Cool Down with AC -- Endless Night

Summary: Some are born to sweet delight, Some are born to endless night . . .

When penniless Michael Rogers discovers the beautiful house at Gypsy’s Acre and then meets the heiress Ellie, it seems that all his dreams have come true at once. But he ignores an old woman’s warning of an ancient curse, and evil begins to stir in paradise. As Michael soon learns: Gypsy’s Acre is the place where fatal “accidents” happen. -- Harper

Although I did read my fair share of Agatha Christie books in my youth, I never read ENDLESS NIGHT by Agatha Christie... until now. ENDLESS NIGHT is one of Agatha Christie's favorite novels and I can certainly see why. This novel was very different from any other Agatha Christie novel that I've read, and it was soooo good!

ENDLESS NIGHT tells the story of Michael Rogers, a relatively poor young man who jumps from job to job. He falls in love with an heiress named Ellie and is absolutely thrilled when she agrees to marry him. When Michael and Ellie build their dream house at Gypsy's Acre, their life together seems to be perfect... until a strange woman begins giving dire warnings about Gypsy's Acre and suspicious accidents start occurring.

The story is told through the eyes of Michael and I was pleasantly surprised by how well Ms. Christie captured his voice (although, by now, I shouldn't be surprised with anything Ms. Christie writes!) Much of the novel is spent telling about the love story between the very wealthy Ellie and Michael as well as some of the challenges they faced in their marriage. And what I found surprising is that the murder didn't take place until very late in the book. As I read ENDLESS NIGHT, I kept wondering when the "crime" was going to occur. The book is wrapped up very neatly in the last few pages, but I will tell you that it's definitely a shocking conclusion. Needless to say, I had absolutely no clue how things would wrap up and I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped as I began to figure things out.

ENDLESS NIGHT is one of those books that you just have to read for yourself. I really can't say too much about it or I'll be sure to give away the surprise ending. Suffice it to say that this might end up being one of the Agatha Christie books I most enjoyed reading this summer. The characters were so interesting, the murder mystery was complex, and the ending just blew me away! I was extremely impressed that Ms. Christie wrote the entire novel in the voice of a young man, and I thought she did a remarkable job of capturing all of the aspects of his character.

I must say that Agatha Christie is a pure genius when it comes to writing mysteries -- as if you didn't already know that. She did a wonderful job of creating a worthy cast of potential murderers with ample opportunities as well as reasonable motives, and she definitely had this reader guessing (and second guessing) who did it and why. I especially appreciated how well she unraveled the mystery in the last few pages to gain the most shock value to her audience.

As I was doing a bit of research about ENDLESS NIGHT, I discovered that it was made into a movie in 1972 with Hayley Mills. I would love to watch this movie and see how they story was portrayed on the big screen. Supposedly, Ms. Christie wasn't very happy that they incorporated some sex scenes into the movie version; and I can't say that I would blame her. Has anyone seen the film version? And if so, what did you think?

This week's Cool Down with Agatha Christie readalong will take place at Devourer of Books. Make sure you stop by to see what everyone else is saying about ENDLESS NIGHT.

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this novel.  

 
Mystery Mondays is a "somewhat" regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read.