The Pale Horse

The Pale Horse, by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is a wonderful writer. The plot for this book was so complex that I had to make myself a diagram for myself showing each character's relationship to everyone else. In a nutshell, a dying woman gives a priest a list of names. She dies, and the priest is killed. The police have no idea what the list of names means, but many of them are turning up dead, of natural causes. Dr. Corrigan sees the name Corrigan on the list and takes it upon himself to solve the mystery even though he is a medical examiner for the police and not actually a detective. He shares info with Mark Easterbrook, the main character, who also is not with the police, and Mark manages to solve the crime, largely without the help of the police.

I have a feeling Agatha Christie's trust in the local authorities equals my trust in doctors, because the police take such a small role in the case.

Throughout the story, evidence seemed to be suggesting that a certain person was the murderer. In the end, the solution to the mystery came out of the blue, and the murderer was a completely different person. This plot twist was a delight to read. I do have to mention though, that there seemed to be way too many coincidences in the plot. Too many people just happened to know Mark, or just happened to bump into Mark, or just happened to be friends with someone involved. I was willing to overlook it because it was an enjoyable story, however, someone more skeptical might dismiss the book because "that would never happen in real life."

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery read, and anyone looking for a beautifully complex plot.