Hallowe'en Party is my very first Agatha Christie mystery. Knowing what I do now I wouldn't necessarily have chosen it to be my virgin voyage into what has arguably become the most beloved mystery series of our time.

Hallowe'en party is one of Christie's latter works, published in 1969. I honestly had no idea that her writing career spanned such an impressive period of time, starting in 1920 and ending in 1976. Her novels can for the most part be divided into 3 categories. Those of the stories featuring Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple of her various other miscellaneous characters (which never seemed to have sold as well as those that fit into a series).

Hallowe'en Party is one of her beloved Poirot adventures and I have to say that I expected more. I have a feeling that Christies stories, having written so many, are little bit hit and miss. I wouldn't call Hallowe'en Party a definite miss but I am holding onto the hope that I'll enjoy her earlier stories just that little bit more.

Hallowe'en Party tells the tale of a small town murder of a little girl who nobody, it seems, particularly liked in the first place. One thing I will say for this story is it's complexity is far more then I could have imagined. I had no idea what was going to happen, who the killer was, what the motive was or how anyone else fit into the story. All was revealed; however, in due time.

Christie writes with a sense of caution, if that makes sense. I was at times underwhelmed by the mundanety of it all, only to be pulled back into the story by one or two little intrigues coming to light.

I've never really read much in the murder mystery genre and I'm not sure I have much of an inclination to delve too deep but as far as Christie is concerned I'm not giving up yet. Perhaps Miss Marple should be my next stop?