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Nona's Reviews > Calul bălan
Calul bălan (Ariadne Oliver, #5)
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Well, this was predictable. The second the killer walked into scene, I knew exactly who it was. I still had fun, though.
"The Pale Horse" is a murder mystery that leans into the supernatural, but ultimately lands squarely in the rational realm. The book follows a secretive organization that appears to cause deaths through occult means. The story is set in the English countryside, where a peculiar former inn called The Pale Horse, inhabited by three women who claim to be witches, becomes the center of attention after various random people claim to have visited it.
The central character, Mark Easterbrook, is a historian with no particular expertise in the occult but is intrigued by the rumors surrounding the inn and the women. He becomes involved in the investigation after a series of deaths which include some people he knows or has heard about, all seemingly dead by natural causes. He goes undercover and discovers an extended network of crime which includes a betting agent and an organization that runs door-to-door polls.
While Christie is known for her clever misdirection, this one doesn’t exactly conceal its culprit well. The moment the criminal steps in, he practically wears a neon sign saying Suspicious Person Here. Or I've seen too many crime series.
The whole “supernatural� aspect, with the séance and the odd trio of women at The Pale Horse inn, builds an intriguing atmosphere but ultimately feels like a red herring that overstays its welcome. It’s an interesting premise that serves more as an elaborate smokescreen but doesn’t necessarily deliver the tension it promises.
In theory, this is considered an Ariadne Oliver book, but she barely makes an appearance. Sure, she gives a hint to Easterbrook that puts him on the path to discover the killer, but I was disappointed by her absence.
Overall, "The Pale Horse" is an interesting read, though it's not Christie’s most surprising mystery.
"The Pale Horse" is a murder mystery that leans into the supernatural, but ultimately lands squarely in the rational realm. The book follows a secretive organization that appears to cause deaths through occult means. The story is set in the English countryside, where a peculiar former inn called The Pale Horse, inhabited by three women who claim to be witches, becomes the center of attention after various random people claim to have visited it.
The central character, Mark Easterbrook, is a historian with no particular expertise in the occult but is intrigued by the rumors surrounding the inn and the women. He becomes involved in the investigation after a series of deaths which include some people he knows or has heard about, all seemingly dead by natural causes. He goes undercover and discovers an extended network of crime which includes a betting agent and an organization that runs door-to-door polls.
While Christie is known for her clever misdirection, this one doesn’t exactly conceal its culprit well. The moment the criminal steps in, he practically wears a neon sign saying Suspicious Person Here. Or I've seen too many crime series.
The whole “supernatural� aspect, with the séance and the odd trio of women at The Pale Horse inn, builds an intriguing atmosphere but ultimately feels like a red herring that overstays its welcome. It’s an interesting premise that serves more as an elaborate smokescreen but doesn’t necessarily deliver the tension it promises.
In theory, this is considered an Ariadne Oliver book, but she barely makes an appearance. Sure, she gives a hint to Easterbrook that puts him on the path to discover the killer, but I was disappointed by her absence.
Overall, "The Pale Horse" is an interesting read, though it's not Christie’s most surprising mystery.
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