She flung out her hands.
"I didn"t understand that I was killing myself myself-not him. Afterwards I saw her caught in a trap-and that was no good either. I couldn"t hurt her-she didn"t care-she escaped from it all-half the time she wasn"t there. She and Amyas both escaped-they went somewhere where I couldn"t get at them. But they didn"t die. I I died." died."
Elsa Dittisham got up. She went across to the door. She said again: "I died..."
In the hall she pa.s.sed two young people whose life together was just beginning.
The chauffeur held open the door of the car. Lady Dittisham got in and the chauffeur wrapped the fur rug round her knees.
E-Book Extras The Poirots Essay by Charles...o...b..rne
The Poirots
The Mysterious Affair at Styles ; ; The Murder on the Links The Murder on the Links ; ; Poirot Investigates Poirot Investigates ; ; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd The Murder of Roger Ackroyd ; ; The Big Four The Big Four ; ; The Mystery of the Blue Train The Mystery of the Blue Train ; ; Black Coffee Black Coffee ; ; Peril at End House Peril at End House ; ; Lord Edgware Dies Lord Edgware Dies ; ; Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express ; ; Three-Act Tragedy Three-Act Tragedy ; ; Death in the Clouds Death in the Clouds ; ; The ABC Murders The ABC Murders ; ; Murder in Mesopotamia Murder in Mesopotamia ; ; Cards on the Table Cards on the Table ; ; Murder in the Mews Murder in the Mews ; ; Dumb Witness Dumb Witness ; ; Death on the Nile Death on the Nile ; ; Appointment with Death Appointment with Death ; ; Hercule Poirot"s Christmas Hercule Poirot"s Christmas ; ; Sad Cypress Sad Cypress ; ; One, Two, Buckle My Shoe One, Two, Buckle My Shoe ; ; Evil Under the Sun Evil Under the Sun ; ; Five Little Pigs Five Little Pigs ; ; The Hollow The Hollow ; ; The Labours of Hercules The Labours of Hercules ; ; Taken at the Flood Taken at the Flood ; ; Mrs McGinty"s Dead Mrs McGinty"s Dead ; ; After the Funeral After the Funeral ; ; Hickory d.i.c.kory Dock Hickory d.i.c.kory Dock ; ; Dead Man"s Folly Dead Man"s Folly ; ; Cat Among the Pigeons Cat Among the Pigeons ; ; The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding ; ; The Clocks The Clocks ; ; Third Girl Third Girl ; ; Hallowe"en Party Hallowe"en Party ; ; Elephants Can Remember Elephants Can Remember ; ; Poirot"s Early Cases Poirot"s Early Cases ; ; Curtain: Poirot"s Last Case Curtain: Poirot"s Last Case 1. The Mysterious Affair at Styles The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) (1920) Captain Arthur Hastings, invalided in the Great War, is recuperating as a guest of John Cavendish at Styles Court, the "country-place" of John"s autocratic old aunt, Emily Inglethorpe-she of a sizeable fortune, and so recently remarried to a man twenty years her junior. When Emily"s sudden heart attack is found to be attributable to strychnine, Hastings recruits an old friend, now retired, to aid in the local investigation. With impeccable timing, Hercule Poirot, the renowned Belgian detective, makes his dramatic entrance into the pages of crime literature.
Of note: Written in 1916, The Mysterious Affair at Styles The Mysterious Affair at Styles was Agatha Christie"s first published work. Six houses rejected the novel before it was finally published-after puzzling over it for eighteen months before deciding to go ahead-by The Bodley Head. was Agatha Christie"s first published work. Six houses rejected the novel before it was finally published-after puzzling over it for eighteen months before deciding to go ahead-by The Bodley Head.
Times Literary Supplement: "Almost too ingenious...very clearly and brightly told."
2. The Murder on the Links The Murder on the Links (1923) (1923) "For G.o.d"s sake, come!" But by the time Hercule Poirot can respond to Monsieur Renauld"s plea, the millionaire is already dead-stabbed in the back, and lying in a freshly dug grave on the golf course adjoining his estate. There is no lack of suspects: his wife, whose dagger did the deed; his embittered son; Renauld"s mistress-and each feels deserving of the dead man"s fortune. The police think they"ve found the culprit. Poirot has his doubts. And the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse complicates matters considerably. (However, on a bright note, Captain Arthur Hastings does does meet his future wife.) meet his future wife.) The New York Times: "A remarkably good detective story...warmly recommended."
Literary Review: "Really clever."
Sketch: "Agatha Christie never lets you down."
3. Poirot Investigates Poirot Investigates (1924) (1924) A movie star, a diamond; a murderous "suicide"; a pharaoh"s curse upon his tomb; a prime minister abducted...What links these fascinating cases? The brilliant deductive powers of Hercule Poirot in..."The Adventure of the Western Star"; "The Tragedy at Marsdon Manor"; "The Adventure of the Cheap Flat"; "The Mystery of the Hunter"s Lodge"; "The Million Dollar Bond Robbery"; "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb"; "The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan"; "The Kidnapped Prime Minister"; "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim"; "The Adventure of the Italian n.o.bleman"; "The Case of the Missing Will."
Of note: The stories collected here were first published in Sketch Sketch, beginning on March 7, 1923. Sketch Sketch also featured the first ill.u.s.tration of the foppish, egg-headed, elaborately moustachioed Belgian detective. also featured the first ill.u.s.tration of the foppish, egg-headed, elaborately moustachioed Belgian detective.
Literary Review: "A capital collection...ingeniously constructed and told with an engaging lightness of style."
Irish Times: "In straight detective fiction there is still no one to touch [Christie]."
4. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926) (1926) In the quiet village of King"s Abbot a widow"s suicide has stirred suspicion-and dreadful gossip. There are rumours that she murdered her first husband, that she was being blackmailed, and that her secret lover was Roger Ackroyd. Then, on the verge of discovering the blackmailer"s ident.i.ty, Ackroyd himself is murdered. Hercule Poirot, who has settled in King"s Abbot for some peace and quiet and a little gardening, finds himself at the centre of the case-and up against a diabolically clever and devious killer.
Of note: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd The Murder of Roger Ackroyd broke all the rules of detective fiction and made Agatha Christie a household name. Widely regarded as her masterpiece (though perhaps it may be called her "Poirot masterpiece" since other t.i.tles in her canon-notably broke all the rules of detective fiction and made Agatha Christie a household name. Widely regarded as her masterpiece (though perhaps it may be called her "Poirot masterpiece" since other t.i.tles in her canon-notably And Then There Were None And Then There Were None-are similarly acclaimed), The Murder of Roger Ackroyd The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was the source of some controversy when it was published. The was the source of some controversy when it was published. The Times Literary Supplement Times Literary Supplement"s praise of the first Poirot, The Mysterious Affair at Styles The Mysterious Affair at Styles, "almost too ingenious," was applied by scores of readers to Ackroyd Ackroyd, who were nonetheless enraptured by the novel, and have remained so over the decades.
Fair warning: There are two things you must do if you know nothing of the book: discuss it with no one, and read it with all speed. There are two things you must do if you know nothing of the book: discuss it with no one, and read it with all speed.
H.R.F. Keating: "One of the landmarks of detective literature" (in his Crime & Mystery: The 100 Best Books Crime & Mystery: The 100 Best Books).
Julian Symons: "The most brilliant of deceptions" (in his b.l.o.o.d.y Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel b.l.o.o.d.y Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel).
Irish Independent: "A cla.s.sic-the book has worthily earned its fame."
5. The Big Four The Big Four (1927) (1927) Hercule Poirot is preparing for a voyage to South America. Looming in the doorway of his bedroom is an uninvited guest, coated from head to foot in dust and mud. The man"s gaunt face registers Poirot for a moment, and then he collapses. The stranger recovers long enough to identify Poirot by name and madly and repeatedly scribble the figure "4" on a piece of paper. Poirot cancels his trip. An investigation is in order. Fortunately, Poirot has the faithful Captain Hastings at his side as he plunges into a conspiracy of international scope-one that would consolidate power in the deadly cabal known as "The Big Four."
6. The Mystery of the Blue Train The Mystery of the Blue Train (1928) (1928) Le Train Bleu is an elegant, leisurely means of travel, and one certainly free of intrigue. Hercule Poirot is aboard, bound for the Riviera. And so is Ruth Kettering, the American heiress. Bailing out of a doomed marriage, she is en route to reconcile with her former lover. But her private affairs are made quite public when she is found murdered in her luxury compartment-bludgeoned almost beyond recognition. Fans of the later novel Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express will not want to miss will not want to miss this this journey by rail-and Poirot"s eerie reenactment of the crime... journey by rail-and Poirot"s eerie reenactment of the crime...
7. Black Coffee Black Coffee (1930; 1998) (1930; 1998) Sir Claud Amory"s formula for a powerful new explosive has been stolen, presumably by a member of his large household. Sir Claud a.s.sembles his suspects in the library and locks the door, instructing them that the when the lights go out, the formula must be replaced on the table-and no questions will be asked. But when the lights come on, Sir Claud is dead. Now Hercule Poirot, a.s.sisted by Captain Hastings and Inspector j.a.pp, must unravel a tangle of family feuds, old flames, and suspicious foreigners to find the killer and prevent a global catastrophe.
Of note: Black Coffee Black Coffee was Agatha Christie"s first playscript, written in 1929. It premiered in 1930 at the Emba.s.sy Theatre in Swiss Cottage, London, before transferring the following year to St Martin"s in the West End-a theatre made famous by virtue of its becoming the permanent home of the longest-running play in history, Agatha Christie"s was Agatha Christie"s first playscript, written in 1929. It premiered in 1930 at the Emba.s.sy Theatre in Swiss Cottage, London, before transferring the following year to St Martin"s in the West End-a theatre made famous by virtue of its becoming the permanent home of the longest-running play in history, Agatha Christie"s The Mousetrap The Mousetrap. Agatha Christie"s biographer, Charles...o...b..rne, who, as a young actor in 1956 had played Dr Carelli in a Tunbridge Wells production of Black Coffee Black Coffee, adapted the play as this novel in 1998.
Antonia Fraser, Sunday Telegraph Sunday Telegraph: "A lively and light-hearted read which will give pleasure to all those who have long wished that there was just one more Christie to devour."
Mathew Prichard, from his Foreword to Black Coffee Black Coffee: "This Hercule Poirot murder mystery...reads like authentic, vintage Christie. I feel sure Agatha would be proud to have written it."
8. Peril at End House Peril at End House (1932) (1932) Nick is an unusual name for a pretty young woman. And Nick Buckley has been leading an unusual life of late. First, on a treacherous Cornish hillside, the brakes on her car fail. Then, on a coastal path, a falling boulder misses her by inches. Safe in bed, she is almost crushed by a painting. Upon discovering a bullet hole in Nick"s sun hat, Hercule Poirot (who had come to Cornwall for a simple holiday with his friend Captain Hastings) decides that the girl needs his protection. At the same time, he begins to unravel the mystery of a murder that hasn"t been committed. Yet.
Times Literary Supplement: "Ingenious."
9. Lord Edgware Dies Lord Edgware Dies (1933) (1933) Poirot was present when the beautiful actress Jane Wilkinson bragged of her plan to "get rid of" her estranged husband. Now the monstrous man is dead. But how could Jane have stabbed Lord Edgware in his library at exactly the time she was dining with friends? And what could have been her motive, since Edgware had finally granted her a divorce? The great Belgian detective, aided by Captain Hastings, can"t help feeling that some kind of heinous stagecraft is in play. And does more murder wait in the wings?
The New York Times: "A most ingenious crime puzzle."
Times Literary Supplement: "The whole case is a triumph of Poirot"s special qualities."
Noted crime fiction critic Julian Symons selected Lord Edgware Dies Lord Edgware Dies as one of Agatha Christie"s best. as one of Agatha Christie"s best.
10. Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express (1934) (1934) Just after midnight, a snowstorm stops the Orient Express dead in its tracks in the middle of Yugoslavia. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for this time of year. But by morning there is one pa.s.senger less. A "respectable American gentleman" lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside...Hercule Poirot is also aboard, having arrived in the nick of time to claim a second-cla.s.s compartment-and the most astounding case of his ill.u.s.trious career.
Regarding chronology: Agatha Christie seems not much concerned in the course of her books with their relationship to each other. It is why the Marples and the Poirots may be ready in any order, really, with pleasure. However, the dedicated Poirotist may wish to note that the great detective is returning from "A little affair in Syria" at the start of Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express. It is a piece of business after this "little affair"-the investigation into the death of an archaeologist"s wife-that is the subject of Murder in Mesopotamia Murder in Mesopotamia (1936). If one wishes to delay a tad longer the pleasures of (1936). If one wishes to delay a tad longer the pleasures of Orient Express Orient Express, Murder in Mesopotamia Murder in Mesopotamia offers no better opportunity. offers no better opportunity.
Fair warning: Along these lines, it is advisable that one Along these lines, it is advisable that one not not read read Cards on the Table Cards on the Table (1936) prior to (1936) prior to Orient Express Orient Express, since Poirot himself himself casually gives away the ending to the latter novel. casually gives away the ending to the latter novel.
Of note: Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express is one of Agatha Christie"s most famous novels, owing no doubt to a combination of its romantic setting and the ingeniousness of its plot; its non-exploitative reference to the sensational kidnapping and murder of the infant son of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh only two years prior; and a popular 1974 film adaptation, starring Albert Finney as Poirot-one of the few cinematic versions of a Christie work that met with the approval, however mild, of the author herself. is one of Agatha Christie"s most famous novels, owing no doubt to a combination of its romantic setting and the ingeniousness of its plot; its non-exploitative reference to the sensational kidnapping and murder of the infant son of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh only two years prior; and a popular 1974 film adaptation, starring Albert Finney as Poirot-one of the few cinematic versions of a Christie work that met with the approval, however mild, of the author herself.
Dorothy L. Sayers, Sunday Times Sunday Times: "A murder mystery conceived and carried out on the finest cla.s.sical lines."
Sat.u.r.day Review of Literature: "Hard to surpa.s.s."
Times Literary Supplement: "Need it be said-the little grey cells solve once more the seemingly insoluble. Mrs Christie makes an improbable tale very real, and keeps her readers enthralled and guessing to the end."
11. Three-Act Tragedy Three-Act Tragedy (1935) (1935) The novel opens as a theatre programme, with this telling credit: "Illumination by HERCULE POIROT." Light must be shed, indeed, on the fateful dinner party staged by the famous actor Sir Charles Cartwright for thirteen guests. It will be a particularly unlucky evening for the mild-mannered Reverend Stephen Babbington, whose martini gla.s.s, sent for chemical a.n.a.lysis after he chokes on its contents and dies, reveals no trace of poison. Just as there is no apparent motive for his murder. The first scene in a succession of carefully staged killings, but who is the director? HERCULE POIROT." Light must be shed, indeed, on the fateful dinner party staged by the famous actor Sir Charles Cartwright for thirteen guests. It will be a particularly unlucky evening for the mild-mannered Reverend Stephen Babbington, whose martini gla.s.s, sent for chemical a.n.a.lysis after he chokes on its contents and dies, reveals no trace of poison. Just as there is no apparent motive for his murder. The first scene in a succession of carefully staged killings, but who is the director?
The New York Times: "Makes for uncommonly good reading."
12. Death in the Clouds Death in the Clouds (1935) (1935) From seat No. 9, Hercule Poirot is almost ideally placed to observe his fellow air travelers on this short flight from Paris to London. Over to his right sits a pretty young woman, clearly infatuated with the man opposite. Ahead, in seat No. 13, is the Countess of Horbury, horribly addicted to cocaine and not doing too good a job of concealing it. Across the gangway in seat No. 8, a writer of detective fiction is being troubled by an aggressive wasp. Yes, Poirot is almost almost ideally placed to take it all in-except that the pa.s.senger in the seat directly behind him has slumped over in the course of the flight...dead. Murdered. By someone in Poirot"s immediate proximity. And Poirot himself must number among the suspects. ideally placed to take it all in-except that the pa.s.senger in the seat directly behind him has slumped over in the course of the flight...dead. Murdered. By someone in Poirot"s immediate proximity. And Poirot himself must number among the suspects.
Times Literary Supplement: "It will be a very acute reader who does not receive a complete surprise at the end."
13. The ABC Murders The ABC Murders (1936) (1936) Captain Arthur Hastings returns to narrate this account of a personal challenge made to "Mr Clever Poirot" by a killer who identifies himself as "ABC" and who leaves the ABC Rail Guide ABC Rail Guide next to his victims-apparently intending to work through the English countryside (he has struck in Andover, Bexhill-on-Sea, and Churston) and exercise Poirot along the way. Serialized in London"s next to his victims-apparently intending to work through the English countryside (he has struck in Andover, Bexhill-on-Sea, and Churston) and exercise Poirot along the way. Serialized in London"s Daily Express Daily Express, The ABC Murders The ABC Murders became a cultural phenomenon as readers were invited to try to keep up with the famous Belgian detective. It is a challenge that remains fresh and thrilling to this day-and makes became a cultural phenomenon as readers were invited to try to keep up with the famous Belgian detective. It is a challenge that remains fresh and thrilling to this day-and makes The ABC Murders The ABC Murders one of the absolute must-reads of the Christie canon. one of the absolute must-reads of the Christie canon.
Julian Symons: "A masterwork of carefully concealed artifice...most stunningly original."
Sunday Times: "There is no more cunning player of the murder game than Agatha Christie."
14. Murder in Mesopotamia Murder in Mesopotamia (1936) (1936) Nurse Amy Leatheran had never felt the lure of the "mysterious East," but she nonetheless accepts an a.s.signment at Ha.s.sanieh, an ancient site deep in the Iraqi desert, to care for the wife of a celebrated archaeologist. Mrs Leidner is suffering bizarre visions and nervous terror. "I"m afraid of being killed!" "I"m afraid of being killed!" she admits to her nurse. Her terror, unfortunately, is anything but unfounded, and Nurse Leatheran is soon enough without a patient. The world"s greatest detective happens to be in the vicinity, however: having concluded an a.s.signment in Syria, and curious about the dig at Ha.s.sanieh, Hercule Poirot arrives in time to lead a murder investigation that will tax even his remarkable powers-and in a part of the world that has seen more than its share of misadventure and foul play. she admits to her nurse. Her terror, unfortunately, is anything but unfounded, and Nurse Leatheran is soon enough without a patient. The world"s greatest detective happens to be in the vicinity, however: having concluded an a.s.signment in Syria, and curious about the dig at Ha.s.sanieh, Hercule Poirot arrives in time to lead a murder investigation that will tax even his remarkable powers-and in a part of the world that has seen more than its share of misadventure and foul play.
The New York Times: "Smooth, highly original, and completely absorbing."
15. Cards on the Table Cards on the Table (1936) (1936) "The deduction," Agatha Christie writes in her Foreword to this volume, "must...be entirely psychological psychological...because when all is said and done it is the mind mind of the murderer that is of supreme interest." There is probably no neater encapsulation of what makes Agatha Christie"s works so fresh, so fascinating, so many years after they were written. And this statement appropriately opens the novel that is regarded as Agatha Christie"s most singularly challenging mystery-it is, in fact, Hercule Poirot"s own favourite case. of the murderer that is of supreme interest." There is probably no neater encapsulation of what makes Agatha Christie"s works so fresh, so fascinating, so many years after they were written. And this statement appropriately opens the novel that is regarded as Agatha Christie"s most singularly challenging mystery-it is, in fact, Hercule Poirot"s own favourite case.
Poirot is one of eight dinner guests of the flamboyant Mr Shaitana. The other invitees are Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard (introduced in The Secret of Chimneys The Secret of Chimneys); Secret Service agent Colonel Race (who first appeared in The Man in the Brown Suit The Man in the Brown Suit); Mrs Ariadne Oliver, a famous author of detective stories (introduced in Parker Pyne Investigates Parker Pyne Investigates and who will figure in five more Poirots)-and four suspected murderers. After dinner, there will be a few rounds of bridge: the four investigators playing at one table; the four murder suspects at another. Mr Shaitana will sit by the fire and observe. This he does-until he is stabbed to death. The ultimate "closed-room murder mystery" awaits the intrepid reader. Who is the murderer? And who will solve the crime? and who will figure in five more Poirots)-and four suspected murderers. After dinner, there will be a few rounds of bridge: the four investigators playing at one table; the four murder suspects at another. Mr Shaitana will sit by the fire and observe. This he does-until he is stabbed to death. The ultimate "closed-room murder mystery" awaits the intrepid reader. Who is the murderer? And who will solve the crime?
Fair warning: Poirot casually reveals the solution to Poirot casually reveals the solution to Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express in in Cards on the Table Cards on the Table.
Daily Mail: "The finest murder story of her career...Mrs Christie has never been more ingenious."
16. Murder in the Mews Murder in the Mews (1937) (1937) In the t.i.tle work in this collection of novellas, Poirot and Inspector j.a.pp collaborate on the investigation of a suspicious suicide. The supernatural is said to play in the disappearance of top secret military plans in The Incredible Theft The Incredible Theft-an incredible claim, indeed, as Poirot will prove. The bullet that kills Gervase Chevenix-Gore shatters a mirror in Dead Man"s Mirror Dead Man"s Mirror-just the clue Poirot needs to solve the crime. And, while basking on white Mediterranean sands, Poirot stares trouble in the face-the beautiful face of Valentine Chantry, now celebrating her fifth marriage-in Triangle at Rhodes Triangle at Rhodes.
Daily Mail: "All four tales are admirable entertainment...Mrs Christie"s solutions are unexpected and satisfying."
17. Dumb Witness Dumb Witness (1937) (1937) Agatha Christie wrote this mystery for dog lovers. She was certainly one herself, dedicating the novel to her own pet. Captain Arthur Hastings, in his penultimate Poirot appearance (like Poirot, Curtain Curtain will be his last), again takes up narrative duties-along with, remarkably, the eponymous Bob, a wire-haired terrier who, upon careful inspection, declares Poirot "not really a doggy person." But Poirot is present to inquire into the natural-seeming death of Bob"s mistress, Miss Emily Arundell. Natural- will be his last), again takes up narrative duties-along with, remarkably, the eponymous Bob, a wire-haired terrier who, upon careful inspection, declares Poirot "not really a doggy person." But Poirot is present to inquire into the natural-seeming death of Bob"s mistress, Miss Emily Arundell. Natural-seeming, except that Miss Emily had written Poirot of her suspicions that a member of her family was trying to kill her: a letter Poirot received too late-in fact, two months two months too late-to help. Poirot and Bob will sniff out the murderer nonetheless (and Bob will win a happy new home, with Captain Hastings who is, most decidedly, a "doggy person"). too late-to help. Poirot and Bob will sniff out the murderer nonetheless (and Bob will win a happy new home, with Captain Hastings who is, most decidedly, a "doggy person").
Fair warning: Dumb Witness Dumb Witness is best read after is best read after The Mysterious Affair at Styles The Mysterious Affair at Styles; The Murder of Roger Ackroyd The Murder of Roger Ackroyd; The Mystery of the Blue Train The Mystery of the Blue Train; and Death in the Clouds Death in the Clouds-since the ident.i.ty of the criminal in each is revealed in this novel.
Glasgow Herald: "One of Poirot"s most brilliant achievements."
18. Death on the Nile Death on the Nile (1937) (1937) Among the best-loved of Agatha Christie"s novels, Death on the Nile Death on the Nile finds Hercule Poirot again trying to enjoy a vacation-this time aboard the S.S. finds Hercule Poirot again trying to enjoy a vacation-this time aboard the S.S. Karnak Karnak, steaming between the First and Second Cataracts of the Nile, with stops at sites of archaeological significance. But Poirot (who, after all, had attempted to retire retire years before) seems to be perennially unlucky in his choice of holidays. Newlywed Linnet Ridgeway is, in the course of the journey, shot dead in the head, and Poirot has before him a boatload of suspects-and a useful sidekick in Colonel Race of the British Secret Service. years before) seems to be perennially unlucky in his choice of holidays. Newlywed Linnet Ridgeway is, in the course of the journey, shot dead in the head, and Poirot has before him a boatload of suspects-and a useful sidekick in Colonel Race of the British Secret Service.
Of note: The producers of Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express released a film version, also well received (though not by Mrs Christie, who had pa.s.sed away two years prior), of released a film version, also well received (though not by Mrs Christie, who had pa.s.sed away two years prior), of Death on the Nile Death on the Nile (1978), this time casting Peter Ustinov as Poirot. (1978), this time casting Peter Ustinov as Poirot.
Daily Mail (of the novel): "Flawless." (of the novel): "Flawless."
19. Appointment with Death Appointment with Death (1938) (1938) ""I"m so sorry," she said..."Your mother is dead, Mr Boynton." And curiously, as though from a great distance, she watched the faces of five people to whom that announcement meant freedom..."
We have returned to the Middle East with Hercule Poirot, on our most colourful tour yet: to the Dome of the Rock, the Judean desert, the Dead Sea, and to Petra, "the rose-red city," that ancient place of heart-stopping beauty-but also of heart-stopping horror, for here sits the corpse of old Mrs Boynton, monstrous matriarch, loathed by one and all. A tiny puncture mark on her wrist is the only sign of the fatal injection that killed her. With only twenty-four hours available to solve the mystery, Hercule Poirot recalls a chance remark he"d overheard back in Jerusalem: "You see, don"t you, that she"s got to be killed?"
The Observer: "Twice as brilliant as Death on the Nile Death on the Nile, which was entirely brilliant."
20. Hercule Poirot"s Christmas Hercule Poirot"s Christmas (1938) (1938) This novel was the author"s gift to her brother-in-law, who had complained that her stories were, for him, "too academic." What he desired was a "good violent murder with lots of blood." From the epigraph-a quotation from Macbeth Macbeth-to its startling end, Agatha delivered a gift made to order.
It is Christmas Eve. The Lee family reunion, never a lively affair, is interrupted by a deafening crash and a high-pitched scream. The tyrannical head of the Lee family, Simeon, lies dead in a pool of blood, his throat slashed. Hercule Poirot is spending the holidays with his friend Colonel Johnson, the chief constable of the local village. At the Lee house he finds an atmosphere not of mourning but of mutual suspicion. Christmas with family-survive it this year with Hercule Poirot.
Fair warning: In an exchange between Poirot and Colonel Johnson, the solution of In an exchange between Poirot and Colonel Johnson, the solution of Three-Act Tragedy Three-Act Tragedy is revealed. is revealed.
21. Sad Cypress Sad Cypress (1940) (1940) Beautiful, young Elinor Carlisle stands serenely in the dock, accused of the murder of Mary Gerrard, her rival in love. The evidence is d.a.m.ning: only Elinor had the motive, the opportunity, and the means to administer the fatal poison. Inside the hostile courtroom, one man is all that stands between Elinor and the gallows-Hercule Poirot.
Daily Mail: "Poirot solves another exciting case."
Charles...o...b..rne, Agatha Christie" biographer: "One of the most real, least schematic of crime novels. It is also unusual in that it employs the device of the possible miscarriage of justice...And it works superbly as a murder mystery."
22. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (1940) (1940) "Nineteen, twenty, my plate"s empty." But the reader"s plate is full indeed, as Hercule Poirot must follow a familiar nursery rhyme through a course of murder. The adventure is kicked off by the apparent suicide of a Harley Street dentist-who would also appear to have murdered one of his patients. Hercule Poirot has himself been this dentist"s patient on this very day, and suspects foul play. A shoe buckle holds the key to the mystery. But-five, six-will Poirot pick up sticks, and-seven, eight-lay them straight...before a murderer can strike again? But the reader"s plate is full indeed, as Hercule Poirot must follow a familiar nursery rhyme through a course of murder. The adventure is kicked off by the apparent suicide of a Harley Street dentist-who would also appear to have murdered one of his patients. Hercule Poirot has himself been this dentist"s patient on this very day, and suspects foul play. A shoe buckle holds the key to the mystery. But-five, six-will Poirot pick up sticks, and-seven, eight-lay them straight...before a murderer can strike again?
The New York Times: "A swift course of unflagging suspense leads to complete surprise."
23. Evil Under the Sun Evil Under the Sun (1941) (1941) "There was that about her which made every other woman on the beach seem faded and insignificant. And with equal inevitability, the eye of every male present was drawn and riveted on her."
Including Hercule Poirot"s. She is Arlena Stuart, the famous actress, enjoying-like the famous detective-a summer holiday on Smugglers" Island, and she will become a common enough sight, sunbathing on the hot sands. Then one azure morning her beautiful bronzed body is discovered in an isolated cove, in the shade. She is dead, strangled. And Poirot, as luckless as ever when he attempts some down-time, will learn in the course of his investigation that nearly all the guests of this exclusive resort have some connection to Arlena. But who had the capacity and the motive to kill her?
Of note: The producers of Murder on the Orient Express Murder on the Orient Express and and Death on the Nile Death on the Nile released a film version of released a film version of Evil Under the Sun Evil Under the Sun in 1982; again, as in in 1982; again, as in Nile Nile, they cast Peter Ustinov as Poirot.
Daily Telegraph: "Christie has never written anything better than Evil Under the Sun Evil Under the Sun, which is detective story writing at its best."
Times Literary Supplement: "Christie springs her secret like a land mine."
Sunday Times: "Vivacious and entertaining."
24. Five Little Pigs Five Little Pigs (1943) (1943) A staggering bestseller upon its publication-running through 20,000 copies of its first edition-Five Little Pigs (published in the U.S. as (published in the U.S. as Murder in Retrospect Murder in Retrospect) concerns a murder committed sixteen years earlier. Carla Crale prevails upon Hercule Poirot to investigate the crime that sent her mother, Caroline, to prison for life (where she died). Caroline had been found guilty of poisoning her estranged husband, Carla"s father, Amyas Crale, the famous artist. Poirot"s investigation centers upon five suspects, still living, whom he convinces to speak to him and to record their own memories of the long-ago incident.
Brilliantly intersplicing the past and the present, memory and reality, the search for truth and ongoing attempts to thwart it, Five Little Pigs Five Little Pigs has no antecedent. Almost a decade before Akira Kurosawa"s famous film introduced the term "Rash.o.m.on effect" into the vernacular, Agatha Christie invited her readers to view a crime from multiple perspectives and to consider the vagaries of such an exercise. Fortunately, however, the great Belgian detective does not deal in vagaries-Hercule Poirot is in the business of precision, and he will reveal the ident.i.ty of the true killer. has no antecedent. Almost a decade before Akira Kurosawa"s famous film introduced the term "Rash.o.m.on effect" into the vernacular, Agatha Christie invited her readers to view a crime from multiple perspectives and to consider the vagaries of such an exercise. Fortunately, however, the great Belgian detective does not deal in vagaries-Hercule Poirot is in the business of precision, and he will reveal the ident.i.ty of the true killer.
Observer: "Mrs Christie as usual puts a ring through the reader"s nose and leads him to one of her smashing last-minute showdowns."
Times Literary Supplement: "The answer to the riddle is brilliant."
25. The Hollow The Hollow (1946) (1946) A murder tableau staged for Poirot"s "amus.e.m.e.nt" goes horribly wrong at The Hollow, the estate of Lady Lucy Angkatell, who has invited the great detective as her guest of honour. Dr John Christow was to have been "shot" by his wife, Gerda, to "expire" in a pool of blood-red paint. But when the shot is fired, it is deadly, and Dr. Christow"s last gasp is of a name other than his wife"s: "Henrietta." What was to have been a pleasant country weekend becomes instead one of Poirot"s most baffling cases, with the revelation of a complex web of romantic attachments among the denizens of The Hollow.
Of note: The phenomenon of The Mousetrap The Mousetrap tends to distract from Agatha Christie"s other stage successes. An adaptation of tends to distract from Agatha Christie"s other stage successes. An adaptation of The Hollow The Hollow was one such triumph, premiering in Cambridge in 1951 and subsequently playing for over a year in the West End. Poirot, however, is not a character in the stage version-the diminutive Belgian with the oversized personality was replaced by a perfectly neutral Scotland Yard inspector. In her was one such triumph, premiering in Cambridge in 1951 and subsequently playing for over a year in the West End. Poirot, however, is not a character in the stage version-the diminutive Belgian with the oversized personality was replaced by a perfectly neutral Scotland Yard inspector. In her Autobiography Autobiography, Mrs Christie notes that she wishes she had made a similar swap in the novel-so rich are the characters in The Hollow The Hollow-but Poirot fans then (The Hollow was a tremendous bestseller) and today would have it no other way. was a tremendous bestseller) and today would have it no other way.
San Francisco Chronicle (of the novel): "A grade-A plot-the best Christie in years." (of the novel): "A grade-A plot-the best Christie in years."
26. The Labours of Hercules The Labours of Hercules (1967) (1967) Dr Burton, Fellow of All Souls, sipping Poirot"s Chateau Mouton Rothschild, offers up a rather unkind remark about his host that sets in motion Hercule Poirot"s obsessive, self-imposed contest against his cla.s.sical namesake: Poirot will accept twelve labours-twelve fiendishly complex cases-and then, at long last, genuinely unshoulder the burdens of the hero: he will will retire, and leave the ridding of society"s monsters, the sweeping of its criminal stables, to others. The cases that Poirot engages are every bit as taxing of his mighty brain as were the famous labours imposed by Eurystheus, King of Tiryns, on the Greek demi-G.o.d"s brawn, and they make for one of the most fascinating books in the Christie canon. (Poirot solves them all but, of course, retirement remains as elusive as ever.) retire, and leave the ridding of society"s monsters, the sweeping of its criminal stables, to others. The cases that Poirot engages are every bit as taxing of his mighty brain as were the famous labours imposed by Eurystheus, King of Tiryns, on the Greek demi-G.o.d"s brawn, and they make for one of the most fascinating books in the Christie canon. (Poirot solves them all but, of course, retirement remains as elusive as ever.) Sunday Express: "Twelve little masterpieces of detection. Poirot and Agatha Christie at their inimitable best."
Margery Allingham: "I have often thought that Mrs Christie was not so much the best the best as as the only the only living writer of the true cla.s.sic detective story." living writer of the true cla.s.sic detective story."
San Francisco Chronicle: "A finely shaped book, richly devious and quite brilliant."
27. Taken at the Flood Taken at the Flood (1948) (1948) A few weeks after marrying an attractive young widow, Rosaleen Underhay, Gordon Cloade dies in the Blitz-leaving Rosaleen in sole possession of the Cloade family fortune. "Ill will" is in the air, generally, with the close of the war, and it positively contaminates the Cloade household. Now that contamination threatens Poirot-in the form of a visit from the dead man"s sister-in-law. "Guided" to Poirot "by those beyond the veil," she insists that Rosaleen is not a widow at all. Though he is no subscriber to the supernatural, Poirot has indeed heard of the somewhat notorious Rosaleen, and he is drawn, seemingly inevitably, to the case when he reads of the death of one Enoch Arden-who had appeared mysteriously in the village of Warmsley Vale, not far from the Cloade family seat. Poirot must investigate-but does he go to Warmsley Vale to bring Rosaleen to justice, or to spare her being dispatched prematurely to "the other side"?
Of note: Taken at the Flood Taken at the Flood marks the debut of Superintendent Spence, a Poirot sidekick who will feature in three more Poirot novels. marks the debut of Superintendent Spence, a Poirot sidekick who will feature in three more Poirot novels.
Elizabeth Bowen, The Tatler The Tatler: "One of the best...Her gift for blending the cosy with the macabre has seldom been more in evidence than it is here."
Manchester Evening News: "Told briskly, vivaciously, and with ever-fertile imagination."
New York Herald Tribune: "Don"t miss it."
28. Mrs McGinty"s Dead Mrs McGinty"s Dead (1952) (1952) "Mrs McGinty"s dead!" / "How did she die?" / "Down on one knee, just like I!" So goes the old children"s rhyme. A crushing blow to the back of the head kills a real-life Mrs McGinty in her cottage in the village of Broadhinny-Superintendent Spence"s jurisdiction. Then the killer tore up the floorboards in search of...what? Justice presumes a pittance of cash; and justice has condemned James Bentley, her loathsome lodger, to hang for the crime. But Superintendent Spence is not satisfied with the verdict, and appeals to Poirot to investigate-and save the life of the wretch Bentley. So goes the old children"s rhyme. A crushing blow to the back of the head kills a real-life Mrs McGinty in her cottage in the village of Broadhinny-Superintendent Spence"s jurisdiction. Then the killer tore up the floorboards in search of...what? Justice presumes a pittance of cash; and justice has condemned James Bentley, her loathsome lodger, to hang for the crime. But Superintendent Spence is not satisfied with the verdict, and appeals to Poirot to investigate-and save the life of the wretch Bentley.
Of note: Crime novelist Ariadne Oliver, of Cards on the Table Cards on the Table, returns to help Poirot and Spence solve the crime.