Taken at the Flood

by Agatha Christie

Gordon Cloade could be forgiven for bringing a bit of glamour into his life by marrying the very young widow, Rosaleen Underhay and bringing her back to a wartime capital.

There’s nothing wrong with a bit of romance for a wealthy gentleman returning to the beseiged and dreary heart of empire.

What he could not be forgiven for was failing to draw up a new will. For Gordon Cloade was not only a wealthy man, but a man upon whom many depended, not just his servants who perished with him, but also the family members who relied on his generous support.

What will become of their dreams now? And what will happen to the young woman left behind?

Surely she is okay? After all she was his wife. She inherits everything. As his wife she was entitled to inherit everything.

Some may say she is a little gold digger. But she was entitled to marry Cloade, because although young, she was a widow and her previous husband was dead... wasn’t he...


Hercule Poirot cannot avoid coming up against the story of the Cloades, whether it is through a consultation, a conversation in a gentlemen’s club or an odd news story telling of the death of a mysterious man in Warmsley Vale. Poirot, the great detective, must investigate.

But much in Warmsley Vale is not at all what it seems.


This is an intriguing murder mystery with a significant romantic element. The story has a fabulously complex plot but relies too greatly, at the level of detail, on unguessable motivations and chance outcomes.

Likely to disappoint at the end, even if an engrossing read with entertaining dialogue and intruiging scenes.

Litrev rating 2 / 5