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Peril at End House (Hercule Poirot #8)

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 8,630 ratings · 332 reviews

While on holiday in Cornwall, Hercule Poirot suffers a fall and stumbles onto more than just a turned ankle when he encounters the pretty Nick Buckley, an accident-prone heiress of a local estate and the survivor of several near-fatal mishaps. Poirot suspects more than mere chance is behind these events when strange connections surface between distant relatives, an absent...more

Kindle Edition, 287 pages

Published 2001 by HarperCollins (first published 1931)

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Jan 17, 2013 Dinesh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Never imagined there would be an other English detective in the likes of Sherlock Holmes. Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective would certainly join the rank of Sherlock Holmes with regards to his meticulous observations and shrewd detections.

The story starts with Hercule Poirot deciding to put an end to his illustrious investigating career with his trusted friend, Captain Hastings. But when he realizes that his acquaintance from the End House, Miss Nick Buckley was being targeted for murder, h...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Lorraine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, agatha-christie, mystery

Hercule Poirot and Captain Hastings are taking a week's vacation in Cornwall in St. Loo by the sea. There they meet Nick Buckley, a young woman who lives at End House. She tells them that she's had three potentially life-ending accidents in the last three days. Poirot decides to protect her and find the killer. Nick's best friend is Frederica, a woman separated from her violent husband and is evidently is a drug user, and tells Poirot that Nick lies a lot. The Crofts, an Australian couple who ha...more

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May 16, 2013 Øystein Bjaanes rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From around the age of 10 I started reading crome - and Agatha Christie was the authour easily found. The following years, up tio maybe the age of 16-17, I read a lot of her books. At that time, I didn't think about the enviroment in which they were taking place, their charachters or their "modernity", for lack of a better word.

I was struck by that now. I've read quite a lot of crime since then, from different authors, but most of it has been contemporary, and it hasn't been upper class problems...more

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May 06, 2013 مها rated it 5 of 5 stars

مش مصدقة ان بوارو مكانش عارف اللعبة كلها م الأول .. هوا نفسه علق أول ما قابلها ف بداية القضية على القبعة بتاعتها وازاى انها سهلة النزع ع عكس القبعات اللى بتبقى مثبتة .. كان منطقى ان رصاصة اخترقتها هتطيرها يعنى ! رغم عدم ذكره لـ ده .. والحل كمان قالته هيا بلسانها ف البداية برضه لما كانت بتعرّفه عن عيلتها وقالت ان اسمها ماجديلا وانه اسم نادر ع عكس شيوعه الملحوظ ف عيلتها .. وجت الرسالة بتاع الطيار تؤكد ده.. ثم علبة الشيكولاتة مع ان حد ف ظروفها كان طبيعى أوى يضرب عن طعام المشفى نفسه فضلا عن اللى جاى...more مش مصدقة ان بوارو مكانش عارف اللعبة كلها م الأول .. هوا نفسه علق أول ما قابلها ف بداية القضية على القبعة بتاعتها وازاى انها سهلة النزع ع عكس القبعات اللى بتبقى مثبتة .. كان منطقى ان رصاصة اخترقتها هتطيرها يعنى ! رغم عدم ذكره لـ ده .. والحل كمان قالته هيا بلسانها ف البداية برضه لما كانت بتعرّفه عن عيلتها وقالت ان اسمها ماجديلا وانه اسم نادر ع عكس شيوعه الملحوظ ف عيلتها .. وجت الرسالة بتاع الطيار تؤكد ده.. ثم علبة الشيكولاتة مع ان حد ف ظروفها كان طبيعى أوى يضرب عن طعام المشفى نفسه فضلا عن اللى جاى من بره .. حاجتين كمان مجاش ع ذكرهم مع انهم من شأنهم يفضحوا الموضوع : شهادة الخادمة لما قالت انها شافتها نازلة السلالم قبل الجريمة وهى "مرِحَة" ع عكس حكايتها انها كانت تبكى بشأن خطيبها المتوفى .. وكمان البطاقة بتاع بوارو .. مكانش فى احتمال غير ان اللى شافها اتنين بس .. تشالنجر وكان هيبقى م الغباء الشديد انه يسيب بصمة واضحة ليه كده .. وهيا .. بس أعترف انى مع ثقتى ف ان هيا القاتلة الا ان بوارو فضل يزعزع ثقتى لغاية الآخر وبقيت محتارة لأن مفيش أى حد تانى ممكن تتماشى الأحداث بتسلسل منطقى معاه غيرها .. لغاية ما فضحت نفسها تانى وقالت نقفّل ع القضية وده أمر مثير للشبهة جدا لأى حد ف مكانها مر بالتجربة دى مكانش هيقبل إلا بالكشف عن كل من من الممكن انه يكون له يد ... بس هيا حلوة .. فتحت نفسى بعد الروايتين اللى فاتوا(less)

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Apr 09, 2013 Mónica Silva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Opinião no blog http://howtoliveathousandlives.blogsp...

Protagonizado pelo genial detetive Hercule Poirot, acompanhado pelo seu inseparável ajudante, o Capitão Hastings, esta é mais uma estória incrível, com um enredo bem delineado, da autoria da Rainha do Crime.

Peculiarmente, o foco desta estória no início não se trata de um homicídio, mas sim de uma série de acontecimentos inexplicáveis cometidos contra Nick, uma jovem refugiada na sua casa de família. Estes eventos estranhos parecem mais aten...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Jeni Enjaian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, classics

A review from my old blog...

While most of Agatha Christie's books are intriguing on their own once many of the books are read a pattern is easily detectable. In fact, most of the Hercule Poirot books have a Sherlock Holmes set up to them. This story was told from the perspective of Captain Hastings, the man to which Poirot confides and uses as a board to bounce his ideas off.

Another thing that I don't like about Christie's books is the fact that the ending is usually something that cannot be det...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Φαροφύλακας rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: Αστυνομικά-crime

Άλλο ένα πολύ καλό βιβλίο από την Αγκάθα Κρίστη.

Ο Πουαρό έχει συνταξιοδοτηθεί και κάνει διακοπές με το κολλητάρι του, τον Χάστινγκς. Εκεί συναντούν μια νεαρή κοπέλα, την Νικ, που τους διηγείται πως μέσα σε δυο μέρες είχε τρία ατυχήματα που παραλίγο να τής κοστίσουν την ζωή. Καθώς μιλούν η Νικ διαμαρτύρεται για μια σφήγκα που περνάει μπρος από το πρόσωπό της. Όταν φεύγει, ξεχνάει το καπέλο της πίσω κι όπως ο Πουαρό το κρατά στα χέρια του, με την σκέψη να τής το επιστρέψει, διαπιστώνει μια μικρή τ...more Άλλο ένα πολύ καλό βιβλίο από την Αγκάθα Κρίστη.

Ο Πουαρό έχει συνταξιοδοτηθεί και κάνει διακοπές με το κολλητάρι του, τον Χάστινγκς. Εκεί συναντούν μια νεαρή κοπέλα, την Νικ, που τους διηγείται πως μέσα σε δυο μέρες είχε τρία ατυχήματα που παραλίγο να τής κοστίσουν την ζωή. Καθώς μιλούν η Νικ διαμαρτύρεται για μια σφήγκα που περνάει μπρος από το πρόσωπό της. Όταν φεύγει, ξεχνάει το καπέλο της πίσω κι όπως ο Πουαρό το κρατά στα χέρια του, με την σκέψη να τής το επιστρέψει, διαπιστώνει μια μικρή τρύπα σε αυτό και λίγο πιο 'κεί μια σφαίρα κι απ' ό,τι φαίνεται αυτό που πέρασε μπρος από το πρόσωπο τής Νικ δεν ήταν σφήγκα αλλά αυτή η σφαίρα που αστόχησε για λίγο. Έτσι ο Πουαρό αφήνει την αργία και βάζει σαν στόχο να προστατεύσει την Νικ γιατί όπως φαίνεται κάποιος προσπαθεί να την σκοτώσει. Όμως, αλίμονο, και δεν υπάρχει βιβλίο τής Κρίστη δίχως φόνο αλλά και μήτε Πουαρό δίχως να λύσει το όποιο εγκληματικό μυστήριο.

Το βιβλίο είναι αληθινά απολαυστικό με γρήγορη εξέλιξη και συνεχές ενδιαφέρον. Το απολαύσαμε στην Λέσχη του Βιβλίου σε ομαδική ανάγνωση και προσωπικά το συνιστώ ανεπιφύλακτα σε όποιον φίλο τής Κρίστη.

(Για όσους δεν το χόρτασαν, από όσο έχω δει υπάρχει και παιχνίδι βασισμένο στο βιβλίο ;) )\

[ πρώτη δημοσίευση στην Λέσχη του Βιβλίου ](less)

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Dec 11, 2012 Luffy Monkey D. rated it 2 of 5 stars

So, after 4 books which gleaned 5 stars, this dud arrives. This book doesn't really deserves 2 stars but I had to judge it as a re read. The solution would have been breathtaking. But I remember only too well the outcome. I only read it because I didn't remember the title of Peril at End House. The book does not hold well as it's not a cozy mystery. There's no coziness, no nastiness, no sadness, no doom, no (in my opinion) romance even. It's a big nothing.

It's just one of those attempts of ben...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Leah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, mystery

I have a delightfully macabre cover on this book, a bleeding wall and a hook that I can only assume is meant to represent the picture-hook above Nick's bed. It gives me glee to look at this cover.

This is actually one I've read before, although many years ago (if I'm going by the inscription from a friend inside the cover, my sixteenth birthday or thereabouts...) and I have to give it credit for still keeping me guessing, despite also having seen the TV version more than once.

Where it's really l...more

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Sep 28, 2011 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In addition to there being spoilers for "The Peril at End House" in this review, there are also spoilers for a previous Christie book, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd." You've been warned.

I read this immediately after having finished "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd." There are some similarities between the two -- in the case of "Roger," the narrator and assistant of Poirot is ultimately revealed to have been the murderer, and in "End House," the person who seeks Poirot's assistance is the murderer.

As...more

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Sep 14, 2011 James K rated it 4 of 5 stars

After reading three Agatha Christie books this summer (And Then There Were None, Peril at End House, and Murder on the Orient Express), I have grown to love her writing. Of these three engaging mysteries, Peril at End House is my favorite. Although starting very slowly it picks up a quick pace and keeps you guessing. With constant cliff-hangers, at the end of each chapter, you never want to put it down. The ending is shocking, bold, and very well written. This series of Agatha Christie books fe...more

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May 05, 2011 Laurel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-year-of-agatha

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am going to have to employ spoilers in order to review Peril at End House, because I need to explain why I only gave three stars. This is vintage 1930s Agatha Christie, with Poirot and Hastings and even a brief cameo from Japp; it's crisply written and as twisty and turny as a labyrinth. There were several references to earlier Poirot cases (Blue Train, Ackroyd), a nice in-joke for faithful readers. Then why not at least four stars? Because something quite unprecedented happened: I solved the...more I am going to have to employ spoilers in order to review Peril at End House, because I need to explain why I only gave three stars. This is vintage 1930s Agatha Christie, with Poirot and Hastings and even a brief cameo from Japp; it's crisply written and as twisty and turny as a labyrinth. There were several references to earlier Poirot cases (Blue Train, Ackroyd), a nice in-joke for faithful readers. Then why not at least four stars? Because something quite unprecedented happened: I solved the case immediately, and spent the rest of the novel wondering why Poirot was being so dense. That is not supposed to happen--normally, I'm amazed along with Hastings when Poirot solves the case in a triumph of the grey cells.

To be fair, I had an enormous advantage: the rest of Dame Agatha's career! If you read all of her works close together, you cannot help noticing certain patterns--endlessly inventive though she was, certain truths held. Whoever dies, it is never a case of mistaken identity; there is a hidden motive for that specific murder. Also, if anyone has an attempt on his/her life but DOESN'T die, s/he's done it to her/himself to avert suspicion and is in fact the killer. Peril at End House was published in 1932. No one, including Christie herself, could have known that she would be consistent on these two points for so very many novels to follow. No doubt readers at the time, or those reading now who are new to Agatha, would be surprised indeed.

However, even so, I think Poirot really should have caught on sooner than he did. The name "Maggie" is an immediate tip-off when one considers the emphasis on the family name "Magdala" in the will; Christie all but hits us over the head with it. My first thought was that Nick killed Maggie because the identical names might raise confusion about who would inherit...I was wrong about the motive but correct about the killer. If nothing else, Poirot should have known that Nick must have effected the chocolate box trick because she, and ONLY she, was present when Hastings talked about Poirot's one unsolved case with the switch between two candy boxes (from the short story "The Chocolate Box"). Nick basically just followed the script Hastings handed her on how to fool Poirot! I cannot believe he would be fooled twice. So, despite my unfair advantage on this novel, I felt that Poirot was not his usual super-detective self, and that was as disappointing as if he had shaved his mustache. However, Christie does an excellent job of wrapping up all possible loose threads and red herrings in the end, so all is not lost...there were several minor mysteries that I did not deduce, and I enjoyed the novel's seaside setting and the convoluted plot.(less)

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Dec 15, 2010 Sus rated it 4 of 5 stars

The third Christie book I've read. Dear me, I'm starting to read her for entertainment. I'm turning into the kind of person who reads Agatha Christie for fun! What does that say about me? O.O

At any rate, the _reason_ I read this before I'd planned to, and so quickly too (overnight, as with the other books of hers I've read), is that it's addictive and fun. This was a damn cracking mystery -- that's British, right? -- cracking! Really not bad at all! (Which I think means I'm complimenting the pac...more The third Christie book I've read. Dear me, I'm starting to read her for entertainment. I'm turning into the kind of person who reads Agatha Christie for fun! What does that say about me? O.O

At any rate, the _reason_ I read this before I'd planned to, and so quickly too (overnight, as with the other books of hers I've read), is that it's addictive and fun. This was a damn cracking mystery -- that's British, right? -- cracking! Really not bad at all! (Which I think means I'm complimenting the pacing, although since I was reading for fun and not particularly analytically I can't really be sure.)

Almost feverishly entertaining, despite stock characters -- who nonetheless usually turn out to have sufficient depth for the purpose. Oh, and there are emotional reservoirs where you weren't always expecting them. Oh, and Christie is really good at the red herrings (though I admit all the vaguely unsettling servants are starting to look alike). And not _all_ the characters are stock, and some of them really work quite well, all things considered. I mean, this isn't Fitzgerald, we don't get out of garden parties what we would out of a Fitzgerald garden party, right. But it's quite a different approach... we're looking for something different in the garden parties, right?

Poirot and Hastings are cute together, too. The sidekick makes Poirot much more interesting; I can see appeal to the character now that I couldn't in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, in which he mainly struck me as impossibly annoying. One can understand why Christie didn't use Hastings in that book -- it would have looked far too much like being married -- which, however, they appear to be anyway, which is what's inevitably going to happen when you deploy the Holmes/Watson dynamic, because, hello, and also we aren't even in the nineteenth century any more. Anyway, it lends a friendly and refreshing air to the tone of the book, which I enjoy, so bring on the implicitly married ex-military male sidekicks, Dame Christie, please, because there's really nothing like it for humanizing your inherently irritating and regularly Othered detective protagonist, which, to be honest, is a point I WISH YOU HAD CONTINUED TO BEAR IN MIND.

Also -- though not really enough of it -- this book has Cornwall.

And sliding doors! I'm not really sure why there seem to be so many French windows and sliding doors in Christie's England, but they're nice and complicated and make getaways much more suspicious. I think I want sliding doors and windows in all my mysteries. And maybe glass-topped tables, though to be honest those seem to be getting old kind of quickly. Maybe I'm just enjoying being in England in the 20s and 30s, where I've never really been before. Dunno! Bring on the garden parties! Lethal ones!(less)

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Jul 08, 2010 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Agatha Christie is a writer for whom many readers will have a soft spot. Along with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, she’s perhaps one of the best known mystery writes of our time (or, if you’re a young munchkin like me, perhaps slightly before our time). Christie was an extremely prolific author whose work spanned novels, short stories, and plays, and while she was best known for her extensive work in the mystery genre, she also wrote a number of romance novels under the name Mary Westmacott. Christie i...more Agatha Christie is a writer for whom many readers will have a soft spot. Along with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, she’s perhaps one of the best known mystery writes of our time (or, if you’re a young munchkin like me, perhaps slightly before our time). Christie was an extremely prolific author whose work spanned novels, short stories, and plays, and while she was best known for her extensive work in the mystery genre, she also wrote a number of romance novels under the name Mary Westmacott. Christie is credited as the best-selling author of all time, and, having just sped through the fabulous Peril at End House, I’m not surprised by this at all.

One of Christie’s most beloved creations is detective Hercule Poirot, who appears in several dozen of her novels. Peril at End House is the seventh of the Poirot novels, and it’s a witty and intriguing read. The novel begins with Poirot and his sidekick (and the novel’s narrator) Hastings arriving for a holiday on the Cornish Riviera. Of course, as with any novel, a holiday cannot simply be an enjoyable and lovely experience, and Poirot almost immediately comes across young Nick Buckley, who begins to describe her soi-disant ‘accidental brushes with death’. Poirot, of course, believes that there is a potential killer at large, and he sets out a complicated series of efforts to both protect Nick and identify her would-be killer.

This book has more twists than a moebius strip, and will keep you guessing right up until the last page. I admit that I did the old head-slap when the killer was eventually revealed, as I’d been merrily following along, completely in the dark, up until that point. Christie mixes a good deal of humour and wit with her clever plots, and it’s difficult not to get caught up in the enjoyable tete-a-tete of Hastings and Poirot as they try to sort out exactly what’s going on. The pacing is spot-on, pulling the reader along at a quick pace that never lapses into the breathless ‘and then, and then’ frenzy of current thrillers. A very enjoyable read that makes me glad I have another two unread Christies sitting on my shelf.

This review first appeared at (less)

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Oct 12, 2009 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: whodunnit

Well, I actually endeavored to find the quote among all my Garbo books, but can't locate it...which is a pity, because it's an awesome quote. In making Camille, Margaret O'Sullivan was like gee, during her scenes with Garbo, where she didn't get the big hype with Garbo. All the other costars didn't get it either--they just saw an awkward anti-social Swede wearing a beautiful dress with raggedy slippers underneath reciting her lines by deadpan rote. When it came time to see the rushes, they were...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

I listened to this on audiobook, and it was narrated by Hugh Fraser, the actor who played Hastings in Agatha Christie's Poirot. He was simply an outstanding narrator, and brought the characters of Poirot and Hastings to life. Very well done!

Unfortunately, as my friend Dolly notes in her review, this mystery was pretty easy to solve. Still, I have to admire the layers that Christie puts into her reveals; It's never, "poof, here's the bad guy, mystery solved, we can all go home now," there is alwa...more

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Aug 13, 2012 sabisteb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hörspiele, krimi-thriller

1/5 Poirot and his friend Captain Hastings are taking a well-earned break in cornwall. but a young woman needs their help.
2/5 It transpires that the bullet discovered by Poirot was not the first attempt upon Nick's life.
Poirot and Captain Hastings attend a dinner party at Miss Buckley's house and make a startling discovery.
3/5 All Poirot's efforts to protect Nick seem to have been in vain when, during the fireworks party, murder is committed.
The identity of the body is revealed and Poirot searc...more 1/5 Poirot and his friend Captain Hastings are taking a well-earned break in cornwall. but a young woman needs their help.
2/5 It transpires that the bullet discovered by Poirot was not the first attempt upon Nick's life.
Poirot and Captain Hastings attend a dinner party at Miss Buckley's house and make a startling discovery.
3/5 All Poirot's efforts to protect Nick seem to have been in vain when, during the fireworks party, murder is committed.
The identity of the body is revealed and Poirot searches through some letters.
4/5 It is clear to Poirot that the intended murder victim was Nick, so, for her safety, he has her installed in a nursing home, with no visitors allowed.
Poirot and Captain Hastings take a trip to London and meet up with Chief Inspector Japp.
5/5 To lure the killer out into the open, Poirot has taken an astonishing step. Now, at the denouement of the mystery, he has summoned everyone to the house.

St. Loo an der Küste Cornwalls irgendwann in den späten 20er Jahren. Poirot, der sich zur Ruhe gesetzt hat, und sein Freund Hastings, wollen eine ruhige Urlaubswoche an der Küste Cornwalls verbringen. Als sie entspannt unter der Klippe der Hotelterrasse sitzen machen sie die Bekanntschaft der Einheimische 'Nick' Buckley. Nick lebt als letzte ihrer Familie, alleine in einem recht heruntergekommenen alten Haus, namens End House. Sie erzählt den beiden Urlaubern, dass sie in den letzten drei Tagen dreimal nur knapp dem Tod entronnen ist. Obwohl eigentlich im Urlaub und eigentlich im Ruhestand, beschließt Poirot Nicks Leben zu schützen.

Peril at End House (Dt. Das Haus an der Düne) ist das sechste Hörspiel aus der BBC Radio 4 Hercule Poirot Reihe mit John Moffat als Hercule Poirot, unter der Regie von Enyd Williams und geschrieben von Michael Bakewell und stammt aus dem Jahr 2000. Erschienen ist der Roman 1932, der BBC entschloss sich jedoch, die Geschichte in den 20er Jahren spielen zu lassen, jedenfalls lässt die verwendete Charleston Musik, die wirklich genial ist und einen beim Hören des Hörspiels fast das Bein schwingen lässt, das vermuten. Der Fall an sich ist genial aufgebaut. Streng genommen wird (fast) nichts verschwiegen, und man hätte die Chance selber darauf zu kommen, die Angelegenheit ist aber so verzwickt, dass man zum Schluss doch überrascht wird. Ein echtes kriminalistisches Meisterstück.
John Moffat gibt wieder einen hervorragenden Meisterdetektiv, nur sind in diesem Teil Hercule Poirots Macken doch sehr stark ausgeprägt. Er ist von sich doch arg überzeugt, sehr affektiert und geht einem ein wenig damit auf den Geist, so wie man das halt kennt. Das ist in späteren Folgen des Hörspiels nicht ganz so stark ausgeprägt.
Man merkt, dass das Hörspiel für das britische Radio geschrieben wurde und an aufeinanderfolgenden Tagen, bzw. Wochen lief, denn zu jeder neuen Folge gibt es eine kurze Zusammenfassung der vorherigen Ereignisse durch Hastings, falls man einen Teil verpasst haben sollte.

Fazit: Genialer Kriminalfall, hervorragende Sprecher und tolle Charleston Musik. Was will man mehr.
(less)

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Sep 03, 2012 Amber Tucker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bedside-table-adventure, recommended-by-sean, summer-2012, mysteeeeerious

I caught only vague snatches of Poirot, televised versions, during my formative years. My parents, once in a while, pulled out their dusty videotapes with David Suchet; I knew the impressively-mustached face, was familiar with the smug French accent so naturally belonging to it. Until now, unfortunately, I'd never read any of Agatha Christie's Poirot. I was loyal to Sherlock Holmes, or so I thought. I had no idea what I was missing. Make no mistake, I still adore Holmes, but I also find I'm deli...more I caught only vague snatches of Poirot, televised versions, during my formative years. My parents, once in a while, pulled out their dusty videotapes with David Suchet; I knew the impressively-mustached face, was familiar with the smug French accent so naturally belonging to it. Until now, unfortunately, I'd never read any of Agatha Christie's Poirot. I was loyal to Sherlock Holmes, or so I thought. I had no idea what I was missing. Make no mistake, I still adore Holmes, but I also find I'm delighted with Poirot.

Peril at End House takes place well into the (interminable - so sorry, Ms. Christie) series. It's still an excellent place to start, at least if you mean to get hooked. For one thing, it's narrated by Hastings, whose occasional puffs of dry wit help to balance Poirot's overbearing self-satisfaction. He harbours the same blend of great admiration and almost parental forbearance that I feel for Poirot. Comme ça:

."... I've been hearing all about you and what a wonderful chap you are. Never had a failure, they say."
"That is not true," said Poirot. "I had a bad failure in Belgium in 1893. You recollect, Hastings? I recounted it to you. The affair of the box of chocolates."
"I remember," I said.
And I smiled, for at the time that Poirot told me that tale, he had instructed me to say "chocolate box" to him if ever I should fancy he was growing conceited! He was then bitterly offended when I used the magical words only a minute and a quarter later.

For another thing, the mystery is so full of choice twists and turns that one could scarcely predict the next, never mind get bored. I have yet to see if most others in the series can match End House plot-wise, but at least I know from this one that there's high potential. The ending is fantastic. True to the preferences of some readers (i.e. my romantic idealist mother), every character and element is well accounted-for.

When I read mysteries, and that's not been terribly often, I admit that I'm not the type to try to solve the crime before it's revealed. I'm blockheaded that way, I guess. What I do enjoy about Conan Doyle, and now about Christie, is the vivid brevity with which they create their characters. Most of these characters, all the suspects really, are puppets, but they are satisfactorily-made puppets, and we want them to be just so. We want to focus not on the suspects, but on the Godlike one among them. Like Holmes, Poirot is such a magnificent bastard that he's become an archetype in himself. For all that, he is still something of an enigma. We feel we know who Poirot is, but it's those little grey cells of his! - we can't fathom how he ticks. That is what draws us back. The mystery is cleverly crafted, the action moves quickly, the stakes are high, but none of these matter much.

I think I'll have to get a public library card here in the university town so I can keep feeding myself with the insufferable excellence of this Poirot. (less)

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Aug 28, 2011 Constance rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought this book at the Southbank Book Market, a plentiful yet manageable outdoor book market right under the Waterloo Bridge. I remember it being windy and cold, in way that I would normally not find pleasant but was nice then because it was different and signifying. It was the beginning of a long day in which I walked up and down the South Bank eating, drinking, and doing whatever I pleased and feeling that free and limitless and independent feeling that only comes with certain cities. Then...more

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Aug 24, 2011 Peter rated it 3 of 5 stars

With gothic elements, this moody and (overly) melodramatic Poirot mystery is good, but not great. Unfortunately, the ending was spoiled for me before reading, so I was able to piece together the main thrust of the mystery. My enjoyment was thus lowered somewhat. AC wrote Poirot more self-centered and fussy than before, and Hastings is more annoying as well. In neither case is it a good development.

While vacationing on the Cornish Riviera, Poirot and Hastings met liberated and penniless heiress N...more

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Nov 12, 2007 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

In 6th grade, I went through an Agatha Christie obsession and read everything by her I could get my hands on. I believe I even dressed up as Hercule Poirot for a book report. But since 6th grade, I never read her again. I decided to read one of hers again just for kicks, and it was thoroughly enjoyable. I might even go read a few more. They're kind of like literary crack.

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Jan 04, 2010 Yas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, crime-fiction, absolute-favourite, series, british, suspense-mystery-or-thriller, reviewed

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was pretty awesome.

Having only read one before this one; the mysterious affair at styles, I found it wasn't as good as that one [in terms of characters etc, I found most unlikeable:] but this book still retains the top class storyline of the first book, it also retains the very good plot twist at the end of the book and by now a bit of a development in the relationship between Hastings and Poirot and their characters. Their behaviour at times is quite com...more

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Feb 20, 2013 J.M. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What more is there to say about Agatha Christie? 'Genius' seems to be the only comprehensive word. She surprises you every time and is meticulous in the information she reveals at different points in the plot. Peril at End House is a post-retirement Hercule Poirot case, one he takes out of concern for the safety of young Nick Buckley. Several people in her life appear to have no more than far-fetched motives to wish her harm, and as Poirot investigates the case, one surprising plot twist follows...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hercule-poirot

I was in need of a clever diversion and this book came through marvelously. As is typical with any but the best Christie novels, the characters were fairly two-dimensional, but the puzzle was clever and satisfying. Since that's all I was looking for in this book, along with a very quick reading time that I could finish over a couple of lunch breaks, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's been awhile since I've failed to guess the outcome of a mystery long before the fictional detectives--even though I pi...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Kyra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Read this because Hastings was in it, and Poirot without Hastings isn't as good. After all, what is a Holmes without his Watson? Anyways, this book was much in the same vein as "Mysterious Affair At Styles" and "Murder on the Links," but the ending was very unsatisfactory. It hinged on a piece of evidence the readers had almost no way of knowing, and in that way made me feel like Christie had cheated in her attempt to once more engineer an "Oh! Wow, I never saw that coming!" ending. Not to say y...more

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May 01, 2012 Harshita rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: all mystery and detective stories' lovers

Shelves: re-read, mysteries-and-detective-stories

This is one of my favorite Hercule Poirot mysteries to date. I adore this man. His obsession for neatness and order is so cute! Plus it helps him in solving mysteries as well. Even his pompousness is endearing!
Now this mystery is about a young girl Nick Buckley whom Hercule Poirot meets when she helps him after he twists his ankle. Nick Buckley has had a series of miraculous escapes from death which she laughs off but Hercule Poirot being Hercule Poirot is intrigued and promises her that he woul...more

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Dec 30, 2009 April Helms rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classic, mystery

I've seen the David Suchet video version of this story twice, so it was interesting reading the book and picking up on all the little clues along the way. Without giving away too many spoilers, there's even a clue Hastings picks up early on -- and Poirot disregards. Heh! Christie is the mistress of the surprise endings and red herrings and I admit I did not see the ending coming the first time I watched the video.
In this story, the famous detective Hercule Poirot is faced with an unusual task -...more

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Mar 16, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

For once in my life, I actually figured out the murderer before the final act. I love that. But I have a haunting feeling I may have read this one before, so I'm not doing the celebration dance! I love a good, immodest, pompous Poirot novel and he always delivers. Hastings is the perfect foil and I enjoy how their little seaside holidays always turn into a murder investigation.
One thing that confused me about this book is although the back cover indicates it is one published fairly early in the...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Anthony Berger rated it 4 of 5 stars

My virgin foray with Ms. Agatha Christie. This book is fantastic. Given my academic science background, I have been strictly taught to analyze all evidence presented before making conclusions. That said, the entire time I was reading this book, I was piecing together potential solutions to the crime(s). In an attempt to take all evidence into account, I thought I had it figured out (in fact, I was almost positive that I had cracked the case before the solution was presented at the end), but much...more

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Aug 24, 2010 Mmyoung rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: christie, mystery

All in all a rather unspectacular outing for Poirot and Hastings. Hastings seems to enjoy marriage mainly by not being on the same continent as his wife and he becomes, book by book, less an active part of the investigation. Poirot seems to be a caricature of himself and indeed only “solves” the case after all the facts are basically dropped in his lap and after he has clearly mis-solved it. Once again we see that there are at least two sets of laws in England; one for the rich/members of the ge...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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“Poirot," I said. "I have been thinking."
"An admirable exercise my friend. Continue it.” — 427 people liked it

“I always think loyalty's such a tiresome virtue. ” — 31 people liked it

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