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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
This was a fun, quick read. I guessed a couple parts of it, which made me feel terribly clever (at least, more clever than Hastings).
Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries are always engaging, but I think this one suffers under the weight of its twist. It's about 2.5 stars for me. Poirot represents himself as retired, though, of course, he is quick to involve himself when danger appears to threaten an attractive young woman. I think one reason I didn't enjoy this one as much as others is because all of the characters who aren't Poirot, Hastings, or Japp, are pretty uninteresting. The plot twist is dependent on developments involving people who never appear in person. The most significant issue, though, is that the murderer has Poirot pointed in the wrong direction until the hours of the plot. The intricacy of the plan might be believable if it hadn't been cooked up in apparently an hour the morning that starts the mystery.
Christie is never not good. I still prefer Miss Marple to Poirot (he is still a foreign Sherlock knock-off, with all his arrogance but not all his charm).
I kept waiting for my favorite character to be the murderer (since that has been the pattern so far), but Christie actually never develops her side characters enough this. Intended victim Nick Buckley’s friends are vague (gloomy best friend, rich friend, etc.) and so are the mysterious Australian couple in the nearby cottage and so are the servants. Really the only person developed is Nick Buckley.
The solution to this mystery is indeed pretty brilliant, though. Thank you, Christie, for mixing it up! You truly are the Queen of Mysteries.
I kept waiting for my favorite character to be the murderer (since that has been the pattern so far), but Christie actually never develops her side characters enough this. Intended victim Nick Buckley’s friends are vague (gloomy best friend, rich friend, etc.) and so are the mysterious Australian couple in the nearby cottage and so are the servants. Really the only person developed is Nick Buckley.
The solution to this mystery is indeed pretty brilliant, though. Thank you, Christie, for mixing it up! You truly are the Queen of Mysteries.
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ho letto più di una decina dei suoi libri, quasi sempre non indovino l’assassino ma magari ci arrivo vicino. Questa volta manco morta.
Ho letto più di una decina dei suoi libri, quasi sempre non indovino l’assassino ma magari ci arrivo vicino. Questa volta manco morta.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
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:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is a good one. I remembered some of it (whether from a previous read or the adaptation, I don't know), but not enough to know where all it was going. I like the use of Poirot for other ends, the useage of names, the reveal. Very good.