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3.29 AVERAGE
3.29 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
I never thought I Christie book could be so bad. Once you understand the historical context of what Christie was going through, it’s not surprising. It felt like a Fleming wannabe but of course this was years before. Christie is at her best when it’s a country estate and this was too much of a spy thriller, or at least an attempt at one. I’m glad I had read others of her before this, otherwise I don’t know that I would have continued
I wanted an eccentric man to solve spine-chilling crimes for the English high society using psychological deductions. I was disappointed. If I had wanted an action-packed tale with supervillains, fight scenes and hints of romance, I would watch Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock.
Nevertheless, I'm a fan and strongly believe that this is an outlier.
Nevertheless, I'm a fan and strongly believe that this is an outlier.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a very odd addition to the Poirot library. Rather than focusing on a small-town mystery, Poirot is trying to foil a plot for worldwide domination by four powerful people from four different countries. This means we get a couple of hurried smaller mysteries that fit into the larger picture (not all of which are ultimately wrapped up), as well as a lot of Poirot and Hastings getting captured and escaping / trying to capture the bad guys and not succeeding. The writing was pretty sloppy; at one point, the wife of a man who went to another country and disappeared provides the duo with a dispassionate rundown of his husband's last few days, as if she herself were a police investigator. Unlike in many of Christie's other books, we're not in one place long enough to get to know any other characters, who usually provide the color and fun of these mysteries. Hopefully this was the last time Christie tried to write a story on this scale; I much prefer the usual focused mysteries.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
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:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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:
No
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
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:
No