From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Taken at the Flood (Hercule Poirot, #29)

Agatha Christie

Start date: April 1, 2020

Finish date: April 30, 2020

Discussion: Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

Why we're reading this: Latest in our series of Poirot buddy reads.
[close] Latest in our series of Poirot buddy reads.

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 71 topics — 1,981 comments total

Archive: Poirot Buddy Reads

* Reading Order for the Unofficial Poirot Buddy Reads
By Jessica-sim · 54 posts · 155 views

last updated Dec 27, 2020 08:20AM

Poirot Buddy Read 40: SPOILER THREAD Curtain
By Jessica-sim · 20 posts · 35 views

last updated Feb 05, 2021 06:12PM

showing 2 of 2 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jun 08, 2010 Nancy Oakes rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-mystery-fiction, crime-fiction, crime-fiction-uk

In 1944, as the German bombs are falling, Hercule Poirot is safely ensconced in the Coronation Club, when he first hears of the Cloade family. It seems the family patriarch & millionaire, Gordon, was killed when a bomb hit his London home, but his young wife was spared. As it turns out, the wife had previously been married to a Robert Underhay, who had mysteriously disappeared in Africa and was presumed dead. Two years later, Poirot receives a strange visit from one of the Cloade family of Warm In 1944, as the German bombs are falling, Hercule Poirot is safely ensconced in the Coronation Club, when he first hears of the Cloade family. It seems the family patriarch & millionaire, Gordon, was killed when a bomb hit his London home, but his young wife was spared. As it turns out, the wife had previously been married to a Robert Underhay, who had mysteriously disappeared in Africa and was presumed dead. Two years later, Poirot receives a strange visit from one of the Cloade family of Warmsley Vale who has received a message from the spirit world that Robert Underhay is not really dead. Not long after, he reads about the death of an Enoch Arden in the same village.

Christie then takes the story to Warmsley Vale, and introduces the Cloade family. It seems that all of them were financially dependent on Gordon Cloade, and that this young wife, Rosaleen, has thrown a bit of a monkey wrench into the situation. Living now in Gordon's home with her brother David, Rosaleen was the sole beneficiary to Gordon's vast estate, and David stands between the family and financial assistance. Rosaleen, it seems, is eager to help, but David despises the rest of the Cloades and refuses to lend them a penny. Things go from bad to worse when a mysterious stranger, one Enoch Arden (the namesake of a poem from Tennyson) appears with a bizarre story about Robert Underhay. Pretty soon someone ends up dead. It is Poirot's job to not only figure out who the murderer is, but to get to the bottom of the whole mess. This won't be a simple task.

With several suspects to choose from, Taken at the Flood is one of those stories where the truth is unraveled bit by bit, so that the reader is not really sure of the whodunit until the end. There are plenty of red herrings to sort through -- and just when you think you know who it is, something else pops up to make you think again. Throughout the novel there is a buildup of suspense as you wonder what is really going on here.

Not my favorite of Agatha Christie's novels, it is still an enjoyable read. There is a small peek at some of the hardships of postwar British life that enhances the sense of the desperation of these characters, and Christie manages to keep the underlying tension running throughout the novel.

Taken at the Flood is Poirot's 27th adventure - and he's still going strong, although the earlier Poirot novels of the 20s & 30s were more to my liking. Recommended for fans of Poirot and for Agatha Christie readers in general - these books may be old, but they're still worth reading. ...more

5 likes · Like · see review

Apr 07, 2020 Susan in NC rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: christie, want-to-reread

3.5 stars, this one was slow to get into, Poirot barely appeared at the beginning, but things picked up once he was investigating. I think this was a reread for me, because I remember the title being derived from Shakespeare, but it wasn’t particularly memorable 30 years ago, when I first read it, or now!

No spoilers, but the ending was a bit predictable and anticlimactic - also the only time I remembered Poirot not having a big reveal to the whole gang of suspects! The Cloade family leaned on si ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 04, 2022 Louise Culmer rated it it was ok

The Cloade family have all had expectations of inheriting money from the wealthy Gordon Cloade, until he marries a beautiful young girl and is killed not long afterwards in an air raid. His widow Rosemary is now in control of his vast fortune, and many of the Cloades are anxious to get something from her. Rosemary’s glamorous brother David is less keen for his sister to give away any of her wealth.
The postwar atmosphere is well conveyed in this book, and the mystery is quite ingenious. However, ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 12, 2017 Laura Anne rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, british-isles

2.5 stars Good plot and red herrings, horrible ending. (view spoiler) ...more

Like · see review

Aug 24, 2012 Ruth rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery

Oh, I hate it when I spot crucial clues, but don't get it! But, don't get me wrong -- I still love Christie. Taken at the Flood is a wonderufl yarn-- twistier than her usual I think, but no less satisfying. ...more

Like · see review