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reading_w_dee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sharkybookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
During an excursion to Petra, Mrs Boynton is found dead - Poirot happens to be on hand, but has only 24 hours to find who killed this unpleasant matriarch who kept her family entirely dependent on her and under her thumb…
The solution to this one was clever and completely unexpected (obviously I didn’t come close to solving it!), though made absolute sense when explained, and the way Poirot figured it out was also very clever. But the set-up rather dragged - Mrs Boynton was an absolute piece of work and her family were terrified of her, we get it. There was also a lot of chat about psychology that I’m not sure would hold much water these days, which isn’t really issue in itself (books reflect the times they were written in, obviously, and that can be interesting), but it did get rather repetitive.
Not something that affected my thoughts on this book, but that feels worth mentioning is that a number of the characters mention the head dragoman ranting to anybody who’ll listen about Zionists coming to Palestine and buying up land… It is a curious detail to include - it has no bearing on the story whatsoever and none of the characters express an opinion on it (beyond general disinterest). Regardless, it felt disconcertingly prescient to read in light of the ongoing genocide - history has a long shadow.
A remarkably clever closed-room murder mystery with a deadline, but bogged down by the length of the set up and repetitive discussion of (outmoded) psychology.
PS - A note about the cover: snakes feature exactly zero times in the whole book. So WHAT is this cover?!? Honestly.
PS - A note about the cover: snakes feature exactly zero times in the whole book. So WHAT is this cover?!? Honestly.
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rolling_in_dough's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
eurydycja's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
Historie Christie osadzone na Bliskim Wschodzie to coś, co absolutnie uwielbiam. Dodatkowo tutaj Poirot wyznacza sobie 24 godziny na złapanie mordercy, co nadaje fajne tempo książce.
Historie Christie osadzone na Bliskim Wschodzie to coś, co absolutnie uwielbiam. Dodatkowo tutaj Poirot wyznacza sobie 24 godziny na złapanie mordercy, co nadaje fajne tempo książce.