Anybody who is a fan of Agatha Christie, Hercule Poirot or both will jump for joy at the idea of Murder by the Book. And there is very little to be disappointed by either. The opening and closing scenes are not bad but I agree not as interesting or as relevant as the rest of the film. However, the period detail is evocative and very competently shot, neither cinematic or cheap-looking. Howard Goodall's music is good as well, it is atmospherically orchestrated and has a haunting undercurrent that is perfect for Murder by the Book. What I also liked was that it actually sounds like the sort of music you'd find in an Agatha Christie adaptation. The story makes the most of the great idea it stemmed from, is paced very much an Agatha Christie adaptation- I did like that they made an effort to make a film about Christie and one of her detectives and stick to the spirit of how she wrote and the adaptations of her books- and throughout is very entertaining. The script is knowing, with some nice nods, subtle humour and genuine poignancy. Peggy Ashcroft and Ian Holm(made up to look like one of the more faithful recreations of this iconic literary detective) are respectively wonderful as Agatha and Poirot, and the rest of the cast do solidly. All in all, a very nice film and does a good job with the interesting idea it had. 8/10 Bethany Cox
