Ah Poirot, how I enjoy you with your funny egg shaped head, your sleek moustaches and your willingness to embrace the rampant racism present in the average Englishman all in the pursuit of a tricksy murderer. This lovely hardcover facsimile edition has been sitting on my shelf for a while waiting to be read and it's really a very enjoyable Poirot whodunnit.

We have a stately home reaching the end of it's life along with the owner, a death swiftly followed by a second and a small cast of eccentric and slightly stereotypical family members. Underlying it is a will, a reasonable amount of money and a statement that murder may have been committed. For in this one we're not even sure if there has been.

All very typical Christie and Poirot. Except this book seems more vested in the era than some of the others. Post war Britain, rationing, the fall of an empire, taxation issues and a changing cultural background plant the novel historically and it's richer for it. I found it took a few chapters to really get into but then it sucks you in. Poirot doesn't show up for a while and even when he does he's often in the background, quietly setting people off and observing the outcome. As such we don't get as many of those wonderful character moments he's known for. Still, this one had me guessing and the final resolution was surprising and unexpected, even though a fairly big clue is given to us earlier (for those really paying attention - you'll kick yourself when it's revealed - to date this makes it Agatha 12 : Andy 1).

I really enjoyed this one.