Sad Cypress (Dramatised)

Love the audio tape of "Sad Cypress". I can not find exactly the same BBC cast on CDs or Audible so I was very happy to find the audio tape, again. I first discovered "Sad Cypress" in the early 1990s. I was working in a large warehouse with many others and processing a lot of paper work, pretty mindless but it was good money. So since Walkmans were allowed I began stopping by a Books on Tape establishment off of Preston Road and found this and so many more really great books on tape. This started a trend and several of us participated in swapping tapes at work which made the situation more enjoyable.One of the very best books on tape was "A Time to Kill" - if only the movie had been as good as that one man book on tape performance!

Enjoyed this very much

Dr. Lord loves Elinor, who loves Roderick, who loves Mary. Aunt Laura Wellman loves them all. They all appear to love Aunt Laura's money. When Aunt Laura dies intestate, the question of who inherits seems simple indeed. The characters occasionally appear shallow, but they can also display depth of character. Elinor (who got Aunt Laura's estate) could be very likeable if she didn't hate Mary so. Despite her hatred, Elinor honors Aunt Laura's dying wish and settles a tidy sum on Mary. Mary behaves nobly throughout. Roderick acts like a dunce throughout, but is capable of occasional sparks of nobility. Dr. Lord stands on the sidelines and makes moon eyes at Elinor. Is this a murder mystery or a soap opera? Where is Hercule Poirot? Doesn't the cover say this is a Poirot mystery? That's the only reason I bought the radio play. I'm at the end of tape one, and no Poirot in sight.Mary dies and an autopsy reveals poisoning by morphine. Aunt Laura is exhumed and found to have died from morphine poisoning also. Elinor, who has motive and opportunity in spades for both deaths also appears to have the means. Finally Dr. Lord shakes off his inactivity and calls in Hercule Poirot to save the woman he loves.Poirot engages in the usual snooping and deduction, catches everyone lying, reveals all the dark secrets, and guides Elinor's barrister in the defense of the case. He also figures out whodunnit. At least he amasses enough evidence to . . . but I don't want to give away the story. I'd hate to destroy your enjoyment when you figure it out for yourself.When the time comes for Mary to die, you will have grown to like her so much that you will truly regret her killing. You will also share Dr. Lord's forlorn faith in Elinor's innocence. This novel has a much smaller cast of suspects than most Poirot novels, but the murderer's identity should remain opaque at least until the commencement of Elinor's trial.The BBC radio play is very well done, as are all the BBC plays of Christie's Poirot stories, but the cover gives too great a hint as to the murderer's identity. Luckily, I pay more attention to the writing on the back of a book cover than I do to the picture on the front. I thus noticed the cover's significance only after I finished the play.

I found this particular Christie story very interesting because Christie advises the listener/reader that it is so important for people of any age who might get in to a situation where they become dependent on others that they should think carefully which persons should receive legacies and take action if they are able to do . Christie was not writing in this instance a simple whodunit but provided some guidance of lifetime experience. I appreciate her Poirot remark at the end of her story in which the doctor is advised that where a woman has come through darkness and is entering the light she is able to consider a new romantic attachment and this is life.. .

This is an early John Moffatt Poirot. I was very pleased to listen to this dramatisation in one sitting and found it very easy to be wrapped up in the story. As with many Agatha Christie novels there are some good and bad characters and this story leaves open many doors and there are some red herrings too. It is good to have a running time of well over 2 hours allocated because the characters such as Elinor; Roddy; Mary & Dr Lord can be fully developed as in the book. John Moffatt is perfectly cast and there are olds stagers Pauline Letts & Margot Boyd to listen out for too. Lovely atmosphere and sound effects recreate a bygone age. Dramatised by Michael Bakewell and directed by series regular Enyd Williams. Another AudioGo release well worth collecting and a good value item.

Excellent radio play, good cast and sound quality

Product as described and fast delivery.

Good story line and value for money