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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It’s good but also there’s not enough Hercule Poirot? The last two Poirot books I’ve read have had less Poirot than previous ones and I want all Poirot all the time.
At the end of every Agatha Christie I'm hoping for a very specific experience: a reveal I initially assume can't possibly be true, which upon rereading will feel like the only logical conclusion to the events. If we have to skew away from one of those conditions, I'd rather the crime be too solvable than the reveal unbelievable (in part because I would love to actually get one right for once).
I didn't find the answer here unsatisfying, but I'm not convinced it would seem the only available answer if I reread. I think that is partially because we're unconfined - there are a few too many characters and motives and opportunities that are naturally limited by the locked room, the train, the boat, and a short timeline. Those tight confines drive the pre-reveal madness and post-reveal obviousness in a way I thought this lacked.
It was still a fun story. Poirot is an awesome character, and the audio narrator elevates his entertainment, which is worth all the clues I missed during lapses. I love that the one thing I was certain to be true (that a legitimate madman had killed at least one victim) wasn't, and defensibly so.
I didn't find the answer here unsatisfying, but I'm not convinced it would seem the only available answer if I reread. I think that is partially because we're unconfined - there are a few too many characters and motives and opportunities that are naturally limited by the locked room, the train, the boat, and a short timeline. Those tight confines drive the pre-reveal madness and post-reveal obviousness in a way I thought this lacked.
It was still a fun story. Poirot is an awesome character, and the audio narrator elevates his entertainment, which is worth all the clues I missed during lapses. I love that the one thing I was certain to be true (that a legitimate madman had killed at least one victim) wasn't, and defensibly so.
Typical Christie- Efficient and endlessly clever, with a bit of meta-commentary on the genre she practically invented.
This is certainly one of my favorite Poirot cases. It helps that in this Hastings returns to join Poirot in the investigation, this time against an entirely new type of foe, lending the entire thing an air of nostalgia harking back to the early Poirot and Hastings adventures I first fell in love with.
Rating: ugh, I can't make up my mind about this one. It has to be at least 4.5 stars because it was a very entertaining read and the nostalgia of Poirot and Hastings working together just got me. But then, I don't know if to round down or up? I'm leaving it at four for now, but I need to think about all the Poirot books so far and really figure out how to rate them consistently.
Rating: ugh, I can't make up my mind about this one. It has to be at least 4.5 stars because it was a very entertaining read and the nostalgia of Poirot and Hastings working together just got me. But then, I don't know if to round down or up? I'm leaving it at four for now, but I need to think about all the Poirot books so far and really figure out how to rate them consistently.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Very very fun
very interesting plot
keeps you guessing
everything is connected and it’s wild
tw: murder, sexual abuse, drugs
keeps you guessing
everything is connected and it’s wild
tw: murder, sexual abuse, drugs
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Agatha Christie never disappoints, but The ABC Murders takes a break from her usual model and features a nationwide murder mystery. That calls for an ensemble that arrives too late, and doesn't ulilize it much either. However, the characters are still interesting and Hercule Poirot offers enough circus in their absence. Nails with its twist, as usual.
Not much to say about this one except that Agatha Christie had me totally fooled. Poirot is such an enjoyable character and it's always immensely entertaining to watch him work.
One slight nitpick is that the actual villain turned about to be less creepy than the person whom I thought it was, and his motivations were a little mundane compared to the scale of the crimes.
A fun Poirot read, here's hoping I get around to some more one of these days.
One slight nitpick is that the actual villain turned about to be less creepy than the person whom I thought it was, and his motivations were a little mundane compared to the scale of the crimes.
A fun Poirot read, here's hoping I get around to some more one of these days.