Book "Christmas" by Agatha Christie

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This is a Mystery book written by Agatha Christie in 1938. It was also sold with different titles, as “Murder for Christmas” and “A Holiday for Murder”.

The book features detective Hercule Poirot trying (and succeeding) to solve a murder. A wealthy old man (Simeon Lee) invites his family (sons and granddaughter) to gather at his home for the Christmas party. Not all family members are on good terms with one another. An unexpected guest (Stephen Farr) arrives claiming to be the son of his former partner. So the house is full of potential suspects, and at Christmas Eve there is a commotion on the bedroom where the old man stays and everybody hears crashing of furniture followed by a scream. When they arrive at Simeon’s room, it is looked and they have to break the door down. Inside they find the old man dead, his throat slit and a great pool of blood.

Poirot is called to investigate and the questions, as usual, are the same: Who killed the victim? How was the victim killed inside a locked room? Is there any connection to the theft of diamonds? What is the meaning of the small triangle rubber and the peg that were found inside the room? Poirot explores the nature of the victim and the way these characteristics come out in his children. During his investigation, he tries to avoid another murder and barely succeeds. Poirot is able to unmask several characters that are impostors and solves the crime.

Main characters: Hercule Poirot, Colonel Johnson, Superintendent Sugden, Simeon Lee, Alfred Lee (son), Lydia Lee (Alfred’s wife), George Lee (son), Magdalene Lee (George’s wife), David Lee (son), Hilda Lee (David’s wife), Harry Lee (son), Pilar Estravados (granddaughter), Stephen Farr (partner’s son), Horbury (Simeon’s valet), Tressilian (butler).

If you are a Christie’s fan, you will love this book. It is a very easy and fast reading, also very entertaining, excellent plot.

My rate is 5 stars.

Pages: 246

To buy this book, use the following link:

Movie "Combating the Commandant of Confusion" (2010)

This is a Christian DVD movie published in 2010 by Thomas Nelson and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program, the new BookSneeze Program.

The Commandant of Confusion and his helper Chaos decided to steal a secret weapon from the Bible’s Team, and that helps them to put on the full armor of God. But they do not pay proper attention to the warning label and do not follow instructions closely.

Bibleman is a Christian super hero. He combats various villains with his friends Cypher and BibleGirl. This particular episode is a live action show and as such, has limited production resources. The show also was made in a short-budget, but what really matters after all is the message that is transmitted to the target audience, the little kids. The theological content is excellent and the movie teaches the kids to trust in God. If you want to expose your children to this type of message instead of the “sex, drugs and rock&roll” type of movie, this is the correct choice. Just do not expect high quality or Broadway type production or you will be disappointed.

My rate is 4 stars.

Length Of Movie: 60 minutes

Book "The Map - The Way of All Great Men" by David Murrow

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This is a "Christian theology" book written by David Murrow and it was published in 2010 by Thomas Nelson and they were kind enough to send me a copy for reviewing through the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers Program, the new BookSneeze Program.

“The Map” is a book in two parts. In the first part of the book, David Murrow develops a mystery story, where he is contacted by a Welsh Vicar named Benson who asks him to meet with an old priest who knows of a guide to Christian manhood. The author goes on to search for that guide. On several occasions during the search, Murrow narrowly evades the enemy and becomes increasingly nervous. David knows that the opponents represent evil, but he has very few clues to identify his enemy. He becomes aware that the world needs this map.

In the second part of the book, the author explains the three journeys every great man must make through submission, strength and sacrifice. He analyzes several Biblical heroes, such as Paul, David, Moses and Samson and relates their stories to the map. He also offers practical and “down to earth” strategies for integrating these ideas into our life.

One of the biggest lessons from the book to me was the thinking that “When a fellow Christian points out our weakness, we should respond with humility, not self justification”.

Having a bachelor degree in Theology, I was initially skeptical that this book could bring something different, the so called “Map embedded into Matthew’s Gospel”. But I have to confess that the author made his point in a magnificent way. Overall, "The Map" is an excellent book, very worthy reading and very rewarding. The idea of teaching Christianity through a mystery story is very effective.

My Rate: 4 stars

Pages: 236