They Came to Baghdad: Level 5, B2+

Written by Agatha Christie

Narrated by Joan Walker

Collins brings the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie, to English language learners.

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time and in any language. Now Collins has adapted her famous detective novels for English language learners. These carefully abridged versions are shorter with the language targeted at learners of English.

Victoria Jones is a young English woman who is looking for love. She follows her new love interest to Baghdad, but she has no idea what adventure is waiting for her there.

A very important international meeting is planned in Baghdad, but a secret organisation wants to sabotage it. Meanwhile, when a man dies in Victoria’s hotel room, he whispers three words to her: ‘… Lucifer … Basrah … Lefarge …’ What do these words mean? And what does it have to do with the meeting?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Oct 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9780008210625

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is the most widely published author of all time, outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare. Her books have sold more than a billion copies in English and another billion in a hundred foreign languages. She died in 1976, after a prolific career spanning six decades.

Reviews for They Came to Baghdad

[philipjmac · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After having read many Agatha Christie mysteries, I had held off reading some of her espionage and spy thrillers. I picked it up because of a bookclub, and I’m glad I gave it a try. It’s certainly a departure from her usual mysteries, but it has a delightful heroine at the center of the tale by the name of Victoria Jones. She’s a bit reckless, flighty, and romantic, but with all her flaws, the reader is still throughly engaged throughout to see if she’ll survive this adventure she put herself in. A fun and thrilling little adventure that I enjoyed.

[figgles_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun post-war Christie, where the slightly ridiculous plot is given weight by he author's knowledge of Iraq and its people (her second husband was British archaeologist Max Mallowan and she accompanied him on archaeological digs in the Middle East). There's also an undercurrent of seriousness - epitomised by the misquotation - it's better to serve in heaven than reign in hell. Enjoy the adventures of the little cockney liar Victoria Jones as she gets mixed up in espionage whilst looking for love!

[smik_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Originally published in 1951, THEY CAME TO BAGHDAD reflects popular concerns of the time about whether another World War was brewing. He said grumblingly, ‘All right, all right…Get back as soon as you can. I’ve never seen the market so jumpy. All this damned Communism. War may break out at any moment. It’s the only solution, I sometimes think. The whole country’s riddled with it – riddled with it. And now the President’s determined to go to this fool conference at Baghdad. It’s a put-up job in my opinion. They’re out to get him. Baghdad! Of all the outlandish places!’ ‘Oh I’m sure he’ll be very well guarded,’ Miss Scheele said soothingly. ‘They got the Shah of Persia last year, didn’t they? They got Bernadotte in Palestine. It’s madness – that’s what it is – madness. ‘But then,’ added Mr Morganthal heavily, ‘all the world is mad.’ While the main protagonists appear to be the USA and Communist Russia, those engineering the war are quite a different group again: ‘I know everybody says there’s going to be another war sooner or later,’ said Victoria. ‘Exactly,’ said Mr Dakin. ‘Why does everybody say so, Victoria?’ She frowned. ‘Why, because Russia – the Communists – America –’ she stopped. ‘You see,’ said Dakin. ‘Those aren’t your own opinions or words. They’re picked up from newspapers and casual talk, and the wireless. There are two divergent points of view dominating different parts of the world, that is true enough. And they are represented loosely in the public mind as “Russia and the Communists” and “America”. Now the only hope for the future, Victoria, lies in peace, in production, in constructive activities and not destructive ones. Therefore everything depends on those who hold those two divergent viewpoints, either agreeing to differ and each contenting themselves with their respective spheres of activity, or else finding a mutual basis for agreement, or at least toleration. Instead of that, the opposite is happening, a wedge is being driven in the whole time to force two mutually suspicious groups farther and farther apart. Certain things led one or two people to believe that this activity comes from a third party or group working under cover and so far absolutely unsuspected by the world at large. Whenever there is a chance of agreement being reached or any sign of dispersal of suspicion, some incident occurs to plunge one side back in distrust, or the other side into definite hysterical fear. The central character/heroine Victoria Jones, who turns out to be a superb detective, never appears in another Christie novel. In tone and theme this novel is reminiscent of those that featured Tommy and Tuppence. It also reflects a theme that appears elsewhere, the idea of an evil force that is controlling world events.As Wikipedia says "The book was inspired by Christie's own trips to Baghdad with her second husband, archaeologist Max Mallowan, and is also one of few Christie novels belonging to the action and spy drama genres.."It is very clear that much of the description of the journey to Baghdad and what happens on an archaeological dig comes from Christie's own experience. In this e-version of THEY CAME TO BAGHDAD we also have a segment from Christie's Autobiography, begun in 1950 when she was in Iraq.I don't think this is one of Christie's best . The tone is probably closer to the novels of the 20s and 30s, and there was a little too much melodrama and romance in it for my taste. But it reminds us how anxious people must have been in 1950. 1949 China became Communist and Russia demonstrated an Atomic Bomb 1950 the Korean war began, Senator McCarthy begins the Communist Witchhunt in the USA and President Truman orders the construction of the hydrogen bomb

[murderbydeath · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a surprise.  I'm certainly a long way from having read the entire Christie canon, but I've read enough to expect a certain...atmosphere in her books.  They Came to Baghdad certainly defied those expectations.  Exuberant is the only word that comes to mind. Unfortunately the plot is ludicrous.  For the first 13 chapters, Christie was on fire, creating rich characters and setting.  The breaking of the fourth wall in Chapter two, when Christie's narrator uses the collective present (Victoria was like most of us, ...), has left me wondering if there isn't a touch of the autobiographical in Victoria.  I can imagine Victoria's first impressions of Baghdad being Christie's and I could well believe her final thoughts on relationships are pulled from Christie's first hand knowledge.  It isn't until the plot is revealed that it all goes sideways.  It's all just a bit too Austen Powers. Still, if you can overlook it (and it becomes harder to do so in the second half of the book, to be honest), it's a highly entertaining book; practically a romp.  I enjoyed it overall, and it was worth the wobbly plot to see Christie's lighter side. (This was a buddy read for Summer of Spies.)

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Adapted from the book jacket: 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 love and adventure who gets more than she bargains for when she follows a young man to that city. My reactionsI love Dame Christie’s works, and am especially fond of the series starring Hercule Poirot. This is one of her better stand-alone novels. There are lots of characters to sort out, and much intrigue (no surprise, given the basic premise). Victoria is plucky, thinks quickly, given to prevarication, and quite resourceful in a pinch. I love that she seizes opportunity; recently let go from her job she meets the charming Edward and decides to follow her heart (and her man) to Baghdad. Among the people she encounters are a professor of archeology, a junior embassy official, an ebullient hotel owner, a taciturn older man, a jealous office worker, a seasoned spy, and, of course, her young man. Along the way she experiences something of the culture and customs of the Iraqi people, stumbles into the major espionage ring at the core of the novel and learns more than a little about herself. I identified the culprit fairly early, but it was fun to watch it unfold and to watch Victoria talk her way out of more than one tight spot with her quick wit and talent for spinning a plausible story.

[paradiseporch · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Convoluted. Not Christie's best.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shorthand typist Victoria Jones fines herself suddenly out of a job. She meets a young man in a London park and they take a fancy to each other. Edward is returning to his secretarial job in Baghdad. Now that she's at loose ends, Victoria determines to join him there. She manages to get a temporary job as companion to a female traveler on her way to Baghdad, and surely a shorthand typist – even a not very good one – can find some sort of job there. One thing leads to another and, before she knows it, she's mixed up in international intrigue. Is anyone who he or she seems to be? She'll have to rely on her wits and her ability to lie convincingly to stay out of the clutches of the conspirators, whoever they are.Although Christie is better known for her mystery novels, several of her adventure novels are among my favorites. I've now added this one to that list. This book strikes just the right balance between suspense and humor. Although I guessed a few of the book's secrets, Christie still managed to surprise me. This would have been a 5-star read if not for the fact that the conspiracy Victoria was enlisted to thwart was never actually explained!”The delusion that by force you can impose the Millennium on the human race is one of the most dangerous delusions in existence. Those who are out only to line their own pockets can do little harm—mere greed defeats its own ends. But the belief in a superstratum of human beings—in Supermen to rule the rest of the decadent world—that, Victoria, is the most evil of all beliefs. For when you say, 'I am not as other men'—you have lost the two most valuable qualities we have ever tried to attain: humility and brotherhood.”

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this piece of Christie's, it was a nice step-away from M. Poirot, Miss Marple, & Tommy/Tuppence....

A young woman is fired from her secretarial job for being sloppy & uncaring... While in the park lamenting the loss of income she happens upon a young man whom she falls head-over-heels for. Unfortunately he is leaving to Baghdad to work on a charity project of sorts.... Luckily she stumbles upon an advertisement for a "companion" to an older woman w/ a broken arm who is about to travel to Baghdad.

Meanwhile in the government: an "agent" goes missing, men bearing a resemblance to the agent are being found murdered, another agent is being sought after only to have disappeared... and Baghdad becomes a very dangerous place for the young woman, as she lands smack dab in the middle of the danger....

I liked the story, I liked the characters, many (but not all) of the clues were there and a few Red Herrings as well....... Who is to be trusted? Who isn't to be trusted? And what do a dying man's last words mean?

[pennykaplan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Read this again after many years. Enjoyed the writing and the period setting, although today it reads almost like a young adult book

[lahochstetler · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to be different from Christie's usual fare. There's no murder mystery here. Rather, this book is about suspense and espionage. Former secretary Victoria Jones meets a man in the park and falls in love. When she discovers that he is moving to Baghdad, she decides to follow him. Victoria arrives in Baghdad on the cusp of an important meeting of world leaders to be held in the city, and the entire area is on high alert. Quickly it becomes obvious that it is not exactly safe for Victoria in Baghdad.I will admit that I tend to prefer Christie's murder mystery books to those like this, on espionage. This isn't a bad book, it's just not necessarily as good as the murder mysteries. I felt like I didn't know the characters in this book, and that I couldn't get my head around the diplomacy. I did manage to figure out who the bad guy was, which was gratifying, and it was interesting to read about Baghdad at a very different time.

[bnielsen_30 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

London, New York, Bagdad, ca 1950.En britisk agent, Henry Carmichael, er på vej til Bagdad med beviser på en fantastisk historie. Han har allerede fortalt historien til sin foresatte Hr. Dakin, men uden beviser er det bare en historie.Fjenden forsøger på alle måder at stoppe ham, fx ved at myrde alle der ligner ham!I London er Victoria Jones netop med rette blevet fyret fra sit job, så hun har ingen skrubler med at følge i hælene på en mand Edward Goring, som hun har mødt kortvarigt i en park og som er på vej til Bagdad. Victoria bliver rodet ind i plottet, som indbefatter den velfinansierede plan om at omstyrte den gældende verdensorden.I Bagdad forsøger Carmichael at komme ind på konsulatet, men han bliver forsøgt myrdet i det øjeblik han giver sig til kende. En fjern bekendt. Richard Blake. redder ham.Imens har Victoria bluffet sig vej til Bagdad, men hun har problemer med at finde et lønnet job og ditto med at finde Edward, som arbejder for en organisation, Oliegrenen, der forsøger at skabe fred i verden.Carmichael dukker op, men bliver dødeligt såret af et dolkestød fra en, han stoler på. Han udånder i Victorias værelse efter at have fremstønnet tre ord Lucifer, Basrah, Lefarge. Sir Rupert Crofton Lee er ligesom Dakin indviet i Carmichaels mission, men han forsvinder og dukker op som lig i Nilen dagen efter.Victoria bliver også kidnappet, men undslipper efter at hendes hår er blevet farvet platinblondt. Hun opdager at Lefarge er en fejlhøring af Defarge fra Dickens, hvor en Madame Defarge har strikket navne ind i et strikketøj. Tilsvarende er der et budskab gemt i et tørklæde, som Carmichael nåede at give Victoria inden han døde. Lucifer er en hentydning til Edward, der viser sig at være en af bagmændene i det skumle plot. Victoria afslører det og alt ender godt, for hun bliver sendt i armene på Richard Blake.Underholdende og stærkt usandsynlig historie.

[bookmarque · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable read and a competent, if somewhat stylized spy thriller. I found Victoria’s character to be distinctive and I liked reading about how she was jerked from one situation to another. Unfortunately by dint of time, the rest of the book is pretty familiar. To anyone who has read other spy novels, the guilty party will be obvious. Despite that I liked the book. The characters are deliciously Christie; daft archaeologist, gossipy matron, spiteful female rival, crusty soldier, smarmy hotelier, red-herring villain, trustworthy spymaster – they’re none too original, but a lot of fun. The setting was interesting because now we’ve got such a different situation over there in Iran, Iraq and Kuwait and it was engaging to mull over the changes.

[zare_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Victoria Jones is a somewhat impulsive but sharp minded (although reckless is, I think, more accurate description) young woman. After meeting mysterious young man she decides to follow him to his new work-place, distant Baghdad. At the same time, world leaders are planning a secret meeting in Baghdad and a shady world organization is planning to stop the meeting and sow discord among polarized states (after all we are talking 1950’s here). Of course, Victoria Jones ends up in the middle of this cloak-and-dagger war.To be honest, I never expected Agatha Christie to write a spy novel, let alone James Bond-like novel but with this one she proved that she can write whatever she likes.Story drags a little bit from time to time, but again I take this as a mark of the time novel was written. Nevertheless book has a very interesting story and heroine.Give it a shot, you will not be disappointed.Recommended.

[raizel_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this about a year ago and the details are a little hazy. What I remember is there is a spunky heroine and archeological details; Ms. Christie was married to an archeologist.See some of Elizabeth Peters' Ameiia Peabody mysteries for another spunky heroine; e.g., Crocodile on the Sandback.

[romain_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is by no means Christie's best, but I first read it when I was 13 and I am sentimentally attached to it. It seems to have become very relevant, given the war in Iraq and I love reading about the country before GWB and, indeed, Saddam. The actual plot is far fetched and rather silly, but the archaeological scenes are brilliant and the local color is interesting. There is also a pretty good romance.

[riverwillow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Victoria Jones loses her job and meets a young man, Edward Goring, in a park in a London square. She falls for him and follows him to Baghdad where she gets involved in an international conspiracy. This is another story which explores one of Christie's favourite conspiracy themes - the idea of their being a well funded plot to overthrow the current world order, a theme she constantly revisits. An interesting read.

[cmbohn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I reread this one this week. Victoria Jones loses her job as a typist but meets a nice young man. Unfortunately, he's leaving almost immediately for the Middle East. Being a resourceful girl, she gets a post and heads to Baghdad. But once she gets there, she can't find her young man or a job. She's getting a little anxious when a dying man turns up in her room. After that, things pick up! I like this book as being a lot of fun. Adventure, a little romance, intrigue. Okay, so the plot is unbelievable, but that's fine with me as long as it's fun!