There are still a few weeks left in this year’s Read Christie 2023 challenge, but plans for Read Christie 2024 have already been announced! You can find out more and register for full details on the Agatha Christie website here. You don’t need to commit to reading a book every month – I just join in with any that appeal to me or that I haven’t read before.
Back to the 2023 challenge and the prompt for November is a motive: greed. Endless Night, the suggested title for this month, was first published in 1967 and is a standalone novel, not featuring Poirot, Miss Marple or any of Christie’s other famous detectives. It’s also one of only a small number of her novels to be written in the first person (apart from some of the Poirots, which are narrated by Captain Hastings). In fact, it’s really not a typical Christie novel in any way, but I still enjoyed it and apparently it was one of Agatha’s own favourites.
Many of Christie’s novels have titles inspired by nursery rhymes, poems or other works of literature. This one is taken from William Blake’s Auguries of Innocence:
“Every Night and every Morn
Some to Misery are born.
Every Morn and every Night
Some are born to Sweet Delight.
Some are born to Sweet Delight,
Some are born to Endless Night.”
Michael Rogers, our narrator, is an attractive, charming young man but one who has been jumping from one job to another with no real aim in life. When he stumbles upon an old house called The Towers – or ‘Gipsy’s Acre’ as it is known locally – and sees that it’s for sale, he dreams of buying it and settling down there, if only he could afford it. As luck would have it, he meets and falls in love with Ellie, a young American heiress, and soon the two are married and have bought the property, knocking down the old house to build a new one designed by their architect friend, Rudolf Santonix.
Unfortunately, it seems that Michael and Ellie are not destined to be happy in their new home. Gipsy’s Acre has a bad reputation and they are told by an old fortune teller, Esther Lee, that the land is cursed. As Mrs Lee continues to appear, issuing more warnings, Michael wonders whether there really is a curse or if the old woman is trying to drive them away. Then there’s Ellie’s friend and companion, Greta Andersen, who moves in with them when Ellie injures her ankle. Ellie is very close to Greta, but Michael complains that she’s too controlling and has too much influence over his wife.
Christie continues to build tension and suspense in this way until a murder eventually takes place, late in the book. With no detective to investigate the crime and with only Michael’s impression of the other characters to base our opinions on, it’s a difficult mystery to solve. I was convinced I knew who the murderer was, but I wasn’t even close and was completely taken by surprise when the truth was revealed. Although I’m not planning to do it at the moment, I think it would be fascinating to read it again and see how I managed to miss the clues entirely.
I don’t think this ranks as one of my absolute favourites by Christie because I did find it a bit slow in the middle, but that unexpected ending made up for it. I also think it’s one of the most atmospheric of her books, with a real sense of unease and foreboding. I’m not sure yet whether I’ll be able to fit next month’s Read Christie book into my December reading, but I’m definitely signing up again for 2024!
She Reads Novels 
Ha! You beat me to it Helen. I loved reading your review and agree it is very atmospheric. I’m still about halfway through. So far I’m enjoying it 🙂
I’m glad you’re enjoying it! I’ll be interested to hear what you think when you reach the end.
I’ve not been joining in any of the Read Christie challenges – too much else to get through! – but I’ve got a copy of Murder at the Vicarage saved for a winter’s read so may fit that in for December. I’ve not had the pleasure of Endless Night but it does pique my curiosity…
I read Murder at the Vicarage a few years ago and enjoyed it. It’s much more typical of Christie’s work than this one!
I loved this one, it was so completely different to the other Christie’s I had read. You’re right, the sense of tension and foreboding is brilliant!
I think her work is much more varied than a lot of people realise. I’m glad you loved this one!
I saw the film of this starring Hywel Bennett and remember how disturbing I found the film. That sense of unease and foreboding you mention, Helen. I’m not sure that I’d want to read this one – I have so many others of Christie’s to get through first!
I haven’t seen the film but I can imagine it being very disturbing. I quite liked the unsettling atmosphere of this book, but I can see why it wouldn’t appeal to everyone.
Absolutely agree on the atmosphere. I had chills even after I finished the book and was writing my review. She had me guessing wrong as well, but much of the time it’s on rereads that I can start spotting clues.
I almost never seem to guess correctly! I would definitely like to read this one again at some point in the future to see if the clues are more obvious now that I know the solution.
Me neither. Nor do i pick up on clues the first time around.
I *think* that I’ve only got 5 more Miss Marple books to read. I’ve got one scheduled for early next year – as part of my ‘fictional trains’ set – and will try to shoehorn in (possibly) 2 more in ’24. I can’t remember if I’ve read ‘Endless Night’ before years ago. I do believe I own a copy though…. Somewhere….
I’ll look forward to seeing which ones you read next year. I think I have another two Miss Marple novels to read, along with plenty of Poirots, standalones and short story collections. She wrote an unbelievable number of books!
Interesting that this one was one of her favorites! It’s one I haven’t read yet. I’ve been working my way through her Poirot and Marple mysteries. Slowly, but surely. 😀
I can see why she liked this one as it’s so different and atmospheric, with such a clever ending.
Well, this one is another Christie I haven’t read that sounds very promising.
It’s an unusual one. I really enjoyed it.
Putnam has sent me a reprint of Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, an award winning mystery with Poirot. Eager to read it for the first time.
Harvee @ https://bookdilettante.blogspot.com
That’s a great one! I hope you enjoy it.
This is one of my least favourite Christies, although I know many people love it. The plot echoes two of her most famous novels and as soon as the reader recognises that, the solution to this once becomes obvious and it’s a long slog waiting for the inevitable to happen! I imagine it works much better for people who aren’t quite such Christie geeks and who don’t recognise the recycling!
Funnily enough, I think I’ve read both of the more famous novels you’re referring to and still didn’t guess this one correctly! I think I just assumed she wouldn’t use the same twist again. Anyway, this hasn’t become one of my favourite Christies either, although I did find it very atmospheric.