Like Sayers, one part of love that Christie delineates quite well is jealousy. At least the first two stories in the Harley Quin collection revolve around jealousy--jealousy that could potentially ruin a new marriage and jealousy that does in fact destroy a relationship.
However, I consider the darkest Christie story that tackles jealousy to be "The Edge," a non-Harley Quin story in The Harlequin Tea Set.
What is remarkable about the story is that Christie gives a fairly nuanced view of a character who is not evil and even, arguably, justified in her behaviors. But her knowledge of her rival's love affair morphs into self-righteousness. Her self-belief in her restraint gets threaded through by a nasty undercurrent of self-satisfaction. In the end, she drives her rival to kill herself and in the process, her own self-identity. She can no longer see herself as a long-suffering saint who is doing the best for everyone when she became the cruel harasser of a victim.
Christie has not always been credited for the strength and depth of her characters. She should be. She uses a light touch to deliver small excellent portraits. And her understanding of human nature is clear and honest.
