Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Okay, so let’s talk about Cards on the Table. The premise starts off strong—Mr. Shaitana, a charming man with questionable motives, invites a bunch of intriguing folks (including our beloved Hercule Poirot) to his house for a game of bridge. A nice evening of cards, conversation, and... murder! Mr. Shaitana ends up dead, and it’s up to Hercule Poirot to figure out who’s holding the ace of murder.
So, kudos to Agatha Christie for a killer opening—everything about the first few chapters had me hooked. But then… ugh, it kinda went downhill, didn’t it? I mean, the execution was just meh. There was a whole lot of secret-revealing and suspect-building that left me more confused than intrigued. People had their theories, which felt like a massive game of “he said, she said”—and honestly? It got boring pretty quickly.
Let’s talk about that twist. Or should I say, “Let’s not talk about that twist,” because it made the whole ending feel like a silly anticlimax. Loose ends? Check. Unanswered questions? Check. Irritation level? Off the charts.
Oh, and here’s my confession: I don’t know how to play bridge. So when Hercule Poirot starts using the game to explain his deductions, I was just sitting there like, “What in the what?” I’m not sure if the book would’ve been better if I understood the game, but yeah, that whole part was a bit lost on me.
Overall, Cards on the Table didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It had potential, but the middle dragged, the twist fell flat, and well... I’d say skip it unless you’re a bridge expert or really into Hercule Poirot’s most bafflingly dull case.
So, kudos to Agatha Christie for a killer opening—everything about the first few chapters had me hooked. But then… ugh, it kinda went downhill, didn’t it? I mean, the execution was just meh. There was a whole lot of secret-revealing and suspect-building that left me more confused than intrigued. People had their theories, which felt like a massive game of “he said, she said”—and honestly? It got boring pretty quickly.
Let’s talk about that twist. Or should I say, “Let’s not talk about that twist,” because it made the whole ending feel like a silly anticlimax. Loose ends? Check. Unanswered questions? Check. Irritation level? Off the charts.
Oh, and here’s my confession: I don’t know how to play bridge. So when Hercule Poirot starts using the game to explain his deductions, I was just sitting there like, “What in the what?” I’m not sure if the book would’ve been better if I understood the game, but yeah, that whole part was a bit lost on me.
Overall, Cards on the Table didn’t quite hit the mark for me. It had potential, but the middle dragged, the twist fell flat, and well... I’d say skip it unless you’re a bridge expert or really into Hercule Poirot’s most bafflingly dull case.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Four sleuths and four murderes walk into an evening party...
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A solid crime book from the queen of crime novels.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I think I would have had a better time if I knew how to play bridge.
Well this one had one extra twist than I was expecting. I was so certain I had correctly guessed the murderer that I had to go back and read it again when the actual murderer was announced. Poirot’s psychology was particularly good in this novel as there really aren’t any clues of a traditional sort (Poirot can find clues anywhere, including in bridge scores).
I particularly enjoyed the plot of this book because it reminded me of my favorite of Christie’s books, And Then There Were None. The whole “murderers who got away with their crimes” bit is clearly an interesting plot device.
I particularly enjoyed the plot of this book because it reminded me of my favorite of Christie’s books, And Then There Were None. The whole “murderers who got away with their crimes” bit is clearly an interesting plot device.
mysterious
medium-paced