Sunday, February 22, 2015

Spider's Web

Based on the play of Christie, Spider's Web is an interesting murder mystery novelised by Charles Osborne. Owing to its source, the settings of the narrative makes it less a novel than a multi act play. But with that too, the story is full of suspense interspersed with humour - the original being categorized aptly in the tailpiece as a comedy-thriller - with a signature Christie twist at the climax. It all starts when the wife of a Government official, stumbles upon a body, clearly the victim of a murder, in their library. The man is found to be a sleazy drug dealer and an womanizer, intenseley loathed by her step daughter. To protect the immediate suspect, the daughter of her husband, she tries to take the help of three of her visitors in dumping off the body and concocts a story to support their alibi. But before being able to carry out the part, a mysterious caller informs the police about the murder. As the police arrives and holds an inquest, the situation becomes more confused as each tries to make a story of their own. It becomes more complicated as the body seems to vanish as the medical officer arrives. The house itself, filled with camouflaged passages and furnitures with secret recesses, makes the investigation still more complex. Added to this is the absence of any apparent motive. The backdrop thus set the suspense is heightened and it remains upon the innocents to prove what is wrong and which is right. A very enthralling mystery where the web is woven with care it remains a refreshing read by virtue of its unique style of storytelling.

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