Christie vs Dexter

[Nearly Sane]

Been watching the Suchet Poirots and then the Thaw Morses and in general Christie is a much better plotter than Dexter.

[Rhiannon]

By a million miles. You could argue about her characterisation but that's not Dexter's strong point either.

[Nearly Sane]

Agree, I'm think Dexter gets something right about the employed that Christie doesn't go for but reading back she does the job way better than Dexter. On occasion it's a bit mad , see Murder in the Orient Express, but most Morse is just odd - The Setting of the Sun.

[Rhiannon]

I always enjoy reading Christie more. Some I could quote whole chunks from. Thinking about it, I don't think I've re-read much Dexter.

The strength of the Morse tv series of course was the casting and performances. And the music.

[Nearly Sane]

Yep, the music is hugely imporatant. Thaw is brilliant but overall I think the series works worse than Poirot. There are stories where Poirot isn't quite correctly written but not sure there is a correct Morse.

[Rhiannon]

I think that Suchet always stays true to his character regardless of what is going on around him. Something like Five Little Pigs, for example, is really very sad, whereas Death on the Nile was camped up enormously by ITV. Suchet takes both equally seriously (I watched a thing on the making of DotN in which everyone was having a blast, except Suchet who spent the whole of filming in character as he always did.)

[Steve H]

When I saw the thread title, I thought it was going to be about real versus fictional serial killers - John Christie and Dexter Morgan.

[Aruntraveller]

When I saw the thread title, I thought it was going to be about real versus fictional serial killers - John Christie and Dexter Morgan.

And I thought it was a battle between a fictional homicidal car and a fictional vigilante serial killer. I do however need stronger glasses.

[jeremyp]

I've never read any of the Morse novels. I have read quite a lot of Christie and I'm currently trying to read through the novels in order from the beginning. I'm a little bit stalled on The Big Four though.

Some of the early novels are a bit iffy and there is a certain amount of racism, although I'd would say she's probably only echoing the stereotypes of the day.

Of the novels up to The Big Four, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is absolutely outstanding. It's difficult to talk about how brilliantly constructed it is without giving the plot away.

[Steve H]

Which are the big four?

[Nearly Sane]

Which are the big four?

It's a novel called The Big Four

[Steve H]

Oh!  Never heard of that one! Is it before or after 'Ten little... er... And Then There Were None"?

[Rhiannon]

I've never read any of the Morse novels. I have read quite a lot of Christie and I'm currently trying to read through the novels in order from the beginning. I'm a little bit stalled on The Big Four though.

Some of the early novels are a bit iffy and there is a certain amount of racism, although I'd would say she's probably only echoing the stereotypes of the day.

Of the novels up to The Big Four, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is absolutely outstanding. It's difficult to talk about how brilliantly constructed it is without giving the plot away.

When The Murder of Roger Ackroyd came out people wrote letters to the press to say how unfair it was. To say that it was groundbreaking would be an understatement.

[Nearly Sane]

Before by 12 years. Ten Little Niggers was only ever known as And Then There Were None in the U.S.


http://agathachristie.wikia.com/wiki/The_Big_Four

[Rhiannon]

The Big Four is one of those where Christie writes with a different voice, I think.