The world of books-on-tape (or books on CD) is interesting because I find myself listening to books that I would never choose to read - or at very least wouldn't be my first choice. This of course, means that sometimes I get stuck with
The Firm, but I also discover P.G. Wodehouse and other writers.
So I'm actually getting into Agatha Christie after years of neglect. And I very much loved
The Seven Dials Mystery, mostly because it reminded me of
Vile Bodies - except sweet and clever and affectionate towards the idle rich or the
Bright Young Things.
Only one thing disturbs me:
Bundle glanced towards the mantelpiece. A vivid picture rose before her mind's eye. The dead man lying on the bed, and seven clocks ticking on the mantelpiece- ticking loudly, ominously ... ticking ... ..."(page 38)
Which is fine except for this description from
The Clocks:
The Queen of Crime clocks in with a classic of untimely demise.
At her new job, Sheila Webb finds a corpse surrounded by five clocks, each set to a different time. Fortunately, Hercule Poirot has nothing but time to piece together one of his most puzzling cases.
Of course, she's not plagiarizing herself. One has 7 clocks and the other one has five and the first one has all the dials going the same way. Then again, I would love to have the career where people can see books over that span of time and care that I'm engaged in self-plagiarization.
