The Secret of Chimneys

By Agatha Christie

Murder, political intrigue, theft, secret identities, and deception—this Agatha Christie mystery has it all!

In this fast-paced mystery from Agatha Christie—one of the masters of detective fiction—Prince Michael, heir to the throne of Herzoslovakia, is found murdered at the English countryside manor known as Chimneys. A plot full of political scheming, the theft of the famed Koh-i-Noor diamond, and layers of deception unfolds as Superintendent Battle from Scotland Yard investigates. Each clue weaves a new thread into a web of intrigue that mystery thriller fans will be hard-pressed to untangle!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Canterbury Classics
• Release date: Jun 27, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667204468

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.

Book preview

Chapter I

ANTHONY CADE SIGNS ON

Gentleman Joe!"

Why, if it isn’t old Jimmy McGrath.

Castle’s Select Tour, represented by seven depressed-looking females and three perspiring males, looked on with considerable interest. Evidently their Mr. Cade had met an old friend. They all admired Mr. Cade so much, his tall lean figure, his sun-tanned face, the light-hearted manner with which he settled disputes and cajoled them all into good temper. This friend of his now—surely rather a peculiar-looking man. About the same height as Mr. Cade, but thickset and not nearly so good-looking. The sort of man one read about in books, who probably kept a saloon. Interesting though. After all, that was what one came abroad for—to see all these peculiar things one read about in books. Up to now they had been rather bored with Bulawayo. The sun was unbearably hot, the hotel was uncomfortable, there seemed to be nowhere particular to go until the moment should arrive to motor to the Matoppos. Very fortunately, Mr. Cade had suggested picture postcards. There was an excellent supply of picture postcards.

Anthony Cade and his friend had stepped a little apart.

What the hell are you doing with this pack of females? demanded McGrath. Starting a harem?

Not with this little lot, grinned Anthony. Have you taken a good look at them?

I have that. Thought maybe you were losing your eyesight.

My eyesight’s as good as ever it was. No, this is a Castle’s Select Tour. I’m Castle—the local Castle, I mean.

What the hell made you take on a job like that?

A regrettable necessity for cash. I can assure you it doesn’t suit my temperament.

Jimmy grinned.

Never a hog for regular work, were you?

Anthony ignored this aspersion.

However, something will turn up soon, I expect, he remarked hopefully. It usually does. Jimmy chuckled.

If there’s any trouble brewing, Anthony Cade is sure to be in it sooner or later, I know that, he said. "You’ve an absolute instinct for rows—and the nine lives of a cat. When can we have a yarn together?"

Anthony sighed.

I’ve got to take these cackling hens to see Rhodes’ grave.

That’s the stuff, said Jimmy approvingly. They’ll come back bumped black and blue with the ruts in the road, and clamouring for bed to rest the bruises on. Then you and I will have a spot or two and exchange the news.

Right. So long, Jimmy.

Anthony rejoined his flock of sheep. Miss Taylor, the youngest and most skittish of the party, instantly attacked him.

Oh, Mr. Cade, was that an old friend of yours?

It was, Miss Taylor. One of the friends of my blameless youth.

Miss Taylor giggled.

I thought he was such an interesting-looking man.

I’ll tell him you said so.

Oh, Mr. Cade, how can you be so naughty! The very idea! What was that name he called you?

Gentleman Joe?

Yes. Is your name Joe?

I thought you knew it was Anthony, Miss Taylor.

Oh, go on with you! cried Miss Taylor coquettishly.

Anthony had by now well mastered his duties. In addition to making the necessary arrangements of travel, they included soothing down irritable old gentlemen when their dignity was ruffled, seeing that elderly matrons had ample opportunities to buy picture postcards, and flirting with everything under a catholic forty years of age. The last task was rendered easier for him by the extreme readiness of the ladies in question to read a tender meaning into his most innocent remarks.

Miss Taylor returned to the attack.

Why does he call you Joe, then?

Oh, just because it isn’t my name.

And why Gentleman Joe?

The same kind of reason.

Oh, Mr. Cade, protested Miss Taylor, much distressed, I’m sure you shouldn’t say that. Papa was only saying last night what gentlemanly manners you had.

Very kind of your father, I’m sure, Miss Taylor.

And we are all agreed that you are quite the gentleman.

I’m overwhelmed.

No, really, I mean it.

Kind hearts are more than coronets, said Anthony vaguely, without a notion of what he meant by the remark, and wishing fervently it was lunch time.

That’s such a beautiful poem, I always think. Do you know much poetry, Mr. Cade?

I might recite ‘The boy stood on the burning deck’ at a pinch. ‘The boy stood on the burning deck, whence all but he had fled.’ That’s all I know, but I can do that bit with action if you like. ‘The boy stood on the burning deck’—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—(the flames, you see) ‘Whence all but he had fled’—for that bit I run to and fro like a dog.

Miss Taylor screamed with laughter.

Oh, do look at Mr. Cade! Isn’t he funny?

Time for morning tea, said Anthony briskly. Come this way. There is an excellent café in the next street.

I presume, said Mrs. Caldicott in her deep voice, that the expense is included in the Tour?

Morning tea, Mrs. Caldicott, said Anthony, assuming his professional manner, is an extra.

Disgraceful.

Life is full of trials, isn’t it? said Anthony cheerfully.

Mrs. Caldicott’s eyes gleamed, and she remarked with the air of one springing a mine:

I suspected as much, and in anticipation I poured off some tea into a jug at breakfast this morning! I can heat that up on the spirit lamp. Come, Father.

Mr. and Mrs. Caldicott sailed off triumphantly to the hotel, the lady’s back complacent with successful forethought.

Oh, Lord, muttered Anthony, what a lot of funny people it does take to make a world.

He marshalled the rest of the party in the direction of the café. Miss Taylor kept by his side, and resumed her catechism.

Is it a long time since you saw your friend?

Just over seven years.

Was it in Africa you knew him?

Yes, not this part, though. The first time I ever saw Jimmy McGrath he was all trussed up ready for the cooking pot. Some of the tribes in the interior are cannibals, you know. We got there just in time.

What happened?

Very nice little shindy. We potted some of the beggars, and the rest took to their heels.

Oh, Mr. Cade, what an adventurous life you must have led.

Very peaceful, I assure you.

But it was clear that the lady did not believe him.

It was about ten o’clock that night when Anthony Cade walked into the small room where Jimmy McGrath was busy manipulating various bottles.

Make it strong, James, he implored. I can tell you, I need it.

I should think you did, my boy. I wouldn’t take on that job of yours for anything.

Show me another, and I’ll jump out of it fast enough.

McGrath poured out his own drink, tossed it off with a practised hand and mixed a second one. Then he said slowly:

Are you in earnest about that, old son?

About what?

Chucking this job of yours if you could get another?

Why? You don’t mean to say that you’ve got a job going begging? Why don’t you grab it yourself?

I have grabbed it—but I don’t much fancy it, that’s why I’m trying to pass it on to you.

Anthony became suspicious.

What’s wrong with it? They haven’t engaged you to teach in a Sunday school, have they?

Do you think anyone would choose me to teach in a Sunday school?

Not if they knew you well, certainly.

It’s a perfectly good job—nothing wrong with it whatsoever.

Not in South America by any lucky chance? I’ve rather got my eye on South America. There’s a very tidy little revolution coming off in one of those little republics soon.

McGrath grinned.

You always were keen on revolutions—anything to be mixed up in a really good row.

I feel my talents might be appreciated out there. I tell you, Jimmy, I can be jolly useful in a revolution—to one side or the other. It’s better than making an honest living any day.

I think I’ve heard that sentiment from you before, my son. No, the job isn’t in South America—it’s in England.

England? Return of hero to his native land after many long years. They can’t dun you for bills after seven years, can they, Jimmy?

I don’t think so. Well, are you on for hearing more about it?

I’m on all right. The thing that worries me is why you’re not taking it on yourself.

I’ll tell you. I’m after gold, Anthony—far up in the interior.

Anthony whistled and looked at him.

You’ve always been after gold, Jimmy, ever since I knew you. It’s your weak spot—your own particular little hobby. You’ve followed up more wild-cat trails than anyone I know.

And in the end I’ll strike it. You’ll see.

Well, every one his own hobby. Mine’s rows, yours is gold.

I’ll tell you the whole story. I suppose you know all about Herzoslovakia?

Anthony looked up sharply.

Herzoslovakia? he said, with a curious ring in his voice.

Yes. Know anything about it?

There was quite an appreciable pause before Anthony answered. Then he said slowly:

Only what every one knows. It’s one of the Balkan states, isn’t it? Principal rivers, unknown. Principal mountains, also unknown, but fairly numerous. Capital, Ekarest. Population, chiefly brigands. Hobby, assassinating kings and having revolutions. Last king, Nicholas IV, assassinated about seven years ago. Since then it’s been a republic. Altogether a very likely spot. You might have mentioned before that Herzoslovakia came into it.

It doesn’t except indirectly.

Anthony gazed at him more in sorrow than in anger.

You ought to do something about this, James, he said. Take a correspondence course, or something. If you’d told a story like this in the good old Eastern days, you’d have been hung up by the heels and bastinadoed or something equally unpleasant.

Jimmy pursued this course quite unmoved by these strictures.

Ever heard of Count Stylptitch?

Now you’re talking, said Anthony. Many people who have never heard of Herzoslovakia would brighten at the mention of Count Stylptitch. The Grand Old Man of the Balkans. The Greatest Statesman of Modern Times. The biggest villain unhung. The point of view all depends on which newspaper you take in. But be sure of this, Count Stylptitch will be remembered long after you and I are dust and ashes, James. Every move and counter move in the Near East for the last twenty years has had Count Stylptitch at the bottom of it. He’s been a dictator and a patriot and a statesman—and nobody knows exactly what he has been, except that he’s been a perfect king of intrigue. Well, what about him?

He was Prime Minister of Herzoslovakia—that’s why I mentioned it first.

You’ve no sense of proportion, Jimmy. Herzoslovakia is of no importance at all compared to Stylptitch. It just provided him with a birthplace and a post in public affairs. But I thought he was dead?

So he is. He died in Paris about two months ago. What I’m telling you about happened some years ago.

The question is, said Anthony, "what are you telling me about?"

Jimmy accepted the rebuke and hastened on.

It was like this. I was in Paris—just four years ago, to be exact. I was walking along one night in rather a lonely part, when I saw half a dozen French toughs beating up a respectable-looking old gentleman. I hate a one-sided show, so I promptly butted in and proceeded to beat up the toughs. I guess they’d never been hit really hard before. They melted like snow!

Good for you, James, said Anthony softly. I’d like to have seen that scrap.

Oh, it was nothing much, said Jimmy modestly. But the old boy was no end grateful. He’d had a couple, no doubt about that, but he was sober enough to get my name and address out of me, and he came along and thanked me next day. Did the thing in style, too. It was then that I found out it was Count Stylptitch I’d rescued. He’d got a house up by the Bois.

Anthony nodded.

Yes, Stylptitch went to live in Paris after the assassination of King Nicholas. They wanted him to come back and be president later, but he wasn’t taking any. He remained sound to his monarchical principles, though he was reported to have his finger in all the backstairs pies that went on in the Balkans. Very deep, the late Count Stylptitch.

Nicholas IV was the man who had a funny taste in wives, wasn’t he? said Jimmy suddenly.

Yes, said Anthony. "And it did for him, too, poor beggar. She was some little guttersnipe of a music hall artiste in Paris—not even suitable for a morganatic alliance. But Nicholas had a frightful crush on her, and she was all out for being a queen. Sounds fantastic, but they managed it somehow. Called her the Countess Popoffsky, or something, and pretended she had Romanoff blood in her veins. Nicholas married her in the cathedral at Ekarest with a couple of unwilling arch-bishops to do the job, and she was crowned as Queen Varaga. Nicholas squared his ministers, and I suppose he thought that was all that mattered—but he forgot to reckon with the populace. They’re very aristocratic and reactionary in Herzoslovakia. They like their kings and queens to be the genuine article. There were mutterings and discontent, and the usual ruthless suppressions, and the final uprising which stormed the palace, murdered the king and queen, and proclaimed a republic. It’s been a republic ever since—but things still manage to be pretty lively there, so I’ve heard. They’ve assassinated a president or two, just to keep their hand in. But revenons à nos moutons. You had got to where Count Stylptitch was hailing you as his preserver."

Yes. Well, that was the end of that business. I came back to Africa and never thought of it again until about two weeks ago I got a queer-looking parcel which had been following me all over the place for the Lord knows how long. I’d seen in a paper that Count Stylptitch had recently died in Paris. Well, this parcel contained his memoirs—or reminiscences, or whatever you call the things. There was a note enclosed to the effect that if I delivered the manuscript at a certain firm of publishers in London on or before October 13th, they were instructed to hand me a thousand pounds.

A thousand pounds? Did you say a thousand pounds, Jimmy?

I did, my son. I hope to God it’s not a hoax. Put not your trust in princes or politicians, as the saying goes. Well, there it is. Owing to the way the manuscript had been following me around, I had no time to lose. It was a pity, all the same. I’d just fixed up this trip to the interior, and I’d set my heart on going. I shan’t get such a good chance again.

You’re incurable, Jimmy. A thousand pounds in the hand is worth a lot of mythical gold.

And supposing it’s all a hoax? Anyway, here I am, passage booked and everything, on the way to Cape Town—and then you blow along!

Anthony got up and lit a cigarette.

I begin to perceive your drift, James. You go gold hunting as planned, and I collect the thousand pounds for you. How much do I get out of it?

What do you say to a quarter?

Two hundred and fifty pounds free of income tax, as the saying goes?

That’s it.

"Done, and just to make you gnash your teeth I’ll tell you that I would have gone for a hundred! Let me tell you, James McGrath, you won’t die in your bed counting up your bank balance."

Anyway, it’s a deal?

It’s a deal all right. I’m on. And confusion to Castle’s Select Tours.

They drank the toast solemnly.

Chapter II

A LADY IN DISTRESS

So that’s that, said Anthony, finishing off his glass and replacing it on the table. What boat were you going on?"

"Granarth Castle."

Passage booked in your name, I suppose, so I’d better travel as James McGrath. We’ve outgrown the passport business, haven’t we?

No odds either way. You and I are totally unlike, but we’d probably have the same description on one of those blinking things. Height six feet, hair brown, eyes blue, nose ordinary, chin ordinary—

Not so much of this ‘ordinary’ stunt. Let me tell you that Castle’s selected me out of several applicants solely on account of my pleasing appearance and nice manners.

Jimmy grinned.

I noticed your manners this morning.

The devil you did.

Anthony rose and paced up and down the room. His brow was slightly wrinkled, and it was some minutes before he spoke.

Jimmy, he said at last. Stylptitch died in Paris. What’s the point of sending a manuscript from Paris to London via Africa?

Jimmy shook his head helplessly.

I don’t know.

Why not do it up in a nice little parcel and send it by post?

Sounds a damn sight more sensible, I agree.

Of course, continued Anthony, I know that kings and queens and government officials are prevented by etiquette from doing anything in a simple, straightforward fashion. Hence King’s Messengers and all that. In medieval days you gave a fellow a signet ring as a sort of open sesame. ‘The King’s Ring! Pass, my lord!’ And usually it was the other fellow who had stolen it. I always wonder why some bright lad never hit on the expedient of copying the ring—making a dozen or so, and selling them at a hundred ducats apiece. They seem to have had no initiative in the Middle Ages.

Jimmy yawned.

My remarks on the Middle Ages don’t seem to amuse you. Let us get back to Count Stylptitch. From France to England via Africa seems a bit thick even for a diplomatic personage. If he merely wanted to ensure that you should get a thousand pounds he could have left it you in his will. Thank God neither you nor I are too proud to accept a legacy! Stylptitch must have been barmy.

You’d think so, wouldn’t you?

Anthony frowned and continued his pacing.

Have you read the thing at all? he asked suddenly.

Read what?

The manuscript.

Good Lord, no. What do you think I want to read a thing of that kind for?

Anthony smiled.

I just wondered, that’s all. You know a lot of trouble has been caused by memoirs. Indiscreet revelations, that sort of thing. People who have been closed as an oyster all their lives seem positively to relish causing trouble when they themselves shall be comfortably dead. It gives them a kind of malicious glee. Jimmy, what sort of a man was Count Stylptitch? You met him and talked to him, and you’re a pretty good judge of raw human nature. Could you imagine him being a vindictive old devil?

Jimmy shook his head.

It’s difficult to tell. You see, that first night he was distinctly canned, and the next day he was just a high-toned old boy with the most beautiful manners overwhelming me with compliments till I didn’t know where to look.

And he didn’t say anything interesting when he was drunk?

Jimmy cast his mind back, wrinkling his brows as he did so.

He said he knew where the Koh-i-noor was, he volunteered doubtfully.

Oh, well, said Anthony, we all know that. They keep it in the Tower, don’t they? Behind thick plate glass and iron bars, with a lot of gentlemen in fancy dress standing round to see you don’t pinch anything.

That’s right, agreed Jimmy.

Did Stylptitch say anything else of the same kind? That he knew which city the Wallace Collection was in, for instance?

Jimmy shook his head.

Hm! said Anthony.

He lit another cigarette, and once more began pacing up and down the room.

You never read the papers, I suppose, you heathen? he threw out presently.

Not very often, said McGrath simply. They’re not about anything that interests me as a rule.

Thank heaven I’m more civilized. There have been several mentions of Herzoslovakia lately. Hints at a Royalist restoration.

Nicholas IV didn’t leave a son, said Jimmy. But I don’t suppose for a minute that the Obolovitch dynasty is extinct. There are probably shoals of young ’uns knocking about, cousins and second cousins and third cousins once removed.

So that there wouldn’t be any difficulty in finding a king?

Not in the least, I should say, replied Jimmy. You know, I don’t wonder at their getting tired of Republican institutions. A full-blooded, virile people like that must find it awfully tame to pot at presidents after being used to kings. And talking of kings, that reminds me of something else old Stylptitch let out that night. He said he knew the gang that was after him. They were King Victor’s people, he said.

What? Anthony wheeled round suddenly.

A slow grin widened on McGrath’s face.

Just a mite excited, aren’t you, Gentleman Joe? he drawled.

Don’t be an ass, Jimmy. You’ve just said something rather important.

He went over to the window and stood there looking out.

Who is this King Victor, anyway? demanded Jimmy. Another Balkan monarch?

No, said Anthony slowly. He isn’t that kind of a king.

What is he, then?

There was a pause, and then Anthony spoke.

He’s a crook, Jimmy. The most notorious jewel thief in the world. A fantastic, daring fellow, not to be daunted by anything. King Victor was the nickname he was known by in Paris. Paris was the headquarters of his gang. They caught him there and put him away for seven years on a minor charge. They couldn’t prove the more important things against him. He’ll be out soon—or he may be out already.

Do you think Count Stylptitch had anything to do with putting him away? Was that why the gang went for him? Out of revenge?

I don’t know, said Anthony. "It doesn’t seem likely on the face of it. King Victor never stole the crown jewels of Herzoslovakia as far as I’ve heard. But the whole thing seems rather suggestive, doesn’t it? The death of Stylptitch, the memoirs, and the rumours in the papers—all vague but interesting. And there’s a further rumour to the effect that they’ve found oil in Herzoslovakia. I’ve a feeling in my bones, James, that people are getting ready to be interested in that

Reviews for The Secret of Chimneys

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Christie tale I hadn't read before, with some of her typically amusing characters and plot twists.

[amphipodgirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not sure whether it's a spoof of spy novels or an honestly heavy-handed spy novel, but it was good fun.

[delphimo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Finally, a group of individuals interested in reading Agatha Christie, after I decided to take the plunge in 2021. Agatha Christie adores following Shakespeare model with the mistaken identity or multiple aliases of a character. In this novel, Anthony Cade goes through three different monikers. I fervently wish that Christie had provided a list of characters in her novels as I felt compelled to list all the name changes. The Scotland Yard officer, Superintendent Battle, enters and exits too often and does not seem to detect what is happening. Anthony Cade agrees to deliver a manuscript to England for a friend and immediately encounters problems. Politics, intrigue, and romance follow as many people meet at Chimneys, the stately home Lord Caterham. The story provides amusement, but other novels, especially with Hercule Poirot, delight the reader.

[brianewilliams · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a country house closed room murder mystery, originally written in 1925. Superintendent Battle is a Scotland Yard police detective working along with amateur detective Anthony Cade to solve the murder of King Michael of a Balkan nation called Herzoslovakia. The investigation is wrapped in a busy story involving Balkan political intrigue, oil concessions, a long lost jewel and an elusive French thief known as King Victor. It comes to a breathless conclusion when the killer is revealed. Several characters are not who they originally present to be. There's skilful use of an unreliable narrator which only becomes apparent at the end. It's fun entertainment.

[fireformed · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't as fond of this one as I was of the second book in this series (probably because I started with that one first) but I just couldn't warm up to either Anthony or Virgina. The book itself was spectacularly written.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie was a very fun read revolving around revolutionists, royalty, mistaken and false identities, a spectacular missing jewel and, of course murder. Beginning in Africa, the story quickly moves to the stately English manor of Chimneys and follows the escapades of Anthony Cade, international adventurer as he tries to complete his mission of delivering a sensitive Herzoslovakian manuscript of memoirs and a bundle of blackmailing letters. This is the first book that features Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard, and he wisely stays in the background leading a firm and steady hand to the procedures. Along with an assortment of political guests, Battle is assisted by a couple of international colleagues whose main interest is in unveiling the famous thief, King Victor. The murders seem to be almost a side plot as political intrigue and revolution in the fictional Balkan state of Herzoslovakia is the main feature.I think Agatha Christie had a fun time writing this tongue-in-cheek thriller/mystery. She delivers a tale peopled by handsome adventurers, swarthy foreigners, beautiful, calm English ladies, and fuddled English aristocrats. There was a sweet romance included and although the final outcome of the story was no surprise, I enjoyed this very vintage mystery.

[antao-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

(Original Review, 1981-01-10)By the time she died, few people probably remembered the casual Antisemitism of Agatha Christie's early books (try “The Secret of Chimneys”); the prejudice had ceased to be fashionable, and she'd stopped expressing it. Chesterton's antisemitism was deeper, and maybe he'd have kept it up longer; but his basic good sense and kindness would surely have ruled that odious tic out, in a different age.I too have been re-reading or trying to re-read some old favourites. It is one good way to see how much the accepted norms of a culture change over time. I often muse as to what our culture currently finds commonplace but will be regarded as completely unacceptable in 50 or 100 years, or perhaps sooner. Eating other animals leaps to mind as a strong possibility. This may become taboo either because of the callous treatment of food source animals such as battery chickens or because of the heavy environmental impact of raising animals for food. If this does come about, I imagine contemporary cookbooks will be viewed, literally, as food porn. And film scenes in which the characters partake of a juicy steak - horrors! We are all shaped by our culture and are not responsible for, or able to bear the burden of, choices that are made by our posterity.I read a lot of Enid Blyton and Agatha Christie years ago but the sentiments did not shape me either.Past written books are fine; it's understood that they are old and should be viewed in the context of their author's time. It may be worth thinking that if these same authors were to write nowadays, their literature would be very different.By the same token, some comments I’ve read are a step on the way to rounding up and 'disappearing' political dissidents. Fortunately, pointing this out is obviously nonsensical because it's such a tiny step, and there are so many other things that would need to happen on the way, and people are capable of taking decisions about each of those steps independently based on fuller criteria. What, criticising racist attitudes of the past leads inevitably to book-burning? Can you explain how?

[tiffy_reads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What can I say? I adore Agatha Christie novels and this one was a good story. This is the first Christie novel that I have purchased as an audiobook and I rather enjoyed the story and the narrating was superb. Can't wait to listen to more of her novels.

[deborahdrkralich · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I rate Agatha Christie's books against each other. It would be hard not to give them all five stars rated against other writers. This is an early book and full of youthful themes and optimism amidst the murder. Some of her best humor also.

[jimgysin_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First published in 1925, this is Christie's fifth novel, and it hits on all archetypal cylinders once you get past the number of coincidences that take place in the early, table-setting portion of things. If it all strains credulity too much, just chant "Truth is stranger than fiction" a few times and hope to get past it, as it's a really fun outing that introduces a host of memorable characters, some of whom will reappear in a few years in THE SEVEN DIALS MYSTERY. In this one, we have a murder at Chimneys, the country house of a minor royal in England. But it's not just any victim; it's the prince who had previously been slated to take the throne of the fictional Balkan country known as Herzoslovakia. It seems that the royal family there had been deposed some seven years earlier, but the populace has rethought things after a difficult go at democracy and wants to restore the monarchy, but now their royal savior is fast approaching room temperature. Enter our hero, Anthony Cade, who does his own snooping while the official investigators do theirs, as well. All works out well in the end, and the police are not viewed as incompetent here, which is a nice change of pace from a lot of mysteries. There is one gaping plot hole that goes unaddressed, but I won't bring it up here for fear of spoilers. It didn't ruin things for me, but it was something that probably should have been handled differently. But it was overshadowed by the many interesting and likable characters, so I won't harp on it. And despite what many Christie critics say about her cheating by withholding critical information, it is not a fair charge here, and the reader can easily solve the murder along with Mr. Cade. On the other hand, some other plot details that reveal themselves in the end come as a surprise and add to the number of coincidences that we were given at the outset. Again, just roll with it and enjoy this early Christie outing as the fun diversion that it is.

[lamour_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a fast easy read with interesting characters and complicated plot. Anthony Cade is a bored tour guide in Africa. When offered a chance to get back to England by delivering a hotly sought manuscript to a publisher in London plus deliver some scandalous letters to the woman who wrote them, he jumps at the chance. Soon he realizes that some people are willing to kill for the manuscript and then the letters are accidentally stolen by a manuscript thief.Now he feels responsible to tell the woman her letters have been stolen and when he gets to her address, she is looking at a murdered man in her living room. It also appears that the succession to the throne of a country in the Balkans is behind this murder and others that are to follow. Most of the story takes place in an English country house with its many servants, guests and hidden passages. The police and especially Scotland Yard come out looking very able in this story.My one criticism is that Christie seemed to want to wind this novel up in a hurry and tied up the various hanging mysteries too quickly and neatly.

[eyejaybee · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In my early teens, some forty years ago now, I encountered Agatha Christie’s novels, and, as is perhaps customary with teenage obsession, started working through them, as if driven to complete the set as quickly as possible. One of the first of her books that I read was this one, The Secret of Chimneys, and at the time I thought it was about as good as literature could get. It features neither Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple (although the recent television adaptation did recast it as one of Miss Marple’s cases), and it isn’t even a true whodunit, being instead a simple thriller, straight out of the John Buchan mould. Certainly all the key ingredients of a boisterous story are there – stolen jewels, beautiful but mysterious women, a stately home and quasi-Balkan intrigue (it was, after all, written just a few years after the end of the First World War when the map of Europe had been redrawn under the auspices of Versailles, and newly-minted states were strewn across the continent) and a handsome, intelligent and boundlessly gallant hero thrown in. Sadly, other clichés of the 1920s shocker are also to the fore, and the book is shot through with casual anti-Semitism manifested through a succession of throwaway remarks from most of the characters.The story does rattle along, and I could see why I enjoyed it so much at the age of thirteen. Forty years on I found it rather irritating. None of the characters displayed any vestige of realism. Of course, one doesn’t read Agatha Christie for her gritty verisimilitude, but this book also lacked her lightness of touch with regard both to characters and plot. It was one of her ealier books, and she was clearly still getting to grips with the genre.

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had completely forgotten this first Superintendent Battle mystery. Quite fun with Balkan politics, international jewel thieves, blackmail and possible impostors, not to mention a murder or two!

Hugh Fraser does a marvelous narration.

[jguidry-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed the first book in the Inspector Battle series. I had not read any books starring him before this and really enjoyed him as an Agatha Christie detective. He was a fun and secretive character that seemed to be clueless, but would pop up in the right moments to show you he was there and fully aware of what was going on around him. I enjoyed the mystery, too. There were lots of Christie twists and I was only partially prepared for the ending. What a fun read!

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I liked the story, I liked the characters.... Really liked Lord Caterham, his daughter Bundle, & Inspector Battle. In fact I like Inspector Battell much better than M. Poirot & Miss Marple combines. He's intelligent, quiet (not boastful or misleading), and he has a sense of humor.

There are three stories here: a jewel thief just out of French prison looking for the original Koh I-noor diamond that is said to be hidden 2 the Chimneys; the infamous manuscript of a well known count that is on its way to publication (but has been stolen), and the death/murder of the next crown prince and his "dead" brother....

All involved are gathered at the Chimneys, a traditional meeting place of Royalty & political power, much to the consternation of the current Lord Caterham. There are people who are not who the seem, and all except the family have something to hide & gain.

A very delightful mystery, definitely one of Christie's better books.

[booksandscones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Anthony Cade, a young man seeking adventure, meets an old friend, Jimmy McGrath in Bulawayo. Jimmy wants to go gold prospecting, but has accepted a job conveying a manuscript of potentially damaging political memoirs to its London publisher, and also wants to return a bundle of letters written by a frightened wife to her lover, which a now-deceased man might have intended to use to blackmail her. Anthony agrees to travel to England as James McGrath and fulfill Jimmy's commitments.A stately English country home, British and foreign aristocrats, dead bodies here and there, scandalous memoirs, blackmail letters, a fabulous missing jewel, and an inept but lethal organization calling itself the Comrades of the Red Hand! Great fun.

[antiquary_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A delightfully improbable story in which an English adventurer in the middle of Africa is unexpectedly offered two missions by a friend --first, to deliver the memoirs of a somewhat dubious deceased Balkan statesman to his publisher, and secondly to return a packet of indiscreet letters to a lady. This leads to the adventure being invited to a weekend at the stately home Chimneys,where the party includes the charming lady who wrote the letters, and the current pretender to the throne of the deceased statesman's (presently republican) nation of Herzoslovakia (whose history sounds more like Yugoslavia's the Czechoslovakia's -- the late King Nicholas IV is obviously based on a king of Serbia. It also appears in The Labors of Hercules) It turns out a jewel and a jewel thief are also involved. The whole preposterous business is more like The Adventure of the Bloodstained Eggcosy than like the average Christie.A lot of fun. Very unlikely the blurb "It ended when a man's emotions turned a gay and fashionable house party into an unforgettable nightmare of terror and death." Unforgettable, yes. Nightmare, no.

[miguelnunonave · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A minor Christie mystery. Definitely not her best.

[jiraiya_5 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Unlike other books, I reacted more strangely than usual in two ways. First, I checked previous reviews here. I had to because there was no guessing how received and how viewed this book was. Secondly, I had personal feelings in the matter of the hero. I almost never feel annoyance or jealousy at a Mary Sue, but here I thought of poor Bill and how he never had a chance. The fact that Agatha Christie tried to give even him a happy ending - that came out wrong - is slightly annoying. The story tried to juggle and awful lot of balls in the air. My rating of it reflects how it all came together. I knew there would be twists galore at the end but still the latter was unsatisfying. This is the longest Agatha Christie story I've read. She didn't yet know how to trim the fat. That would come later. Despite the poor climax, the racial tones, the vile hero, and the meandering red herrings, it was the lack of coziness which determined my final opinion. This book is not Big Four bad, but reserve it when you've exhausted all of the author's classics.

[condorena · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first of the series ostensibly centered around the character of Superintendant Battle of Scotland Yard. The Secret of Chimneys was written in 1925. This was written about five years before the Marple books and five years after the Poirot books. The main mystery centers around political skulduggery revolving around a fictional Balkan State. Adventure loving Anthony Cade leaves his job as a travel guide to carry some important papers to London. These are the memoirs of a Count who had his fingers in many pies and it is feared that these writings may reveal secrets dangerous to many in government circles. Anthony becomes a target and the fun begins.

Christie writes with a light touch, quick pace and about amusing characters. This story was fun to read and I look forward to the next in the series. It was interesting to note in the Christie movie with this name Jane Marple was the lead protagonist. I will have to watch it and compare notes. The moguls of the movie business must be positive that not only can Miss Marple have only one hat or we won't recognize her, they must also believe that the public won't accept anything but Poirot and Marple. They may be right, I don't care for Tommy and Tuppence.

[cajela_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I've been rereading some Agatha Christies, and while some of them are still fun, some are real duds to the eye of the modern reader. This one was made into part of a TV series, with Miss Marple added in, and the plot twisted and rearranged almost beyond recognition. And a good thing, too. This one has the usual upper crust British nobs in a country house, but with lots more xenophobia and racism than Christie usually showed. Cliched Eastern Europeans ("Herzoslovakians") with names too full of consonants, princes and presidents being assassinated, international jewel thieves, shady greasy foreigners of various stripes, deepest darkest Africa, implausible political machinations, incompetent conspirators, etc etc. And oh yeah, there's a murder.It's just too much. One or two of those elements can be quaint; all of them makes an annoying mishmash.

[cmbohn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great example of the madcap kind of mysteries that are more or less romps around the Stately Houses of England, with mysterious strangers, sinister foreigners, bluff Americans, an odd tycoon or film star or two. Always some intrigue and romance thrown in. Sure, it's not exactly hard on the brain, but it is pure escapist fun, and that's why I love this book. Reminds me a bit of The Prisoner of Zenda. Neat little ending.

[bcquinnsmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Secret of Chimneys is the first Christie novel to feature Superintendent Battle, who will, over the course of his career, be the featured detective in two more mysteries, The Seven Dials Mystery and Toward Zero. Battle, however, takes second place to one Anthony Cade, who, when we first meet him, works as a tour guide in Africa. At a bar one day Cade meets an old buddy, James McGrath, who has been tasked with the delivery of the memoirs of the now-dead Count Stylptitch of Herzoslovakia to a London publishing firm. But McGrath has decided to seek his fortune in the gold fields, and offers Cade a tidy sum to go to England with the memoirs and a stash of letters that could be blackmail fodder for an unsuspecting Virginia Revel. Cade is off to England, and finds himself caught up between two sides of a touchy political situation. He also finds that he is a target of some very nasty people who are trying to get both the memoirs and the letters. The situation leads him to a house called Chimneys, the home of Lord Caterham, his daughter Bundle, and various diplomats and others interested in the political situation in Herzoslovakia. Upon his arrival, Cade finds himself as a chief suspect in the death of Prince Michael Obolovitch, the heir to the Herzoslovakian throne and negotiator of British oil interests in that country. Enter Superintendent Battle and the hunt for the murderer begins.As with most Christie novels, there are plenty of suspects, an abundance of motives, and an interesting array of lead characters. Unlike most of her stories, this one is filled with political intrigue, and the reader has to digest the background story of the country of Herzoslovakia before really delving into the mystery. This may be a bit off-putting to regular Christie readers, but it's worth the time and effort to get the story and the list of who's who regarding that nation as it sets an important backdrop to the various criminal activity throughout the book. It is rather complicated and at times convoluted, but still an interesting read, with a lovely twist at the end. If I were a reader who has decided that he or she would like to read through the Christie novels, I would not want to start with this one, since imho, it doesn't deliver the best Christie has to offer. My advice: read through the Poirots and the Marples, then tackle the others for something just a bit different.

[musicmom41 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I read Cards on the Table last month I was introduced to two Recurring Christie characters with which I was unfamiliar, Colonel Race and Superintendent Battle. I decided to read the other books in which they occur. This is the first appearance of Battle and he plays a major role as the detective. I really like this character and am sorry that she only used him in five novels. This novel was written shortly after The Man in the Brown Suit, Colonel Race’s first appearance. It is in her younger style and shares some similar melodramatic elements but this one seems to me to show her maturing as a writer. There were more surprises and the characters seemed to be better drawn. I enjoyed this immensely.

[smik_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

HIMNEYS begins in Bulawayo, Africa, when Jimmy McGrath runs across his old friend Anthony Cade. Jimmy has in his possession a manuscript that needs to be delivered to a publisher in London by a particular date. He also has a bundle of incriminating love letters that he wants returned to the person who wrote them. He can't take them himself as he on the hunt for some gold.Cade agrees to take on both tasks, and travels to London by steamer in the guise of James McGrath.One of elements of this story is political intrigue related to the kingdom of Herzoslovakia in the Balkins. Its last king was assassinated seven years earlier and the kingdom has been a republic ever since. However the heir to the throne is attempting to claim it back. The Herzoslovakian links in the story become important because the manuscript is the memoir of a former Prime Minister.The action moves to London and then on to Lord Caterham's country house Chimneys, where a murder takes place. Christie's search for a suitable protagonist continues. THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS marks the appearance of yet another, this time a Scotland Yard detective, Superintendent Battle. He is assigned to this case because of the importance of Chimneys, which is apparently often used as a pleasant meeting place for affairs of state. We are told Battle is a man of "ripe experience", and there certainly seems an attempt to give him a modicum of intelligence, and to allow him at times to be a step or two ahead of others in his understanding and intuition. On the other hand he is often poker-faced and expressionless.Other people who will appear in later novels are Caterham's daughter Eileen (Bundle) and Bill Eversham, a young clerk from the foreign office. Colonel Melrose makes a cameo appearance as the Chief Constable although in later stories and novels he will be the Coroner.The novel is possibly set I think in "real time". There is a reference to European nations rebuilding for the past 7 years, which seems to indicate a passage of time since a cataclysm, possibly the Great War. There is however no other reference to those events. There is also a reference to the previous, assassinated, queen of Herzoslovakia having claimed Romanov connections.Perhaps I am mistaken and the setting is actually in the period just before World War I when the Balkans was in great turmoil. Another point in favour of this earlier period is the reference to Bertillon measurements as a means of identifying a person. These were measurements taken of various parts of the body: a system in common use in France in the late 19th century.This is a novel in which many characters are not who they seem to be, beginning with Anthony Cade who poses as Jimmy McGrath. There are many who are leading a double life, and it becomes difficult for the reader to decide who is on whose side.There are elements in THE SECRET OF CHIMNEYS that really don't work all that well. The idea of an arch criminal which first appeared in THE MAN IN THE BROWN SUIT makes anappearance, as does the idea of conspiracy and secret societies, in this case the Society of the Red Hand. The Koh-i-noor diamond, part of the British Crown Jewels since 1858, makes a puzzling appearance.This is also a novel in which Christie shows that she doesn't really care if the reader has all the information, that we should expect that she will keep cards up her sleeve to be revealed in the final denouement. The novel is full of red herrings, and at the end we ask ourselves if we had enough information to solve the mystery. A pattern that is becoming a trademark in her novels even by this, the 5th one, is that in the final pages the cast of characters will be gathered and all will be revealed.I wouldn't rate this as one of her best novels, although at the time of publication it was well received. It feels rather over-populated with characters, heavily reliant on ideas of conspiracy, intrigue and political upheaval, with some romantic elements.

[figgles_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sort of Agatha Christie does John Buchan (but not as well) - still amusing period detail...

[riverwillow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fun frothy novel and is everything that The Secret Adversary wasn't. It is very much a novel of its time and is a reworking of the country house murder with romantic overtones. This is a novelist having fun with characters and story and it shows.

[miss_scarlet_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels, combining both mystery and romance. Thought it was great!

[ianigsy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Occasionally during her career, Agatha Christie produced one-off thrillers, and this is one of them. Anthony Cade is working as a tour guide in Africa when a friend offers him the chance to obtain £1000 by delivering a manuscript to a London publisher, however on arriving in London his life is almost immediately put in danger and he becomes drawn into a series of plots involving an expert diamond thief and the heir to the throne of Herzoslovakia. While this is an entertaining read- not least for what Christie holds back about some of the characters until the very end- it's perhaps a little overlong and flags slightly in the middle.