Death in the Clouds

The characters in Death in the Clouds are not particularly special.

“I was working as a journalist in India. There was a civil war going on in West Pakistan, and I was there to report on this. I was in a plane, and the plane was hijacked by Pakistanis. They took the plane to West Pakistan. I was in the middle of a civil war, and I was the only Westerner on the plane.

“I was terrified. I thought I was going to die. I thought the plane was going to crash. I thought the Pakistanis were going to kill us all.

“But then something amazing happened. The Pakistani army surrounded the plane and they took the hijackers into custody. I was safe.

“That experience was the inspiration for the character of Hugh Fraser in Death in the Clouds.”

Actually Hugh Fraser is a very good narrator. He does a wonderful job of characterizing each character in the book. He has a very pleasant voice, no nasal quality. He has varied intonation and pitch, and speaks at a good rate of speed. I think he’s excellent.

What other books would you compare The Black Hand Gang to and why?

I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic British detective fiction.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don’t know if there was a particular moment, but I found the entire book to be very enjoyable.

Any additional comments?

It’s a good story, well written and well narrated. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Agatha Christie’s The Death in the Clouds was first published in the United Kingdom in 1935 and in the United States in 1936. The novel is notable for its use of foreshadowing and red herrings, as well as its twists and turns. The novel was well-received by critics and was a bestseller.