Never fear—no spoilers here.
In the book Save the Cat Writes a Novel, author Jessica Brody defends the view that people enjoy mystery as a genre because it gives the reader a window into the dark side of human nature. I think that Brody has a point. There isn’t much of a mystery without a crime, and there isn’t typically a crime without the dark side of human nature coming into play. But, as I’ve thought about it, I don’t entirely agree with this view. I don’t necessarily read mystery because I want to see the dark side of human nature. For me, it’s much more about the astonishing power of the truth, how it always seems to find a way out into the open.
Of course, truth would never find its way into the open without the dogged determination of a detective. I think the detective is what really pulls me into a mystery story. That, and the challenge of matching my wits as the reader against the detective’s (and the author’s) wits. The mystery genre is not so much about exploring the dark side of human nature as it is about exploring the depths of what it takes to hold to the truth.
In the world of mystery, there are few greater than Agatha Christie. I recently finished listening to her mystery A Pocket Full of Rye. There were three points I would like to review.
Double Detectives—The story is the 6th of the Miss Marple mysteries, though it really ought to be an Inspector Neele mystery. Although the novel does feature Miss Marple, a bulk of the novel is dedicated to following Inspector Neele as he methodically interviews suspects and gathers information. I was a bit worried when Miss Marple came onto the scene well into the book that she would steal the spotlight from Inspector Neele and thereby ruin my investment in his character. Instead, the effect was that of changing Inspector Neele’s position into that of an intelligent Watson, while Miss Marple stepped into the role of Holmes, whose inner thoughts and musings are largely kept from the reader. Miss Marple is there to reveal the solution and Neele is there as a stand-in for us. Doubling the detective was a creative attempt at a fresh take on the mystery formula. While it didn’t necessarily weaken the story, I didn’t feel like it especially set the story apart from others. If anything, it caused me confusion for a good chunk of the book as I waited for the Miss Marple promised on the cover.
Classic Cast—The cast of A Pocket Full of Rye is classic Christie. A dysfunctional aristocratic family with unsavory personalities and pasts and a similarly shady slew of house servants. In many ways, the cast reminded me of the movie Knives Out. This is, of course, backward. Knives Out is supposed to remind the audience of Agatha Christie, not the other way around. I think it is a testament to the strength of both works that they remind audiences of each other. This tangent is to say that if you enjoy a good old awful-people-stuck-in-a-house murder mystery, then this is a story for you.
Crime with a Rhyme—This is where A Pocket Full of Rye really shines most for me. Agatha Christie is known for writing a smattering of mysteries based on nursery rhymes. These rhymes provide a structure to the mystery and lend thematic drama. A Pocket Full of Rye takes its title from the nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence”. I will not go into the details of how the mystery fits with the rhyme, but I do recommend that the reader be familiar with the rhyme before reading the story. Christie clearly intends for and expects the reader to have familiarity with the rhyme, and readers who do not will surely miss out on some of the fun and games she plays.
Overall, I give the A Pocket Full of Rye 4 out of 5 stars. It was entertaining and sufficiently convoluted. While I was able to guess who-dun-it before the end of the story, there were plenty of details that I didn’t catch. I think I would have preferred the mystery without Miss Marple, though I appreciate Christie’s exploration into using multiple detectives. With violence kept off the page, A Pocket Full of Rye fits firmly in the cozy mystery subgenre and is suitable for readers of middle school age on up. That said, the vocabulary, requisite technical understanding of legal and financial affairs, and old-fashioned British terminology may prove an obstacle to some readers.
While I would not recommend A Pocket Full of Rye as a first Agatha Christie read, the story will certainly entertain anyone craving a classic cozy mystery. Besides, it’s always fun to match wits with a detective and watch as truth finds its way to the surface.
—M.M.
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