggestions so I can decide what to read next—thanks!
By VioletHeron15
Since Seven Dials is getting put on Netflix, I figured I should actually read the books first for once, or at least listen to them, since I’ve done pretty much all my Christie stuff the other way around before — watched the movie or series first, then read the book after. A few thoughts. I liked Chimneys as more of an action/mystery/thriller kind of thing, and I didn’t even clock who Bundle was from the Seven Dials trailers until I was about halfway in, since she shows up kind of late and I was mostly thinking Virginia Revel was the main girl. The ending threw me a bit, because it seemed like a bunch of stuff just got dropped on me out of nowhere. I probably need to go back to it and see if I was just missing the signs with Lemoin or Genevieve Brun, especially since she’s barely in it, or that Anthony was really prince Nicholas. That reveal honestly had me staring for a second. Still, it was a fun, easy read, and I really liked getting Battle and Bundle introduced. Seven Dials felt a lot like an episode of Jeeves and Wooster, except with murders in it. I kept picturing Bertie and his hopeless rich friends stumbling around in some spy plot, but without a smart valet to get them out of trouble. I actually laughed out loud at a few parts, especially when Lomax really asked to marry Bundle!! And then the ending somehow got me again. I think Christie got me with a bunch of the fake-outs, because I did not see Jimmy as the one behind it, or Lorraine helping him. That twist felt easier for me to accept than the Chimneys one, at least for now until I reread it, and overall I liked Seven Dials more and rated it higher. I’m still pretty interested in the Netflix version, even though I expect they’ll change quite a lot. I’m fine with Freeman as Battle, although I do agree with some of the other comments that Battle should be a bigger, more solid kind of guy. Freeman usually plays the guy who gets pushed around, while Battle in the books, even in Cards on the Table, seems more like he’s in charge, just not quite at Poirot level. McKenna-Bruce does seem like a really good Bundle to me. She’s got that energetic thing going on, and I’m noticing the aggressive driving from the trailers too. I’m less sure about Bonham-Carter, not because she can’t act, because obviously she can, but just because if she’s playing either a totally new Lady Caterham or basically a gender-swapped Lord Caterham, then it might as well be a new character anyway from what the trailers show. Either way, I’m sure there’ll be lots to nitpick, but I still think it’ll probably be a fun adaptation.