From the Bookshelf of Retro Reads…

Hercule Poirot's Christmas (Hercule Poirot, #20)

Agatha Christie

Start date: December 1, 2023

Finish date: December 31, 2023

Discussion: Group Reads

Discussion leader: Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂

Why we're reading this: Our group's Christmas read…more
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Group Read 5th of October 2025 Thalia NON spoilers thread
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last updated Oct 19, 2025 01:09PM

Group Read 5th of October 2025 Thalia SPOILERS thread
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last updated Oct 16, 2025 12:25PM

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What Members Thought

May 20, 2022 mark monday rated it liked it

Shelves: choose-ur-adventure

Choose Your Own Adventure!

You are Santa Claus and you've realized that this was the wrong chimney to climb down. A house full of adults with not a child in sight, a senior slaughtered, no presents and no tree and not even some goddamn milk & cookies. And the blood, the blood! It's everywhere! Who would have thought this wizened old creature could have so much blood in him. You may have slaughtered your share of lazy elves and reindeer, and red may be your favorite color, but you can't help but b ...more

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Dec 01, 2023 Julie Durnell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: england-uk, mystery

I have read almost all of Agatha Christie's mysteries, but somehow never got to this one until now for the Retro Reads December group read. A locked door mystery with all the usual red herrings, but a brilliant ending! I was going to rate this four stars but the ending had me bumping it up one more.
I'm thinking it was one of her finest! ...more

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Dec 20, 2016 Mir rated it liked it

Shelves: holidays, mystery

I read the 1939 edition of this book (thanks, library!) which is titled "Murder for Christmas." I see why they changed that, as there are a million books of the same name. I guess a lot of people fantasize about murdering their family members. In Simeon Lee's case, it's easy to see why.

This was fine, but not a favorite Christie. It's a little too god-everyone-is-horrible for me. I preferred the short story that is also Poirot having an old-fashioned English Christmas at a country estate, even it ...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Hannah rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, mysteries

Rating Clarification: 2.5 Stars
Alternate title: Hercule Poirot's Christmas
English Mysteries Club Group Read

Not as good as some of the other Christie's I've read, but to the plus side it was a quick read and kept my interest. I guessed whodunnit 3/4 of the way through (which I rarely ever do). It seemed as though Christie slapped me in the face to make it obvious who it was, so much so that I second guessed myself that it could be that person. However, I didn't guess Howdunnit until the reveal.

W ...more

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Dec 10, 2019 Susan in NC rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, my-library, tbr-with-gr-groups, holiday-rereads, currently-re-reading, want-to-reread, reread, christie, tbr-retro

11/29/23 - Listened to the audiobook for this reread, Hugh Fraser is my favorite! 4.5 stars for this Christmas murder mystery, a seemingly impossible locked room mystery, but of course Christie and Poirot make it all perfectly clear with a wonderful twist at the end.

11/26/22 - I remembered whodunnit, but still enjoyed this reread. Hugh Fraser is a terrific narrator, and this is classic Christie, a knotty puzzle surrounding the murder of a nasty, rich old man. Unsavory, feuding relatives, all fin 11/29/23 - Listened to the audiobook for this reread, Hugh Fraser is my favorite! 4.5 stars for this Christmas murder mystery, a seemingly impossible locked room mystery, but of course Christie and Poirot make it all perfectly clear with a wonderful twist at the end.

11/26/22 - I remembered whodunnit, but still enjoyed this reread. Hugh Fraser is a terrific narrator, and this is classic Christie, a knotty puzzle surrounding the murder of a nasty, rich old man. Unsavory, feuding relatives, all financially controlled by said old man, gathering for a country house family holiday - yes, please! Great conclusion to the Reading the Detectives Group “Detection Club” challenge

12/2/2020 - I enjoyed my reread, I had forgotten much of the plot! But then once I started listening to the audiobook, and I think it was the daughter-in-law’s miniature gardens that reminded me of “whodunnit” and how. I still feel like it was a satisfying twist at the end, and I always enjoy getting there with Poirot.

12/2019- This was fun, a new-to-me Poirot, which is pretty rare! I read it with the Reading the Detectives group, right on the tail of Evil Under the Sun.

That title brought up some very interesting points from fellow group members - such as the “fair play” or not of Christie in some of her mysteries, whether the solution involved vital clues not supplied to readers until Poirot sums up the solution in the climactic ending. I usually read Christie on auto-pilot, just enjoying the ride, visualizing the film version I’ve usually enjoyed with David Suchet as Poirot! This group has got me treasuring my rereads, but paying closer attention...

Like here, we start with a nominal Christmas house party scene, but not much holiday feeling! Wealthy, elderly invalid Simeon Lee has summoned his adult children, including spouses and an estranged son and granddaughter, for a family Christmas- but he’s a manipulative, rather vindictive old man, clearly toying with his financially dependent offspring. The atmosphere is poisonous, and sure enough, the old man is found dead, his throat cut. Poirot is spending Christmas with a local police official and asked to assist with the case.

There are hidden secrets, jealousies and old wounds - Poirot prods them all, coming up with a humdinger of a climactic reveal of the killer, and I was truly shocked! But, as with Evil Under the Sun, the killer relies on chance and a risky, involved murder method to succeed, much of which is unknowable to the reader, so I kept my rating at four stars for lack of fair play. But as for a sheer fun, enjoyable ride, where you don’t question the method, and since I’d never read it before, this was 4.5-5 stars! I read some on ebook, but mostly listened to the audiobook, narrated wonderfully by David Suchet. ...more

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Dec 10, 2023 Barb in Maryland rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller-goodies

Ah! classic Christie. Not very Christmas-y or festive, but the holiday supplied the excuse for the family reunion that sets the stage for the murder.
Poirot doesn't show up until the middle of the story and he's there in an advisory capacity. But that doesn't stop his famous little gray cells from quickly latching on to a major clue.

I had already caught that clue, but confess that I missed a number of others. I was surprised at the identity of the murderer. That person was not on my radar!

There w ...more

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Dec 11, 2017 Susie rated it really liked it

Shelves: agatha-christie, mystery

A perfect holiday read!

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 30, 2020 Shan rated it really liked it

Shelves: pandemic-reading, mystery, audio-books, library-book

Classic country house Christie, with the curmudgeonly rich old man and the family members brought together for the holiday to amuse the mean old guy. I somehow missed this before; glad to have stumbled across it on Hoopla at the library.

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 02, 2011 Kate rated it liked it

Shelves: mysteries

A very challenging country house mystery for Christie, with clues you can actually follow. Despite that, this one is a bit flat - Poirot might have been replaced with any detective, and the plot is very reminiscent of other Christies. I also missed the playfulness of the other Poirot's Christmas, the short story that involves all sorts of Christmas traditions and stolen diamonds. It's not fair to judge this one based on my affection for that story, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. Read on A ...more

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Dec 05, 2015 Ellie 9218 rated it liked it

Another classic locked room murder mystery by Agatha Christie - Christmas in an English manor house, a murder, a house full of suspects ( each with a motive), twists and turns, and a surprise ending.

Not my favorite Agatha Christie read (a bit more bloody/violent as far as Christie stories go, not very Christmas-y for a Christmas mystery) but still an enjoyable read.

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Dec 23, 2021 Sewingdervish rated it it was amazing

Ok the actual murder is a bit technically complicated but I did enjoy this one.

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Jun 02, 2019 Michelle rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery

I felt this was one of the weaker Poirots — the way in which the murder was ultimately committed seemed rather preposterous. But the book is three stars only in relation to other Agatha Christie books (other than Passenger to Frankfurt, *shudder*) — it far outshines most books I read nowadays.

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