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A review by readivine
The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie
5.0
Witches, seances, a museum of curios, a series of unrelated murders, and a pale horse.
A dying woman confesses her "sins" to Father Gorman, a local priest, together with a list of important names. However, Father Gorman was soon struck dead before he was even able to take action. This people in the list seemed unrelated at first glance, but in retrospect, they were all a list of dead people. And it all tied to The Pale Horse. A local pub which is now the abode of three suspected witches. But these witches are adored and respected by the townspeople. After all, their supernatural prowess is simply impossible.
The Pale Horse is a sinister and fascinating murder mystery by Dame Agatha herself. The lingering theme focuses on how malleable evil is and is ever-present in the mundane.
Christie juxtaposes this effectively in her prose, and it's so thoughtfully crafted and placed at different points of the story with ease. You can see how Christie plays in the tropes of the occult, how we associate it with evil, and how in reality, evil manifests in the most unseemly places.
The plot twist is astonishing just when I thought I almost figured it out. But it's not just Christie's plotting that takes the center stage here, for such a huge cast, all the characters were well fleshed out and endearing to read about.
Fun Fact: Christie's murderer in The Pale Horse is inspired by someone she works closely with during WWII. It's actually creepy when you know their background.
A dying woman confesses her "sins" to Father Gorman, a local priest, together with a list of important names. However, Father Gorman was soon struck dead before he was even able to take action. This people in the list seemed unrelated at first glance, but in retrospect, they were all a list of dead people. And it all tied to The Pale Horse. A local pub which is now the abode of three suspected witches. But these witches are adored and respected by the townspeople. After all, their supernatural prowess is simply impossible.
The Pale Horse is a sinister and fascinating murder mystery by Dame Agatha herself. The lingering theme focuses on how malleable evil is and is ever-present in the mundane.
Christie juxtaposes this effectively in her prose, and it's so thoughtfully crafted and placed at different points of the story with ease. You can see how Christie plays in the tropes of the occult, how we associate it with evil, and how in reality, evil manifests in the most unseemly places.
The plot twist is astonishing just when I thought I almost figured it out. But it's not just Christie's plotting that takes the center stage here, for such a huge cast, all the characters were well fleshed out and endearing to read about.
"You see, it’s not hot-blooded murder, from hate or jealousy; it’s not even murder from cupidity, the human frailty of murder for gain but taking the risk yourself. It’s murder as a business—murder that takes no account of who or what the victim may be."
Fun Fact: Christie's murderer in The Pale Horse is inspired by someone she works closely with during WWII. It's actually creepy when you know their background.