The Secret of Chimneys

This is Christie in playful mode. The plot mixes oil concessions, a missing jewel, a mysterious international thief known as King Victor and a house party hosted by the vague and long-suffering Marquis of Caterham, who would much rather be left alone. His spirited daughter Bundle and the cool, clever Virginia Revel are among the most enjoyable characters.

The book also introduces Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard, a stolid, patient detective who appears to notice nothing and in fact notices everything. Christie clearly had fun with the conventions of the Ruritanian adventure story, and the tone is closer to a romantic comedy than to a grim murder mystery.

The political background is deliberately silly and some period attitudes date the book. Readers wanting a tight puzzle in the Poirot style may find the plot sprawling, but the final revelations are genuinely surprising. Anthony himself is an appealing hero, cheerful, resourceful and never quite who he seems, and his banter with Virginia gives the book a lightness that makes it a pleasure from start to finish. Bundle later returned in The Seven Dials Mystery. About 314 pages in the William Morrow paperback.