Sparkling Cyanide: A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Drama

Christie, Agatha

ISBN 10: 1408467593 ISBN 13: 9781408467596

Publisher: BBC Books, 2012

Synopsis

"‘There’s Rosemary, that’s for remembrance."

Published in 1945, Sparkling Cyanide is all about remembrance. It begins with six characters recalling the horrific death of Rosemary Barton, a beautiful but shallow young heiress poisoned by a cyanide-spiked glass of champagne while celebrating her birthday at a smart London restaurant. Rosemary haunts all six characters, each of them a suspect, throughout the story—and it’s not until her killer is found and her ghost laid to rest that the group can move on, though they will never forget. With a distinguished cast including Naomi Frederick, Peter Wight, and Sean Baker, this wonderfully entertaining production retains the thrill of Agatha Christie’s clever, compulsive story.

2 CDs. 1 hr 30 mins.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Six people sit down to a sumptuous meal at a table laid for seven. In front of the empty place is a sprig of rosemary—"rosemary for remembrance." A strange sentiment considering no one is likely to forget the night, exactly a year ago, that Rosemary Barton died at exactly the same table, her beautiful face unrecognizable, convulsed with pain and horror.

But then Rosemary had always been memorable—she had the ability to arouse strong passions in most people she met. In one case, strong enough to kill. . . .

About the Author

Agatha Christie was born in 1890. During the World War I she worked as a hospital dispenser, where she gleaned the working knowledge of various poisons. Her first novel was The Mysterious Affair at Styles, published in 1920, followed over the next six years by four more detective novels and a short story collection. However, it was not until the publication of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd that Agatha Christie’s reputation was firmly established. In 1930 the sharp-witted spinster sleuth Miss Marple made her first appearance in Murder at the Vicarage. In all, Agatha Christie published 80 crime novels and short story collections. As her play The Mousetrap (the longest-running play in the history of the theater) testifies, Agatha Christie’s detective stories are likely to appeal for a long time to come. Agatha Christie was awarded a CBE in 1956 and was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1971. She died in 1976.

Edition details

• Publisher: BBC Books
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1408467593
• ISBN 13: 9781408467596
• Binding: Audio CD
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 1