Name: Colleen's review of They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie
Item: They Came to Baghdad
Rating: 4.5
Author: Colleen

Agatha Christie

In Agatha Christie’s classic crime adventure novel, They Came to Baghdad, a bright, young adventure seeker in the Middle East finds more excitement than she bargained for when a wounded spy expires in her hotel room. A secret superpower summit is being held in Baghdad, but the word is out, and an underground organization in the Middle East is plotting to sabotage the talks. Into this explosive situation appears Victoria Jones, a young woman with a yearning for adventure who gets more than she bargains for when a wounded spy dies in her hotel room. The only man who can save the summit is dead. Can Victoria make sense of his dying words: Lucifer…Basrah…Lefarge. . . .

They Came to Baghdad

Nicholas Laurie

Baghdad Is The Chosen Location For A Secret Summit Of Superpowers, Concerned But Not Convinced, About The Development Of An, As Yet, Unidentified And Undescribed Secret Weapon. Only One Man Has The Proof That Can Confirm The Nature Of This Fantastic Secret Weapon A British Agent Named Carmichael. Unfortunately The Criminal Organisation Responsible For The Weapon'S Development Will Stop At Nothing To Prevent Him Entering Baghdad And Presenting His Proof To The Assembled Delegates. Can Carmichael Enter The City Against Such Odds? Into This Explosive Situations Appears Victoria Jones, A Girl With A Yearning For Adventure Who Gets More Than She Bargains For When A Wounded Carmichael Dies In Her Arms In Her Hotel Room. Now, If Only She Could Make Sense Of His Last Words '&Lucifer&Basrah&Lefarge&'

*The queen of mystery takes on spy thrillers*

I have read (and loved) many of Agatha Christie's novels, but I had no idea she had written a Cold War espionage story until I stumbled across 

. Needless to say, I was instantly intrigued (no pun intended).

The story is about an inept typist in London who dreams of escaping her dreary life and seeing the world. Fired from yet another dead-end job, she utterly throws caution to the wind and follows her crush to Baghdad. But when she finds a dead spy in her hotel room, she ends up in the middle of a web of intrigue and adventure.

Victoria isn't a person I'd enjoy hanging out with in real life - she was prone to lying and impulsiveness and wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. But she did have an endearing amount of spunk. And as thoughtless as her journey across the world was without having any real plan, I still have to admire someone willing to take a risk and go after what she wanted. Even when it was going after a man who she didn't really know. So while a real-life Victoria would probably drive me nuts, I was completely rooting for fictional Victoria by the end.

The story flited between several viewpoints of people involved in the web of intrigue and conspiracy. All told in close third person. It definitely required a suspension of belief. Maybe I can see Victoria getting pulled in, but I could not credit the level of information that was given to her. But despite being a little farfetched, the characters, the setting, and the sense of adventurous espionage had me turning the pages. And it was of course, all told with Christie's typical mastery of storytelling. I truly wish she had written more stories along this vein. Don't get me wrong, I adore most of her whodunnits, but this underappreciated little gem left me craving more.

Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars

Colleen

4.5 Stars

*The queen of mystery takes on spy thrillers*


I have read (and loved) many of Agatha Christie's novels, but I had no idea she had written a Cold War espionage story until I stumbled across They Came to Baghdad. Needless to say, I was instantly intrigued (no pun intended).

The story is about an inept typist in London who dreams of escaping her dreary life and seeing the world. Fired from yet another dead-end job, she utterly throws caution to the wind and follows her crush to Baghdad. But when she finds a dead spy in her hotel room, she ends up in the middle of a web of intrigue and adventure.


‘Nothing must happen,” said Dakin. ‘That’s our business. To see that it doesn’t.’
When Crosbie had gone Dakin sat bent over his desk. He murmured under his breath:
‘They came to Baghdad…’


Victoria isn't a person I'd enjoy hanging out with in real life - she was prone to lying and impulsiveness and wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. But she did have an endearing amount of spunk. And as thoughtless as her journey across the world was without having any real plan, I still have to admire someone willing to take a risk and go after what she wanted. Even when it was going after a man who she didn't really know. So while a real-life Victoria would probably drive me nuts, I was completely rooting for fictional Victoria by the end.

The story flited between several viewpoints of people involved in the web of intrigue and conspiracy. All told in close third person. It definitely required a suspension of belief. Maybe I can see Victoria getting pulled in, but I could not credit the level of information that was given to her. But despite being a little farfetched, the characters, the setting, and the sense of adventurous espionage had me turning the pages. And it was of course, all told with Christie's typical mastery of storytelling. I truly wish she had written more stories along this vein. Don't get me wrong, I adore most of her whodunnits, but this underappreciated little gem left me craving more.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 5 Stars
Originality: 5 Stars

Kirsten Simkiss

If it were not for one single line in the book that absolutely broke me into tears of laughter, this book would be a 2 star review.

The book itself is bland. The main character is unquestionably stupid, following a strange, good-looking man half way around the world without money or a plan because he spoke to you for five minutes at Charing Cross station. She’s ridiculous and it’s honestly a miracle she survived the book.

The plot is half decent. It’s predictable in spots, but overall quite good. It’s definitely one where, if you were paying attention, you can catch the hints and figure things out.

But the line that broke me was this: “Faithful to the tradition of Juliet, Victoria leaned over the balcony and gave a prolonged hiss.” Also unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on your perspective - I was on a voice call at the time, which was 3:19 AM, and I then had to explain it to my friends. While rationally I know they meant more of a “psssst” sound, I just couldn’t help but picture a woman hissing like an angry cat at a man over the railing of a balcony. Fortunately, I have great friends and we wound up absolutely crying with laughter for a good 20 minutes. This experience will forever be engrained in my brain and it gave this book an extra star just for that experience.

Would I recommend the book? Nah, not really. The main character is an idiot and it killed the book for me. It’s okay, but Christie definitely has better books.

Anna Adams

I picked it up while a bit depressed from Hamilton's dying at the end of a biography about him. :-) So, I wasn't expecting a lot. I haven't read many of Christie's non-Poirot/non-Marple books. But this is actually one of my favorite Christie's! Need to read more of these!

Baghdad is holding a secret superpower summit, but the word is out, and an underground organization in the Middle East is plotting to sabotage the talks. Into this explosive situation appears Victoria Jones, a young woman with a yearning for adventure who gets more than she bargains for when a wounded spy dies in her hotel room. The only man who can save the summit is dead. Can Victoria make sense of his dying words: Lucifer...Basrah...Lefarge....

Nicholas Laurie &
They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie

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They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie