The Mysterious Mr. Quin
Ratings5
Average rating3.4
15
Ratings5
Average rating3.4
A conjurer of skill with an instinct for detection, Mr. Harley Quin has an almost magical flair for appearing at the scene of the most remarkable crimes. But is it just a trick of light that haunts his shadow with a ghostly apparition? Is it fate that invites him to a New Year's murder? And what forces are at work when his car breaks down outside Royalston Hall, an isolated estate with a deadly history?
Series
2 primary books4 released booksHarley Quin is a 4-book series with 2 primary works first released in 1925 with contributions by Agatha Christie.
Reviews with the most likes.
Not entirely characteristic of Agatha Christie's usually no-nonsense way of solving mysteries, but the surreal and supernaturalistic elements of these stories had me intrigued. I found the mysterious Mr. Quin fascinating, yet perplexing at the same time. Is he real? Or is he just a figment of the imagination? Just as I've pinned him down as a ghostly hallucination, other character in the novel attest to his presence in the setting. He barely interacts with anyone, but his presence serves as a catalyst for our narrator, Mr. Satterthwaite, to get things going. Satterthwaite makes for a rational, clear-headed narrator because of his specialty in life: being the observant wallpaper. In a sense, he takes away most of the narrative work of building up other characters because he simply can read them as they are, rather than letting the readers figure out their personalities for ourselves. Nevertheless, there is something a little pitiful and a little endearing about Satterthwaite and the way life has passed him by. On the whole, The Mysterious Mr. Quin would be a good read for those with a little preference for the mystical and inexplicable, but if you're looking for something clear-headed like Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple stories, this isn't really for you.
