I loved this book, It was the first one I tried to solve and the Passenger plan nat the front helped me to an extent and trying to solve it gave it thatr extra something, I love locked room mysateries and the books that add Travel which is why it means more to me than other books.

I don't think it is relevent today, I think people are more noticing of their surroundings but in a way I love thisd book so much I don't care and anyway if this book isn't relevent at least one other book I have read isn't relevent for the same reason and I plan on reading both again and I think it is a shame if people are put of a book because it isn't 'relevent' let people who want relevent book go elsewhere although there is plenty of relevence in in Christies work and some I have found have Educated me by telling me things I might not have found out otherwise and finding out those things have encouraged me to find out other things which are related to it.

I admit the details of the book are in places sketchy so I don't remember Jane Grey but from what others have written elsewhere and from seeing the Suchet Adapt, I think she should have been in mkore books but maybe like others she was a prototype for other Characters. 

I'm not sure the point about relevence matters. Like Tommy, I feel that those looking for more gritty, socially realistic storys and characters would not be turning to Agatha Christie to fulfil these needs. In reading Christie the audience is aware that the books were written from the 1920's up until the 1970's and were usually written about those higher up the social scale. The point isn't what these books can tell us about the human condition; the point is the plot and how AC constructs this.

We all love a 'locked room' mystery. Having a reduced number of possible suspects gives the reader the hope that they may be able to get to the solution before the detective. I think the book is a lot of fun and AC writes some delightful characters. Little Mr Clancy always make me smile!

As for Jane Grey, I feel she is a little more one-dimentional that some of AC's other central female characters. She lacks colour (I think the surmane of Grey is well suited!) and isn't particularly adventurous. She is caught up in the drama due to the unhappy accident of being on the same plane and not through choice. Ther are many other characters who would be ahead on my list to have seen repeated in other books. But she serves her purpose well in Death in the Clouds.

I am pleased we agree Puffin, I think if there is grit in Agatha Christie's work people should be allowed not to read between the lines without fear of ridecule, With Death In The Clouds and  other 'Locked Room' stories it is interesting to see how Agatha Christie Confines herself to making the essential Action happen in one room just like Hitchcock did in one of his films where not only did the characters only use 2 rooms but if I remember rightly there were only 2 or 3 Characters.

I am so glad you like Mr Clancy as he is the one Character I remember most - apart from Poirot that is - perhaps it would have been nice to have more of him but there again having 2 Novellists in Poirot books probably wouldn't have worked