I Saw Him Die

Starred review from May 4, 2020
In 1930, on the eve of Agatha Christie’s wedding to Max Mallowan, Christie accepts another mission from her friend John Davison, a Secret Intelligence Service agent, in Wilson’s outstanding fourth whodunit featuring the mystery writer (after 2019’s Death in a Desert Land). Davison is concerned about the welfare of Robin Kinmuir, who used to be one of the service’s best agents until a run of bad luck, including the death of his only son in WWI, the disappearance of his wife, and a botched operation that cost several operatives’ lives. Someone has been sending Kinmuir threatening letters, which warn that he will pay for his crimes with his life. Christie and Davison travel to Kinmuir’s home on the island of Skye, where, despite their vigilance, Kinmuir dies after being shot, apparently accidentally, by his nephew and heir in a hunting mishap. The plot takes multiple unexpected turns before a neat solution that pays homage to Christie’s own best fiction. Golden age fans will hope for more. Agent: Clare Alexander, Aitken Alexander Assoc.