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missmethven's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was my first literary foray into the world of Agatha Christie and it was a fantastic start - this book really shows why she is a national treasure!
I loved the slow unfolding of the characters, I loved the signature way the author drops in plenty of circumstances that make you doubt each character and subtle little clues that make you think ‘how did I miss that?!’
I tried to guess and whittled it down to two possibles but was ultimately wrong because of the fantastic twist right at the very end
A really great book
I loved the slow unfolding of the characters, I loved the signature way the author drops in plenty of circumstances that make you doubt each character and subtle little clues that make you think ‘how did I miss that?!’
I tried to guess and whittled it down to two possibles but was ultimately wrong because of the fantastic twist right at the very end
A really great book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Minor: Xenophobia and Mental illness
linaandthebooks's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ivory_cassano's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lumierewhispers's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.0
katykelly's review against another edition
3.0
I saw that this was being included in the 2014 World Book Night selection, so I thought I'd try it. I'm not much of a 'whodunnit' fan, spending the whole book on the lookout for clues.
In true Christie style, a detective is called in to assist after a funeral of the head of a wealthy family appears to lead directly to his sister's brutal murder. The sister who was heard to say quite clearly that her brother was murdered. But with such a large family, who could be guilty?
Poirot himself only makes his first appearance halfway through, much of the initial detective work done by a family lawyer and an employee of Poirot. The famous detective only plays a larger role in the third act, when he (surprise surprise) brings all the suspects together for questioning and revelation.
It all seems to follow convention, and is quite enjoyable to guess and find the clues. As a one-off for me I enjoyed the experience but I'm not going to be reading the genre any more regularly. Characters are fairly flimsy, not a huge amount happens. It all follows a predictable pattern of structure that I think I would find personally a little tedious on repetition.
I wasn't too keen on Poirot, myself. Didn't warm to him as a detective and in this example I didn't find him well-written, maybe in other plots he has more back story and well-rounded appearance. I seem to remember liking him more in 'Death on the Nile' and 'Murder on the Orient Express', and preferring Christie's books with no series stalwart detective.
Still, it's a good way to while away a couple of hours, and as usual, the murderer isn't obvious.
In true Christie style, a detective is called in to assist after a funeral of the head of a wealthy family appears to lead directly to his sister's brutal murder. The sister who was heard to say quite clearly that her brother was murdered. But with such a large family, who could be guilty?
Poirot himself only makes his first appearance halfway through, much of the initial detective work done by a family lawyer and an employee of Poirot. The famous detective only plays a larger role in the third act, when he (surprise surprise) brings all the suspects together for questioning and revelation.
It all seems to follow convention, and is quite enjoyable to guess and find the clues. As a one-off for me I enjoyed the experience but I'm not going to be reading the genre any more regularly. Characters are fairly flimsy, not a huge amount happens. It all follows a predictable pattern of structure that I think I would find personally a little tedious on repetition.
I wasn't too keen on Poirot, myself. Didn't warm to him as a detective and in this example I didn't find him well-written, maybe in other plots he has more back story and well-rounded appearance. I seem to remember liking him more in 'Death on the Nile' and 'Murder on the Orient Express', and preferring Christie's books with no series stalwart detective.
Still, it's a good way to while away a couple of hours, and as usual, the murderer isn't obvious.
midici's review against another edition
3.0
An old, wealthy man dies and is family comes together for his funeral. Fairly usual, right up until his sister announces that he was murdered, throwing the entire family into chaos. Nothing might have come of it if Cora, the sister herself, was not murdered just days later.
Hercule Poirot, the famous detective, is called by a family friend to solve the case. The suspects are mostly various family members, and thier assorted wives/husbands. Everyone has a motive when a lot of money is involved. Susan plans to open a cosmetic store, Rosamund wants to produce a play that her husband can star in, George has a gambling problem and debt, and so on and so forth. Poirot listens carefully to their accounts, pretends like he knows much less English than he actually does, and eventually solves the case.
Poirot is a bit of a Sherlock-type character in that he is very arrogant and refuses to let people know what he is thinking or suspects until he can gather an audience and make a big reveal. In this case it turns out that the wealthy old man died of natural causes; Cora's maid dressed up like her to attend the funeral and put doubt on his death so as to create a cover for the murder of Cora. Cora was murdered for a valuable painting she had in her posession that the maid was going to sell.
Hercule Poirot, the famous detective, is called by a family friend to solve the case. The suspects are mostly various family members, and thier assorted wives/husbands. Everyone has a motive when a lot of money is involved. Susan plans to open a cosmetic store, Rosamund wants to produce a play that her husband can star in, George has a gambling problem and debt, and so on and so forth. Poirot listens carefully to their accounts, pretends like he knows much less English than he actually does, and eventually solves the case.
Poirot is a bit of a Sherlock-type character in that he is very arrogant and refuses to let people know what he is thinking or suspects until he can gather an audience and make a big reveal. In this case it turns out that the wealthy old man died of natural causes; Cora's maid dressed up like her to attend the funeral and put doubt on his death so as to create a cover for the murder of Cora. Cora was murdered for a valuable painting she had in her posession that the maid was going to sell.
niamhrowanch's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
poirot let me down
lisas_library_factory's review against another edition
4.0
As with every Agatha Christie book, I very much enjoyed reading this one. I knew the movie adaptation from the 1960s, though that version made a lot of changes to the plot - e.g. turning it into a Miss Marple case. However, the ending was pretty much the same, which took a bit excitement away on my part. Nevertheless, it is an unexpected outcome and with the family setting, it gives you a lot to think about, who the murderer might be. I also think, that the murder mysteries set in family environments and old mansions are Christie's best novels.
trimbleteacher's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I couldn’t figure this mystery out before the plot was revealed at the end. There were a lot of different characters to keep track of.
claire32's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5