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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
This is an interesting review when you know that I only got about half way through the book before I wrote it. Anyway ...
When a 13-year-old girl is murdered at a teenagers' Halloween party in a sleepy English town, private detective Hercule Poirot must find the murderer to ease the minds of the townspeople who fear a "sexual deviant" preying on their innocent children. This is the basic premise of Halloween Party, one of the later mysteries by famed mystery writer Agatha Christie, chronicling the adventures of the eccentric dapper Belgian detective.
Genreflecting lists the Hercule Poirot mysteries under the Private Detective division of Detective stories, although in Halloween Story it was mentioned that Poirot was actually a retired Belgian police detective, which makes me wonder why Herald doesn't list the Poirot stories under the Ex Cop subcategory. Perhaps because Poirot is a foreigner and his previous life as a police detective is never mentioned, Herald concludes that the readers see him primarily as a private detective (Herald 65-6, 72).
When talking about Detective Stories, Herald also notes that "fans unite in devotion to the particular detective as a personality. Thus, the detective whose cases are continued through a series of short stories or novels, never lacks a readership" (51). Christie certainly understood this idea as she wrote numerous Poirot novels throughout her career. Skimming through Genreflecting shows that she wrote other detective series as well.
Poirot also fits the convention of detectives having "some defining eccentricity" (51). Throughout the book he is described as an extremely well-dressed man, almost to the extent of being ridiculous. However the ever-serious Poirot could never be ridiculous. Still his fastidiousness to fashion and vanity cause him to wear wholly insufficient shoes for England's wet climate, an observation several characters make upon meeting Poirot. Not only is Poirot's physical appearance rather unique, but his detection methods seem a little odd as well. Much like Sherlock Holmes, Poirot asks questions without telling his conclusions until the murderer is caught, leaving those observing him to wonder where his reasonings are leading him. Poirot catches many of those he interviews off guard when he asks questions about other deaths in the area beside the specific one he is investigating, but in the end these questions serve an important role in solving the mystery of young Joyce Reynolds' murder.
Book Help Web claims that this is one of Christie's weaker novels. While most of her novels are fresh and imaginative, Book Help Web pans this book's "formulaic" style and "cardboard characters who all spout the same dialogue" ("Party Crasher"). This reviewer was also frustrated with being able to figure out who the murderer was long before their identity was revealed. Maybe it was because I've never read Christie before, but I did not know who the murderer was until
shortly before their identity was revealed. I do have to agree with the reviewer's grievance with every character interviewed by Poirot spouting the same social commentary that "the murder must have been committed by an insane person let out too early from a mental institution due to overcrowding" ("Party Crasher"), or other statements of how unsafe the world is now. I agree with this reviewer that because Halloween Party was written toward the end of Christie's career that could explain why it is full of the lamentations of the elderly about the dreadful state of modern society. It did generally feel like the framework of what could have been a very good novel, that was instead fleshed out with bland filler material. While Halloween Party wasn't great, I did not find it nearly as dreadful as Book Help Web's reviewer, making me even more eager to try out the "good" Christie novels this reviewer recommends.
I'm not sure if I would recommend this particular Christie novel to a patron. Older patrons used to reading books written in an older more formal style may appreciate Halloween Party. I would also recommend it as an alternative to the current trend of murder mysteries full of gore. The death is caused by drowning a girl in the tub used for apple bobbing at the Halloween party, and there is very little focus on the physical effects of the murder. I would consider it Murder Light because, while there is a murder, it is not a particularly flashy or gruesome one, and the investigation that follows is very coolly executed. While I still wanted to find out who the murder was, I was surprised how calm (but not bored) I felt while reading the book. It was so tame it was almost like mystery for people who don't like suspense, which is why I'd rather read more Christie novels before I try recommending them to hardcore mystery readers.
Sources
Christie, Agatha. Halloween Party. New York: Pocket Books, 1969.
Herald, Diana Tixier. "Chapter 3: Crime." Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction. 4th ed. Englewood, Col.: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1995. 50-135.
"Party Crasher: 'Halloween Party' by Agatha Christie." Book Help Web. 15 October 2005. http://www.bookhelpweb.com.
When a 13-year-old girl is murdered at a teenagers' Halloween party in a sleepy English town, private detective Hercule Poirot must find the murderer to ease the minds of the townspeople who fear a "sexual deviant" preying on their innocent children. This is the basic premise of Halloween Party, one of the later mysteries by famed mystery writer Agatha Christie, chronicling the adventures of the eccentric dapper Belgian detective.
Genreflecting lists the Hercule Poirot mysteries under the Private Detective division of Detective stories, although in Halloween Story it was mentioned that Poirot was actually a retired Belgian police detective, which makes me wonder why Herald doesn't list the Poirot stories under the Ex Cop subcategory. Perhaps because Poirot is a foreigner and his previous life as a police detective is never mentioned, Herald concludes that the readers see him primarily as a private detective (Herald 65-6, 72).
When talking about Detective Stories, Herald also notes that "fans unite in devotion to the particular detective as a personality. Thus, the detective whose cases are continued through a series of short stories or novels, never lacks a readership" (51). Christie certainly understood this idea as she wrote numerous Poirot novels throughout her career. Skimming through Genreflecting shows that she wrote other detective series as well.
Poirot also fits the convention of detectives having "some defining eccentricity" (51). Throughout the book he is described as an extremely well-dressed man, almost to the extent of being ridiculous. However the ever-serious Poirot could never be ridiculous. Still his fastidiousness to fashion and vanity cause him to wear wholly insufficient shoes for England's wet climate, an observation several characters make upon meeting Poirot. Not only is Poirot's physical appearance rather unique, but his detection methods seem a little odd as well. Much like Sherlock Holmes, Poirot asks questions without telling his conclusions until the murderer is caught, leaving those observing him to wonder where his reasonings are leading him. Poirot catches many of those he interviews off guard when he asks questions about other deaths in the area beside the specific one he is investigating, but in the end these questions serve an important role in solving the mystery of young Joyce Reynolds' murder.
Book Help Web claims that this is one of Christie's weaker novels. While most of her novels are fresh and imaginative, Book Help Web pans this book's "formulaic" style and "cardboard characters who all spout the same dialogue" ("Party Crasher"). This reviewer was also frustrated with being able to figure out who the murderer was long before their identity was revealed. Maybe it was because I've never read Christie before, but I did not know who the murderer was until
shortly before their identity was revealed. I do have to agree with the reviewer's grievance with every character interviewed by Poirot spouting the same social commentary that "the murder must have been committed by an insane person let out too early from a mental institution due to overcrowding" ("Party Crasher"), or other statements of how unsafe the world is now. I agree with this reviewer that because Halloween Party was written toward the end of Christie's career that could explain why it is full of the lamentations of the elderly about the dreadful state of modern society. It did generally feel like the framework of what could have been a very good novel, that was instead fleshed out with bland filler material. While Halloween Party wasn't great, I did not find it nearly as dreadful as Book Help Web's reviewer, making me even more eager to try out the "good" Christie novels this reviewer recommends.
I'm not sure if I would recommend this particular Christie novel to a patron. Older patrons used to reading books written in an older more formal style may appreciate Halloween Party. I would also recommend it as an alternative to the current trend of murder mysteries full of gore. The death is caused by drowning a girl in the tub used for apple bobbing at the Halloween party, and there is very little focus on the physical effects of the murder. I would consider it Murder Light because, while there is a murder, it is not a particularly flashy or gruesome one, and the investigation that follows is very coolly executed. While I still wanted to find out who the murder was, I was surprised how calm (but not bored) I felt while reading the book. It was so tame it was almost like mystery for people who don't like suspense, which is why I'd rather read more Christie novels before I try recommending them to hardcore mystery readers.
Sources
Christie, Agatha. Halloween Party. New York: Pocket Books, 1969.
Herald, Diana Tixier. "Chapter 3: Crime." Genreflecting: A Guide to Reading Interests in Genre Fiction. 4th ed. Englewood, Col.: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., 1995. 50-135.
"Party Crasher: 'Halloween Party' by Agatha Christie." Book Help Web. 15 October 2005. http://www.bookhelpweb.com.
It's definitely fun. A little cheesy, and certain surrounding characters are a bit flat, which makes it hard to fully follow what's going on/whodunnit. But maybe I'm also just pretty distractable.
It's a great story. The amount of time I took to finish this book is ridiculous. It did negatively impacted my reading experience but I'm proud, nevertheless, to have completed it. It was worth it.
I enjoyed this book! I think its a classic example of Agatha Christie's digestable mystery novels. It was the type of book that I picked up and couldn't put down. It lost one star for falling into the issue that several Christie novels fall into--a lack of characterization. The reveal at the end is dampened if you don't immediately recognize the names read out in the proverbial drawing room. Although, I have started using a sticky note as my bookmark for Christie novels and writing a brief character bio for each named character on the sticky note. It lost the other star for being just a good book, as opposed to a great one. It didn't change me as a person, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would reccommend it to others who are in need of a comfortable mystery.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another dellghtfully seasonal, sensational small-town mystery! Poirot is yet again perfectly abrasive and insufferable, while Christie unwinds the plot in a way that only she could.
3-3.5 ish. I read this because of the movie “A Haunting in Venice” which is “inspired” by this book, but I feel like it is going to be very loosely based on it after finishing this book. For one, the entire novel takes place in a village in England - not Venice.
While I enjoyed the plot overall and the characters and Greek mythology references were interesting, it also felt a bit repeated in some quotes and in the stereotypes used.
I thought it was cool to read one of the final mysteries in the Hercule Poirot series, because I could feel like the author was intentionally dating him as now being behind the times in the 1960’s in how far technology, social cues, and general life had come since he first became a detective. Now I’m looking forward to watching A Haunting in Venice.
While I enjoyed the plot overall and the characters and Greek mythology references were interesting, it also felt a bit repeated in some quotes and in the stereotypes used.
I thought it was cool to read one of the final mysteries in the Hercule Poirot series, because I could feel like the author was intentionally dating him as now being behind the times in the 1960’s in how far technology, social cues, and general life had come since he first became a detective. Now I’m looking forward to watching A Haunting in Venice.
dark
mysterious
medium-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
Honestly a really interesting mystery novel. Not sure why this is one of the less popular ones