Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie has been in by TBR pile for a while, one of the few books by my favorite author that I had not read. Unfortunately, I found this to be a tedious read and not much mystery at all. When I read a Christie, I want a good, juicy mystery that keeps me guessing or at least keeps me engaged. This did not do it for me.
This is one of Christie’s books that does not feature one of her famous detectives. Personally, my favorites star Hercule Poirot, although there are several Miss Marple mysteries I enjoy as well. However, Passenger to Frankfurt fell flat for my tastes. It was repetitive and while I liked the main character Stafford Nye, after a while, I just didn’t care if he actually discovered why he was entangled in an international issue.
The story started just fine, Nye meets a mysterious woman during an airport layover and allows himself to be convinced to give her his identity because she says her life is in danger. Upon returning home to England he reconnects with the mysterious passenger to Frankfurt — is she spy or what? And quickly, Nye is now involved with a global plot that includes Hitler-influenced youth, wealthy matriarchs, and even his great-aunt Matilda, who was one character I genuinely adored.
No regrets reading the Passenger to Frankfort, but definitely not a book I’ll pick up again. There are many really wonderful Agatha Christie mysteries out there to read. Back in November, I reviewed the Five Little Pigs and gave it 4 of 5 stars on Goodreads. You can check out my review here — definitely enjoyed it more than Passenger to Frankfort.
Other Christie favorites of mine include:
- Death on the Nile (my number one favorite!)
- Halloween Party
- And Then There Were None
- A Caribbean Mystery
- Evil Under the Sun
- Dead Man’s Folly
- Murder on the Orient Express
- The Seven Dials Mystery
- Death in the Clouds
I do recommend heading over to the official Agatha Christie website for everything about the author and her books. You can check out news about the latest adaptations of her work, including the anticipated new movie of Murder on the Orient Express. Plus I highly recommend printing out the complete list of her novels (by publication year) if you’re like me and trying to complete your collection.
Happy reading!