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Cat Among the Pigeons (Hercule Poirot #32)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 9,637 ratings · 322 reviews

Late one night, two teachers investigate a mysterious flashing light in the sports pavilion, while the rest of the school sleeps. There, among the lacrosse sticks, they stumble upon the body of the unpopular games mistress - shot through the heart from point blank range.

The school is thrown into chaos when the 'cat' strikes again. Unfortunately, schoolgirl Julia Upjohn kn...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published July 5th 2005 by Berkley (first published 1959)

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Sep 03, 2007 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: practically everyone !

Shelves: all-time-favorites, detective-espionage

the very first - from such a long list of - agatha christie's detective novels i've read.
quite a 'right' choice because the story reminds me of the more familiar enid blyton's boarding schools' series (i.e. mallory towers), but with such expanded plots that includes romance, theft and murder. very juicy indeed.
i could even remember that i skipped sleeping that night just to finish this novel, and succeeded doing so in less than 48 hours.
this novel was probably the one that triggered my crave...more

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May 14, 2013 علی rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-crimies

در دوره ی نوجوانی ما، خواندن آثار پلیسی و جنایی بسیار رایج بود. تمام زنگ تفریح های مدرسه به بحث در مورد آخرین آثار پلیسی چاپ شده می گذشت. "مایک هامر"، "جانی دالر"، کاریل چسمان، و...البته آگاتا کریستی. تقریبن تمامی آثار آگاتا کریستی در آن سال ها توسط مترجمین حرفه ای و غیر حرفه ای به فارسی ترجمه می شد، و در کتاب های کیلویی گوتمبرگ (کیلویی ده تومان) به فروش می رسید. در سینماها هم فیلم های هالیوودی از آثار آگاتا کریستی کم نبودند. همه ی ما مشتری داستان های شب رادیو بودیم که اغلب سری داستان های پلیسی...more در دوره ی نوجوانی ما، خواندن آثار پلیسی و جنایی بسیار رایج بود. تمام زنگ تفریح های مدرسه به بحث در مورد آخرین آثار پلیسی چاپ شده می گذشت. "مایک هامر"، "جانی دالر"، کاریل چسمان، و...البته آگاتا کریستی. تقریبن تمامی آثار آگاتا کریستی در آن سال ها توسط مترجمین حرفه ای و غیر حرفه ای به فارسی ترجمه می شد، و در کتاب های کیلویی گوتمبرگ (کیلویی ده تومان) به فروش می رسید. در سینماها هم فیلم های هالیوودی از آثار آگاتا کریستی کم نبودند. همه ی ما مشتری داستان های شب رادیو بودیم که اغلب سری داستان های پلیسی و جنایی بود. به همین دلیل، کمتر داستانی از آثار پلیسی به یادم مانده است. جز "تله موش" که سال ها بعد بصورت تیاتر تله ویزیونی اجرا شد، یا فیلم "قتل بر روی رود نیل" با بازیگرانی نظیر "دیوید نیون"، پیتر یوستینف و... با این همه لذتی که در آن زمان از خواندن آثار پلیسی و جنایی می بردیم، فراموش ناشدنی ست.
اغلب آثاری که به نام آگاتا کریستی در فارسی چاپ و منتشر شده، مانند کارهای عنایت الله شکیباپور، بیشتر بصورت ترجمه ی آزاد، یا تالیف اند، که چیزهایی از اثر اصلی با خود داشتند. "راز دودکش ها" هم زمانی توسط یکی از همین مترجمان که معروف به "مترجم بساطی" بودند، به فارسی منتشر شده است.
فکر می کنم "تله موش" برای بیست و هفت سال پیاپی در لندن روی صحنه بود. این نمایش نامه در اواخر دهه ی چهل، (!1349)، توسط گروه تماشا برای تلویزیون ایران تهیه شد. کارگردانی آن را نوذر آزادی بعهده داشت و بازیگرانش تا آنجا که به یاد دارم، عنایت بخشی، عزت پریان، پروین دولتشاهی، محمد گودرزی، محمد اسکندری، سیروس ابراهیم زاده و... بودند. برای عده ای که همدیگر را نمی شناسند، دعوت نامه ی گمنامی می رسد. آنها برای یک اقامت چند روزه به متلی دعوت می شوند. در یک شب برفی، مهمانان یکی یکی به متل می آیند و با هم آشنا می شوند. در همان شب یک نفر از مهمانان به قتل می رسد، و شب های بعد دیگری و ...

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Jul 15, 2012 Chris Thompson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is my first experience with Agatha Christie. Mystery is not a genre I read a lot of, but Christie is so well-known I thought I'd give it a shot. Many novels do have elements of mystery in them, of course, particularly in hiding certain plot points or motivations until the end, so I am familiar with the conventions. I find that mystery, like many other things in life, is at its best before everything is revealed. Monster movies are always scarier when you don't see the monster than when you...more This is my first experience with Agatha Christie. Mystery is not a genre I read a lot of, but Christie is so well-known I thought I'd give it a shot. Many novels do have elements of mystery in them, of course, particularly in hiding certain plot points or motivations until the end, so I am familiar with the conventions. I find that mystery, like many other things in life, is at its best before everything is revealed. Monster movies are always scarier when you don't see the monster than when you do. Cat Among the Pigeons is no different. I think it has a satisfying reveal, but Christie cheats a little to throw us off track.

When a murder happens at an illustrious all-girl's school, Meadowbank, Inspector Kelsey is just as puzzled as the headmistress, Miss Bulstrode, about who would commit murder at such a place, and why. The reader knows a little bit more about the circumstances leading up to the motivation for murder, having to do with a revolution in Ramat and the death of Ramat's crown prince. The prince's valuable jewels were smuggled into the school with his most trusted advisor's niece, unknown to her. However, somebody else must have known. Was it one of the mistresses: Miss Rich, Madame Blanche, Miss Vansittart, Miss Johnson, or Miss Chadwick? Was it the secretary, Ann Shapland, one of the servants, or a student? Added to the mix is Miss Bulstrode's consideration to retire and hand off her headmistress position, a gardener who is a little more than he says he is, and a young princess who was in line to wed the recently deceased crown prince of Ramat. This is a lot to consider, and it'll be up to Hercule Poirot to clear it all up.

Overall an enjoyable book. I like Christie's writing style. She sprinkles plenty of wit and humor throughout her storytelling. There is a general feeling amongst the characters that there is a cat among the pigeons. Somebody doesn't belong, but nobody can put their finger on who. The reader will have their guesses, of course, based on evidence and hunches. Christie throws out plenty of red herrings, and it's our job to try and see past these distractions. I had an idea of who the murderer was, but I was proved wrong. At first I was okay with this, but as Christie revealed more details I felt like she cheated. Something happens that leads us off the trail of the killer, and while there is motivation behind this something that happens, it is nonetheless difficult to believe it would happen. I will leave this vague so as not to spoil anything for you.

Other than this, there was plenty to enjoy. The description of the workings of Meadowbank were fun to read, as was getting to know the key characters like Miss Bulstrode, who seems to amaze everybody, even the narrator. The introduction of Hercule Poirot feels random, but I guess it is necessary to solve the mystery. The early scenes in Ramat were also effective. There's a brief moment of interesting political discussion that took me off guard. The prince of Ramat can't understand why his people want to rebel against him. He wants to enact welfare programs to help his people, where his father was a murderous tyrant. Yet they want to oust the nice one. He's hurt and bewildered by these developments. It's as though his people aren't ready for a progressive leader just yet. The prince is left wondering the same thing as Miss Bulsrode - why murder at all? (less)

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Apr 17, 2012 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The story starts in the Middle Eastern Sheikhdom of Ramat which finds itself on the cups of a revolution. The young Sheikh knows his life is in danger and asks his friend, a British pilot, to find a way of smuggling a small fortune in jewels out of the country. The pilot’s sister happens to be in Ramat with her young daughter, Jennifer, and he hides the jewels in their luggage without having a chance of telling them and while being secretly watched.
Next the story switches to Meadowbank, a posh a...more The story starts in the Middle Eastern Sheikhdom of Ramat which finds itself on the cups of a revolution. The young Sheikh knows his life is in danger and asks his friend, a British pilot, to find a way of smuggling a small fortune in jewels out of the country. The pilot’s sister happens to be in Ramat with her young daughter, Jennifer, and he hides the jewels in their luggage without having a chance of telling them and while being secretly watched.
Next the story switches to Meadowbank, a posh and well respected school for girls in England where Jennifer is a new student when the summer term starts.
The term is only a few weeks old when one of the teachers is shot and murdered in the sports pavilion and although the police get assistance from a, for them unexpected, source, they have no idea who may have committed the crime or why exactly.
There a few interesting characters in the school though. There is the Middle Eastern princess, a cousin of the former Sheikh of Ramat, a few new staff members and Julia, whose mother worked in the secret service during the war and who quickly becomes fast friends with Jennifer.
When a second murder is committed, it is Julia who puts a few clues together, finds that which had been hidden and travels to London to ask Hercule Poirot for advice. And with Poirot on the case it isn’t long before the various mysteries are solved.

As always with Christie’s mysteries, this was a very enjoyable read. The mystery is well plotted and the characters, although they tend to be a bit stereo-typical, are well drawn and easy to picture.
The reader has a lot of inside information that the investigators in the book don’t have, but that didn’t make the mystery any easier to solve for me. Although I had a few suspicions with regard to a certain character in the book and was proved right in them, most of the mysteries stayed just that for me until Poirot unveiled the solution in his usual manner not in the least because of one or two well placed red herrings.
This book was exactly what I expected and needed it to be; easy to read, light, interesting and entertaining. It won’t be too long before I’ll bring another one of Christie’s books home with me.
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Mar 06, 2011 Ben R. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Genre: Mystery (there is two different mysteries on the possible genres sheet)

At a popular, and successful, girls' private school experiences a murder. The soon-to-retire headmistress is thrown in distress. The new games mistress was shot in point blank in their new sports pavilion. The gardener, an undercover agent, investigates the murder. The clues they find lead them no where, then, when things seem get boring, a second murder is committed in the same place. What mystery lies in the sports...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Bibliophile rated it 5 of 5 stars

Experienta mea cu Agatha Christie a inceput cand eram in clasa a 5-a si, intelegandu-ma foarte bine cu bibliotecara de la scoala, ma lasa sa ma plimb printre rafturi. In consecinta, cu fiecare imprumut incercam cate ceva nou, pana am descoperit-o pe ea, marea doamna a romanului policier, de care m-am indragostit ireversibil si care o sa ma farmece intotdeauna. I-am citit toate titlurile publicate pana la acel moment - desigur, majoritatea erau foarte cunoscute: Crima in Orient Express [beloved o...more Experienta mea cu Agatha Christie a inceput cand eram in clasa a 5-a si, intelegandu-ma foarte bine cu bibliotecara de la scoala, ma lasa sa ma plimb printre rafturi. In consecinta, cu fiecare imprumut incercam cate ceva nou, pana am descoperit-o pe ea, marea doamna a romanului policier, de care m-am indragostit ireversibil si care o sa ma farmece intotdeauna. I-am citit toate titlurile publicate pana la acel moment - desigur, majoritatea erau foarte cunoscute: Crima in Orient Express [beloved one], Zece negri mititei, Cinci purcelusi, Ucigasul ABC, Crima in Mesopotamia [care a ramas una dintre preferatele mele, dupa Crima din Orient Express] precum multe altele...dar si O Autobiografie, o carte formidabila, datorita careia am avut sansa sa descopar detalii interesante ale vietii ei personale, extrem de fascinanta si diversificata.

Nu aveam foarte multe asteptari de la aceasta carte, din doua motive: in primul rand, a trecut multa vreme de cand n-am mai citit ceva de Christie, mai mult pentru ca am depasit perioada adolescentei, cand ma puteam entuziasma exagerat doar pentru ca aflam cine e criminalul; in al doilea rand, cartea e aparuta in 1959, deci tarziu in cadrul carierei sale, si nu stiam la ce sa ma astept..

Iata, insa, ca m-am inselat si ca, spre surprinderea mea, cartea in discutie ajunge pe locul 2 in topul preferintelor mele [pe 1 situandu-se Crima in Orient Express - iubesc la nebunie finalul si "criminalul", iar pe 3 e Crima in Mesopotamia, care da, a decazut].

Acum ca am facut o introducere absolut enorma, as dori sa povestesc putin despre ce e vorba in acest roman.

Meadowbank este o scoala englezeasca pentru fete, impresionanta atat din cauza taxelor pe care directoarea le percepe pentru educatia copilelor, ci si datorita capacitatilor formidabile ale personalului - profesoarele erau foarte bune. Reputatia excelenta a internatului ii determina pe cei mai cunoscuti parinti [oameni politici, regi, printi si alte persoane ilustre] sa-si inscrie odraslele in acest amplasament.
Toate bune si frumoase - scoala e condusa de o domnisoara in varsta, Miss Bulstrode, care desi incearca de cativa ani buni sa iasa la pensie, se pare ca nu poate ceda cu usurinta locul ei, deoarece nu a gasit, inca, o urmasa pe voia asteptarilor sale.
Prologul debuteaza cu noul trimestru, care tocmai a inceput - ni se prezinta atat personalul, cat si elevele, din clase sociale diverse [unele provin din familii instarite, altele sunt de vita nobila, iar unele au pur si simplu sansa de a fi sponsorizate de cate o ruda bogata]. La finele prologului aflam ca "scoala Meadowbank avea sa fie aruncata intr-o mare de neplaceri, ca va domni peste tot dezordinea, confuzia si crima, si ca anumite evenimente deja fusesera puse in miscare...".

Romanul urmeaza, propriu-zis, traseul unor diamante, de la detinatorul original, Ali Yussuf, print si seic mostenitor al Ramatului, care e ucis intr-un accident aviatic prin care incerca sa evadeze din tara, pentru a scapa cu viata din revolutia ce parea iminenta. Alaturi de el se afla Bob Rawlinson, pilotul si prietenul sau bun, caruia ii fusesera incredintate pietrele pretioase, pentru ca acestea sa fie date mai departe cuiva, care sa le transporte in siguranta in Marea Britanie. De aici, ele aveau sa ajunga la o persoana importanta pentru print, a carei identitate n-o aflam decat in ultimele pagini. Bineinteles, din cauza unui sabotaj reusit, cei doi isi pierd viata, iar firul diamantelor ramane cel putin confuz.
Putini stiau, insa, ca in perioada in care s-a incercat fuga seicului la Ramat era cazata sora lui Bob, intr-un hotel oarecare. Acesta, profitand de absenta ei momentana, patrunde in camera si ascunde diamantele UNDEVA. Unde? Nu stim, insa femeia din camera alaturata izbuteste sa vada locul unde ele sunt pitite, pentru ca tocmai iesise pe balcon, ca sa se priveasca in oglinda. O tremurare a mainii si iata, oglinda reflecta imaginea din celalalt apartament, unde un barbat facea ceva foarte ciudat, bagand o serie de pietre pretioase in... o sa aflati voi unde, bineinteles. :D

Intre timp, la Meadowbank este inscrisa nepoata lui Bob, Jennifer, o fata relativ superficiala dar nu in intregime proasta, care-si petrece mai toata ziua gandindu-se la cum sa progreseze la tenis, si plangandu-se de zor de racheta ei [aparent isi pierduse balansul]. Cateva zile mai tarziu dupa sosirea ei, se petrece prima crima - profesoara de sport, desconsiderata de celelalte din cauza dragostei ei pentru barfa si din cauza curiozitatii sale excesive si a instinctului de a afla orice secret, este descoperita impuscata in pavilionul sportiv.
Politia este pierduta! De ce aceasta crima? Ce-ar fi putut descoperi Miss Springer, pentru a fi ucisa?
La scurta vreme, apare cea de-a doua crima, alaturi de o rapire formidabila a verisoarei lui Ali Yussuf, care da, invata la scoala respectiva - ca sa vezi coincidenta!
Cand nimeni nu pare a gasi o solutie, isi face aparitia ...Poirot. :D

Va zic, romanul asta are de toate - nu puteti da gres cu el, daca vreti sa va atatati curiozitatea, sa va testati atentia, si sa va relaxati intr-o duminica sau cand prindeti niste timp liber.(less)

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Nov 15, 2010 Veens rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 2nd Christie book and 1st Poirot book ever, and I had this sitting on my stands since 1986 ( since I was a 3 year old). Can you believe that? Absolutely, no joking. This copy of mine was signed by my Dad in 6/1986 and someone bought it for 23 Rs 80 Ps. Yo! No my Dad was not rich and I have bad feeling that this came from someone else and was never given back. He cannot remember how he got it, but he remembers giving it to his brother for reading, and that is where I got it from.
So, I have no clu...more 2nd Christie book and 1st Poirot book ever, and I had this sitting on my stands since 1986 ( since I was a 3 year old). Can you believe that? Absolutely, no joking. This copy of mine was signed by my Dad in 6/1986 and someone bought it for 23 Rs 80 Ps. Yo! No my Dad was not rich and I have bad feeling that this came from someone else and was never given back. He cannot remember how he got it, but he remembers giving it to his brother for reading, and that is where I got it from.
So, I have no clue why I never read it. But now that I have, I am glad I finally did, it doesn’t matter it is after 24 years ), Hardly matters, doesn’t it?
Meadowbank is the finest school in the whole of London, exotic – where Princess of different countries are sent and people at high places send there kids to be properly groomed. So it is hardly good for the reputation of the school, when a teacher (mistress) of the school is found dead in the Sports Pavilion (Gym). The first part of the book, gives us a sneak peek into Middle East, which is at the verge of a Revolution against the current King, because he is democratic and is not the blood-thirsty maniac his father was…

“While in England people who are picturesque and violent cause embarrassment and are not much liked, in the Middle East, Bob was fairly sure, it was different.”

Now, every King or Prince, people like that have reserves of fine jewels and here also jewels worth 3 and a half million go missing from the King’s possession. Where are these jewels?, are still in Ramat (the country’s name), or have they been shipped out by someone?

There is great characterization, you can definitely guess where the jewels are hidden. There was only two things that did not work out for me -

1) Entry of Poirot is in the very end after a school girl has already solved most of the mystery of course not the killer.

**Spoiler**

2) It was just the matter of Julia’s mom identifying the women whom she had seen on the 1st day of the term, I just did not get how they (as in the Police, CID guys etc) could not employ the same influence as Poirot in finding Julia’s Mom.

**Spoiler End**

I was pleasantly surprised at Rich’s story as well, and I was thinking Julia could have made a wonderful amateur sleuth, if given a chance. This doesn’t mean I didnot enjoy it at all, I did. I was surprised at who the killer was. I for once was wrong entirely. This was an enjoyable read but not as good as the last one I read.(less)

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May 28, 2010 D.M. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, agatha-christie

I found a really nice copy of this Christie title in a second-hand shop recently; a Readers Book Club edition with very good dustwrapper (not the image and edition shown here with this review)and printed in 1961. The book is as old as I am and in just as good condition I would add!

This one is set in an exclusive girls' school. One teacher is murdered and you know there's more murder to follow. Poirot is called for and the little grey cells get working.

This title was Christie's 61st and is the au...more

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Jan 21, 2010 Laurel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-year-of-agatha

Cat Among the Pigeons is an atypical Agatha with a number of strengths but a couple of odd weaknesses. I really enjoyed the fact that the first 100 pages are more of a novel of manners than a mystery, focusing on the development of interesting characters at a girls' boarding school. I admit, I picture Waverly Academy from Nancy Drew! When murder finally occurs, the motivation thus has more depth. This would be one of her best but for two detractions: first, it is very odd to bring in Poirot 200...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Philip rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

First read: 1975. I didn't remember much about it, but it's reminiscent of two novels I've read since then: Josephine Tey's Miss Pym Disposes and P.D. James's Shroud For a Nightingale (the first was published before this book, the second several years after - both,like this one, are set at educational facilities.

The Agatha Christie Companion was enthusiastic about Cat Among the Pigeons:
“...written when Christie was almost seventy, [is] a successful combination of an above-average thriller w...more

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Sep 21, 2007 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Hercule Poirot fans

Shelves: mysteries, humor, reread, favorites

This is my favorite Agatha Christie, and not just because it's not set on a golf course. I love the character studies, the setting at a British boarding school, and the perfect touch of exotic danger.
A cache of jewels has been smuggled out of a civil war torn Middle Eastern country, and has made its way to England. In the meantime, a rash of murders is plaguing an exclusive girls' school. One bright student, who has met Hercule Poirot, finds herself in the middle.

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Jun 18, 2010 Jessica added it

Shelves: another-time

Well, you know how Agatha Christie novels had international intrigue subplots you didn't pay attention to? Turns out they involve a pretty interesting view of world affairs. Like when the people of the city of "Ramat" reject their British-educated young prince who builds hospitals and roads -- they miss his grandfather, a bloodthirsty tyrant -- and this explanation is given: "While in England people who are picturesque and violent cause embarrassment and are not much liked, in the Middle East, B...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Maninee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Somewhere in the countryside of England lies the highly distinguished and internationally famous Meadowbank School. Rumored to be the best girls’ school in England, Meadowbank was founded by Ms. Bulstrode, a woman of strong personality. Ms. Bulstrode had worked had along with Ms. Chadwick, fighting the traditional schooling ways, striving to make their little venture successful. And just when success had arrived, when Meadowbank was at the height of its glory, with daughters of Emirs popping in,...more Somewhere in the countryside of England lies the highly distinguished and internationally famous Meadowbank School. Rumored to be the best girls’ school in England, Meadowbank was founded by Ms. Bulstrode, a woman of strong personality. Ms. Bulstrode had worked had along with Ms. Chadwick, fighting the traditional schooling ways, striving to make their little venture successful. And just when success had arrived, when Meadowbank was at the height of its glory, with daughters of Emirs popping in, something happens that threatens destroy their life’s work in a matter of days. The new games teacher, Ms. Springer gets shot in the newly built games pavilion bring murder into the pleasant and calm world of school life.

I didn’t quite like this particular Poirot book, mostly because the great Belgian detective himself wasn’t there for two thirds of the book, and secondly because the suspense didn’t build up half as well as it could have in such a situation. In the beginning, when the first murder takes place, all hell doesn’t break lose like it ought to, instead, the reader gets this weird feeling that the school isn’t particularly worried at all, as if having the school’s games mistress murdered in the sports pavilion is a regular affair.

Secondly, I really missed a few classic features that a Poirot book is usually filled with. There weren’t any of those hundreds of frustrating and yet necessary details that one can never keep track of, there wasn’t that house arrest situation where there’s a house full of people to choose the murderer from (you know, the who dun nit thing), there weren’t those endless interviews and mind games of Poirot. In fact, since Poirot doesn’t appear for half of the book, all the reader does is toy around with the racquet idea (which is a bit too obvious from the very beginning) and interrogate every single teacher in their minds until they come round and round to the old French mistress.

The only saving character was Adam Goodman, and even he didn’t live up to my expectations. I thought he’d be that charming young man with an infallible humor who you find in almost every other Agatha Christie novel. He wan’t quite that either. All in all, it’s kind of a big disappointment.
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Feb 13, 2011 Rahel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

The story's about a murder at an exclusive girl's school. The unpopular games mistress got herself killed in the middle of the night in the sports pavillon ... but there's more to it than it seems ... especially after the second murder.

Be careful if you read on - containing SPOILERS.

It all starts with a revolution in an arabic country where a prince is trying to flee the country before he gets murdered. Beforehand he hands over some diamonds to his trusted friend and pilot to get them out of the...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Anne Toronto1 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense

"Cat among the pigeons" by Agatha Christie is the feeling by Meadowbrook elite girls' headmistress Miss Bulstrode, ugly suprising astute Eileen Rich p93, and "consultant" Hercule Poirot p196, that hidden predator(s) murdered thrice and kidnapped once. Men control important events and detect solution. Women perform and suffer misdeeds.

Rama Prince Ali entrusts fortune in jewels to his pilot Bob Rawlinson, both immediately assassinated. Nosy Miss Springer of games is shot, second in command Miss V...more "Cat among the pigeons" by Agatha Christie is the feeling by Meadowbrook elite girls' headmistress Miss Bulstrode, ugly suprising astute Eileen Rich p93, and "consultant" Hercule Poirot p196, that hidden predator(s) murdered thrice and kidnapped once. Men control important events and detect solution. Women perform and suffer misdeeds.

Rama Prince Ali entrusts fortune in jewels to his pilot Bob Rawlinson, both immediately assassinated. Nosy Miss Springer of games is shot, second in command Miss Vasittart and greedy Mlle Blanche are coshed by sandbags. Neither Springer nor co-founder Miss Chadwick stop for aid when investigating lights at night from the Sports Pavilion. Student Princess Shaista's limo diverts before meeting the uncle who would recognize her, a red herring. Not until late p159 does student Julia enlist Poirot. Books oppose screen, "large moustaches" p164. Canadian red-tape now is, amusingly, exactly like Christie's England 1959. "One does not give plain refusals in diplomacy. One says instead that such as matter shall receive the utmost attention, but that at the moment nothing definite is known." p168.

Cozy chatty naive letters, crisp dialogue, and attitudes embue everyone with averageness, "might be overlooked in ordinary everyday life" p81. At first I remembered who was guilty, then got caught up in narrative. The plot is like life, messy, not one simple answer, with clever cliff-hangers mean-whiling us off a different direction.

(Spoilers:
Giving the assassin an alibi for unexpected Chadwick's sudden murderous jealousy tricks the reader p132. Jennifer accepts face value p117; peer Julia p119 and reader sees ahead, the tennis racket is key, "fat" was pregnant p183. When Mlle Blanche is revealed to be an incompetent sister of the real teacher, deceased p190, the reader is fooled some into thinking we have answers, but really just more questions. We have to wait for Julia's mother to return from bus jaunt; who is spy she recognized? The last words wind again back to a female, Ali's legal English widow whose worth is biblical "above rubies", yet a male, her son, is again ascendant, the heir in trust.)

Typo: p 53 Ann addresses letter to beau Denis; unlikely in second letter, Elspeth's married sister also Denis(less)

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Jun 07, 2012 kit rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally posted here: http://bibliotekit.blogspot.co.uk/201...

Another Poirot, but only just. The majority of Cat Among The Pigeons takes place in a girls' boarding school, where the police (with the help of the Secret Service) must uncover the mystery of the dead school mistress and the kidnapping of a high profile student-slash-princess. There is also the case of the missing jewels, smuggled out of Ramat on the eve of the revolution, as well as the question of who will succeed the retiring Mi...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Joevarian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 25, 2010 BoekenTrol rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to BoekenTrol by: chamonix44

Shelves: crime-thrillers-espionage, dutch_language

Ik vond het een aardig boek. Ben er in begonnen en heb het zo ongeveer in één ruk uitgelezen. Dat zegt wat over hoe goed het verhaal mijn aandacht vast hield. Het zegt ook iets over de dikte (een dunnetje voor mij) en over de moeilijkheid.

Het verhaal over hoe een gebeurtenis in een land in het Midden Oosten invloed heeft op het leven op een meisjeskostschool in Engeland. Ik vond het leuk om te lezen, was benieuwd hoe het nu toch verder zou gaan, af zou lopen. Wie zou nu wat doen, wat krijgen.

Het...more

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Jun 29, 2009 Brendan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fast-reads, mysteries

While I don't think I can recommend this book to anybody, I couldn't stop reading it. I always feel smug about Agatha Christie novels in theory, but then I read one and she shames me by fooling me to the bitter end. While I did easily figure out where the jewels were hidden (and she hammers these clues so heavy-handedly that figuring this out should be a determining factor on whether you are able to operate havy machinery), I am embarrassed to admit that Eileen Rich's secret evaded me (what, am...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of my favourite Christies, probably because I was a teenager myself when I read it for the first time. And what's not to love about a boarding school? Especially one with such interesting teachers, nice students, hot gardeners and a swimming pool. Too bad the teachers start getting killed...

Hercule Poirot doesn't enter the picture until the second half of the book, and the story benefits from it. Instead, we get to know all these other characters who we care more about. We want to kn...more

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Jul 04, 2010 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

I have a soft spot for mysteries. If you grew up on the likes of Nancy Drew and Encyclopedia Brown, then perhaps you might too. I think mysteries get lumped into the crap fiction category, much like romance novels. Perhaps because they tend to be written for plot rather than for poetry and can be a bit formulaic - somehow, the mystery always gets solved within the last 20 pages of the novel often without any way of figuring it out on your own. But I like the Hercule Poirot character. His appeara...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Isabelle Low rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mystery lovers, teens

Shelves: mystery

The mystery progresses at a very slow pace and picks up about more than half way through the book. As much as Agatha Christie can keep one captivated by her mere writing, a few chapters of 'background information' in the beginning can leave one very frustrated at the lack of progress in the story- or merely lost at the relevance of the information given. In fact although the information ties in seamlessly halfway through, one's patience is tested at the beginning. Rest assured Christie makes the...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Bookworm1858 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, mystery, own

Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie
Black Dog & Leventhal, 1959
297 pages
Hercule Poirot Mystery
4/5 stars

Source: Bought (it was on sale)

Summary: Meadowbank School is an outstanding school for young girls which is suddenly rocked by the murder of the new games mistress. Was she too curious for her own good? Does it have some connection to the recent revolution in a Near East country? (Hint: yes) Never fear: Hercule Poirot and his little grey cells are on the case.

Thoughts: The book opens wi...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Priceless jewels are smuggled out of war torn Ramat and are hidden at an exclusive private girls school. Someone at the school knows where the jewels are hidden and will do anything to possess them, including murder. Who is the culprit? The new french mistress who seems incompetent at her job? The new games mistress, who is overly enthusiastic? The head mistress's new efficient secretary? Or perhaps a teacher who happened to be in Ramat on holiday and saw where the jewels were hidden? Or it is s...more

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Aug 25, 2011 Colleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

International intrigue in the most unlikely place, a well-respected girl's boarding school in England. A coup has taken place in a Middle Eastern country and the former ruler, a democratic minded prince educated in England, dies trying to escape. Before leaving he entrusts the disposal of an insurance policy, a stash of fine jeweles, to a friend. Said friend hides them in the luggage of his sister, who happend to be visiting at the time. Now,the jeweles cannot be found and, somehow, forces that...more

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Jan 29, 2011 Dolly rated it 3 of 5 stars

*I like Hercule Poirot novels when I need some light reading, and this did just the trick.

*I personally liked the way Christie intertwined the global-political scene with the rather plain setting of a girls' boarding school (albeit a prestigious one).

*While she's not always the most politically correct writer, Christie does think up some interesting characters who defy traditional stereotypes (i.e. Eileen Rich).

SPOILER ALERT: The ending did seem a little silly to me. Miss Chadwick, a murderer...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Karthik Thrikkadeeri rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: read it!

Shelves: 5-star

It was an awesome book. I mean awwwwwwesome! Although, there was one weird fact that Poirot only appeared in page 249! I mean - the murder is in 139, but that's okay, all that I've read are like that - but still!
Anyway, the characters are all well-created. I got confused with Julia and Jennifer once. The plot is very good. The introduction in the back is itself confusing.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book. I really like the front cover...
And of course, as usual, there are some points that are not clari...more

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Apr 26, 2010 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another Hercule Poirot book to add to my list. I love it.

This one takes place in a girl's boarding school. Is it weird that I pictured the Wellesley campus? Hercule Poirot doesn't appear until the end of the book and in a way, the fact that he knows exactly what's happened earlier in the book is a bit unrealistic. Plus, the actual murderer was not a normal person, but a professional. It kind of made the explanation a bit disappointing this time, but the level of detail and then the throw in "ot...more

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Nov 04, 2012 George Scully rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rich characterization, beautiful tapestry of storytelling ~ I’m only sorry it took me this long to discover the joys of Ms. Agatha Christie.

Minor Spoilers! Scroll down for ‘em.

I love Hercule Poirot and this is one of his mysteries; however, he is only in a few chapters of this tale. The plot-lines of the various characters are enough to make this work well but if you are looking to get your Poirot fix check this out after reading, “Death on the Nile”, “Murder on the Orient Express”, or “The Und...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was one of the best Christies that I've read. I would have liked Poirot to come in a little earlier, but that's just a little complaint. The characters - especially Miss Bulstrode, the headmistress, and Julie, one of the school girls - are wonderful and real and very, very admirable. I was especially struck by Christie's practical understanding of the Middle East. The little fictional country of Ramat is so similar to Afganistan and Iraq and Iran of today - any progress to break f...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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“Everybody always knows something," said Adam, "even if it's something they don't know they know.” — 77 people liked it

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Cat Among the Pigeons (Hercule Poirot #32)

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