By the Pricking of My Thumbs & Postern of Fate

De: Agatha Christie

Narrado por: Hugh Fraser

Tommy and Tuppence are at it again. This detective couple can never walk away from a mystery and these two later novels are no exception.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs: When Tommy and Tuppence visit an elderly aunt in her gothic nursing home, they think nothing of her mistrust of the doctors; after all, Ada is a very difficult old lady.

But when Mrs. Lockett mentions a poisoned mushroom stew and Mrs. Lancaster talks about "something behind the fireplace", Tommy and Tuppence find themselves caught up in a spine-chilling adventure that could spell death for either of them...

Postern of Fate: Tommy and Tuppence Beresford have just become the proud owners of an old house in an English village. Along with the property, they have inherited some worthless bric-a-brac, including a collection of antique books. While rustling through a copy of The Black Arrow, Tuppence comes upon a series of apparently random underlinings.

However, when she writes down the letters, they spell out a very disturbing message: "Mary Jordan did not die naturally." And 60 years after their first murder, Mary Jordan's enemies are still ready to kill....

Don’t miss out on the rest of the daring couple’s adventures and other Agatha Christie mysteries!

©1973 Agatha Christie Limited (P)2006 HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

excellent

i think everyone should listen to the 60 Min. Biography Agatha recorded herself, THEN read her stories. It adds so much to each story

Mixed feelings

I liked the first book and was very confused by the second. Still in "Postern of fate" there are some nice thing - T&T relationship or dog Hannibal

Hugh Fraser is incredible

I absolutely love the narrator, Hugh Fraser. These aren't my favourite of Christie's books, however.

Slow moving

I like the other Tommy and Tuppence stories so much more. These two books seem to drag on forever before getting to the point.

Agatha Christie does it again!

As I read/listen my way through the library of Christie’s works, I am amazed how each seems to get better than the one before! I am enjoying getting to know each of her characters and coming back to them in each novel feels like coming home to visit an aunt or uncle and catching up over a cup of tea.

Where was the editor?

I’ve read and listened to many Agatha Christie books, and these were probably my least favorites. By the Pricking of My Thumbs wasn’t bad, but Postern of Fate? Ugh! Was she just tired? Obligated to put out another book by a contract with a publisher? Just why did she write this?

The main characters and their voices are charming (as the movie characters are enjoyable).

I wish the end included more details as to the specific information that caused MJ's death...

Not my favourite but…

Great to get to know more older Tommy and Tuppence. More slow paced than other stories. I was afraid of Postern of Fate to be honest as many Christie’s fans don’t like it. And yeah, it was confusing in some parts but to my surprise I found it funny. A lot of dialogues were just cute and amusing. Can’t say that it a mystery book though. There is a bit more mystery in “By the Pricking of My Thumbs”. Amazing performance by Hugh Fraser (as always!)

Last two books of the Tommy and Tuppence series.

Would you consider the audio edition of By the Pricking of My Thumbs & Postern of Fate to be better than the print version?

Absolutely! It is well read by Hugh Fraser which made it highly enjoyable to listen to.

What about Hugh Fraser’s performance did you like?

He reads quite well.

Any additional comments?

By the Pricking of my Thumbs is my least fave Agatha Christie novels as I did not like the story line but do enjoy the Tommy and Tuppence characters and Hugh Fraser's voice made it worth listening to. Postern of Fate is the last Tommy and Tuppence story and takes place when the characters are retired.

A comfortable listen

"By the Pricking of my Thumbs" is faster paced than the "Postern of Fate", which reads more like a country ramble and discussion of flowers, tea parties and memories of the past.

Both are enjoyable.