::READERS REVIEWS::

Dressed to Kill - While a great fan of Agatha Christie's famous sleuths Poirot and Marple, I enjoy the change in her stories that do not feature these tried and true detectives. The narratives for these stories seem somewhat fresher than the others, less formulaic, and more encompassing of other facts than the mystery at hand. "The Man in the Brown Suit", although perhaps showing some signs of its age, is a quick-paced, enthralling read with a plethora of suspects and puzzling clues.

Anne Beddingfeld is the recently orphaned daughter of a famous, but very poor, professor known for his work on primitive man. Perhaps owing to her dull life with her father, Anne is desperate for adventure and jumps at the chance to seek her fortune in London. One day at the train station she witnesses a man fall to his death on the tracks, surprised by some unknown specter. Later that day, the body of an unidentified woman is found in an empty house. When Anne thinks about both deaths, she knows they must be connected, but just how they are connected will carry Anne to South Africa where she encounters a vast network of crime and criminals who can play the game more adeptly than a young girl looking for adventure on a whim.

"The Man in the Brown Suit" is a classic Christie mystery, with the usual elusive criminals, red herrings, and characters in disguise. Mixed in with the mystery is a bit of political intrigue and even some romance for the heroine herself. It is a delightful read that will keep readers guessing to the very end.

Fun, Fast-Paced Romantic Thriller - I'm in the middle of a kick of re-reading Christie novels for the summer and this was one of the first that I read as a young teen. It's held up pretty well. She uses a trick to hide/reveal the killer that she uses again to far better effect in a much more famous story of hers, but no matter. This story features Christie's love of travel, fast-paced action and an old-fashioned yet sexy, practically bodice-ripping romance. It works because Anne is actually quite an interesting character who can hold her own. And I had forgotten that Colonel Race shows up first in this story. A great summer re-read.

Nice Suspense Novel - This is not your typical Agatha Christie mystery. It's a mystery but also a novel of international intrigue and romance. There are twists, feints, and fun characters. The story is interesting and keeps you on the edge of your seat, although at the same time it's somewhat convoluted. All in all, an entertaining and quick read. For the fans of Poirot, Marple, etc. this is definitely not what you'd expect though.

Very happy - Product came very quickly and in perfect condition. I would buy from this seller again.

A bit too of its time - My grandmother left me her collection of Agatha Christie novels and, over the years, I've been trying to make time to read them in chronological order. I've just finished reading "The Man in the Brown Suit" and, while I did find it intriguing and suspenseful, I found it a bit too mired in the melodrama of the day. When a female character suddenly protests " But I love him!" about a character she's just barely met, it's a bit difficult to believe. The mystery is fun and the globe-trotting storyline is exciting to follow, but the romance hurts the overall story rather than helping it. I look forward to reading more of her books to see when (if?) she moved past such melodrama and let mystery and suspense lead the way.

a romance story that is hard to swallow - I was looking forward to an Agatha Christie suspense mystery when what this delivered was an overly long romance novel. Others have said that Ann is Agatha's ideal woman, independent, willful, intelligent, quick, and risk-taking. But as Sir Eustes says in the novel, she's an amateur making illogical moves and choices. Her fearlessness goes beyond naivete. Not much of this novel is plausible, and the explanations at the end are long and drawn out. Ho hum, I got through it, but cannot recommend it. I suppose in 1924 it was spectacular.

One of the Best - I won't go into any plot details, as others have, but wanted to weigh in with my opinion of this book. I became acquainted with Agatha Christie as a Poirot fan, and decided to read each of the novels and short story collections featuring that great detective. I think most readers would agree that many of Christie's best novels have been Poirots. As I was somewhat fixated on Hercule, I didn't pay much attention to Miss Marple or any of Christie's other books.

One day, after having passed over this novel many times, I finally decided to read "The Man in the Brown Suit." This is not really one of Christie's most intricately plotted mysteries -- although it is a fairly complex plot. In fact, you may well figure out the big secret because it's all but given away fairly early. But, I think you will find it to be a very fun "mystery-adventure" type story, with an interesting protagonist/narrator, great supporting characters, cloak-and-dagger intrigue, and a bit of romance.

As much as I like or love several of the Poirot stories, this is one of the two Christie novels -- both early works -- that I had the most fun reading.

Nice Suspense Novel - This is not your typical Agatha Christie mystery. It's a mystery but also a novel of international intrigue and romance. There are twists, feints, and fun characters. The story is interesting and keeps you on the edge of your seat, although at the same time it's somewhat convoluted. All in all, an entertaining and quick read. For the fans of Poirot, Marple, etc. this is definitely not what you'd expect though.

"You Love Another, As the Books Say..." - Agatha Christie is best known for her Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries, wherein her famous detectives solve crimes in both local and far-flung locations. What some don't realize is that Christie also wrote dozens of thrillers/mysteries that starred adventure-seekers, amateur sleuths, or individuals who are caught up against their will into espionage and intrigue. Usually stand-alone novels, they contain Christie's dry wit and twisty plots, and usually take place in exotic settings in which Christie can make use of her extensive knowledge of archeology (thanks her experiences accompanying an archeologist husband around the world).

Anne Beddingfeld is a recently orphaned young woman who is determined to live her life to the fullest, despite her meager inheritance. Whilst job-hunting she is privy to a rather extraordinary scene at the train station: a man so frightened that he topples backwards onto the track. She watches as a man in a brown suit, claiming to be a doctor, approaches and proclaims him dead - but instincts impel Anne to follow the man and claim a piece of paper that falls from his pocket. Along with a sequence of numbers, it also has the name of a ship bound to South Africa written on it.

A few inquiries later, and Anne has reason to believe that the strange occurrence at the train station is connected to the murder of a woman at an empty house in Marlow. Fate has spoken to Anne, and she books passage on board the Kilmorden Castle. What follows is a complex (almost *too* complex) mystery involving a crime syndicate and the hunt for stolen diamonds, told in first-person narrative that switches periodically between Anne's memoirs and the journal of a fellow passenger, Sir Eustace Pedler. It's difficult to keep track sometimes just what's happening, when and where, but since the plot flies along at a break-neck speed, the reader isn't really given enough time to get confused.

Christie rarely has a female protagonist, which is a shame, since Anne Beddingfeld is a gem: charming, adventurous, spunky, self-deprecating and independent, though not without her flaws. Sometimes she's a little *too* intrepid, and this inevitably gets her into trouble. She's surrounded by a cast of intriguing characters, including the brooding, mysterious Harry Rayburn, and Lady Suzanne Blair, who treats the entire adventure like a game. Perhaps the most unique aspect of the novel is that the romance is more pronounced than usual (most of the time Christie uses love-stories as a subplot), and yet Christie still manages to poke fun at womankind's attraction to dangerous men.

With South Africa in all its beauty and danger as a backdrop, "The Man in the Brown Suit" may have several rather far-fetched scenarios, as well as a plot that's so dense that it may take a second read to make heads-or-tails of it, but it's still a perfect read for a wintry night or a relaxing holiday.