Review by Booklist Review
The appearance of a new Agatha Christie novel 20 years after her death? Yes and no. Black Coffee was originally written in 1930 as a three-act play featuring Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Successfully produced on the West End, it became a favorite of repertory companies. One of the amateur players was Charles Osborne, author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie. Osborne was given permission by Christie's literary executors to turn the play into a novel. For the most part, he has succeeded rather well. Christie fans will delight in seeing Poirot back at the height of his little-gray-celled powers and will enjoy revisiting one of Christie's classic English country houses, occupied by a host of suspects, all content to sit quietly while Poirot's mind works. Every once in a while--mostly when stage directions have clearly been turned into narrative--the book seems to shout, "Hey, I used to be a play!" Although jarring, these lapses don't spoil the special pleasures of once more settling down with an Agatha Christie mystery. --Ilene Cooper
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Christie biographer Osborne's adaptation of the grande dame's 1930 play has been blessed by the Christie estate and heartily endorsed by her grandson Michael Prichard. It's a classic "someone in this room is the murderer" tale set in 1934. Scientist Sir Claud Amory invites Hercule Poirot to his estate to collect a formula for a new atomic explosive. Prior to Poirot's arrival, Sir Claud discovers the formula is missing from his safe. He offers the thief one minute of darkness to return it but, when the lights come on again, Sir Claud is dead. That's when Poirot arrives on the scene and takes matters in hand. An empty vial of sleeping pills is discovered, and someone in the room at the time of Sir Claud's death was seen with the tablets. Was Sir Claud murdered by his son Richard, who is in deep debt? Or was it espionage involving Lucia, Richard's Italian wife with a mysterious past and a connection to guest Dr. Carelli? Perhaps Sir Claud's secretary, Edward Raynor, or the spinster sister Caroline is guilty. Poirot, with "methods very much his own," aided by Captain Hastings, is lively and stimulating, like a fine black coffee, in this welcome addition to the Christie canon. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Originally written as a three-act play in 1930, this novel has been adapted by Osborne. All the old characters are present, including the parental tyrant, the eccentric maiden aunt, mysterious foreigners, and "bright young things." Once again detective Hercule Poirot has been called in to solve a country house crime; he interviews each suspect, talks a lot, and solves the case. The play was probably a "nice bit of fluff," and the book is the same, plumped up by descriptions that sometimes read as though they were lifted directly from stage directions. On the other hand, much of the dialog sparkles with true Christie panache. Alexandra Thomas's vibrant reading is only slightly marred by problems with Poirot's "Belgian" inflection. Alas, while Black Coffee is an interesting addition to the "classic" mystery canon, it probably should not be a high priority purchase when compared with the many superior Christie audiobooks (e.g., Murder on the Orient Express, Audio Reviews, LJ 4/1/94) that are available. Recommended for large mystery collections or those with a heavy demand for the "classics.I. Pour-El, Iowa State Univ., Ames (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by School Library Journal Review
YA-Agatha Christie's grandson has adapted her play Black Coffee into a novel. Sir Claud, physicist for the government in the early days of World War II, suspects that someone may steal the military secrets he has developed and asks Hercule Poirot to visit. However, before the detective arrives, Sir Claud is murdered. Poirot skillfully and methodically interviews the witnesses and then unmasks the villain. As the characters' emotions are revealed through speech and actions, readers will feel as though they are watching a play. The plot is simpler than those found in many of Christie's novels, making this a good choice to introduce YAs to the writer. This fast-paced story is a good choice for procrastinating teens who must read a novel overnight.-Claudia Moore, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A brand-new Agatha Christie novel based on material nearly 70 years old. Christies biographer Osborne has adapted the legendary web-spinner's first play (1929) to novel length, exhuming Hercule Poirot and Captain Arthur Hastings (who, operating here as Poirot's sidekick but not his amanuensis, has precious little to do) and preserving the endearingly creaky conventions of Christies whodunit recipe. Noted atomic scientist Sir Claud Amory, on the eve of dispatching his formula for a powerful new explosive to the Ministry of Defense, realizes that someone in his family circle has filched the formula from his safe. Asking Poirot, whom he has already invited to visit him, to move up his arrival time, Sir Claud does the gentlemanly thing by assembling the suspects, telling them what he has discovered, turning out the lights, and inviting the thief to return the formula. Predictably, Poirot and Hastings arrive at the height of this failed experiment, just in time to realize that the thief has not only declined to return the formula but has fatally poisoned Sir Claud. Of the suspectsthe scientist's impecunious son and his Italian wife, Sir Claud's dry-eyed niece and her spinster aunt, his private secretary, and an unexpected house guestOsborne obviously believes the less said the better; and the plot, lacking the conceptual brilliance of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and And Then There Were None, is no more than pleasantly serviceable. Still, the country-house atmosphere is suitably genteel, and the story holds its own with Christie's undistinguished contemporaneous novelsThe Mystery of the Blue Train, The Seven Dials Mystery, and The Murder at the Vicarage.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
