They Do It With Mirrors
Christie is an adaptable master of a flexible genre. So far, I’ve mostly covered Poirot novels, and ones in particular that focus on Poirot’s methodical and psychological approach to solving mysteries. While that type of format may be riveting for the first two or three novels you read, it will eventually lose its novelty and will instead become a slog to read. That is why, with this next novel, Christie not only switched the detective but also incorporated more side-plots than ever before.
However, before I can unpack how these changes enrich the experience, I must alleviate some confusion regarding the title. The modern reader is at a distinct disadvantage because the phrase was colloquial in England only at the time of writing. It refers to the duality that, during a play, as the actors face the crowd, the crowd faces the stage. This reference to drama is integral for the reader to solve the mystery for themselves, as without it, this mystery becomes the most difficult mystery to solve that I have read to date, made even worse by the fact that the motive is physically impossible to guess, being one of the only Christies that I did not solve prior to the ending. The title used to be different, but Christie changed it to this reference to make it possible for readers to solve. I cannot say more without spoilers, but rest assured that one of the characters is indeed a professional actor —an idea that cannot be inferred from the title alone.
Now, let us shift our focus to the manifold side plots. They result from the setting: That of being an institute for psychologically challenged young delinquents, who have been sent there for reconditioning to enter society as respectable new selves. From pathological liars to children who brag about their club-wielding artifice and lock-breaking skills, these characters add character to the setting. But even more significant than that is the family that runs the institute. As a result of affairs, divorces, and adoptions, the family is a tangle of relationships. A love triangle subplot is contrasted with the differing perspectives characters have on the institute's mission, believing that the money spent on criminals should instead be allocated to helping poor kids afford schooling as a preventive measure, rather than as a treatment. The woman who ties the whole family together is such an optimist that she does not believe in any form of evil, which ultimately helps the authorities deconstruct multiple facades.
In a Poirot novel, all of these ideas would simply be minor ornamentation, but the detective's unique outlook on life magnifies them instead. Ms. Marple, who is actually Agatha Christie’s favorite detective, spends much of her time reflecting on her long life, using her knowledge of small-town affairs to draw psychological parallels. In addition, we peer into her mind through stream-of-consciousness passages that help summarise these side-plots in a satisfying way. Finally, there are two sections where Marple retraces the footsteps, piecing together the reasoning behind their actions to fill in the evidence she needs to convict the suspect.
The Chase Verdict is that They Do It With Mirrors is an excellent novel to read in between two mentally taxing Poirot novels. Even though the ending is done off-screen, relayed in an epistolary form, and this last note detracts from the novel, it is still well worth the read because the setting, augmented by the characters, offers a distinctly alluring concept that will stay in your head long after you put the book down.