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Book reviews for "Payne,_Laurence" sorted by average review score:

Agatha Christie's Poirot : The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Murder on the Links/ Cassettes (Bbc Radio Presents - Abridged Edition)
Published in Audio Cassette by Bantam Books-Audio (1994)
Authors: Agatha Christie, Michael Bakewell, John Moffatt, John Woodvine, and Laurence Payne
Amazon base price: $16.99
Average review score:

The Little Round Man with the Little Grey Cells
Hercule Poirot was a short, fat, dapper detective who solved his cases by exercising his "little grey cells".

"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" was Christie's fourth Poirot novel, while "Murder on the Links" was her second. In both Christie adopts the motif of narrating the story from the point of view of someone who undertakes to assist Poirot in the solution of the mystery. Christie introduces the cast of suspects, gives each of them a dark secret and a motive to lie, and piles up the circumstances in such a way that the flying fickle finger of suspicion points to every one of them at some time or another. She compounds the confusion by supplying false leads and deliberatly glossing over hot clues.

In each case Poirot holds his cards close to his vest, tantalizes the reader/listener with cryptic comments, and finds the most inconsequential-appearing facts to be highly significant. Eventually Poirot airs everyone's dirty laundry, explains his chain of deductive reasoning, reconstructs the crime in all its improbable complexity, and gets a confession. The stories are less mysteries than they are sliding block puzzles. Though extremely short on realism, they are long on entertainment value.

Although the BBC radio play had excellent production values, audio cassette may not be the best way to enjoy a Poirot mystery. I listen to radio plays as I drive on business, and I find the Poirot plays hard to follow because of the large cast of characters and the complexities of plotting. Poirot could probably be enjoyed more readily in print. You could then read, re-read, take time out to mull over the complexities, and follow the story much better. Probably the best way to enjoy Poirot would be to read the story first, and then listen to the radio play.

The masterpieces among all her books!
The mystery is beyond our imagination. The background and characters truly victorian, and above all the narrative very gripping! Oh! I am re-reading and every time I enjoy even though I know the mystery! Once again, Poirot at his best with his passion for order and method.

My favorite Agatha Christie story by far!
As a Christie addict, having read all of her Poirot and Marple stories many times over, I can only say that "Roger Ackroyd" stands out as the best of the best. Even now, knowing the ending, I enjoy rereading the book, with all the delicious and subtle (but misleading) hints to the grand conclusion. And to the first-time reader, the ending comes as quite a surprise. The fabled Miss Christie leads the reader down so many lovely garden paths before the perfectly logical denouement! Delicious! The audio version is beautifully performed, and does proper justice to the book.


Dead for a Ducat
Published in Hardcover by Ulverscroft Large Print Books (1989)
Author: Laurence Payne
Amazon base price: $27.99
Collectible price: $19.06
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Knight Fall
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (1987)
Author: Laurence Payne
Amazon base price: $12.95
Used price: $0.94
Collectible price: $3.18
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No reviews found.

Late knight
Published in Unknown Binding by Hodder & Stoughton ()
Author: Laurence Payne
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Used price: $21.18
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No reviews found.

Malice in Camera (Crime Club)
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (1985)
Author: Laurence Payne
Amazon base price: $12.95
Used price: $1.50
Collectible price: $3.13
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No reviews found.

The Nose on My Face
Published in Hardcover by Ulverscroft Large Print Books (1989)
Author: Laurence Payne
Amazon base price: $27.99
Used price: $5.29
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Our Psychic Sense
Published in Paperback by Theosophical Publishing House (1967)
Authors: Phoebe D. Payne, Laurence J. Bendit, and Phoebe D. Bendit
Amazon base price: $5.75
Used price: $0.40
Collectible price: $6.75
Buy one from zShops for: $4.00
Average review score:
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Spy for sale
Published in Unknown Binding by Hodder & Stoughton ()
Author: Laurence Payne
Amazon base price: $
Used price: $7.99
Collectible price: $15.94
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No reviews found.

Take the Money and Run
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (1984)
Author: Laurence Payne
Amazon base price: $11.95
Used price: $1.22
Collectible price: $2.64
Average review score:
No reviews found.

This World and That: An Analytical Study of Psychic Communication
Published in Paperback by Quest Books (IL) (1969)
Authors: Phoebe D. Payne, Phoebe D. Bendit, and Laurence J. Bendit
Amazon base price: $1.75
Used price: $5.00
Collectible price: $12.50
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Related Subjects: Author Index Reviews Page 1 2

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