Book 1
I mentioned that I first read And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie, in high school. It was assigned reading to my freshman English class. I wasn't a mystery reader, so I skipped to the end the first time I had a guess and was totally astonished by Whodunnit.
I had picked up a lovely copy at least a year ago at one used book store or another. Because it was a re-read, it sat on the bookcase until I started playing the computer game. I read behind the game so as not to spoil anything.
What struck me this time around was how often this premise is used in popular culture. The horror film genre depends on one person dying at a time, and no one quite knows why until the end. But horror films generally don't have the "one of us did it" element. But Remington Steele sure did.
I forget who made the observation, but I think it was online. Every once in awhile, when watching a classic film for the first time, one might find yourself thinking, "So that's where the Simpsons got it!" That is a really good reason to read this book.
Also, there is the study of how people behave as fear starts to take over. Distrust, paranoia, hysteria. How they turn on each other.
There is a reason why this is "the bestselling mystery novel of all time".
I mentioned that I first read And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie, in high school. It was assigned reading to my freshman English class. I wasn't a mystery reader, so I skipped to the end the first time I had a guess and was totally astonished by Whodunnit.
I had picked up a lovely copy at least a year ago at one used book store or another. Because it was a re-read, it sat on the bookcase until I started playing the computer game. I read behind the game so as not to spoil anything.
What struck me this time around was how often this premise is used in popular culture. The horror film genre depends on one person dying at a time, and no one quite knows why until the end. But horror films generally don't have the "one of us did it" element. But Remington Steele sure did.
I forget who made the observation, but I think it was online. Every once in awhile, when watching a classic film for the first time, one might find yourself thinking, "So that's where the Simpsons got it!" That is a really good reason to read this book.
Also, there is the study of how people behave as fear starts to take over. Distrust, paranoia, hysteria. How they turn on each other.
There is a reason why this is "the bestselling mystery novel of all time".
No comments:
Post a Comment