They Came To Baghdad by Agatha Christie

 

Publication Date:

March 5, 1951

Genre:  

Cozy Mystery/Historical Mystery

Length:   

368 pages

Series: 

None

Book description courtesy of Goodreads

She fell head over heels for the charming young man one afternoon. And by nightfall, Victoria Jones had conspired to follow him to Baghdad.

But no daydream of love could match the real life adventure that unfolded: a stranger was stabbed in her bed, someone issued a hushed warning, and her rival for Edward's affections neatly arranged her kidnapping. From the steamy Arab marketplace to the vast and arid desert, Victoria was pursued by an unknown power that threatened not only her, but the fate of the entire world.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this one! It was more of a thriller/spy book and it didn't feel like a true Christie mystery. But it was fast paced and the main character, Victoria, was fantastic. She had spirit, was both funny and sometimes naive and I was sad to say goodbye to her. When it was over I was wishing she was a recurring character in other books but I don't think so.

The setting was also well described and I appreciated the local characters and the way Christie described some of their ways, how they thought and behaved differently from Western culture. 

The first half of the book unfolds with her just getting to Baghdad and the why behind her visit. I really did see through some of the red herrings early on and in the second half quickly figured out who the main villains were. But it didn't matter because I was loving seeing the story of Victoria's kidnapping and realization that she is part of a much larger world plot. She just keeps plugging along and doesn't lose her wits despite being faced with so much danger.

I thought reading this that Christie nailed some true sentiments not as likely to be discussed in her time, especially by the non-political person. She talks about people who think they are smarter than everyone else and have the right to direct their lives for their own good. And how that is the worst kind of evil. She says they have lost all brotherhood and humanity. Great observation.

I wish she'd written a few more like this one. The Tommy and Tuppence mysteries are probably the closest to them and I really like those. If you like spy type mysteries you will love They Came To Baghdad.