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A review by ale_irigoyen
The Hollow by Agatha Christie
mysterious
medium-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
4.25
Lucy Angkatell invites her relatives to The Hollow for the weekend, she also invites Hercule Poirot for lunch since he's staying at a cottage nearby. The family is entertained by the love-square playing in front of their eyes; John Christow has a wife, but it doesn't stop him from having an affair with Henrietta, at the same time, Edward Angkatell has been in love with her since they were children, but let's not forget about Midge, she has watched Edward and Henrietta dancing around each other for years. A fifth player comes to the stage that first night at The Hollow, Veronica Cray, she was John's fiancée fifteen years ago. Now, as lunch approaches a gunshot is heard, and John falls into the pool just as Poirot is arriving to The Hollow. Gerda, John's wife, was holding a revolver and is seen not only by Poirot, but by John's mistress and rival. Everything is pointing to the wife, but Poirot can't help but feel the scene was staged to look that way, it itches his detective brain, and he'll find out what's real and what's not.
Christie wrote this one differently to her other Poirot mysteries. It felt like one of her standalone mysteries with the occasional Poirot appearance; and though I usually don't like that when reading a Poirot novel, this time it made sense. The first third of the book was slow, but it helped to understand the family's dynamics and understand the characters' personalities. Christie had me second guessing every chapter. The ending was the thing that I liked less.
Christie wrote this one differently to her other Poirot mysteries. It felt like one of her standalone mysteries with the occasional Poirot appearance; and though I usually don't like that when reading a Poirot novel, this time it made sense. The first third of the book was slow, but it helped to understand the family's dynamics and understand the characters' personalities. Christie had me second guessing every chapter. The ending was the thing that I liked less.