Reviews - One, Two, Buckle my Shoe

One, Two, Buckle my Shoe by Agatha Christie

1.09k reviews for:

I had more trouble with this mystery than some because the characters are so separated from one another. Their only connection appears to be the dentist office.

When Christie reveals the solution, it was very satisfying even though I was clueless and disconnected.

lilplutoproject's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

emis_'s review against another edition

4.0

3.5

justareadingmama_charly's review against another edition

5.0

This was a really fun Poirot! The plot was a little complicated, but the ending was very satisfying to me.

This is one where I guessed some aspects of the solution, but I never got close to actually figuring it out. My favorite part of the story was the thematic side of things--is the good of a nation or the life of the individual more important? The conversation between Poirot and the murderer at the end is excellent.

Overall, it's one of her mysteries that I would highly recommend.

auroratr's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

maddydotcom's review against another edition

3.0

probably closer to a 2.9/5! there were just so many people that i kept getting confused. i also took forever to read it, which says A LOT about the pacing and excitement of this book. i just couldn’t really get into it! the solve was meh, but i LOVED the fun twist mini ending. definitely not my fav christie though

catherine_the_greatest's review against another edition

3.0

Agatha Christie in 1940: Readers are starting to figure out these mysteries on their own. I shall have to make them more difficult... Let's see... I'll have Poirot's dentist die in an apparent suicide that's part of a murder scheme so complicated that only that silly little Belgian will be able to solve it...and it will take him MONTHS! Yes, of course...we'll need hints of British intelligence agents, a little identity switching, maybe some polygamy and blackmail...and let's throw in some dissidents unhappy with the way England is being run by the banking industry. And I'll give it a silly title from a nursery rhyme just to really muddle things...*

Solution:

Spoiler

The Very Important Banker killed the dentist, then posed as him to give a lethal combination of medication to an international blackmailer who knew that VIB had already been married (to an actress!!!) when he met and married a wealthy older woman. Wifey #1 (who had been posing as a secret agent's wife while VIB visited her on the sly) killed a woman from her past who recognized her and knew about the marriage, posed as that woman long enough to really muddle things, then posed as VIB's cousin (whose death abroad had been kept on the DL). They tried to pin the dentist's murder on the dentist's assistant's fiancé, but he had actually seen the dentist's corpse and helped Poirot figure out time of death. (It also helped that the secret agent whose wife Wifey #1 was supposed to be...was talking to Poirot and feeding him hints.)

Un peu alambiqué, non?

*She should have saved the title [b:Appointment with Death|16363|Appointment with Death (Hercule Poirot, #17)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1308808730l/16363._SY75_.jpg|2773090] for this book. Alas and alack.