Jessica-sim’s Comments (group member since Jan 01, 2016)

Jessica-sim’s comments from the Reading the Detectives group.

So what did you guys think of the ever reasonable Poirot with his little grey cells, apparently taking a supernatural encounter at face value?
Do you think he actually believes that Katherine had a genuine experience when she felt that Ruth was warning her about Knighton?

I know that Agatha was intrigued by the supernatural, but I didn't expect Poirot with all his method to stand for it. Actually, writing this down a short story we recently read comes to mind, where Poirot pretended to believe in witchcraft and rituals but as it turned out was playing a role all along. So then, probably he would have regarded the warning more as Katherine subconsciously knowing that something was wrong with Knighton. What do you think?

My theory is that she probably didn't like the book because of the painful memories associated with it. I do not think it is a bad book at all! It's fun, there are indeed so many small comedic moments in it. The puzzle is good, I was torn between different suspects for a long time. It also did rather well on the market, that she didn't think back positively on it could be that thinking back to the time in her life when she wrote it was rather unpleasant itself.

I'm enjoying this one so much! The settings are lovely, the conversations just flow and I am at a total loss who actually did it and why.

Reading all these Poirot books it really makes me smile whenever he takes a minute, or sometimes more, to respond to something. I know it's an expression, but somehow I always picture everyone in the room holding their breaths intently waiting for his reply. You'll see from now on, you'll notice how often this expression (or variations on it) is used.

I started the book today (fittingly on a train ride). Did you see the dedication?

Christie's dedication in the book reads: "To the two distinguished members of the O.F.D. – Carlotta and Peter".

Really made me wonder what the OFD could be... apparently it mentions the two who stood by Agatha in the turmoil around her disappearance and divorce. Charlotte Fisher was her secretary and Rosalind's governess. And Peter? Well, who other than man's best friend? Her dog.

I agree that it's very 'Midsomer Murders', Judy! In fact, I was wondering if The tv adaptation I once saw might have been a Midsomer Murder adaptation, because where else could it have turned up... But through google I found that they adapted it as a Miss Marple story! How strange.

Poirot boards a train...

I don't know about you, but I don't really need more information to look forward to reading this one! But there's more: apparently, it's based on one of the short stories we just read: "The Plymouth Express" (in Poirot's Early Cases), and it has the very first mention of St. Mary's Mead...

This is the thread where you can indulge in spoilers!

Poirot boards a train...

I don't know about you, but I don't really need more information to look forward to reading this one! But there's more: apparently, it's based on one of the short stories we just read: "The Plymouth Express" (in Poirot's Early Cases), and it has the very first mention of St. Mary's Mead...

Enjoy!

I do agree that the comradery between Hastings and Poirot was very nice here, but I also share Tara's exasperation at times with Hastings' continuous underestimation of Poirot's plans. And though of course, it is good to have self-confidence, he could also be just a little bit more self-reflecting. I was so frustrated with him when he rushed off with the chinamen!

Dear all,

Welcome to the overall list for the Unofficial Poirot Buddy Reads project which will take us well into 2020... I will open two new threads here each month, one for spoiler-free discussions and one where spoilers can be indulged in.

I am a big Agatha Christie fan and read almost all her books, except the Poirot ones... That's, of course, inexcusable, which is why I set out to read one Poirot each month in the reading order as suggested on www.agathachristie.com. I am very happy for your company here! Feel free to post in any of the older threads as your catching up or just occasionally joining in with specific books.

Here we go:

2018
January – The mysterious affairs at Styles
February – Murder on the Links
March – Poirot Investigates
April – Poirot's Early Cases (short stories) 1974
May - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd 1926
June - The Big Four 1927
July - The Mystery of the Blue Train 1928
August - Black Coffee (play novelisation by Charles Osborne) 1997
September - Peril at End House 1932
October - The Mystery of the Baghdad Chest (short story) 1932
AND Second Gong (short story) 1932
November - Lord Edgware Dies 1933
December - Murder on the Orient Express 1934
AND optional reading of Christmas Adventure (short story) 1923

2019:
January - Three Act Tragedy 1935
February - Death in the Clouds 1935
March - The ABC Murders 1936
April - Murder in Mesopotamia 1936
May - Cards on the Table 1936
June - Yellow Iris (short story) 1937
AND Murder in the Mews (four novellas) 1937
July - Dumb Witness 1937
August - Death on the Nile 1937
September - Appointment with Death 1938
Octobre - Sad Cypress 1940
November - One, Two Buckle my Shoe 1940
December - Evil Under the Sun 1941
AND Christmas themed one! Hercule Poirot's Christmas 1938

2020:
January - Five Little Pigs 1943
February -The Hollow 1946
March - The Labours of Hercules (short stories) 1947
April - Taken at the Flood 1948
May - Mrs McGinty's Dead 1952
June - After the Funeral 1953
July - Hickory Dickory Dock 1955
August - Dead Man's Folly 1956
September - Cat Among the Pigeons 1959
October - The Clocks 1963 AND Hallowe'en Party 1969
November - Third Girl 1966
December - Elephants Can Remember 1972
AND Christmas themed one The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding (short stories) 1960 not published in the USA

2021 January
At long last (fittingly) - Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case 1975

Susan wrote: "Well, he even sacrificed his mustache... Such commitment!

Jessica, please don't forget to post the upcoming reads. If you want to take us into 2019 that's fine."

Yes, I will go and do that now :-)

I am glad that you all liked it! I also had to chuckle at the I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek introduction of 'Achille Poirot': 'You surprise me, Hastings. Do you not know that all celebrated detectives have brothers who would be even more celebrated than they were if not constitutional indolence?' as Roman Claudia said. And I was quite glad when it turned out that there was no such brother at all. It did make me wonder about the residence he apparently still held in Spa? Or would Poirot have located one just for this purpose?

Can you imagine the commitment of Poirot to this ruse to actually give himself a real scar? And on his precious upper lips no less!

I finished it now. It took me a while to get to grips with it. About halfway in I started to see it almost as action-adventure short stories, rather than one nice snug GA detective story. In the end, I did start to appreciate all the shenanigans and Poirot's struggle to finally be one step ahead of the criminals.

Good! :-)

Adrian wrote: "Susan wrote: "I think this particular novel is very interesting to Christie fans considering when/how it was written. ......
.....That way, if either you, or anyone else, decide to keep the challen..."

Haha you seem shocked? But it's such fun! It's only about 30 more to go ;-)

Susan wrote: "I think this particular novel is very interesting to Christie fans considering when/how it was written. It is both very different and testament to her ability to create a novel under difficult circ..."

I'm so happy that you gave me a platform to indulge in my Poirot reading next year too! I'll create an overview this week and will put it at the top.

For me, a very large aspect of wanting to read in order is indeed that you get to know the writer behind it all much better. Not only do the characters and style develop, but Agatha herself is ever changing. Can you imagine writing anything cohorent in a period of such personal turmoil? I certainly cannot.

Wow, Judy thank you for the special folder! And thank you Susan for the interesting articles. For some reason, I'm finding it quite hard to get into. I'm already two of the big four in but am not reading voluntarily yet, isn't that weird? We do have Hastings back! And some interesting mind puzzles, it's just all a bit hysterical. Okay I'll give myself a glass of wine and the task to get a move on this evening ;-)

Poirot and Hastings have to defeat a criminal gang ... Enjoy!

I have never read this book before, so will see you here in a couple of days. Please go right ahead in the spoiler thread in my absence!

Wow, it's June already! Is there anything nicer than sitting in the garden in the setting sun reading a nice mystery?

This month we have The big four ahead of us!

“At midnight, in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon.”
― Edgar Allan Poe

Judy wrote: "That's interesting about Caroline, Jessica - I think Miss M is maybe quite like this in the first couple of books she appears in, but then becomes a bit quieter and more in the background?

I seem ..."

That's true, Miss Marple does slowly transition into a semi-professional.

I also missed Hastings here! Poirot misses him too, isn't that sweet? I like how he often explains what he appreciates in Hastings. I thought he was very hard on Hastings in the short stories we read and often wondered why they were friends in the first place.

That's interesting Robin. I also think she plays with people's respect for certain, authority, figures. But I also think she often uses the supposed "innate goodness" of people, like inherited traits whether good or bad from parents or family. And those traits are not really used in a way to distract the reader away from the true perpetrator, hm though perhaps there are too. Here we have Charles Kent, obviously the wrong sort and heavily under suspicion, cannot possibly shake his heritage off... yet innocent of the crime.