“In the Shadow of Agatha Christie” - Leslie S. Klinger, editor

 

🔍 I’d been searching for this book for ages on Libby without luck. I finally located it on Scribd and was elated. For an Aunt Agatha fan, the premise of this work is arresting. It is an anthology of short stories in the crime fiction genre by (as Klinger calls them) “forgotten female writers” from 1850-1917; in other words, the authors who paved the way for and possibly influenced or inspired Aunt Agatha herself.

🔍 While the styles, influences, appearance of the first female detective in a novel, and the development of the crime fiction genre as demonstrated by this collection of authors, was interesting, I got about halfway through before ultimately abandoning the book.

🔍 Maybe the inclusion of Aunt Agatha’s name in the title doomed this anthology. Not one of the stories I read even remotely held a candle to even the briefest Christie story with her tightly plotted style. More than a Christie connection, I did get an Austen vibe from the squire story which focused more on the interaction between the country squire and the villagers a la Austen. But I digress. Much as I love an echo of Austen, this was meant to be a tribute to mystery writing women who came before Aunt Agatha. As such, I will admit I found it boring.