#Cozy Mystery Book Review #Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley by #Agatha Christie

Summary: Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley (Hercule Poirot #47.5) by Agatha Christie

As a favor to an old friend, Hercule Poirot finds himself at a summer fete in Devon, taking part not in a Treasure Hunt, but a Murder Hunt, in this never-before-published novella version of Dead Man’s Folly. Now released for the first time in print in this illustrated collector’s edition.

Sir George and Lady Stubbs, the hosts of a village fête, hit upon the novel idea of staging a mock murder mystery. In good faith, Ariadne Oliver, the well known crime writer, agrees to organize their murder hunt. But at the last minute Ariadne calls her friend Hercule Poirot for his expert assistance. Instinctively, she senses that something sinister is about to happen…

In 1954, Agatha Christie wrote this novella with the intention of donating the proceeds to a fund set up to buy stained glass windows for her local church at Churston Ferrers, and she filled the story with references to local places, including her own home of Greenway. But having completed it, she decided instead to expand the story into a full-length novel, Dead Man’s Folly, which was published two years later, and donated a Miss Marple story (Greenshaw’s Folly) to the church fund instead.

Unseen for sixty years, Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folly is finally published in this collector’s hardback edition. The book includes a jacket painting, illustrations and exclusive introduction by Tom Adams, Agatha Christie’s most famous cover artist, who is back illustrating Agatha Christie for the first time in more than 30 years (Copied from Goodreads)

Book Review: Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley

Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley by Agatha Christie is the Harper Collins, UK publication of 2014 and is #47.5 in the series about Hercule Poirot.

Poirot is summoned by detective novelist Ariadne Oliver, to Greenshore House in Lapton to assist her. Ariadne is arranging a «murder hunt» as part of the entertainment at the planned fête. Guests are encouraged to follow clues around the estate to solve a pretend murder. It goes terribly wrong and someone really ends up dead. Poirot helps the police investigate the real murder of a young girl.

True to form Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley is set at an estate in the English countryside in the 1950s. Main characters are rich people of leisure arranging entertainment and games to pass the time and have fun. I enjoy the lifestyle descriptions a lot and would guess inspiration was taken from Agatha Christie’s own life. I am a great fan of fictional historical settings in Britain, so my favorite part of the story was descriptions of the fête.  I also thoroughly enjoyed the surprise ending. So thrilling and complicated I could not possibly have seen it coming.

Main character Hercule Poirot is per usual using his skills to gather information. I find it funny how he tries not to express his lack of regard for Ariadne Oliver’s less than methodical investigative skills, while he himself is all about method. He is my absolute favorite in this and every other story about him as he seems so quirky and funny.

Secondary character Mrs. Folliat is the previous owner of Greenshore House. She acts as kind of a gardener and hostess around the house, while she lives in a small cottage on the estate because the family has fallen on hard times. Having been demoted from lady of the manor, I found it strange how she seemed so at peace with the situation. She seemed a strange and suspicious character who appeared everywhere and knew everybody.

I really loved the old fashioned vibe I got from the writing. It was like going back in time to a beautiful place where you could not really imagine something terrible happening, and yet a murder occurred. There is something about the contrasts between the beautiful scenery and the brutal murder that made this story come alive for me. The writing style is simplistic which helps carry the message through so brilliantly.

 Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley is a thoroughly exciting, quick read with a great twist and a surprise ending, so thrilling and complicated I could not possibly have seen it coming. As I am a great fan of Hercule Poirot, I am always on the lookout for stories I have not yet read or seen TV adaptations of. They work like a charm as standalones, so I don’t feel I need to follow any particular order.

Fans of Agatha Christie will love Hercule Poirot and the Greenshore Folley. Anyone who enjoys crime fiction will probably already have The Queen of Mystery on their radar and thoroughly enjoy her work too.

Similar authors to explore might be Arthur Conan Doyle.

All opinions in this review are completely my own.

 

My rating: 5 stars / 5

Main reasons: great plot, excellent characters, surprise ending

Get Your Copy Here:

AMAZON, Hardcover

AMAZON, Kindle

Book Details: (from Amazon)

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (1836)
ASIN: B01N910RUX

About The Author: (from Amazon)

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

#Cozy Mystery Book Review #The Body in the Library by #Agatha Christie

Summary: The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) by Agatha Christie

Dolly Bantry, mistress of Gossington Hall, is enjoying a pleasant doze when suddenly her dreams take a strange turn. The housemaid Mary is telling her that there is a body in the library... When she wakes up, she finds that it is true. But who is the strange young blonde dressed in an evening gown who is lying strangled on the library hearth rug? Enter St Mary Mead's resident sleuth, Miss Marple. With her keen eye for the complexities of human nature and her observational skills, she studies the body closely and makes mental notes. But even she cannot provide an immediate explanation. The police hunt through reports of missing persons, and before long the identity of the victim becomes obvious. What is not apparent, however, is how she ended up on the Bantrys' library floor. Sifting every word from the suspects and exploring every possible motive, Miss Marple slowly comes to a shocking conclusion. Agatha Christie's puzzling mystery is dramatised with a full cast including Richard Todd, Pauline Jameson and Jack Watling. 2 CDs. 1 hr 30 mins. (from Goodreads)

Book Review: The Body in the Library

When Rugby Keen, a young professional dancer is found murdered in St. Mary Mead, Miss Marple steps up to find out what happened to her. With patience, knowledge of human nature and observational skills she manages to carve out information to solve the crime.

I listened to the CD Audio edition of The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) by Agatha Christie. I found it a great option to listen to The Body in the Library as an audio book.  

Miss Marple is the famous Agatha Christie character who aids police investigators with her gossipy ways, yet with a keen eye for complexities in human nature. This is story #3 about her. The Miss Marple character seems to vary slightly from story to story, but mainly she keeps to her gossipy, shrewd sleuthing manner which I so much enjoy and which makes the story work so well as a standalone.

Main character June (Miss) Marple, is famous for sleuthing out information while under some kind of unsuspicious cover. In this story she raises money for a good cause locally in St. Mary Mead. I find it impressive the way she gets access to people and manages to get them to open up and give her information they would be too afraid to give the police.

Secondary character, Basil Blake, is the party boy connected to film industry that seems very rude and has a dodgy attitude. I find him to be a very unsympathetic person who is easy to suspect of having committed some kind of criminal offence. I don’t think he would be anyone’s idea of a hero. -Certainly not mine. He is my least favorite character.

My favorite part of The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) by Agatha Christie was the setting of the plot. I really enjoyed the parts describing village life in St. Mary Mead and the feeling that Miss Marple very much enjoys living there.

The plot consists of all the well tested elements. The plot was intricate. Plenty of suspects, and well laid out clues for Miss Marple to investigate. The identity of the murderer was so well disguised. It felt like a surprise, as I had been looking in a completely different direction.

The writing is excellent in the trademark way of The Queen of Crime. Readers get pulled into life in a sleepy little English village where nothing much happens.

The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) is the exiting story of Miss Marple set in her home town St. Mary Mead. The writing is excellent and the plot expertly crafted in the way of Agatha Christie. Fans of Agatha Christie will love The Body in the Library (Miss Marple #3) with all the trademark ingredients. As will readers of crime fiction. Similar authors to explore might be Arthur Conan Doyle.

All opinions in this review are completely my own.

My rating: 4 stars / 5

Main reasons: Expertly crafted plot, interesting characters, surprise ending

Book Details (from Amazon)

ASIN: B00435F8QE

About The Author (from Amazon)

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

#Cozy Mystery Book Review #At Bertram’s Hotel by #Agatha Christie

Summary: At Bertram’s Hotel (Miss Marple #11) by Agatha Christie

Jane Marple is being treated to a few days' holiday by her nephew, staying at Bertram's Hotel—a dignified establishment tucked away in a back street of busy Mayfair. It is a place where sedate upper-class ladies, retired military gentlemen, and the higher echelons of the clergy can indulge in the comforts of a bygone age. But Miss Marple begins to feel uneasy. Something sinister lurks beneath the polished veneer. Why are so many major crimes associated in some way with the hotel and those eminently respectable people staying there? Instead of rest and relaxation, Miss Marple finds herself hard at work as she attempts to discover what goes on behind closed doors. Siân Phillips and Maurice Denham are among the cast of this absorbing mystery, starring June Whitfield as Miss Marple. (from Goodreads.com)

Book Review: At Bertram’s Hotel

Miss Marple goes on holiday to posh and traditional Bertram’s Hotel. She has fond memories of the place, but now nothing is as it seems. A murder takes place, a priest disappears and there is a major robbery. Bertram’s seems to be in the center of it all and Miss Marple is asked to help the police with their investigation.

 
I listened to the audio CD edition of At Bertram’s Hotel (Miss Marple #11) and it is one of the shorter stories. Listening time is only 2 hours and 20 minutes. I thoroughly enjoyed the pre WWII vibe I get from stories about Miss Marple. I am a great and longtime fan of Agatha Christie’s characters and have read, listened to or watched TV adaptations of a number of her works. I particularly enjoyed the little music bits throughout, which added an extra element of uniqueness to the story.

At Bertram’s Hotel (Miss Marple #11) continues Agatha Christie’s stories about Miss Marple. The police investigate the disappearance of the forgetful and absent minded Canon Pennyfather. Turning up again with a concussion and memory loss, he is very little help to the police when they try to question him about his whereabouts at the time when other criminal activity takes place in the area.

With the combination of investigative skills and eavesdropping, Miss Marple shares with the police details of what she has seen and heard during her stay at the hotel. In this story I am very pleased to see she is actually taken seriously and her contributions prove valuable to the solution of the case. Miss Marple feels there is something wrong with Bertram’s Hotel and that ends up being true on so many levels.

Main character Miss Marple is her usual gossipy, sleuthing self in this story. I find her very funny as she is actually making eavesdropping into an art form. I find her clever and entertaining as well as a person to be reckoned with, which makes her my favorite character of this story.

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Secondary character Lady Bess Sedgewick is the eccentric famous, danger seeking guest with a forceful and domineering personality. Her business interests are shady and she has dangerous secrets. I find her demanding and pushy personality unsympathetic, which makes her my least favorite character of this story, but she is memorable and adds drama to the plot.

The audio CD edition of At Bertram’s Hotel (Miss Marple #11) is a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. It is the exciting and entertaining story of Miss Marple as she is re-visiting Bertram’s Hotel. This is one of many stories I have read, watched or listened to, which is expertly crafted by The Queen of Crime.

There are numerous books starring Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, and I would recommend any one of them to fans of Agatha Christie as well as anyone who enjoy crime fiction. Trust me, it would be time well spent. Similar works to explore might be the Sherlock Holmes Series by Arthur Conan Doyle.

All opinions in this review are completely my own.

My rating: 5 stars / 5

Main reasons: Expertly crafted characters, exiting plot, addition of music throughout

Book Details (from Amazon.com)

ASIN: B0042N8TP4

About The Autor (from Amazon.com)

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

#Crime Fiction Book Review: #Elephants Can Remember by #Agatha Christie

Summary: Elephants Can Remember (Hercule Poirot Mysteries#37) by Agatha Christie

A classic Hercule Poirot investigation, Agatha Christie’s Elephants Can Remember has the expert detective delving into an unsolved crime from the past involving the strange death of a husband and wife.

Hercule Poirot stood on the clifftop. Here, many years earlier, there had been a fatal accident followed by the grisly discovery of two bodies—a husband and wife who had been shot dead.

But who had killed whom? Was it a suicide pact? A crime of passion? Or cold-blooded murder? Poirot delves into the past and discovers that “old sins leave long shadows.”

Book Review: Elephants Can Remember (Hercule Poirot Mysteries#37) by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot and his friend Ariadne Oliver go on a quest to shake up the memories of people connected to the double suicide of General and Lady Ravenscroft in 1960s English countryside. As Poirot digs deeper, people contribute new information and this cold case changes entirely.

Elephants Can Remember (Hercule Poirot Mysteries#37) by @Agatha Christie is about the married couple who seemed to have shot each other with the husband’s revolver lying beside the bodies. The police were never able to establish who killed who, as motive seemed to be nonexistent at the time. Many years later Mrs Oliver dives into a truck load of old hearsay to get to the truth.  She wants to protect  the Ravenscrofts’ daughter.

Main character, Hercule Poirot, seems to be sharing his main character role in this story, helping his longtime friend Ariadne with her case. I enjoyed that the author describes Poirot as a man with an egg-shaped head, a small stature and a monstrous mustache. She interestingly portrays him as a comic and strange looking personality. He seems very different from David Suchet in the TV adaptations.

Ariadne Oliver, is the narrator and supporting main character of this story. She comes at problem solving from unexpected and creative angles, like comparing people’s memories to those of elephants. I find it refreshing and different from Poirot’s strictly analytical approach. She seems a kind hearted person with an amusing habit of brushing her hands through her hair messing it all up, even if she is very focused on hair style.

The wonderfully descriptive writing takes me back to the 70s. In Agatha Christie’s universe every home seems to come with a set of servants for all domestic chores. I find it very entertaining to read her books as they give a glimpse into opulent environments and people’s interactions back in the day.

Hercule Poirot is the main character in 38 of Christie’s stories. He is an absolute longtime favorite of mine and I have followed him both in books and in TV series. Ariadne Oliver appears in a smaller number of stories as a supporting character, being an interesting and well crafted character I love to read about. In this story she is the one who alerts Poirot to the case.

There were plenty of references to old fashioned lifestyle of the 1970s, like keeping an address book for all contacts, something we stopped doing decades ago. I find it fascinating to be reminded how life worked before the digital age, and this is my favorite part of the story.

Elephants Can Remember (Hercule Poirot Mysteries#37) by Agatha Christie is the captivating and entertaining story of Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver solving a cold case from 1960, and is one of several works I have read by Agatha Christie. References are made to other books in the Hercule Poirot Mysteries Series in a clever way which triggers my curiosity. As a longtime fan, I am reading most of them.

Fans of Agatha Christie will love Elephants Can Remember (Hercule Poirot Mysteries#37), as will readers of crime fiction. Similar works to explore might be the Sherlock Holmes Series by Arthur Conan Doyle. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating 5 stars / 5

Book Details (from Amazon)

Series: Hercule Poirot Mysteries (Book 37)
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Reissue edition (October 25, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062074032
ISBN-13: 978-0062074034

About The Author (from Amazon.com)

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

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#Crime Fiction Book Review: #The ABC Murders by #Agatha Christie

Summary: The ABC Murders (Hercule Poirot #13) by Agatha Christie

Alice Ascher, a poor, elderly shopkeeper, is murdered in Andover. Betty Barnard, a young waitress, is strangled with her own belt at Bexhill-on-Sea. Next comes Carmichael Clarke, collector of Chinese art, clubbed to death in Churston. Only in Doncaster does the pattern vary: the man found stabbed in the Regal Cinema is called George Earsfield. But each time, an ABC railway guide is found by the dead bodies, and each time, Poirot is warned in advance by a taunting letter from someone signed 'ABC'. Who is ABC? And can Poirot find out in time to prevent the death of a whole alphabet of victims? The police doubt him and the public are in a state of panic, but Poirot is convinced that the murderer's luck will turn, and sooner or later he will make a crucial mistake. And Poirot will be there when he does... This full-cast dramatisation of one of Agatha Christie's most imaginative mysteries stars John Moffatt as the great Belgian detective, Simon Williams as his faithful sidekick Captain Hastings and Philip Jackson as Chief Inspector Japp.

Book Review: The ABC Murders (Hercule Poirot #13) by Agatha Christie

Poirot receives letters warning him of murders, all signed ABC. A homicidal maniac seems to be working himself through the alphabet challenging Poirot’s little gray cells. In every case the ABC railway guide is found close to the body.

The ABC Murders is #13 in the Series about Hercule Poirot, written by Agatha Christie and I listened to it as an audio CD edition.

This story is about a murderer sending letters to Poirot warning him that there is going to be a murder. A pattern develops of victims and murder scenes chosen in alphabetical order.

While confident of a successful outcome of this investigation, Poirot seems to be slightly less cocky than he might seem in the TV adaptations I have seen. Maybe he develops a super confident celebrity persona as time goes by and he solves many more cases.

In this story Poirot manages to collaborate well with Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard. He uses what proof the investigation offers, including fingerprints, combined with his analytic skills to solve the case. The little gray cells work in his favor yet again, which is not unexpected but still nice to see.

I got caught up in a strong red herring, which distracted me right until the real culprit was revealed. It became a surprise element I enjoyed very much. The affluent settings of Agatha Christie's plots I always love. This is no different. There is just something about the characters, the settings and the time period which I can't get enough of. I just get drawn to stories set in a historic time frame, both 1930s and earlier.

Poirot is the Agatha Christie's expertly crafted fashionable and rather vain private sleuth of the 1930s. I find he has a funny and demeanor, being very conscious about his appearance. In this story Poirot gets fired up by the way Hastings is wrinkling his clothes when trying to pack his luggage.

Captain Hastings is the hands-on, devil’s advocate-like assistant. He seems the type of character who wants to act and not think too much, which occasionally leads to funny situations in spite of the murder investigation. I find it funny that Poirot picks on him because he prefers to stay close to the ladies. I think Poirot and Hastings have a quite interesting, and sometimes amusing, working relationship where Hastings is sometimes sent off to deal with some minor detail of the case, whereas Poirot gets to use his "little gray cells" in peace.

The ABC Murders (Hercule Poirot #13) by Agatha Christie is expertly crafted as we come to expect from the Queen of Crime, building this particular plot around the alphabet. I found the ending surprising. There are numerous works to choose from by Agatha Christie, both featuring Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, so there should be no problem finding one that suits.

I have previously read several of Agatha Christie's books and seen numerous tv-adaptations. I can safely say I love them all. The ABC Murders (Hercule Poirot #13) works well as a standalone. It would be a perfect read for fans of Agatha Christie and for readers of Crime Fiction. Similar works to explore might be the Sherlock Holmes Series by Arthur Conan Doyle. All opinions are completely my own.

My rating 5 stars / 5

Book Details (from Amazon)

Series: Hercule Poirot Radio Dramas (Book 1936)
Audio CD
Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks (May 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1483035433
ISBN-13: 978-1483035437

About The Author (from Amazon.com)

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

Book Review: The Murder on The Links (Hercule Poirot Mysteries #2) by Agatha Christie

Summary: The Murder on The Links by Agatha Christie

When a man is found dead in a freshly dug grave adjacent to a golf course, Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings arrive on the scene only to be met by a hostile local police detective who is unwilling to share information. But Poirot's methodical investigation slowly and surely reveals the real killer amid a host of suspects and clues, including an impassioned love letter and heavy lead piping found near the body. However, as Poirot and Hastings rush to solve the murder, a similarly slain corpse and fresh clues are discovered.

Book Review: The Murder on The Links by Agatha Christie

Poirot receives a letter from Monsieur Paul Renauld with a plea for help as he feels his life is in danger. Poirot and Captain Hastings rush off to France only to find it too late to prevent the murder. The victim is found in an open grave stabbed in the back with his own dagger. The case includes a mess of cover-ups, lies and deceits to divert the investigation, thoroughly testing Poirot’s skills.

Frensh Detective Investigator Girault tries to undermine Poirot. He tries to consider him a silly little man. Using an arrogant, condescending and patronizing manner, it doesn’t seem to get Poirot off his game. He focuses on his task, ignoring Girault’s attitude. He even mocks and teases Giroult by pointing out weaknesses in his investigation.

This is Story #2 of the Hercule Poirot Mysteries, when Poirot has no become famous. It is told from Captain Hastings’ perspective from a time when he doesn’t quite believe Poirot will be able to bring about a successful outcome. Poirot gets on Hastings’ nerves with his neat, methodical methods. But as the story progresses, he becomes impressed by Poirot and develops more trust in his skills.

We get to follow Poirot and Hastings’ relationship in the earliest stages when Hastings gets irritated with Poirot’s talks about “the little great cells” and analyzing methods. That doesn’t happen in the later stories. With his army background, Hastings seems to prefer to act instead of analyze too much. He comes across as a rather impulsive character who gets side-tracked by feelings, particularly regarding women, which put spanners in the works of Poirot’s investigation.  

There is an interesting mix of characters who don’t exactly make it easy for Poirot to dig out the real truth. A veil of mystery surrounds some of the characters. Some consistently lie and cover up to divert the investigation, while others openly resist and do some great acting to deceive the detectives, but Poirot doesn’t buy it. He walks to the beat of his own drum, and methodically follows the evidence which ends up solving the murder. Must say I was quite surprised by the result as I felt the culprit was sprung on me. I normally pick up on clues along the way, but not this time.

All in all I enjoyed this story by Agatha Christie a lot like I always do. In The Murder in The Links I particularly liked the parts about the relationship between Poirot and Hastings. These descriptions set it apart from later works where it seems their relationship has developed into more fixed detective vs assistant roles where they have learned how to go about solving cases most effectively way.

Fans of Agatha Christie will enjoy The Murder in The Links. It is also recommended for readers of crime fiction.

All opinions in this review are my own.

My rating: 4 stars / 5

Book Details:

Hardcover: 172 pages
Publisher: Public Park Publishing (January 16, 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1989814387
ISBN-13: 978-1989814383

About The Author (Copied from Amazon.com)

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades.

#Cozy Mystery Book Review #Hercule Poirot's Christmas by #Agatha Christie

Summary: Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot Mystery #20) by Agatha Christie

In Hercule Poirot's Christmas, the holidays are anything but merry when a family reunion is marred by murder — and the notoriously fastidious investigator is quickly on the case. The wealthy Simeon Lee has demanded that all four of his sons — one faithful, one prodigal, one impecunious, one sensitive — and their wives return home for Christmas. But a heartwarming family holiday is not exactly what he has in mind. He bedevils each of his sons with barbed insults and finally announces that he is cutting off their allowances and changing his will. Poirot is called in the aftermath of Simeon Lee's announcement.

Book Review: Hercule Poirot's Christmas 

The focus is on Christmas celebrations in the rich Lee family where complicated relationships go back years and where certain surprises are thrown into the mix. Hercule Poirot is asked to assist the police when head of the family, Simeon Lee, is murdered on Christmas Eve.

Agatha Christie's writing

This story was originally published in 1938. The writing itself and the way the characters express themselves are quite formal and add to the old fashioned feel of the story. I foud the writing fabulous. As I enjoy historical fiction so much, I very much enjoyed how this old fashionedness sets Agatha Christie’s writing apart from the more contemporary fiction. She has made thorough and believable character creations and descriptions. I feel invested in the life of this rather large and wealthy family in the nineteen thirties Midlands.

The murder victim

I felt Simeon Lee was believable yet Agatha Christie made him out to be a very unsympathetic, manipulative character. In spite of his ailing health, he had the energy to enjoy controlling his adult children by threatening to take their funding away. Because of the way he acted towards his children, the number of people suspected of having murdered him seemed to increase by every page I read. That kept the story alive until Poirot made his appearance.

The plot

The plot of this story builds quite slowly considering it’s just 200 pages long. Must say I worried along the way that some parts would feel rushed, but Christie managed to tie it up nice and evenly. Poirot turned up quite late. Felt I kept waiting for him throughout the first 30, or so, pages, because I enjoy reading about him so much. I have seen quite a few of the tv episodes, including this one, and I found that the book gave much more depth to the story. Exactly what I expected, as it has always been the case when I have read a story and seen a film version after.

The Christmas Theme

Even though the story is called Poirot’s Christmas, there is not a lot of of Christmassy vibe to it. The murder takes place on Christmas Eve. Other than that it’s business as usual for Poirot and the police. Being a crime story, it makes sense that solving the case takes center stage. The murder on Christmas Eve puts celebrations on hold before they have even start.

Review summary

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas is a great story and would be recommended for Agatha Christie fans and for readers of crime fiction.

My rating: 4 stars /5

(All opinions in this review are my own)

About The Author

Agatha Christie was born in 1890 and created the detective Hercule Poirot in her debut novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920). She achieved wide popularity with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) and produced a total of eighty novels and short-story collections over six decades. (Copied from Amazon)