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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
I wasn't that big of a fan of this one although I won't deny it was an enjoyable read. Mostly, I just have a quarrel with the ending. It seemed like a cop-out, honestly. There was a twist as to who murdered the victim, but it was somebody who was just totally out of the blue and for whom no clues were laid in the duration of the novel. The reason I love these books is because of the deliciousness of the ending and how everything falls together once all the facts and psychology are put together to prove that this person that you may or may not have suspected did it. This book just brought in an entirely new motive and character right at the end to solve everything and I didn't really like that. However, the journey to get there, was really absorbing and the characters themselves are very interesting. I have to say, the motives presented in this book (and the whole first half of the book, frankly) interested me more than other Agatha Christie books I've read just because it was so unexpected and almost hinted at dark magic (but of course, these books are grounded strictly in reality with no magic realism so it pointed more so towards the darker side of human nature).
The Final Verdict:
While the premise interested me greatly, the ending deeply disappointed me.
3 stars
The Final Verdict:
While the premise interested me greatly, the ending deeply disappointed me.
3 stars
Unfortunately I'd watched the adaptation of this quite recently. It stuck very much to the plot so who actually dunnit wasn't a surprise.
To be honest the book felt a little truncated with Poirot saying he'd solve the case within 24 hours. Although the matriarch is beautifully horrific. Ms Christie's characters in this, apart from Mrs Boynton, are very sketchily drawn. However if I hadn't watched the adaptation I'd probably not have guessed the killer and I still love all things Agatha.
To be honest the book felt a little truncated with Poirot saying he'd solve the case within 24 hours. Although the matriarch is beautifully horrific. Ms Christie's characters in this, apart from Mrs Boynton, are very sketchily drawn. However if I hadn't watched the adaptation I'd probably not have guessed the killer and I still love all things Agatha.
Reading Challenge Prompt: A book about death or grief.
I may have taken some liberty choosing this book as I feel the prompt is geared more towards how death affects or about partaking in grief but at the end of the day, a murder mystery is still about death. Only in this story- we wonder: was death natural or purposeful?
I think this is the first Hercule Poirot book where I was able to correctly guess the killer before the Hercule did.
This book was a fast read but doesn't stand out as one of the best Poirot mysteries.
I may have taken some liberty choosing this book as I feel the prompt is geared more towards how death affects or about partaking in grief but at the end of the day, a murder mystery is still about death. Only in this story- we wonder: was death natural or purposeful?
I think this is the first Hercule Poirot book where I was able to correctly guess the killer before the Hercule did.
This book was a fast read but doesn't stand out as one of the best Poirot mysteries.
3.5 stars. Not as utterly mind blowing as the murder of roger ackroyd, but not bad. For me the biggest issue was the entirety of part 1, in which nothing exciting happened, but part 2 was very readable and easy to get through.
2.5/5!
This was so much like 'Murder on the Orient express' and even one of the characters quote that particular case of Poirot.
Dramatised audiobook kept me entertained.
This was so much like 'Murder on the Orient express' and even one of the characters quote that particular case of Poirot.
Dramatised audiobook kept me entertained.
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes