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

Dec 02, 2009 LJ rated it really liked it

Shelves: golden_age_1918-1939, mysterybookclub, england, private_investigator, traditional_mystery, female_author, mystery, historical

First Sentence: Stephen pulled up the collar of his coat as he walked briskly along the platform.

Elderly, wealthy Simon Lee has gathered his family around him for a Christmas reunion. Hardly a joyous celebration when the guests hear furniture being overturned, an inhuman scream and find Simon murdered in his locked room. Visiting a friend in the area, Hercule Poirot offers to assist in solving this case where everyone had reason to wish the old man dead.

Reading Christie is always a delight. Ther First Sentence: Stephen pulled up the collar of his coat as he walked briskly along the platform.

Elderly, wealthy Simon Lee has gathered his family around him for a Christmas reunion. Hardly a joyous celebration when the guests hear furniture being overturned, an inhuman scream and find Simon murdered in his locked room. Visiting a friend in the area, Hercule Poirot offers to assist in solving this case where everyone had reason to wish the old man dead.

Reading Christie is always a delight. There is wonderful, wry humor in her writing such as the description of the butler being like a faithful old retainer of fiction and the Inspector inquiring “Do you mean to tell me, Superintendent, that this is one of those damned cases you get in detective stories where a man is killed in a locked room by some apparent supernatural agency?”

Ms. Christie’s books were contemporary when written and historical to us now. Her strong descriptions of that time and the related social mores make fascinating reading. Her sense of place is equally strong. I find it interesting that she, as did many English authors of that time and later, assumed her audience had a classical education as evidence by her use of non-translated French phrases and Shakespearean quotations.

It is her plotting and use of characters I most enjoy. She sets her story up by introducing each of her very distinctive characters assuring the reader knows who they are and how they relate in the story. I greatly appreciate that Ms. Christie didn’t feel it necessary to make the local police seem incompetent in order to have Poirot be brilliant. There was only one mild portent when Hilda said “Not of you. I am afraid—for you!”, and one coincidence to which Poirot says “I am always prepared to admit one coincidence.” Thank you, Miss Christie!

There are several very clever twists to the plot and the classic revelation at the end. If you’ve not read Christie, I highly recommend so doing. For me, she is a reliable, enjoyable reread.

HERCULE POIROT’S CHRISTMAS (Trad Mys-Hercule Poirot-England-1930s) – VG+
Christie, Agatha – 19th in Poirot series
Berkley; reissue 2000, US Paperback – ISBN: 9780425177419
...more

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Dec 05, 2015 Linda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, audio-only, audible-on-sale, classics

Wonderful classic Poirot! All the ingredients are here. Controlling, wealthy patriarch invites all his potential heirs to his home for Christmas, hints at a change of his will, and winds up dead. Oodles of interesting suspects and motives. Fun and twisty!

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