Publication date: 1961
Summary: A priest is killed after hearing a confession of a woman dying under mysterious circumstances. The police find a list of names on his person and most of these people have died under similar circumstances. Mark Easterbrook, our novel's young hero decides to find out exactly what the Pale Horse refers to and see what connection it has to these mysterious deaths. Is witchcraft afoot?
The novel shows how even though witchcraft would have largely been discounted in the mid-20th Century in England, the aura of them still persisted. Christie's characters expound upon the fact that even today, every small village has its witch or outcast who is blamed when bad things happen in the community. Mrs. Dane Colthrope becomes a moral compass in this novel where death may or may not be the result of demonic activities. She seems not to care whether the actual cause is demonic or man-produced - the actions in and of themselves are evil.
Body count: Several people waste away before the novel takes place and some in the novel. Also a priest is struck down on his way home.
Detective/Sleuth: Mark Easterbrook (with the help of Mrs. Dane Colthrope and Ginger Corrigan), Detective-Inspector Lejeune and to a certain extent, Dr. Jim Corrigan. Several Poirot and Marple characters merge in this novel.
Rating: 4.5 hair-pulling bar room brawls out of 5
Commentary:
Sunday, July 11, 2010
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Matt,
ReplyDeleteWell, you will get your wish! The latest Marple adaptation for film is ... "The Pale Horse!!"
I remember reading this as a kid and really getting into the spooky atmosphere of it. (I even read the same paperback that you were holding in your hand!) I'm not sure I'm as enthralled with the book today, but it is great fun. And I have since heard the story that Christie had pondered this idea for years and years, remembering a man she worked with as a dispenser who seemed so nice but carried poison in his pocket all the time "to feel the power over life and death!" I think the idea of evil is very interesting here, especially since when all the trappings fall away, evil is very mundane. It wants power and money at the expense of others, but it's just a mediocre little person responsible for all this blackness!!!
Your post made me think of all the characters Christie has included in her novels that represented the superstitious nature of the English. It's interesting that so many of them occur in her later novels - Endless Night, Halloween Party, By the Pricking of My Thumbs - when I would think British people were less inclined toward believing the old hag who steps in the road, waving her arms and cursing the hero. I do like the "witches" in The Pale Horse; their relative sophistication makes them eerier.
There are a few snags in the plot, it seems. Just who IS the "Corrigan" on the list supposed to be? It can't be Ginger, and who would want to murder Jim? And with Poppy running her mouth off all the time, it's a wonder that the kill-to-order group doesn't just put billboards up and advertise!
I'm looking forward to Mirror Crack'd!
Brad
Hey Matt. I couldn't find an email address for you on this site, so I'll put my comments here.
ReplyDeleteJust want to say that I really appreciate all the work you're putting into these reviews. I haven't been able to comment on many of your reviews because I'm not reading along with you. Lately I've been catching up on a bunch of late-40s-early 50's books, and I feel that adding comments would be a bit pointless because you're well up into the 1960s now.
One question for you: in your video reviews, you recount the plots in detail, which tells me that your target audience is people who have not read the books. But in the written caption, you have a section for "body count", which details all the characters who die. I'm confused about why you want to give away vital information before someone has read the book!!
For example, in Ordeal By Innocence, you say: Rachel gets clubbed, Philip gets stabbed and another family member is nearly killed.
All-in-all, you've done a great job! I've read 6 Christies in the last 3 weeks, so I'm trying to catch up to you so I can read along for the final dozen books.
-Greg
Hi Greg:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments! I always appreciate hearing from other Christie fans. As for commenting, please feel free to leave comments on books from the 40s and 50s. I love going back and discussing different ideas and viewpoints, so no worries there. I get email notifications whenever someone comments on a post and I try my best to respond.
As for body count, I guess I should be more vague and simply stick with the number killed, if even including it. I write these with the assumption that people have probably read them but just in case, i leave off the whodunit part.
again, thanks for your comments!