Book Review: ‘Passenger to Frankfurt’ by Agatha Christie

My Rating*

‘This book can be taken as a perfect example of Agatha Christie at her worst.’

I am finding it really difficult to write a proper review of ‘Passenger to Frankfurt’ by Agatha Christie. There is nothing special to say about this book. While the book starts with a bang, it makes you drag in the middle and finally fizzles out like a balloon in the end. In simple words, this book was just boring. Yes, this is what I am saying – Boring and Uninteresting.

Image Source: Goodreads.com

This is not a murder mystery by Christie, for which she is really known and admired. On the other hand, this is one of the thrillers Christie wrote in her illustrious career. However, to be frank, there was no thrill in the book. At the same time, you just drag yourself reading it until it finishes. And, once finished, you take a sigh of relief because the pain in the neck is finally over. Also, you say to yourself, “What a tiresome journey it was!” You don’t believe that this book was written by the same author, who had written remarkable books like ‘And Then There Were None’, ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’.

This book seems to be Christie’s take on some of the events happening at the end of 1960s. This book is like a social and political commentary of the events of that period of time. However, the author appears to have failed miserably to weave these events together in the form of a perfect plot. In fact, there is no plot, just confusion.

This book starts with a note by the author. In this opening note of the book, Agatha Christie tells us, “But most of the things that happen in it are happening, or giving promise of happening in the world of today.” These lines and the storyline of the book unmistakably tell us about her impression of the world of 1960s. The world of 1960s, according to her, was in an absolute mess. And, this is what she was trying to discuss in the book in the form of a good thriller. She also comes up with a solution to deal with the dangerous situation of that time. This solution, in itself, is ridiculous.

Let us turn our attention to some other aspects of the book. The story never picks you up. The storyline was disoriented. The length of the book could have reduced a lot as a number of scenes in the book were unnecessary. These scenes neither add anything new to the plot not help the story to move further. These scenes just seem to be merely filler. There are so many characters that you take time to get acquainted with all of these. In addition, most of these characters merge with each other and you do not find distinct voices. And, it is what makes this book a difficult reading. More importantly, a number of questions remained unanswered.

I am feeling sad that I gave only one star to this book but it is what this book truly deserves.

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This Book Review is a part of ‘Agatha Christie Reading Challenge‘.