Not the usual Agatha Christie but still good

I have to say I have mixed feelings about this book. It was so long and seemed to be just an unnecessarily long ramble about a semi interesting storyline. It was sufficiently dark though to know there was more to it and having finished it I can say I’m very pleased I did listen to the end.
What was exceptional was Hugh Frasers narrating. Totally different to anything I’ve heard him do and he totally made it for me. He brought the main character to life in a way I know would have made AC herself very pleased.

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Endless Night of entertainment

I loved this book; Hugh Fraser (famous for playing the dim but everloving Captain Hastings in the Poirot television movies) does an amazing job of telling this story. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Such great writing: definitely one of Christie's best works.

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Totally absorbing

I am a big Agatha Christie fan and have read or listened to many of her books. I didn't know anything about this story, but had read that this was one of Agatha Christie's personal favourites, so thought it was worth a go.
I wasn't disappointed, this is not the usual who-done-it, there is no detective (amateur or professional)

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Unique

I’ve read Agatha Christie detective novels since girlhood and loved them. Some how I didn’t realise she’d written difficult kind of novels. Enjoyed it immensely.

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‘Some are born to endless night’

The suitably portentous title is taken from William Blake and the words resonate through this tense psychological thriller which has a spectacular twist and a sense of real dread and menace. It doesn’t feature Marple or Poirot (though it is similar to a Marple short story from 1950 called The Case of the Caretaker, and there was a Marple TV adaptation of the novel in 2013). Endless Night was published in 1967 but the substance of it could easily pass muster as a thriller today, with some tweaks… It’s a fascinating novel because it’s so unexpected - it’s not the kind of ‘cosy crime’ that might be more readily associated with Christie, though some of those familiar ingredients are present and correct such as a small English village, eccentric aristocrats, and imposing houses. The story is told in first person by Michael Rogers, a self-described ‘rolling stone’ (well, it was the 1960s) who dreams of settling down and building a house. He comes across a bargain basement property that could provide the perfect site - despite local rumours that it’s cursed… which might explain why it’s going cheap. Then he meets and falls in love with a wealthy heiress. His life, and hers, change forever. The narration is brilliant. The closing sections of the novel - probably the final third - are the most compelling. There is arguably a bit of padding and the pace could be faster earlier on. But overall this is a great listen. I’m a Christie fan, though not a disciple, and this has inspired me to read more. Endless Night was one of Christie’s own favourites, and she wrote it in six weeks. The critics were positive and described it as a departure from her usual style. Giving any more away would spoil the experience … so download it and get listening now!

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Wish it was longer!

I have read about 60 agatha christie books and this one definitely is now in my top 3! Truly sad when the book eneded.

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My favourite Agatha Christie story

The audio book didn't disappoint! I love the Miss Marple adaptation for TV too. I liked the narration on this book, its an easy to follow story and because I knew the story already it made it even more interesting listening to it. Very enjoyable 🥰

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Different

Loved it. Not the normal Agatha Christie crime novel but was still very good. Well worth a credit.

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The shocking denouement.

Hugh Fraser's performance was as scintillating as ever, changing the voices to sound nothing like the usual beautiful pluminess of his voice while retaining the immaculate diction. The story lost nothing for the absence of Christie's great detectives because the final twist was literally breathtaking in its unexpected brilliance. l was truly shocked. And the writing is quite beautiful.

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Can we just congratulate mr. Hugh Fraser on this one?

The story is quite a lovely classical Agatha Christie one, it was similar to “The murder of Roger Ackroyd” and “Death on the Nile”, but the stellar performance of Hugh Fraser, especially in the end, really did the trick. I do adore this man’s voice and interpretation of different types of characters. I gotta say: worth the credit!

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3 people found this helpful