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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
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
just wasnt the most engaging poirot book... i want more poirot where is the little belgium guy
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
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
I reread this because I was remembering learning that this was Christie's least favorite of her books- one that she judged readers for saying they liked- but I didn't remember it being that bad. And it's not! If this came out as a British Library Crime Classic under a fake name it would do very well. It's not particularly top-notch Christie, and is of course derivative of a couple of her short stories (most obviously Calais Coach), but the reading experience is perfectly fine.
If there's a major flaw it's that the mystery is barely expanded at all from the short story, and basically nothing happens. That said, a lot of the nothing that happens is perfectly competently written fun nothing, so I'm not going to ding the book too much for it, and she did develop a pretty decent red herring (though the fact that Katherine Grey supposedly suspects Knighton because of a VISION is just stupid, it would have been way better had she actually noticed something sketchy ). I do find the final romance a bit silly, and in general I find the character of Derek Kettering fascinating, especially in the context of when this book was written- in the aftermath of Christie's divorce. I'd argue that her jaundiced view of the book is a product of it having been written at a time when she felt that incredibly low, and it makes it all the more fascinating that it features a male lead character who cheats on his wife but it turns out his wife is the really sketchy one, he's a bad boy who's misunderstood even if he did make mistakes, and the love of a good Christie heroine will save him . I wonder if this was her in some kind of very early thinking-things-out stage?
I will note- Poirot's valet George(s) is kind of delightful and I feel like I'd assumed he was more of a later book character, from memory, and I'm delighted to find he wasn't.
If there's a major flaw it's that the mystery is barely expanded at all from the short story, and basically nothing happens. That said, a lot of the nothing that happens is perfectly competently written fun nothing, so I'm not going to ding the book too much for it, and she did develop a pretty decent red herring (
I will note- Poirot's valet George(s) is kind of delightful and I feel like I'd assumed he was more of a later book character, from memory, and I'm delighted to find he wasn't.