My second book for this week’s 1970 Club (hosted by Karen and Simon) also counts towards the Read Christie challenge where, for the final three months of the year, we are focusing on Agatha Christie books from the 1960s and 70s. I was a bit dubious about reading Passenger to Frankfurt as it seems to be widely considered one of her worst novels, but I want to read all of her books eventually anyway, so this seemed as good a time as any.
The novel begins with Sir Stafford Nye being delayed at Frankfurt Airport on his way home to England from a diplomatic mission in Malaya. When he is approached by a young woman who tells him that her life is in danger, Sir Stafford finds himself agreeing to lend her his passport and cloak so she can safely board the next flight to London in disguise. This is to be the first of several encounters Sir Stafford has with this woman; after he returns to London himself, having claimed to have been the victim of a theft, he places an advertisement in the newspaper in the hope of tracking her down, and their paths soon cross again.
None of this may seem particularly plausible, but at least it’s fun. Once Sir Stafford begins to learn more about his new acquaintance and her mission, however, things start to go downhill. He is pulled into a web of espionage and intrigue, which should be exciting but unfortunately isn’t, partly because there’s not much action – instead there are lots of long passages in which various people hold meetings and conferences to discuss the rise in youth movements and rebellions around the world. There are discussions of fascism, neo-Nazis, student protests, anarchy, drugs and weapons; Christie was eighty years old when this book was published and it seems that her view of the future was a very bleak one, in particular regarding the role young people would play.
This could still have been interesting, but Christie doesn’t manage to balance her political commentary with any kind of coherent plot, so all those conversations about youth unrest do become very repetitive and tedious, especially as the various conspiracy theories that arise are too outlandish to take seriously. There’s also a large number of characters, many of whom are introduced and then disappear again a few pages later. Apart from Sir Stafford and his mysterious female friend, the only one who really stands out is Sir Stafford’s Aunt Matilda, one of those no-nonsense old ladies Christie writes so well. Intriguingly, Matilda has an assistant, Amy Leatheran, who I assume is the same character who appeared in Murder in Mesopotamia, although no reference is made to her earlier adventures!
I often enjoy Christie’s thrillers and spy novels (They Came to Baghdad and The Man in the Brown Suit are favourites), but this one was a big disappointment and certainly the weakest of all the Christie novels I’ve read so far. I don’t regret reading it for 1970 Club, though, because, as I’ve said, I was going to read it at some point anyway. Definitely one for completists, in my opinion, and not the place to start if you’re new to Christie’s work.
She Reads Novels 
That’s a very fair review – it all started so well didn’t it and then somewhere in the middle I was just lost (or uninterested) What was Sir Stafford up to all the time, we never got to know, oh dear! Interesting about Amy Leatheran and I haven’t read The Man in the Brown Suit yet so I’ll put that one nearer the top!
She seemed to forget about Sir Stafford halfway through and got sidetracked writing about all those meetings instead! The Man in the Brown Suit is a lot more fun and has a much stronger plot.
I’m glad I steered away from reading this one for the club, as my mood was wrong and I wouldn’t have enjoyed it. I think the general downer on the then modern generation might have annoyed me. I enjoy her thrillers too, so I will no doubt eventually get to it…
I think it’s definitely one you would need to be in the right mood for. I hope you enjoy it more than I did, whenever you get round to it!
I completed the Christie canon a few years ago, and I think that this is her worst book. Postern of Fate is also really bad, but I think that Passenger to Frankfurt is worse. I recommend it only for completists.
I was totally surprised and charmed by They Came To Baghdad, and I am actually a fan of The Secret of Chimneys, which a lot of readers don’t like at all. Her straight mysteries are better than her thrillers, but I often find her thrillers to be more fun than her mysteries.
Have you read Cat Among the Pigeons, which is kind of the best of both worlds? It walks the line between thriller & mystery really successfully, I think.
I haven’t read Postern of Fate yet and have heard that it’s another weak one, but I can’t imagine it being any worse than this!
I read The Secret of Chimneys earlier this year and thought it was fun, although not a personal favourite. Cat Among the Pigeons is a good one – I read it years ago and can’t remember all the details, but I liked the school setting and I agree that it was a good balance between mystery and thriller.
I think I’ll move this one lower down my Agatha Christie reading list.
Good idea! There are lots of much better ones to read instead.
I agree with you on this one! I also chose this book for the club and published my review the same day!
I’m glad you agree! I thought this would be a more popular choice for the club, but I’ve only seen one other review, apart from yours.
I know at least one person gave it up.
When you become a cash cow publishers can push too much. Interesting about “Amy Leatheran, who I assume is the same character who appeared in Murder in Mesopotamia,”
I think this is one book that would have been better not to have been published at all. Such a disappointment!
Another reason–who is going to tell THE GREAT AGATHA that she’s “slipping” and maybe should retire? No man alive then I imagine! lol
One for the *bottom* of ‘The List’ I think!
Definitely!
You and Jane have had very similar responses to this one, Helen. I still have many Christie novels to enjoy so I am quite content to leave this one alone.
You won’t be missing anything if you don’t read this one – literally all of the other Christies I’ve read are much better. It was so disappointing!
I’m afraid I feel a few of her last novels are pretty poor and wouldn’t have been published were it not for her name. In several of the later books she shows that she didn’t really understand the modern world and feared it – not an unusual attitude for the elderly, ahem! I don’t remember this one though I must have read it in my own completist phase decades ago. I’ll probably listen to the audiobook sometime – maybe Hugh Fraser will be able to make it better!
I feel bad giving Christie such a negative review as I do love her, but this was by far the worst book I’ve read by her. Maybe it would work better as an audiobook, but I’m not sure!
Sounds like the rumours of this one being rubbish are true! Unlike you, I tend not to like Christie in spy-mode anyway, so I’ll definitely avoid this one.
I would definitely recommend avoiding it – if you don’t like her spy novels to begin with, this one isn’t likely to change your mind!