A desperate woman seeks the aid of Hercule Poirot in a matter of life and death. A near-lethal dose of poison, a blood-stained knife, a revolve... read full description
reviews
Sep 08, 2011
mark
rated it: 
Choose Your Own Adventure!
You are an apartment in London. It is the Swingin’ 60s, man, and everything is new and shiny and groovy and covered with flowers. Psychiatry: what a mind trip, it’s crazy! Drugs: they’re everywhere – and sometimes not so groovy! You have room for three girls, you spacious bohemian pad you…but three girls in swingin’ London can equal trouble: Murder Trouble! Whatever is a hepcat apartment to do? Time to bring in an old-school private detective and his square More...
You are an apartment in London. It is the Swingin’ 60s, man, and everything is new and shiny and groovy and covered with flowers. Psychiatry: what a mind trip, it’s crazy! Drugs: they’re everywhere – and sometimes not so groovy! You have room for three girls, you spacious bohemian pad you…but three girls in swingin’ London can equal trouble: Murder Trouble! Whatever is a hepcat apartment to do? Time to bring in an old-school private detective and his square More...
4 comments
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(9 people liked it)
Jan 29, 2012
Sam
rated it: 
Well, as my first Agatha Christie book in about 20 years, i'm told this was a bad choice. Christie wrote it later in her life, and in a bid to maintain some relevance with the younger people, wrote in a lot of jargon about drugs and young people and their strange ways. The jargon and stereotypes didn't bother me so much - they were quaint and at times humorous, but forgivable in most circumstances. What was bothersome about the book was that it had some difficulty in getting started, and when
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Oct 02, 2011
Peter
rated it:
"Like most Agatha Christie mysterys, I've read this a number of times. They are old friends of which I never tire. I recently saw the BBC/David Suchet adaptation, which was noticebly (but not maddeningly) different, so I dusted off the cover again.
This has never been one of my favorites, but what is fun is Christie uses the swinging 60s setting to her advantage (It was written in 1966) Ariadne Oliver is always fun, and she has perhaps her brightest moments in this novel. Po More...
This has never been one of my favorites, but what is fun is Christie uses the swinging 60s setting to her advantage (It was written in 1966) Ariadne Oliver is always fun, and she has perhaps her brightest moments in this novel. Po More...
Aug 06, 2010
Laurel
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 19, 2010
Nancy
rated it: 
Hercule Poirot is now in his 35th adventure; after this one, he has only three more contemporary appearances -- in Hallow'een Party, Elephants Can Remember, and Curtain.
Third Girl is set smack in the mid-sixties. It's a time when men are wearing such clothes as "elaborate velvet waistcoat[s:], skin-tight pants," and wearing their hair long in "rich curls of chestnut," while women were wearing
"the clothes of their generation: black high leath More...
Third Girl is set smack in the mid-sixties. It's a time when men are wearing such clothes as "elaborate velvet waistcoat[s:], skin-tight pants," and wearing their hair long in "rich curls of chestnut," while women were wearing
"the clothes of their generation: black high leath More...
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 31, 2009
John
rated it: 
I've never been much of a fan of Agatha Christie's work; this means that, unlike the case with most of her mystery-writing contemporaries, there are still quite a few of her books I haven't read. So, every once in a while, I treat myself to what would be a trip down Memory Lane were it not for the fact that, never having read the novel before, I don't have the memory in the first place.
Third Girl is one of the later Poirot novels; as soon as I spotted the copyright date I kne More...
Apr 18, 2011
Bev
rated it:
The third girl, Norma Restarick, drops in on Hercule Poirot one morning as he's finishing his breakfast chocolate. Like those of her generation, she's got a tousled, unkempt appearance, but added to that is a perplexed stare. She greets Poirot with the news that she thinks she may have committed a murder. But then, having giving his appearance due consideration, she decides that he is "too old" to help her and diesappears. Poirot's friend Mrs. Ariadne Oliver is able to help him track t
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Apr 06, 2011
ibnumarogi
rated it:
Ini buku pertama saya tentang detektif Hercule Poirot. Di buku ini Agatha Christie sangat kentara membangun pola misteri khasnya: psikologis (asumsi saya saja). Entah latar belakang akademisnya apa--dokter bukan, sih?--tetapi dia memang pintar dalam aspek psikologi orang.
Sebetulnya agak ragu juga untuk menyukai novel ini (bayangkan, sedari awal hingga halaman 297 saya tak menemukan pembunuhan yang dilakukan! Betapa membosankan). Namun, ketika mendapati fakta yang terkuak di akhir cer More...
Sebetulnya agak ragu juga untuk menyukai novel ini (bayangkan, sedari awal hingga halaman 297 saya tak menemukan pembunuhan yang dilakukan! Betapa membosankan). Namun, ketika mendapati fakta yang terkuak di akhir cer More...
Aug 22, 2010
jennifer
rated it:
It's the mid-sixties and girls have become so independent these days. Young Norma has a flashy boyfriend her father and stepmother don't approve of, but as Norma is rarely under their roof, there isn't a lot they can do about it. Norma has moved into a London flat with two other girls, oh, and she has bouts of forgetfulness where she ends up in possession of a weapon of some kind or other and can't recall what has occurred. Must be all those drugs.
Christie has created a complex myst More...
Christie has created a complex myst More...
Feb 01, 2009
Carrie
rated it:
This is one of those novels where Christie tries to show us that she is hip to the ways of the swinging sixties, and as such it falls pretty flat. A young girl comes to see Poirot, saying that she thinks she may have committed a murder - only to leave when she decides he is “too old.” Poirot, his dander up, decides to find her, which he does through Mrs. Oliver. With her help he decides to also figure out what she was talking about, a hunt that leads to a pretty terrible crime committed by pr
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Jan 21, 2010
Ningerbil
rated it:
"Third Girl" has a different feel from the other Agatha Christie novels I've read. For starters, this is set in the 1960s. This mystery is easily the funniest I've read. Hercule Poirot gets a visit from a young lady who says she think's she's murdered someone, but can't remember who, when or where. She departs abruptly, leaving Poirot to figure out the puzzle. Ariadne Oliver, a mystery novel author, joins him in tracking down the girl and her identity. Those two are a pair and the endi
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Aug 12, 2010
Meave
rated it:
A little too hip, but she does try. The plot's not new, and goodness knows hemp has no psychotropic qualities, and whenever David showed up I kept imagining Russell Brand--but that bit was funny, so, OK.
I mean it's not bad, just too loose. She realizes it, though, poor old Aggie, and does try to tie it all up very tightly by the end. It just wasn't enough. It's the lack of embarrassing British racism that bumps it from two stars to three. Maybe her Alzheimer's destroyed the racist pa More...
I mean it's not bad, just too loose. She realizes it, though, poor old Aggie, and does try to tie it all up very tightly by the end. It just wasn't enough. It's the lack of embarrassing British racism that bumps it from two stars to three. Maybe her Alzheimer's destroyed the racist pa More...
Aug 07, 2009
Mazel
rated it:
Cette fois-ci, après un épuisant effort intellectuel, la rédaction de son " œuvre maîtresse ", un essai sur les maîtres du roman policier, Hercule Poirot est bien décidé à jouir d'un repos mérité...
N'a-t-il pas plus d'une fois prouvé qu'il était le roi des détectives, l'infaillible dont la réputation n'est plus à faire ?
Impossible de mettre en doute ses capacités...
Et pourtant, voilà qu'une jeune femme vient lui déclarer qu'il est trop vieux pour More...
N'a-t-il pas plus d'une fois prouvé qu'il était le roi des détectives, l'infaillible dont la réputation n'est plus à faire ?
Impossible de mettre en doute ses capacités...
Et pourtant, voilà qu'une jeune femme vient lui déclarer qu'il est trop vieux pour More...
Feb 10, 2012
Sheri
rated it:
Lovely quick read. Mildly entertaining, page turner and easy read. Yes, Agatha Christie has some time biases (and she is certainly not a feminist), but her books are fun and quick and work to fill 24 hours. This particular novel was a bit repetitive (did Poirot really need to go through all his thoughts and remind the reader of the clues so many times?) and he seemed a bit more dim-witted than usual (I figured out that Louise was the same Louise very quickly). The ending was a bit too Scooby-d
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Jan 27, 2009
Phayvanh
rated it:
Join Hercule Poirot and Mrs. Ariadne Oliver as they discover London's youth culture, full of drugs, ne'er-do-wells, blackmail, and MURDER!
Though Christie is pretty adept at bringing characters of all stripes to life, she stumbles putting heart and passion into the young and tragically hip, both here and in Remembered Death / Sparkling Cyanide. In these books, the author's prejudice against the vacuous inanity that is the young urban generation clearly show through.
What More...
Though Christie is pretty adept at bringing characters of all stripes to life, she stumbles putting heart and passion into the young and tragically hip, both here and in Remembered Death / Sparkling Cyanide. In these books, the author's prejudice against the vacuous inanity that is the young urban generation clearly show through.
What More...
Jul 30, 2011
Edward
rated it:
Agatha Christie proved in Third Girl that she did not lose her magic touch for murder mystery writing in her later years. I personally liked how there was, in my psychologist mind, the possibility of psychogenic amnesia, dissociative disorder, or hypnotic influence at play in Norma Resterick, who thinks that she "may have committed murder" and who is the central character in the joint investigative work of Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver. Of course, Agatha Christie pulls yet anoth
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Nov 30, 2011
Sophie
rated it:
"She descended, banged the door and stood looking up to the sky."
"The kind of time when girls in jobs might be presumed to have returned, either to renew their makeup, change their clothes to tight exotic pants or whatever their particular addiction was, and go out again, or else to settle down to home life and wash their underwear and their stockings."
"Poirot remained thoughtful after Mr. Goby had left. He raised and lowered his eyebrows. He wond More...
"The kind of time when girls in jobs might be presumed to have returned, either to renew their makeup, change their clothes to tight exotic pants or whatever their particular addiction was, and go out again, or else to settle down to home life and wash their underwear and their stockings."
"Poirot remained thoughtful after Mr. Goby had left. He raised and lowered his eyebrows. He wond More...
Aug 06, 2011
Vera
rated it: 
My rating is different than most people, so therefore i have a different opinion than everyone else.
I am saying now that this is my opinion. If you want to disagree with it than fine.
A lot of people say that her books got worse later in her life. I disagree. Personally, I actually think that her books from the 1950's and 1960's are actually some of the best.
I really liked this one. There was only 2 books with Mrs Oliver that I hadn't read, so I decided to read this one. I li More...
I am saying now that this is my opinion. If you want to disagree with it than fine.
A lot of people say that her books got worse later in her life. I disagree. Personally, I actually think that her books from the 1950's and 1960's are actually some of the best.
I really liked this one. There was only 2 books with Mrs Oliver that I hadn't read, so I decided to read this one. I li More...
Oct 22, 2011
Lady
rated it:
It is pretty obvious by this point (and is even talked about by Christie's alter ego Mrs. Oliver) that Agatha Christie really hates Poirot and only writes books with him in them due to publishing contracts. A character that grew out of a weekend dare decades before has definitely lost his charm to his author. At this point she actually likes to see him stumble around a bit and actually draw a few wrong conclusions... and despite quite liking the character of Poirot (admittedly, in real life he w
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Jan 18, 2012
Kristensilvermoore
rated it:
I love the beginning of this novel, which starts with a young, mod-looking girl telling Poirot that he is “too old” to help her, which is, of course, a terrible blow to our favorite detective’s massive, yet apparently delicate, ego. It gave me a nice chuckle!
That said, the Third Girl, a late novel of Christie’s, is not my favorite Poirot mystery. I figured out more than half of the mystery, almost all of it really, well before Poirot did, and the reason why is that, instead of being More...
That said, the Third Girl, a late novel of Christie’s, is not my favorite Poirot mystery. I figured out more than half of the mystery, almost all of it really, well before Poirot did, and the reason why is that, instead of being More...
Feb 07, 2010
Bunxena
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Feb 09, 2011
Lorraine
rated it:
Hercule Poirot is searching for a girl. She had visited his flat, saying that she thought she had murdered someone, but after looking at him declared that he was too old, and left. With the help of his friend, novelist Mrs. Oliver, Poirot learns the girl's name, visits her family home and meets her step-mother and boyfriend. But where is the girl? (She's called a Third Girl, as she's the third tenant in the apartment.)
The book was written in 1966, and Agatha Christie tries to mak More...
The book was written in 1966, and Agatha Christie tries to mak More...
Apr 11, 2009
Doug
rated it:
This is a wonderful Agatha Christie written in the 1960's and it features both Hercule Poirot and Ariadne Oliver. It is about a young girl who is suffering from periods that she cannot remember and thinks she may have committed a murder. She goes to Poirot but leaves him suddenly, telling him that he is too old. Poirot must then track her down and try to discover what she means.
Intricate Christie plot with a good ending make this a comforting read. I love Agatha.
Intricate Christie plot with a good ending make this a comforting read. I love Agatha.
Feb 18, 2012
Alison
rated it:
I refused to get out of bed until I finished it! And even though they keep you really confused up until the last 30 pages, Christie still defies any theory you might have had on solving the murder by the end.
I also never realized what a wry sense of humor she gives her characters. It's almost situational humor, but it's in the dialogue, and you have to be careful not to miss it. I think I've missed it in most of her works before.
A good read. I'm not sure if it's the best Agatha Christ More...
I also never realized what a wry sense of humor she gives her characters. It's almost situational humor, but it's in the dialogue, and you have to be careful not to miss it. I think I've missed it in most of her works before.
A good read. I'm not sure if it's the best Agatha Christ More...
Mar 15, 2009
Susanne
rated it:
This one was a little slow at first.
What interested me the most about this book is a character called Adriane Oliver who is a detective novel author. What interested me was how Mrs. Oliver felt about her most recently completed novel. My guess is that Christie put some of herself into Mrs. Oliver. Specifically, I bet Christie sometimes didn't like a novel she'd written but was under contract with the publisher and had to send it in anyway.
What interested me the most about this book is a character called Adriane Oliver who is a detective novel author. What interested me was how Mrs. Oliver felt about her most recently completed novel. My guess is that Christie put some of herself into Mrs. Oliver. Specifically, I bet Christie sometimes didn't like a novel she'd written but was under contract with the publisher and had to send it in anyway.
Aug 30, 2010
Adele
rated it:
it was on a shelf of the house we're renting on vacation in fire island, and it's a wonderful timepiece but it's so goofy-- it does give anyone who read christie in their youth/on vacation/in a hammock that little lift of nostalgia. poirot is such a ham, and the mystery was not bad at all, though christie's version of "swinging london" was a mottled gaze. anyway this was like my amuse bouche before Franzen ...
Sep 03, 2010
April
rated it:
I think I probably read almost every Agatha Chistie book when I was a kid, so when my mom handed me the book to read on the plane, I guessed that I had already read it even though it didn't sound familiar. Sure enough, I kept having an uncanny ability to guess what might happen next and whodunit.
It was an intriguing mystery, set in an old fashioned England.
It was an intriguing mystery, set in an old fashioned England.
Jul 11, 2011
Elise
rated it:
I thought this was a very well written, thrilling book. I never guessed the plot until the end, which I liked. I hate it when the plot is too obvious. I liked all the characters as well. I thought Poirot and Mrs. Oliver made a great team. The book was very scary, but at times it was humorous as well. It was definitely a book I couldn't put down.
Sep 21, 2010
Debsty
rated it:
A conversation with a good friend some weeks ago re-sparked my long set-aside love for Agatha. This novel has a solid plot - some part of it requires a little more willing suspense of reality than usual, but solid overall. Poirot, on the other hand, is almost insufferably conceited and there were moments when I would have liked to pull his moustache.
Jun 10, 2009
Jeannette
rated it:
Really not Christie's best book. The end of the book is drawn out by the story's detective, Hercule Poirot, struggling to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Unfortunately, this is spelled out to the reader over and over again for a couple of chapters. The ending is surprising enough, but still too contrived to justify the slow ending.
