Cards on the Table (Hercule Poirot, #15) (Ariadne Oliver, #2) (Superintendent Battle, #3) (Colonel Race, #2)

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Cards on the Table (Hercule Poirot, #15) (Ariadne Oliver, #2) (Superintendent Battle, #3) (Hercule Poirot #15)

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 9,822 ratings · 369 reviews

It was the match-up of the century: four sleuths--Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard; Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, famed writer of detective stories; Col. Race of His Majesty's Secret Service; and the incomparable Hercule Poirot - invited to play bridge with four specially invited guests, each of whom had gotten away with murder! But before the first rubber was completed, the...more

Paperback, 324 pages

Published July 5th 2005 by Berkley (first published 1936)

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Jun 21, 2011 Carlo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-fiction, thrillers, english-literature

Unlike other Christie stories, at the beginning of Cards on the Table, we only have four suspects. I believe this is one of Christie's best works and even of the genre, since analyzing motives and studying personalities is one of the best things about detective fiction, and the book is packed with that. Christie tells us in the introduction that this case is Poirot's favorite, and of course that's no surprise.

However, the book is embedded with a huge amount of details which can be a bit overwhe...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Abbey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: myst-cosies, myst-pi, series, vintage, own, sell, myst-fems-project, myst-set-andor-auth-uk

A most exotic - and extremely wealthy - man hosts an intriguing dinner party: the guests are four famous sleuths and four people who may have killed in the past but who have not, as yet, been found out. He drops numerous hints, and at the end of the evening is found dead. Which murderer killed again? Which sleuth will figure it all out first? One of Christie’s most peculiar stories, it’s fascinating even though I don’t understand Bridge at all and the cardgame plays a part in the solution. Super...more

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May 11, 2013 Diana Cahill rated it 5 of 5 stars

Four sleuths. Four suspects, each previously accused of murder. This is exactly Hercule Poirot’s idea of a good mystery, and he is at his best. Plus, we get to read more of Ariadne Oliver, who is always delightful.

Quotes

“I should have kept him to the end,” said Mrs. Oliver. “In a book, I mean,” she added apologetically.
“Real life’s a bit different,” said Battle.
“I know,” said Mrs. Oliver. “Badly structured.” P30

“He played the part of the devil too successfully. But he was not the devil. Au fon...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Myonlycookie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: cozy mystery fans, Agatha Christie fans, Poirot fans

Shelves: mysteries

Overall enjoyment: 4
Writing style: 4

Very classic Poirot! I read this in a couple of days while I was traveling.

Quick summary: Poirot is invited to a dinner party by an eccentric, Mephistophelean host, Mr. Shaitana. Shaitana promises Poirot that among the guests will be people who have gotten away with the perfect murders. At the end of the evening, of course, Shaitana is murdered during a game of bridge. But who did it? It's four against four -- four detectives (Poirot, Superintendent Battle, m...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Kathleen Hagen added it

Shelves: 2012-audio-books, cards-on-the-table

Cards on the Table, by Agatha Christie, a-minus, Narrated by Hugh Fraser, Produced by Harper Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

Hercule Poirot is invited to a private party given by a well-known party host whose invitations no one refuses because, they fear, what he might know about them. He boasts to Poirot that murder is an art form and that he will have “exhibits” during the evening. There are eight guests, who break down into four guests who solve crimes: a police superintendent, Poirot, a m...more

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May 10, 2012 Harshita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: all mystery and detective stories' lovers

Shelves: mysteries-and-detective-stories

I really loved this one! As usual it was a murder...solved by four of the best in their respective fields (all fictional of course!)

So we have Colonel Race of the secret service; Superintendent Battle, a police officer; Adriane Oliver, a crime writer and Hercule Poirot, a private detective. They have all been invited by the flamboyant Mr Shaitana, a collector with a Mephistopheles complex(in my opinion the name itself is a giveaway!), to a dinner party along with four other people whom the latte...more I really loved this one! As usual it was a murder...solved by four of the best in their respective fields (all fictional of course!)

So we have Colonel Race of the secret service; Superintendent Battle, a police officer; Adriane Oliver, a crime writer and Hercule Poirot, a private detective. They have all been invited by the flamboyant Mr Shaitana, a collector with a Mephistopheles complex(in my opinion the name itself is a giveaway!), to a dinner party along with four other people whom the latter suspects to be murderers who have gotten away with their crimes - Dr Roberts, a well respected doctor; Mrs Lorrimer, a middle-aged lady astute at bridge; Major Despard, an Army man and world traveller, recently returned from Africa; and Anne Meredith, a pretty young woman. Of course he doesn't reveal that he suspects that they are criminals but Hercule Poirot deduces as much from some offhand remarks made by him. The dinner progresses quite well and afterwards they settle down at two tables of bridge while Mr Shaitan sits near the fire to read. When everyone begins to take leave it is discovered that he has been murdered. And the suspects are the sleuths set out to discover the murderer by discovering the shady secrets hidden in the suspects' past.

I was very excited at encountering so many characters from Agatha Christie's universe in one book. Colonel Race is as usual mysterious and suave. I have yet to read other books with Superintendent Battle in them but i liked his wooden passivity which made others underestimate him and reveal much more than they wanted to. Adriane Oliver was very charming and i am sure pretty much fashioned after Agatha Christie herself! She would have done brilliantly as the head of Scotland Yard. (view spoiler) Hercule Poirot is his usual charming self with strange questions to delve into the psychology of the killer. It was extremely funny to read about him asking all the suspects about their bridge game while the others questioned them about their and others' movements. (view spoiler) But he had to make do without his Hastings this time and venture alone into sleuthing. So we get to know slightly less about his thought process than usual. But then we have the other sleuths to read about which is great fun too.

True to Agatha Christie style i could not predict the murderer till his identity is revealed. Every chapter offered more clues and red-herrings and it was very difficult to sort them out! I did however guess about the murderer's past crime which proved to be correct. So i guess my sleuthing skills have improved - thanks to all these Hercule Poirots i have been reading :)
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Jul 07, 2011 Helen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Absolutely classic Poirot. Mr Shaitana, a very wealthy but rather dubious character, invites eight people to dinner. Four people have a secret in their past, the other four are crime solvers. Poirot is one of the guests, along with Police Superintendent Battle, secret agent Colonel Race and Mrs Oliver, a writer of murder mysteries. At some point during the evening, in which the all guests play bridge but their host doesn't, Mr Shaitana is stabbed to death. But which of the four guests who were w...more

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May 23, 2011 Jenny Maloney rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, christie, classics, intrigue, mystery, writing

To put it simply, the title is exactly what this story is about -- the cards on the table. Christie lays out all of the suspects, lays out all of the sleuths, and lays out the crime scene. Christie tells the reader flat out in the Foreward: "There are only four starters, and any one of them, given the right circumstances, might have committed the crime." Everything in the story hinges on figuring out what the true circumstances of the murderous night are...and then you can figure out the whoduni...more To put it simply, the title is exactly what this story is about -- the cards on the table. Christie lays out all of the suspects, lays out all of the sleuths, and lays out the crime scene. Christie tells the reader flat out in the Foreward: "There are only four starters, and any one of them, given the right circumstances, might have committed the crime." Everything in the story hinges on figuring out what the true circumstances of the murderous night are...and then you can figure out the whodunit.

The story opens up with the Mephestophelian character of Mr. Shaitana inviting Hercule Poirot to a dinner party, to which he's also invited four murderers who have never been caught and three other 'detectives': Police Superintendent Battle, maybe-Secret-Service Colonel Race, and mystery novelist Ariadne Oliver. At the party there's some Bridge (Bridge being the conceit of the whole book) and the murder of the host, Mr. Shaitana.

After that, it's up to who can play their hand the best--the murderer or the sleuths on the case. Battle, Race, Oliver, and Poirot have different methods which are quite entertaining to watch play against one another. Though the one thing all the interrogators have in common is different ways of playing ignorant. Battle plays the 'fake memory' game: "Oh, yeah, that was back in...?" he asks "1932," answers the suspect. Race digs into their backgrounds via paper. Ariadne Oliver misdirects each suspect toward the others: "Obviously the doctor did it, so you can talk about you, dear...." And Poirot hands them Bridge score sheets and asks them to list items in the room.

In some cases it's out-and-out hilarious. Especially the character of Ariadne Oliver--popularly considered Christie's mouthpiece.

There is a lot of reversing and re-reversing in this story, and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Every one of the suspects has killed someone and there are witnesses and victims for each one of those side-stories. I admit to getting mixed up, especially with military titles thrown in there. Major Despard is a suspect and Colonel Race is a sleuth and I kept twisting them up for some reason.

In the Foreward, Christie mentions this being one of Poirot's favorite cases though his buddy Hastings "when Poirot described it to him, considered it very dull!" And there is a risk that some readers would find this not-as-exciting as some other Christie books. After all, it is about the psychology of the characters, and to gather the necessary information on the suspects' respective backgrounds can get tedious. But readers who are entertained by the concept of 'profiling' (like me!) will have a good time here.

~Jenny
Place for the Stolen
Under Ground Writing Project (less)

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Oct 24, 2009 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Again, back to the genre of mysteries written between the two World Wars. This book is a variation on the locked room mystery--except there is no locked room and four people were present in the room where a thoroughly nasty individual was murdered. However, they were playing a game of bridge, no one admitted to seeing anything, and there were four people involved in detection sitting in the adjacent room, also playing bridge. Much more of a psychological mystery than a mystery with a lot of acti...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Daniel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, penny-dreadfuls

Fiction is the antidote to non-fiction. Sometimes I’ll be reading serious books, books about history and how it all went down, moral books that talk about how things ought to go down, blog and newspaper articles that tell me about the present—but then I remember that I have options: I don’t have to live in this world, which is to say that imagination gives options beyond the material world.

Sometimes I like to think that by reading in the realm of non-fiction I am getting out of myself—exploring...more Fiction is the antidote to non-fiction. Sometimes I’ll be reading serious books, books about history and how it all went down, moral books that talk about how things ought to go down, blog and newspaper articles that tell me about the present—but then I remember that I have options: I don’t have to live in this world, which is to say that imagination gives options beyond the material world.

Sometimes I like to think that by reading in the realm of non-fiction I am getting out of myself—exploring a new place, expanding my horizons, and getting a deeper sense of what it means to be human, but too often I fear that my desire to read “in this world” is just another aspect of my desire to validate my own existence, to expand my knowledge rather than being amazed by how limited my experience is—how profoundly I fail to know in deed.

Fiction is the escape, the farthest thing from this world I can access. And yet it’s so close, so true to the world that I inhabit. A good author will try to represent the reality of their imagined world. A great author will take the things of the world and subvert them so well that they become utterly unique to their imagined world and utterly archetypical of what has happened in this world thousands of times.

Archetypes are the crystallizations of things that occur everywhere all the time, and through their examples I can transcend the impulse to self-validate that comes through only reading knowledge-works that relate most closely my present experience. I don’t read fiction to come back to my world with a clearer view—it’s that fiction invalidates the idea of coming back to one’s view entirely. Fiction gives worlds at whose presence I can be amazed and taken out of myself to another person’s mind. I can explore the contours of things I’ve never imagined, or maybe imagined in part, or maybe supposed before, but never carried out the consequences of the idea.

Fiction is a great portal out of things as they are, and for the great minds that produce it I am thankful. One writer who honed her craft and wrote hundreds of great escapes is Agatha Christie. Cards on the Table (a story of the Poirot variety) is elliptical without being straightforward, clear without making the answer any less sweet once achieve, a success in meaningful minimalism. In the introductory note she says that there is no clear perpetrator and that any one of the four suspects given the right set of circumstances could have committed the crime. The way that she plays this out to the last page is splendid. To go into more detail may ruin the thrill of the story, so block off three hours and go read it sometime over some coffee. This is the first Christie I’ve read, and I hope to read many more in the future. To escape into her mind into the experience of her characters is a nourishing thing.(less)

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Nov 10, 2012 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Cards on the Table left me with a weird sense of claustrophobia. As some people have commented, there are very few suspects in this mystery - only 4 - and the almost circular plot revolves around the investigation of these four personalities. Two of the four pschological studies are dislikeable, one is very eccentric and the last is a standard Christie caricature. Their histories, actions during the crime scene, personalities, motives, thoughts, etc are scrutinized ad infinitum. There is "no exi...more Cards on the Table left me with a weird sense of claustrophobia. As some people have commented, there are very few suspects in this mystery - only 4 - and the almost circular plot revolves around the investigation of these four personalities. Two of the four pschological studies are dislikeable, one is very eccentric and the last is a standard Christie caricature. Their histories, actions during the crime scene, personalities, motives, thoughts, etc are scrutinized ad infinitum. There is "no exit" from these four personalities, and it is a weird coincidence that I am simultaneously reading "huit clos" or "No Exit" by Sartre, which was written approximately a decade after Cards on the Table. You can't, of course, compare Christie to Sartre; however, you can see the similarities of a very claustrophobic atmosphere in which the reader simply feels "stuck."

Cards on the Table has some other interesting aspects. I enjoyed the discussion of various rubbers of bridge played by the four suspects. I played a lot of bridge as a teenager, and it was a neat visit into the past to read about successful bids, no trumps etc. The bridge game is that the heart of the story, and the main technique used by Poirot to ascertain who is the murderer. The style of play, for him, is highly indicative of the style of murdering.

The murderer? I was wrong this time in my guess, though Christie led me to think I was right for most of the book. The various revelations leading up to the final "reveal" had many surprises, which says a lot for a book that is annoying to read at times (annoying because of the circular, repetitive plot).

I enjoyed twp new detective players in the game (for me new, although I believe that they may have appeared in her other novels). Mrs. Oliver is a funny caricature of a mystery novelist and she has a number of funny lines. Superintendant Battle looks like a bumbling representative of the police, but he is smarter than her first appears to be.

Lastly, I liked Christie's comparison of the murder victim and Poirot. Mr. Shaitana (the host of the bridge party) is described as Mephostophelian, after the famous devilish literary figure. Another caricature, he has a moustache that "almost" rivals Poirot's for its stylishness, lushness etc. Here we have an nice pair of dandies to lighten the mood of a claustrophic and rather odd mystery.

One last word. Christie gives us a lot of description of Mr. Shaitana's apartments - he has a vast collection of rugs, flowers, bric-a-brac etc. Each suspect is required to describe as much of this room as possible. How observant the suspect is another clue to their personality. I don't know why, but I found it fascinating to see how different were the observations of the different suspects. Personally, I'd be like Mrs. Lorrimer, almost completely unable to remember one detail in a room I had been in.

As I close, I;ve decided to give this book 4 stars. This book definitely has a lot in it, and though, not always enjoyable, has a lot to offer the reader.

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Jun 05, 2012 Lindley Walter-smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Agatha Christie is sometimes severely underrated as both an observational writer and as a comedian. She's rarely underrated, though, for the perfection of her puzzles. Cards on the Table is one of my all-time favourite Christie novels, because in this one all three strengths shine.

The setup is delicious - four successful murderers playing bridge at one table, four famous detectives at another. At some point in the evening, while being dummy, one of the murderers wanders over and kills the ninth...more

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Dec 19, 2010 Sus rated it 3 of 5 stars

The fourth Christie book I'm reading.

I dunno, I guess I should have been warned by the title, but so far for my taste this thing has far too much bridge in it. I don't know how to play bridge. I'm not sure I want to learn, even in order to make more sense of this book, which means the story is not sparkling quite as much as I wish it would. I have to admit this doesn't make me feel particularly optimistic about Murder on the Links.

Also, I miss Hastings. I know he's just a straight man, but Poir...more

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Apr 27, 2013 bella rated it 5 of 5 stars

Four murderers that got away with their crimes. Four sleuths. One party.

When Hercule Poirot gets invited to a party hosted by Mr Shaitana. Mr Shaitana promises Poirot a party he won't forget, especially as four of the guests are murderers that have gotten away with the perfect murder. Poirot can't refuse and when he turns up he is surprised to find Superintendent Battle, mystery writer Mrs. Oliver, and secret service man Col. Race also in attendance. Joining them is the supposed murderers: Anne...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Bigyellowtaxi1 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Bridge players

Shelves: agatha-christie, poirot, crime

You have to be a bridge player to fully appreciate this and I am not. I also found it slightly repetitive at times, a series of interviews with each of the suspects, often multiple interviews with different detectives. Perhaps I'm more of a 'Hastings' type when it ocmes to murder mysteries, I'd rather have some running around and looking for clues rather than a purely intellectual exercise.

Sadly Mrs Oliver was somewhat wasted in this book. She did provide some light relief and comic moments but...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Susan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this classic mystery, Poirot is invited to a dinner party with a difference by the slightly unsavoury Mr Shaitana; a rich man addicted to parties and gossip. He wants Poirot to come to dinner to meet his exhibits - murderers who he claims have "got away with it." Although Poirot finds his hobby dangerous he agrees, leading to a dinner party with four sleuths (Poirot himself, Colonel Race, who works for the Secret Service, Superintendent Battle from Scotland Yard and our old friend the detecti...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Bill Shubert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another Hercule Poirot. Another pretty good one, although I have an issue with the ending; there are several false accusations presented, until in the end Poirot presents his accusation and proceeds to trick the culprit into admitting that Poirot is right. The Poirot explains how he deduced the right answer. My problem is that to me Poirot's explanation makes no sense; one of the other, incorrect, accusations makes much more sense based on what is presented. So it's a good read all along, but in...more

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May 11, 2010 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars

Am I reading too much Agatha Christie? Maybe. But I fly through them since they're easy to read and so captivating, I can't put it down. This book's explanation of the crime was not as satisfying this time since there's an explanation and then, wait, that's not the real explanation. Not sure if Christie is just throwing in a curve ball to be cute. Also, I feel I'd probably enjoy the book more if I understood how to play bridge. Poirot uses the bridge game to explain the state of mind of the kill...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Jgrace rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, mystery

Cards on the Table – Agatha Christie
4 stars
Audio performance by H. Fraser

I wonder if this Poirot mystery might be called And Then There Were None –Light.
Something of the underlying premise seems similar to me, but of course there is a creative Agatha Christie twist.

The strange, Mephistophelian, Mr. Shaitana invites eight guests to a dinner and bridge party. Four of the guests are imminent investigators and four are unexposed murderers. Mr. Shaitana expects to be entertained by this combination...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Hadi Wijaya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novels

Here are my comments:

- This book is should be shorter than it is, because there is 4 detective that surely cause some confusion. If only the only detective is Poirot then everything should be solved quickly. It seems that there are so many stories which didn’t supporting the case. But I don’t know probably it is how unprofessional detective works; wasting more time and efforts in some things those are not very important.

- When the murderer is found at the end of story, it seems that it happens b...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Anne Toronto1 rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mephistophelian (Mephostilian sic) menacing Mr Shaitana invites four murderers and four detectives for gourmet dinner and bridge, but is stabbed with his own stiletto knick-knack during someone's dummy hand. Why assume detectives cannot murder too? I miss the helpful cast list in many of this Collection., but descriptions are early p6-9. Dr Roberts 30s is brisk, cheerful, twinkling eyed, embonpoint (plump), confident, middle-aged. Mrs Lorrimer 60s is well-dressed, has lovely cut features, clear...more Mephistophelian (Mephostilian sic) menacing Mr Shaitana invites four murderers and four detectives for gourmet dinner and bridge, but is stabbed with his own stiletto knick-knack during someone's dummy hand. Why assume detectives cannot murder too? I miss the helpful cast list in many of this Collection., but descriptions are early p6-9. Dr Roberts 30s is brisk, cheerful, twinkling eyed, embonpoint (plump), confident, middle-aged. Mrs Lorrimer 60s is well-dressed, has lovely cut features, clear incisive voice, and an air of perfect plan-ahead deliberation. Major Despard (40-50s?) is tall, lean, handsome despite slight temple scar, evidence of dangerous life. Anne Meredith 20s is pretty, has brown curls, large gray eyes and slow shy voice.

The sleuths include mighty-moustached Belgian Hercule Poirot. Scotland Yard Superintendent Battle, big, square, wooden-faced, smarts hidden under stolid manner, takes on the official role. Untidy feminist Mrs Ariadne Oliver writes popular mysteries, handles chatty inquiries, and believes in womanly intuition. (Grey hair is middle age?) Deeply tanned handsome Colonel Race 50 spies for Secret Service in far corners of the Empire, and contributes his sources' research. Inquisitions by Battle amuse, that worm truths from close-mouthed witnesses p59, or confound by Poirot concluding each recitation of surroundings and card hands with "I am sure I am right", "nodded his head slowly" p59,75, 151. The drama queen version of Despard's act is cleverly written so we are not left out, disbelieve her as well as Poirot who, after "drew a long breath of fresh air" p139.

Starts with paper slips "reproductions of bridge scores which help solve the mystery", after crisp, too simple, chapter listings - V Second Murderer?, XIII Second Visitor, XXVI The Truth. Could be The Lie, The Misperception, The Coverup. I followed the slips and got the real villain. Beware the confession. This may be the most misdirecting Christie yet. In all a cleverly convoluted plot, keeps us following every twist.

Cooperation uncovers victims of every suspect, therefore motives. Does Christie speak, with a touch of humor, for herself through Oliver? "If the thing's getting a little dull, some more blood cheers it up" p51, and her bankbook balance motivates hard work p111. She does through Roberts "You've got to think everybody's a liar" p56.

When Anne's gallant boyish p85 Rhoda Dawes challenges her house-mate on her falsified resumé, the wind is up, a radio squawking "Why Do You Tell Me Lies, Baby?" p96 is supererogatory. When Battle crosses off both Roberts and the girl p157, we know more, cannot agree. "Tortuous" p10 is Poirot's précis of Shaitana, and the plot revelations and deductions.

(view spoiler)

Typo: p89 Mayor Despard for Major (less)

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Jan 11, 2010 Laurel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-year-of-agatha

THE perfect Poirot novel. Yes, Murder on the Orient Express and And Then There Were None are worthy to fight over the title of Best Christie of All (I would include a bunch of other, lesser-known contenders as well). But if you love Poirot, this is his ultimate case: pure logic, pure reason. No red herrings, no "least likely" suspects. Four suspects, each of whom has equal motive and opportunity, in a closed setting--I kept expecting the solution to somehow be the butler or something sneaky, but...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Simona Bartolotta rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gialli

«Non trovate che esistono persone che dovrebbero essere assolutamente uccise?»
Vengo da un periodo di astinenza, erano secoli che non leggevo qualcosa della Christie. O almeno, a me sono sembrati secoli.
Come al solito, anche questa indagine di Poirot si è rivelata appassionante e maledettamente ingarbugliata. Temo che il mio talento come investigatrice sia pari a meno diciassette. L'unica cosa che ho trovato un tantino disappointing è stato il finale, sin troppo affrettato.
Poirot, oh idolo mio,...more

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Sep 28, 2010 Bethan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

For me this is up with the best Agatha Christie, alongside Murder on the Orient Express and Curtain; Poirot's last case.

Mr Shaitana invites Poirot and eight select guests to dinner. Colonel Race, Dr Roberts, Superintendant Battle, Mrs Lorrimer, Major Despard, Mrs Oliver and Mrs Meredith.

At dinner Shaitana exclaims.. 'Poison is a woman's weapon, there must be many secret women poisoners - never found out. A doctor too has opportunities, but if I were to commit a crime, I should make it very simpl...more

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May 22, 2010 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

First of all I was worried that I'd have to know how to play bridge in order to appreciate the book. I't not necessary, but I could see how knowing the game could definitely enhance the enjoyment of the book.

This is a closed-room (locked-room, which ever) mystery. The ingenious premise had me wanting to read this book for a long time: 4 people with perhaps questionable pasts, 4 "sleuths," and an evening of bridge, hosted by a devilish man. In one room we have the "sleuths," and in the other we h...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Daimen Vauban rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

This was my first Agatha Christie novel. I have been a huge fan of Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries on Masterpiece Mystery, A&E, Biography, etc. However, I have never taken the time to actually read one of the novels. As luck would have it, I had this novel (which I have never seen on the television). It was a true joy! It was just like watching on the screen. In fact, I can safely say that there is not much screenwriting to be had as the novel is pretty much perfect for televising!

I have sp...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a Poirot novel which is about what happened during a game of bridge, but, importantly, understanding bridge is not necessary to enjoying the book. It starts with a dinner party, in which Mr. Shaitana invites four detective (Poirot, the private detective, Mrs. Oliver the mystery writer, Superintendent battle of Scotland Yard, and Colonel Race, who is in the Secret Service), and four people he believes to have committed murder. The book is enjoyable, and full of typical Agatha Christie twi...more

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Jul 06, 2012 m1 Gwen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, favorites, mystery, realistic-fiction, romance, casey-book-club

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD!!! If I could write that in 72 font, bolded, italicized, and colored, I would. This is now one of my favorite books of all time. I could not put it down throughout any of it! I formed my own ideas, yet I was completely shocked and amazed by the ending. You will not believe it when you read it! It is absolutely incredible! It is never boring. It is a fairly quick read, as well. My copy had a nice font type and size, and, although the book was thick, it didn't take me long at...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Anja Thiede rated it 5 of 5 stars

Agatha Christie's Cards on the Table begins on a very simple premise. What would happen if you stuck four murderers together in a room with a very stupid man who has threatened to expose their crimes? The first part is rather obvious, the stupid man dies. It is what comes next that is interesting. What if there where four detectives, or reasonable facsimiles there of, in the next room?

This is what sets this book apart from most murder mysteries: each murder given different motivations or reason...more Agatha Christie's Cards on the Table begins on a very simple premise. What would happen if you stuck four murderers together in a room with a very stupid man who has threatened to expose their crimes? The first part is rather obvious, the stupid man dies. It is what comes next that is interesting. What if there where four detectives, or reasonable facsimiles there of, in the next room?

This is what sets this book apart from most murder mysteries: each murder given different motivations or reasons could have done it. We are told that each has murdered and could just as easily murder again. It is this rat's nest of red herrings that the four detectives, lead of course by Poirot, try to untangle. That is where the bridge scores come in. The murderers where playing bridge together at the time of the murder and Poirot uses their scores to try and put together a profile of their personalities, and find out what would make them kill. The other detectives mostly work on piecing together each murderer's past and try to find out who they have already killed and why.

The four murderers are completely different sorts of personalities. There is the frightened, invariably good looking girl, the cheerful, slightly too chatty doctor, the stoic big game hunter/explorer, and an elegant older widow. One of them is guilty, but which one? The detectives include characters from Agatha's lesser known works. Inspector Battle, who features in The Seven Dials Mystery, is I think second in command. Next comes Agatha's self lampoon, Ariadne Oliver. (although I am pretty sure, that she would say she was leading the investigation.) Colonel Race does a small cameo, he mostly just sends the other three information and follows the leads that seem to dead end in other countries.

I would guess that Agatha wrote this book as an exercise in character studies. Each murderer is so well fleshed out and believable. They have to be, too, because the only way you would be able to figure out who is guilty is to look at the psychology of each murderer. What would they do, and almost more importantly, how would they do it? There is no muddy footprint to measure, and no cigarette ash to examine. There is only the mind of the killer. Isn't that, after all, what makes crime so fascinating?(less)

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Aug 07, 2009 Mazel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: policier

Mr Shaitana est un bien étrange personnage : longue figure, moustache cosmétiquée et sourcils en accents circonflexes qui accentuent son air de Méphisto.

Et Mr Shaitana, qui est véritablement diabolique, s'est plu, ce soir-là, à convier à dîner huit hôtes triés sur le volet :

quatre spécialistes du crime et quatre personnes qui seraient - à ses dires - des criminels assez habiles pour ne s'être jamais fait pincer.

Il ne faut pas trop jouer avec le feu, fût-on le diable ou peu s'en faut.

Au cours...more

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About Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie also wrote romance novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott, and was occasionally published under the name Agatha Christie Mallowan.

Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, England, U.K., as the youngest of three. The Millers had two other children: Margaret Frary Miller (1879–1950), called Madge, who was eleven years Agatha's senior, and Louis Montant Miller (1880...more

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Books by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10)

The Mysterious Affair At Styles (Hercule Poirot #1)

Murder at the Vicarage (Miss Marple, #1)

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Quotes from Cards on the Table (He...

“Do you believe in the value of truth, my dear, or don’t you?”

“Of course I believe in the truth,” said Rhoda, staring.

“Yes, you say that, but perhaps you haven’t thought about it. The truth hurts sometimes – and destroys one’s illusions.”

“I’d rather have it all the same.” said Rhoda.

“So would I. But I don’t know that we’re wise.”
Mrs. Oliver; Rhoda Dawes” — 5 people liked it

“There is the natural liar...Always says the thing that sounds best.” — 3 people liked it

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title link	preview: Cards on the Table (Hercule Poirot, #15) (Ariadne Oliver, #2) (Superintendent Battle, #3)
avg rating	preview: Cards on the Table (Hercule Poirot, #15) (Ariadne Oliver, #2) (Superintendent Battle, #3) Goodreads rating: 3.82 (9822 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://gr-assets.com/book/show/16297.Cards_on_the_Table_Hercule_Poirot_15_Ariadne_Oliver_2_Superintendent_Battle_3_?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309210864l/16297.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://gr-assets.com/book/show/16297.Cards_on_the_Table_Hercule_Poirot_15_Ariadne_Oliver_2_Superintendent_Battle_3_?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Cards on the Table (Hercule Poirot, #15) (Ariadne Oliver, #2) (Superintendent Battle, #3) by Agatha Christie[/url]

Cards on the Table (Hercule Poirot, #15) (Ariadne Oliver, #2) (Superintendent Battle, #3) (Hercule Poirot #15)

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