My second book for the 1925 Club is The Secret of Chimneys. I usually don’t enjoy Christie’s political mysteries as much, but this one is a romp. It’s got everything—a missing jewel, impersonations and secret identities, secret passages, an arch-criminal, Italian gangsters, kidnapping, and Balkan assassinations.
In Zimbabwe, Anthony Cade is leading a bunch of old ladies on a guided tour when he runs into Jimmy McGrath, an old friend. Jimmy is about to depart on a gold-mining expedition, so he asks Anthony to do two favors for him. Jimmy once saved the life of Count Stylptitch, prime minister of Herzoslavakia, and the Count had his memoirs shipped to Jimmy after his death with a promise of £1000 if he gets them to the publisher before a specific date. Jimmy offers Anthony a cut if he will take them to England for him. Jimmy also came by a collection of letters that someone has kept with the idea of blackmailing the writer. He wants to return them so that the writer, Virginia Revel, addressing the letter from Chimneys, will feel safe. Anthony takes on both tasks and returns to England, traveling under Jimmy’s name.
It turns out that lots of parties want the memoirs. England is about to help the heir to the throne of Herzoslavakia, Prince Michael, ascend to the throne after a period of anarchy. As a friend to the monarchy, England will get an important oil concession. But perhaps the memoirs say something embarrassing about Prince Michael. Anthony is approached by Baron Lolopretjzyl asking to buy them. Anthony refuses. Then he hands them on to a man who says he’s a representative of the publisher.
Next thing he knows, the Italian waiter at his hotel has stolen the packet of letters, along with the newspaper clipping he found about Virginia Revel. He goes to see her and gets to her house just after she discovers the body of the Italian waiter in her study. She explains that he had come the day before and even though she knew the letters weren’t hers, she gave him some money just to see what it would feel like and told him to come back the next day. She is due at Chimneys, so Anthony disposes of the body for her and follows her.
The reluctant Lord Caterham and his daughter Bundle, who also appear in The Seven Dials Mystery, are entertaining important political guests at Chimneys—Prince Michael and Count Lolopretjzyl; the millionaire Herman Isaacstein, who is involved in the oil deal; Mr. Fish, an American collector of books; and Virginia. Anthony arrives late at night and approaches the house only to hear a gun shot. The next morning, Prince Michael is found dead. Inspector Battle has been summoned, and Anthony recognizes the prince as the man he handed the manuscript to. Anthony’s boot prints have been found outside, so he has some explaining to do.
And in all this, I forgot about the jewel, the Koh-i-noor, which King Nicholas last had at Chimneys and hid somewhere before he returned to Herzoslavakia and was killed.
The novel has two engaging protagonists in Anthony and Virginia and is lots of fun. There are several characters in disguise, and although I guessed the identity of one of them as soon as I heard of that person, the others fooled me. I also didn’t guess at all who killed Prince Michael.
This is a ridiculously unlikely but entertaining early book by Christie. Note, though, that there are several anti-Semitic comments as unfortunately isn’t unusual for the time.
What? Me Read? 
This sounds like chaotic fun! I thought I had read it recently but I haven’t, so that means another one to look forward to!
It was a hoot!
I read this ages ago and it mustn’t have made much of an impression because I have forgotten all about it. I too don’t like Christie’s political intrigues but am glad you enjoyed it so much.
It was just out there, it was so unlikely.
I thought this was fun, but not one of her best books. I just read it last year, so didn’t want to read it again for the club.
Sure, it was one of her worst books, but a fun one.
I did like Anthony and Virginia, but I liked Bundle and Bill even more, and was glad it was them who reappeared in Seven Dials. They’re all very Wodehouse – you can really see in these early novels how influenced Christie was by Wodehouse and Conan Doyle before she fully developed her own style.
Yes, that’s true.
Such a fun book! But then, most of Christie’s books are fun.
A romp is exactly the right word! I also don’t love her spy stories, but somehow this one was saved by the tone.
Yes, it was different.
I had mixed feelings about this one: https://wordsandpeace.com/2025/01/05/sunday-post-127-beginning/
I’m not usually big on her espionage book, but this one was so out there and silly that I found it really entertaining.