This is absolutely the best non-Poirot book Agatha Christie ever wrote, and certainly ranks up there with the best of the Poirot ones as well. It's certainly very different from typical murder mysteries, despite having many of the cliched elements. The delight in this book is the characters and they way they interact. You'll come away with a new appreciation of Battle, if you've only seen him on the sidelines to Poirot before. All the other other characters are wonderful as well, and part of the fun is that nearly everyone in the book is playing their cards close to their chest, but Christie does a wonderful job of revealing enough, but never too much. There is a lot going on in this book, and it is not to be rushed through. However, this is one of the very few books that I read a second time, and it was enjoyable as the first time, having, as it were, a different perspective on the characters and the plot. I've re-read a few more times now, just to enjoy the dialog and amusing touches throughout the book. Highly recommended.

Superintendent Battle is a favorite character for me in the Agatha Christie novels. I enjoy watching how Dame Agatha allows him to interact with the main characters, often with someone who should be a prime suspect. That is what happens in this novel. The Secret of Chimneys is the first Christie novel to feature the stolid, intelligent Scotland Yard superintendent who is seen to have a twinkle in his eye quite often when dealing with the "bright young things" filling the pages of an Agatha Christie mystery. Battle has a soft spot in his heart for these young people and he is always a shrewd judge of people.

This particular book is always a delight for me to read. This time I found myself wondering if it is okay to chuckle out loud while contemplating a murder mystery. The answer had to be a resounding yes. If you were to write out a list of everything you would expect to find in a mystery from one of the Golden Age of British Mystery Writers, this book would probably contain almost every item on the list. There are political intrigues, hunting for gold in Africa, switched identities, memoires on their way to be published, a fantastic jewel stolen and never found, secret rooms, incriminating love letters, a trunk left at a railway station, gunshots in the night, a deserted house, missing revolvers, a secret code, a dead body placed on the side of the road, a future King of a small Baltic nation. And I could go on and on. This book sometimes swerves a little too far toward the comic side for my particular tastes but you need to be on your guard just the same. Don't ever assume that someone is exactly who or what they proclaim to be.

My very favorite Agatha Christie books are the novels which feature Miss Marple. Having said that, if you love Agatha Christie, just read this offering of hers for the sheer pleasure and exuberance of her writing. Do I think it is her best book, no. Do I love it every time I read it, yes. I highly recommend this book, as I do any book written by Christie. They will keep your brain whirring and clicking over at top speed.

I have never enjoyed Agatha Christie's thrillers as much as her mystery puzzles, nevertheless, this book is a fun read. Most of the dialogue is fresh and fun , particularly the passages between the 'bright young things,' and I loved the Lord Caterham character. The plot is completely insane, but the pace is sprightly. I recommend a complete suspension of disbelief in order to enjoy this book to the fullest.

Christie pokes satirical fun at the post-WWI British upper crust in this light-hearted murder yarn. Ironically enough, Christie's mildly racist Anglocentrism is on full display--unless that's meant satirically as well. Hard to tell.

This is one of the older Agatha's and feels a bit dated. One of the only ones I didn't read twice. For real fans worth a read.