THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY

Christie’s charming and absorbing detective novel (1929) is suspenseful and witty, and has vividly drawn characters. In the country, Lady “Bundle” Brent, an adorably perky amateur sleuth, finds murder, conspiracy, secret societies, and, need we mention it, intrigue. Actress Emilia Fox, who sounds like a flapper of the era, serves all this up with considerable zest and aplomb. She excels particularly in the dialogue. But in the narrative, one hears the shallowness in her soprano’s voice; her sentences end on irritatingly scratchy attempts at a low pitch. Further, her phrasing is graceless, though her excellent interpretation and sense of fun will win over most listeners. Y.R. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE/JULY 05]