THE HARLEQUIN TEA SET & OTHER STORIES

Could a new collection of Agatha Christie stories be discovered more than 20 years after the death of the doyenne of mystery writers? It appears to be true, as six in this collection of nine stories have never before been published in the U.S. Even more interesting, several of the stories, including “The Edge” and “The House of Dreams,” have a disposition to darker, more psychological suspense than is usual for Christie’s work. Although the single Hercule Poirot story, “The Mystery of the Spanish Chest,” seems the usual fare of a drawing-room mystery, several others may remind listeners more of Ruth Rendell than Christie. Alexandra Thomas has a light voice with clear English diction and a slight informality that gives listeners a sense of intimacy with the narrator. Most recordings of Christie’s work have male narrators, including David Suchet, noted for his success as Poirot on PBS Mystery! Alexandra Thomas’s relaxed and confident voice is a welcome change. If the stories were queued individually on a single side or one story per cassette, the stories could be selected at random. R.F.W. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB 98]