From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Five Little Pigs (Hercule Poirot, #25)

Agatha Christie

Start date: January 1, 2020

Finish date: January 31, 2020

Discussion: Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

Why we're reading this: Next in our continuing series of Poirot buddy reads in order.
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Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

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What Members Thought

May 05, 2015 Kavita rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, uk, golden-age-mystery

This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy had roast beef
This little piggy had none,
And this little piggy cried wee wee wee all the way home.

Another nursery rhyme book! Poirot solves a cold case in this one. The daughter of a convicted murdereress, Carla Lemarchant, approaches him to find the truth behind the murder of her father. Poirot takes it only because of his passion for the truth, but it is not an easy journey. He interviews everyone connected with t This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy had roast beef
This little piggy had none,
And this little piggy cried wee wee wee all the way home.

Another nursery rhyme book! Poirot solves a cold case in this one. The daughter of a convicted murdereress, Carla Lemarchant, approaches him to find the truth behind the murder of her father. Poirot takes it only because of his passion for the truth, but it is not an easy journey. He interviews everyone connected with the case - police officers and lawyers, as well as the people present at the Crales' house party at the time of his death. As always, it is the small things that are often overlooked by the majority of people that leads Poirot to the truth.

Amyas and Caroline Crale are not very sympathetic people and I just disliked both of them. If left to myself, I would have just brushed my hands and said 'good riddance'. Amyas is a sexist womaniser, who goes around the place sleeping with whomever takes his fancy, but expects his wife to be still there when he returns to his senses and goes back to her. Caroline Crale, on the other hand, goes through life fighting and screaming over her husband's infidelity, but refuses to leave him, because 'love'. This is depicted as a passionate love between two people who enjoy bickering. Yeah, right!

But murder is murder, and even the most unpleasant person deserves justice. So you feel motivated to follow Poirot's train of thought towards the inevitable end. (view spoiler)

The other characters are very well-drawn and each had their own distinct way of looking at life. I enjoyed the book, especially since it clearly showed how (i) people see only what they want to see, (ii) people all give different versions of the same event, even if they are all speaking the truth, and (iii) everyone has something to hide. It's a great example of how a cold case can be solved and still retain the emotional and human elements that are of such interest to the mystery reader. ...more

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Jun 08, 2014 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the 24th novel featuring Hercule Poirot; preceded by the classic “Evil Under the Sun,” followed by the magnificent “The Hollow” and published in 1942. Even a mere mention of the Poirot titles written around that time show us that Christie – always my favourite author of all time – was on a real roll. Five Little Pigs is not one of her best known Poirot mysteries, which is a shame, as this is a wonderful read.

Carla Lemarchant was only five when her mother, Caroline Crale, was found guilty ...more

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Jan 10, 2021 Marilyn Maya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: the-baby-boomer-booktuber

Read this book in one go. I, "The Baby Boomer Booktuber," command you thus, lol. I'd been in a reading fog for a few weeks, reading important books that didn't give me the thrill of not wanting a book to end. In fact, I put off finishing "Five little pigs," even going backward. This helped give me more time to study the brilliant clues and red herrings Agatha Christie left throughout the book. I was so sure at the end "who done it," that I almost got complacent and disappointed. Then, Madam Chri Read this book in one go. I, "The Baby Boomer Booktuber," command you thus, lol. I'd been in a reading fog for a few weeks, reading important books that didn't give me the thrill of not wanting a book to end. In fact, I put off finishing "Five little pigs," even going backward. This helped give me more time to study the brilliant clues and red herrings Agatha Christie left throughout the book. I was so sure at the end "who done it," that I almost got complacent and disappointed. Then, Madam Christie again fooled me. I should have read it all in one fell swoop.
I read most of Agatha Christie in my twenties to escape my often chaotic and anxious life. I never cared then, to figure out who committed the murders, only felt that delighted surprise every time I was again hoodwinked.
This novel, like many of her mysteries, is based on a nursery rhyme, one that I used to play with my children, pulling their fingers for every pig.
"This little piggie went to the market, this little piggie stayed home." Christie is faithful to the verse which shows her brilliance. There are five possible murderers of an unfaithful but brilliant artist. Hercule Poirot, "Master of using his little gray cells to perfection is determined to uncover the truth, no matter that the crime occurred sixteen years ago.
Caroline Crail had long been convicted and had died in prison for her husband's murder. Poirot is helping her daughter Carla, who was only a small child at the time, find the true culprit. In a final letter to Carla, Caroline had disclosed she was innocent. Now, Carla is about to be married and wants her fiance to be secure in knowing he is not marrying a murderess daughter.
This is a delightful read and I had a great time with it. I was amazed at how strongly Christie drew her characters. They are psychologically strong and complex and the ending will leave you a bit breathless. One of my favorite quotes of Poirot/Agatha Christie follows:
"Understand this, I mean to arrive at the truth. The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it."
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, on the art of detection
Aloha ...more

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Jul 13, 2013 Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore rated it it was amazing

Five Little Pigs (1942) was the #ReadChristie2025 choice for January under its theme of Characters and Careers, and so of course, I’m getting to my review now—in February!

Poirot’s equivalent of Miss Marple’s Sleeping Murder and which also preceded the latter, in Five Little Pigs, a young woman in her twenties, Carla Lemarchant approaches Poirot with a case, but not an ‘open’ one, rather one from 16 years ago where her mother Caroline Crale (after whom she is named) was convicted of the murder of Five Little Pigs (1942) was the #ReadChristie2025 choice for January under its theme of Characters and Careers, and so of course, I’m getting to my review now—in February!

Poirot’s equivalent of Miss Marple’s Sleeping Murder and which also preceded the latter, in Five Little Pigs, a young woman in her twenties, Carla Lemarchant approaches Poirot with a case, but not an ‘open’ one, rather one from 16 years ago where her mother Caroline Crale (after whom she is named) was convicted of the murder of her father Amyas Crale, an artist. Known for his somewhat radical art as also for his philandering ways, it was supposed that Caroline finally got fed up and poisoned her husband, when he was about to leave her for another woman, the much younger and attractive Elsa Greer. But Carla has a letter from her mother in which she claimed she was innocent and Carla is convinced whatever else her mother was, she was neither sentimental nor a liar.

Poirot agrees to look into the matter and begins by interviewing all those involved in the trial who are still available, the investigating officer, the prosecuting barrister as also that for the defence besides the solicitors in the matter. All appear convinced that Caroline was guilty, influenced by among other things the fact that she put up no fight at all. However, all of them also present pictures of Caroline very different to each other. Then Poirot moves on to talking to the five people most closely connected with the case, those present at Crale home, Alderbury at the time of the murder—Philip Blake, a banker and Amyas’ best friend, his older brother Meredith whose hobby was studying herbs including dangerous ones, Elsa Greer, the young woman Amyas feel in love with and was also painting at the time, Angela Warren, Caroline’s half-sister and Miss Williams, the governess hired to teach Angela—each fitting perfectly a line of the Five Little Pigs rhyme!

Besides speaking to them, Poirot asks each to give him a written account of all they remember of the incident, mostly the day when it unfolded and the day preceding but what he gets from each has much more information, throwing up possible clues and more light on each person’s character.

Based on the conversations and accounts, Poirot sets up his characteristic denouement scene inviting all the little pigs; secrets and inferences are revealed but does he manage to find who murdered Amyas Crale?

Being a mystery from the past, Five Little Pigs is structured differently than Poirot’s usual mysteries, in three sections, covering the initial conversations Poirot has with those involved, the individual accounts of the five ‘suspects’, and another short round of questions before Poirot reveals all. As we read, one can see each character might meet the impressions that we get of them in their descriptions by others or in the conversations with Poirot, yet each also has facets to them not as apparent at first glance. Likewise is the light they throw on both the events that unfolded and Caroline (and Amyas’)’s character as well—some of this coloured by their own feelings and perceptions but also revealing aspects that enable Poirot (and us, if we are clever enough) to reach a truer picture.

Christie is fair as always and gives us some clues but even though this was a revisit and I picked up some of them, I didn’t quite take in their import in every case. And while I remembered whodunit, as always I didn’t remember many of the nuances and details or how Poirot worked out whodunit so I enjoyed myself reading it. This is a book as much about the characters as the events and their various shades and complexities add an extra layer of depth and substance to the story.

An engrossing mystery with plenty of twists and shades which I loved on this revisit too!
...more

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Jan 10, 2020 Jill rated it it was amazing

Shelves: agatha-christie

Yet another great story from this great author. I think this is one of her lesser known books, but I think it is right up there with the well-known ones. A story of love throughout, with jealously and passion. Poirot takes on a case that is 16 years old and this shows us three different kinds of love. A deep unconditional kind, a guilty, sorrowful type and a passionate, all consuming variety. The people involved all having their own opinions on occurrences and drawing different conclusions. Of c ...more

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Nov 05, 2014 Damaskcat rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Carla - daughter of Caroline Crale who was convicted of murdering her husband sixteen years ago - wants Hercule Poirot to find out who was really responsible. She believes her mother was innocent. Poirot is rather reluctant to take on the case but something about the girl persuades him to do so. He sets out to interview the five people who were in the house at the time of the death and asks them to write their own accounts of that day.

The reader's job - along with Poirot - is to work out who is ...more

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Mar 28, 2019 Becky rated it it was amazing

I love this book!

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Jan 19, 2018 Pranit rated it really liked it

Shelves: hercule-poirot

Murder committed 16 years ago is solved by Belgian 🇧🇪 sleuth 🕵️‍♂️
The story is well paced and keeps you busy to see how he gets the evidence to find the killer eventually!

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