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Three Act Tragedy (Hercule Poirot, #11)

Agatha Christie

Start date: January 1, 2019

Finish date: January 31, 2019

Discussion: Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

Why we're reading this: The latest in our series of Poirot buddy reads.
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Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

Sep 26, 2016 Christine PNW rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: vintage-women

A good one!

6 likes · Like · see review

Mar 12, 2021 Grisette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3rd-pers-narration, my-kind-of-detective-thriller

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
3.5 stars

⏳ [Re-read project #16 of 2025, 1st proper review, rating maintained]

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🔹️ Number of death/s: 3
🔹️ Motive for the crime: Passion
🔹️ Method of crime: Knife stabbings, Poison
🔹️ Main location: England
🔹️ Notable element: The central premise seem to borrow (or inspire, depending on publish date) heavily from the outline plots of misdirection in other stories, notably The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge and The ABC Murders
🔹️ Book type: Novel, H. Poirot
🔹️ Reference to SH: -

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3.5 stars

⏳ [Re-read project #16 of 2025, 1st proper review, rating maintained]

==================

🔹️ Number of death/s: 3
🔹️ Motive for the crime: Passion
🔹️ Method of crime: Knife stabbings, Poison
🔹️ Main location: England
🔹️ Notable element: The central premise seem to borrow (or inspire, depending on publish date) heavily from the outline plots of misdirection in other stories, notably The Mystery of Hunter's Lodge and The ABC Murders
🔹️ Book type: Novel, H. Poirot
🔹️ Reference to SH: -

==================

For me, AC had an axe to grind (humourously or otherwise) with actors/actresses, forever casting them as the culprits 😅! This book feels like the original sin of it all. The whole book is in fact a play, an artificial set up, with the main culprit playing the unreliable narrator (or rather director!). Indeed, Poirot only comes forward and really takes matters in hand in the last portion of the book. Overall, the characters were not sympathetic to read about but that the puzzle resolution in the last chapter, masterfully recounted by Poirot, was just sublime and pulls up the whole story.

Every time I read this book (or watch the ITV episode), I mutter to myself that had the culprit never (a) invited Poirot at the first soirée, and (b) never made a melodramatic fuss about the two deaths, I doubt that he would have been caught. This is definitely the main weakness of the plot for me, notwithstanding artists and their bigger than life egos. Yet, as I said, Poirot was so efficient at the end that I could well roll with it all.

This book has probably my favourite quote from Poirot, one that has me cracking up everytime I read it 😂:

Mr. Satterthwaite looked cheered.

Suddenly an idea struck him. His jaw fell.

"My goodness," he cried, "I've only just realized it! That rascal, with his poisoned cocktail! Anyone might have drunk it! It might have been me!"

"There is an even more terrible possibility that you have not considered," said Poirot.

"Eh?"

"It might have been ME," said Hercule Poirot.

#readchristie2025, April - Butlers ...more

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Mar 24, 2021 Bev rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, vintage-mystery, mount-tbr-2021, bought-2017, british-mystery

Who would want to poison a harmless, truly nice vicar? That's the problem before us in Christie's three-act murder mystery. In the first act, thirteen guests, including celebrated detective Hercule Poirot, are gathered for dinner party at the home of retired actor Sir Charles Cartwright. It is a fairly eclectic group from our famous detective to a rather plain playwright; from a beautiful dress designer to a genteel lady in reduced circumstances; from the lady's daughter and her left-leaning you Who would want to poison a harmless, truly nice vicar? That's the problem before us in Christie's three-act murder mystery. In the first act, thirteen guests, including celebrated detective Hercule Poirot, are gathered for dinner party at the home of retired actor Sir Charles Cartwright. It is a fairly eclectic group from our famous detective to a rather plain playwright; from a beautiful dress designer to a genteel lady in reduced circumstances; from the lady's daughter and her left-leaning young man (or is he hers?); from a famous nerve doctor to a racing gentleman; and from the vicar and his wife to Mr. Sattherwaite--observer of the human condition. When the Reverend Stephen Babbington succumbs to the temptation of a cocktail, a beverage he is unaccustomed to, Mr. Sattherwaite is amused to see him wrinkle up his nose at the first taste and then bravely go on to sip it. But no one is amused when the vicar chokes, goes into convulsions, and dies. There is a bit of unease at the sudden death--and Sir Charles and "Egg" (Hermione) Lytton-Gore (daughter of the impoverished lady) are sure that murder has been done. But an analysis of the vicar's glass has negative results. Even Poirot thinks they are making a drama of nothing.

But then the second act takes place and Dr. Bartholomew Strange (the nerve specialist) holds a dinner party with a similar guest list to that of Cartwright's. It also ends in death. This time it is the host, Dr. Strange himself, who dies after drinking an alcoholic beverage. Again, there is nothing in the glass--but this time a post mortem is performed and it is established that the doctor died from nicotine poisoning. Our amateur sleuths, Sir Charles and Egg--with Mr. Satthewaite in tow, begin detecting in earnest. They reason that the doctor must also have suspected foul play in the vicar's death and, when he found something out (but what?), he was put out of the way too. Sattherwaite makes sure Poirot is aware of the second death and soon the team is gathering clues and working out theories. But only Poirot will be ready to reveal the killer when the curtain raises on the third and final act.

I don't think I've ever read this particular Agatha Christie. I didn't own a copy until 2014 and I missed logging it if I read it from the library back when I first discovered her mysteries. But I had seen the adaptation with Peter Ustinov as Poirot and I did remember the basic plot (though not the motive). As far as I recall, there weren't many changes in the filmed version--other than location and the fact that Poirot shows up more frequently a lot sooner than in the novel. There's a good portion of the book where you wouldn't know that it was a Poirot novel at all. I spent my time reading waiting for Poirot to really get involved and for our detectives to realize who was really behind it. Also--looking for clues that would tell them (and the reader) who really did it if they were paying proper attention. And I think I caught them all--well done, me. It made for an interestingly different reading experience. That's not to say I haven't reread Christie before and gone in knowing who did it. I have. But this time I was reading for the first time and still knew who did it. Not one of my all-time favorites, but a solid performance from one of our queens of crime. ★★★ and 1/2 (actually)

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 05, 2017 Nanosynergy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, reviewed, 2017read, series, british, mysteries-thrillers-espionage, fiction-1930s

Retired actor Sir Charles Cartwright holds a dinner party. During drinks, the Rev. Stephen Babbington suddenly dies, but chemical analysis of his martini glass finds no poison. Yet he was poisoned. No motive can be found for Rev. Babbington's murder. Enter Hercule Poirot.... ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 27, 2017 Shabbeer Hassan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: whodunit, 2018, 2017, mystery, 2023

A rather interesting plot where we have our intrepid Poirot refusing to investigate a death leading to the enactment of the tragedy in three acts. And for those of you who scoff at some of Christie's obvious plots, there are some surprises in this one!

My Rating - 4/5 ...more

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Dec 14, 2021 Teri-K rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-golden-age

Not a great attempt for Christie. It suffers from too many characters popping in and out, and too many MCs. At first the story seems to center around Mr. Satterthwaite. I really liked him and enjoyed seeing him try to figure out what was happening around him. But toward the end of the book he almost disappears and Poirot takes over the case. It made the book feel even more disjointed than it already was.

I also liked the dead vicar and his wife and would have enjoyed reading more about them, but ...more

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Mar 22, 2016 Laura Anne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: british-isles, mystery

2025 Series Re-read: 3.5 stars I enjoy this story and the characters but wish there was more Poirot. The "amateur sleuths" could have been checking in with him from the start, but instead he disappears for half the book. I found I had misremembered one element of the story: (view spoiler) ...more

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