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They Do it
With Mirrors |
Agatha Christie's
They Do It With Mirrors piqued my interest more because of the title - was the murder, inevitably, done by employing mirrors or somesuch? I am disappointed to say that no such objects come into play, except in the very first page where Ruth Van Rydock, a rich friend of Miss Marple, appraises herself in front of a mirror while trying out a Lanvanelli gown. Mrs Van Rydock is rather quite worried about her sister and Miss Marple's friend, a Carrie Louise, upon whom she fears a tragedy might befall any time. Coaxed and goaded thus, Miss Marple decides to check it out for herself to put her friend's mind to rest, only to find the atmosphere foreboding and fraught with submerged dread, and her apprehensions soon justified when the set up becomes a venue for multiple murders. The title, as I mentioned above, is not be taken in its literal sense and chiefly concern the conjuring
tricks that are enacted on stage (as in a play) to fool the audience. Christie's own plot devices achieve mixed success in this regard, and the real motive may be a cause for little excitement, with the second and third murders serving no real purpose save for some empty thrills.
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